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Photos of Trudeau in Blackface don’t surprise Black people; we live this racist reality

When the furor over Trudeau's Blackface photos dies down, to be referred to as an "embarrassing incident" or "controversial," Black people like Abdilahi Elmi will still be facing deportation. Muslim Canadians will still be on the no-fly list. White nationalist editorials will still be commissioned by major newspapers under the guise of "debate." And immigration will still be referred to as a "crisis."

September 20, 2019 By El Jones 5 Comments

The closest I’ve been to Justin Trudeau was in January, 2017, when I stood beside former Somali child refugee Abdoul Abdi’s sister Fatouma as she asked the Prime Minister if he would deport his own children. Fatouma was seven months pregnant, and was supposed to be on bed rest. When she heard Trudeau would be at […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured Tagged With: Abdilahi Elmi, Abdoul Abdi, anti-Black racism, anti-Blackness, blackface, Fatouma Alyaan, Greg Marquis, Lynn Jones, Peter MacKinnon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Yusra Khogali

The Donner Prize is part of a larger effort to reimagine Canada as a right-wing American Libertarian fantasy

Morning File, Monday, April 8, 2019

April 8, 2019 By Tim Bousquet 3 Comments

1. Donner Prize “Peter MacKinnon’s book, University Commons Divided: Exploring Debate and Dissent on Campus, has been shortlisted for the Donner Prize,” writes El Jones: In an article I wrote for the Halifax Examiner about MacKinnon’s defense of blackface, I identified how MacKinnon’s arguments lack a scholarly basis. He frequently does not quote or misleadingly quotes […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Alan Lomax, Allan Gotliev, Association for Cultural Equity, Backstory NS, blackface, Bob Bancroft, Canadian Constitution Foundation, clearcutting, Costas Halavrezos, designated smoking receptacles, designated smoking zones, Donner Canadian Foundation, Donner Prize, El Jones, Fraser Institute, Greg MacVicar, Hillsdale College, Ken Whyte, Patrick Luciani, Peter MacKinnon, R. Emmett Tyrell Jr., sidewalk clearing, Thomas Walkom, Vera Hall, William H. Donner Foundation, William Henry Donner, Woman Hailing a Cab

All-white Donner Prize jury shortlists book by white man defending blackface

April 7, 2019 By El Jones 3 Comments

Peter MacKinnon’s book, University Commons Divided: Exploring Debate and Dissent on Campus, has been shortlisted for the Donner Prize. The selection criteria for the prize identifies three areas of scrutiny: The importance of the subject; The soundness and originality of the analysis in terms of identifying and defining the issues in question and presenting authoritative analysis […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Featured Tagged With: Black Liberation Collective, blackface, Cheryl Thompson, Dalhousie University, David A. Dodge, Desmond Cole, Donner Canadian Foundation, Donner Prize, Eric Lott, George Elliott Clarke, Helen McClean, Henry Parada, Jean-Marie Dufour, Ken Whyte, Lawrence Stordy, Peter MacKinnon, Peter Nicholson, Rinaldo Walcott, Sherry Naylor, white supremacist improv

Here’s the stadium lie: it will pay for itself

Morning File, Wednesday, February 6, 2019

February 6, 2019 By Tim Bousquet 11 Comments

News 1. Here’s the stadium lie: it will pay for itself There’s a big long Canadian Press article written by reporter Dan Ralph that quotes Anthony Leblanc at length about all things Atlantic Schooners, but mostly about his plans to play in Moncton while he strong-arms Halifax into building him a stadium. Then Ralph gets […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Amanda Jess, Anthony Leblanc, Atlantic Schooners, blackface, Blake Jackson trial, Brett Bundale, CFL stadium, Charles Vinick, Dalhousie Faculty Association, Dan Ralph, El Jones, Justice Christa Brothers, Lawrence Story, Lori Marino, Peter MacKinnon, Ralph Northam, Sean McCarroll, sexual assault, stadium financing, Tax Increment Financing (TIF), Thomas Singleton, Valor SR, Whale Sanctuary Project

Dal Interim President Peter MacKinnon responds

Morning File, Tuesday, January 29, 2019

January 29, 2019 By Tim Bousquet and Jennifer Henderson 4 Comments

News 1. “Near miss” offshore This item is written by Jennifer Henderson. For the second time in three months, there’s been a potentially fatal incident involving a dropped object aboard the rig plugging 22 abandoned wells near Sable Island. Fortunately, no one was injured in this incident, which happened Thursday January 24 aboard the Noble Regina […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Arrows Ball Park, Barbara Darby and cowboys, Bell's Let's Talk campaign, Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board, David Jones, Department of National Defence (DND), El Jones, ExxonMobil, gaslighting, Innocence Canada, John Ware, Kalapa Council, Little Brooklyn, mental health, Mipham Mukpo, Murray Brewster, Peter MacKinnon, Philip Moscovitch, Shambhala, Thebaud production platform, Tom Sophonow, Vice-Admiral Mark Norman

“Racist, Full Stop.”

In his book, Interim Dalhousie President Peter MacKinnon downplays and excuses the wearing of blackface while mischaracterizing and sidelining those who object to it. But MacKinnon ignores the vast scholarship on blackface, so let's hear from the scholars.

January 26, 2019 By El Jones 2 Comments

INTRODUCTION On Monday afternoon, Dalhousie students protested the welcoming reception for incoming president Peter MacKinnon. As Tim noted on Tuesday, “The students are particularly riled over MacKinnon’s book, University Commons Divided: Exploring Debate & Dissent on Campus.” One of the serious issues students identified in their press release is MacKinnon’s declaration in the book that blackface […]

Filed Under: Commentary, Education, Featured Tagged With: Anthony Morgan, anti-Black racism, blackface, Brock University, Cheryl Thompson, Dalhousie University racism, Denise Balkissoon, Eric Lott, George Elliott Clarke, Jack Lightstone, Larry Stordy, McGill University, Peter MacKinnon, Philip S.S. Howard, Queen's University, Rachel Decoste, racist costumes, Rinaldo Walcott, Stephen Johnson, University of Toronto

Students say new Dalhousie Interim President Peter MacKinnon should resign

Morning File, Tuesday, January 22, 2019

January 22, 2019 By Tim Bousquet 14 Comments

This is a somewhat abbreviated Morning File as I’m tied up with another project; I hope to finish that project soon, maybe even today. News 1. Peter MacKinnon Yesterday, there was a welcoming reception for new interim Dalhousie President Peter MacKinnon at the Dal Arts Centre. A group of students dressed in black and carrying signs […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Abdoul Abdi, Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs (ANSMC), Chief Morley Googoo, citizenship, Cornwallis Task Force, Costas Halavrezos, Dalhousie students silent action, Dartmouth Sportsplex, death and journalism, Divest Dal, George V, Joseph Zatzman, Michael Zatzman, naming rights, Nova Scotia Department of Community Services, Peter MacKinnon, Racism, Shaina Luck, Zane Woodford, Zatzman Sportsplex

The Tideline, with Tara Thorne

Mo Kenney. Photo: Matt Williams

Episode #18 of The Tideline, with Tara Thorne is published.

Mo Kenney’s new record Covers is a perfect winter companion — songs from across the rock spectrum that she’s pared down to piano or guitar and turned them into sad ballads. She joins Tara to talk about choosing and arranging them, and opens up for a frank discussion of the alcohol dependency it took a pandemic for her to confront. Plus: Movies are back (again).

This episode is available today only for premium subscribers; to become a premium subscriber, click here, and join the select group of arts and entertainment supporters for just $5/month. Everyone else will have to wait until tomorrow to listen to it.

Please subscribe to The Tideline.

Uncover: Dead Wrong

In 1995, Brenda Way was brutally murdered behind a Dartmouth apartment building. In 1999, Glen Assoun was found guilty of the murder. He served 17 years in prison, but steadfastly maintained his innocence. In 2019, Glen Assoun was fully exonerated.

Halifax Examiner founder and investigative journalist Tim Bousquet has followed the story of Glen Assoun's wrongful conviction for over five years. Now, Bousquet tells that story as host of Season 7 of the CBC podcast series Uncover: Dead Wrong.

Click here to go to listen to the podcast, or search for CBC Uncover on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcast aggregator.

About the Halifax Examiner

Examiner folk The Halifax Examiner was founded by investigative reporter Tim Bousquet, and now includes a growing collection of writers, contributors, and staff. Left to right: Joan Baxter, Stephen Kimber, Linda Pannozzo, Erica Butler, Jennifer Henderson, Iris the Amazing, Tim Bousquet, Evelyn C. White, El Jones, Philip Moscovitch More about the Examiner.

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