For Rana Zaman, it had been another long and not untypical day of good-doing. But as she wrote proudly on her Facebook page on Dec. 20 at 4:12 pm: “I’m happy to say, turkey dinner with all the fixings was bought and dropped off for 7 families to enjoy. Still pending is delivery of toys...
Representation matters. Architectural renderings of the Dalhousie Arts Centre that depict only white people send a message to people of colour: you don’t belong
Morning File, Monday, December 23, 2019
News 1. Northern Pulp Friday, three Examiner reporters covered the breaking Northern Pulp story. I was at One Government Place for Premier Stephen McNeil’s announcement, then darted over to a nearby hotel for Northern Pulp’s press conference. Joan Baxter spoke with members of Pictou Landing First Nation and PLFN legal council to get their reaction.* […]
Politicians criticizing Israel: When 2019 becomes 1984 all over again
We've already begun another wild modern election ride during which outrageous old social media posts have and will come back to haunt candidates and the political parties that nominate them. But what happens when the outrage is misplaced and the goal seems to be to shut down legitimate differences of opinion?
Let’s begin with a pop quiz. During the 2015 Canadian federal election, how many candidates for the highest offices in our land were hoist by the petard of their own social media posts before voters could say yay or nay to them at the ballot box? On a roll? Then let’s go international. And get...
A courageous mother’s act of forgiveness and a challenge to her son’s killer
Morning File, Monday, July 29, 2019
News 1. Israel and the Palestinians Stephen Kimber writes about Rana Zaman, a social activist and Pakistani immigrant, who until the end of June was the federal NDP candidate for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour. Until someone found old tweets Zaman wrote about Israel and its treatment of Palestinians. Frustrated by seeing what she described as “unarmed Palestinian […]
Can we talk about Israel and the Palestinians? No?
Between Rana Zaman’s nomination as a federal NDP candidate in May and the end of June, someone dredged up a number of her impassioned social media posts, which focused on Israel and its treatment of Palestinians. The NDP almost instantly dumped her. But what had she said that was so awful?
Canada’s New Democrats made a mistake. Not with their nomination last week of Emma Norton, a 28-year-old climate change activist and Ecology Action Centre staffer who decided to seek elective office this spring because she felt betrayed by Justin Trudeau’s “market-based, incrementalist” approach to climate change. I’m certain she will be a fine candidate in […]
Ramadan in jail: prisoners in Burnside are being denied the right to practice their religion
Malik is calling from the jail asking for the numbers of any Muslims he can contact just to talk to, maybe hear some Quran from. The last time he prayed with community was during Ramadan last year, and since then, his requests for spiritual services have been denied. Last year, Muslim prisoners at Burnside (Central […]