On Tuesday, June 29, Bill C-268 was signed by Justice Rothstein and read by the Speaker of the Canadian Senate, receiving Royal Assent by written declaration, and thereby becoming law in Canada. This is good news! C-268 is a private member’s bill that was introduced by MP Joy Smith (Kildonan—St. Paul), amending the Criminal Code… Read More
A couple of weeks ago, news broke that Canada has again “stepped up to the plate” to help Haiti’s earthquake recovery efforts, this time pledging $400 million in financial support and debt relief over the next two years. The commitment was made at the United Nations, and means that Canada will have a seat on… Read More
Today in the House of Commons, a motion put forward by the Opposition demanding that the Government’s child and maternal health plan cover a “full range” of family planning options, including contraception and abortion, was narrowly defeated by a vote of 144 to 138. This is the latest in a series of attempts by the… Read More
Last week, the House of Commons Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) Committee passed a motion, introduced by Tony Martin, to resume clause by clause consideration of Bill C-304, an Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for all Canadians. If passed, Bill C-304 would… Read More
Prominent in yesterday’s headlines around the world was news of a brutal and senseless attack on World Vision building near Oghi town in Mansehra district on North West Frontier Province, 65 km north of Islamabad. Up to 15 suspected Islamic militants riding pick-up vehicles descended on the building, armed with guns and grenades. One staff person… Read More
There are many complexities in regard to prostitution, the sex trade and human sex trafficking. And, there are differing opinions, approaches, and solutions, both legally and socially. But in every place, at every time, this basic truth remains: at its core, the sex trade operates on the basis of supply and demand. If somehow we… Read More
As civil society organizations, we unfortunately find ourselves often in a place of criticizing government for falling short of expectations or for failing to act, plan or respond. The all-too-frequent message to government leaders can frequently be whittled down to two simple words: do more. Just over two weeks ago, the nation of Haiti was… Read More
Today, November 24, 2009, marks the 20th anniversary of the unanimous resolution in the House of Commons to “seek to achieve the goal of eliminating poverty among Canadian children by the year 2000.” Just shy of 10 years beyond that target, what progress has been made? According to Campaign 2000’s 2009 Report Card on Child… Read More
Tomorrow, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources will resume its’ study of Bill C-304, an act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for all Canadians. Recently, the EFC and StreetLevel: The National Roundtable on Poverty and Homelessness appeared together before the Committee, to speak in strong support of the Bill.… Read More
National media have been buzzing with word of three sex-trade workers pursuing a challenge under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms against Canada’s prostitution laws in an Ontario court. They are asking a judge to invalidate three Criminal Code provisions that make it illegal to run a bawdy house, to communicate for the purposes of… Read More