POSTMODERN FEMINISM

Ashley Judd speaks out on the right of women to control their bodies and be free from male violence


Ashley Judd speaks during an event on the White House complex in Washington, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Judd, whose allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein helped spark the #MeToo movement, spoke out Monday, April 29, on the right of women and girls to control their own bodies and be free from male violence. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

BY EDITH M. LEDERER
April 29, 2024

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Actor Ashley Judd, whose allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein helped spark the #MeToo movement, spoke out Monday on the rights of women and girls to control their own bodies and be free from male violence.

A goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Population Fund, she addressed the U.N. General Assembly’s commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the landmark document adopted by 179 countries at its 1994 conference in Cairo, which for the first time recognized that women have the right to control their reproductive and sexual health – and to choose if and when to become pregnant.

Judd called the program of action adopted in Cairo a “glorious, aspirational document” that has been “imprinted into my psyche … (and) has guided my 20 years of traveling the world, drawing needed attention to and uplifting sexual and reproductive health and rights in slums, brothels, refugee and IDP (internally displaced) camps, schools and drop-in centers.”

The Cairo conference changed the focus of the U.N. Population Fund, known as UNFPA, from numerical targets to promoting choices for individual women and men, and supporting economic development and education for girls. Underlying the shift was research showing that educated women have smaller families.

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While Cairo recognized sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights for women, it did not recognize sexual rights. That came a year later at the 1995 U.N. women’s conference in Beijing.

On one of the most contentious issues at the Cairo conference, delegates recognized that unsafe abortion is a fact that governments must deal with as a public health issue to save women’s lives. But it did not condone abortion as a method of family planning or mention legalization, and 30 year later the issue remains contentious.

Judd recalled some of her travels including to Madagascar, where she said she spoke to women being commercially exploited by men. She said they were all forced into that work by the same root cause: “The sexual, reproductive, legal, political, social and cultural inequality of girls and women.”

In Turkey last August, Judd said she met with both Turkish families and refugees living in tents and containers “with one semi-functioning latrine for hundreds of people.”

Many said they were in no emotional, mental or physical condition to bring another baby into the world and Judd expressed gratitude that UNFPA was doing all it could “to provide modern family planning choices to those who want them, in spite of the government removing their availability in the public sector.”

A UNFPA goodwill ambassador since 2016, Judd stressed the importance of women choosing when to have children and “the ability to say no to sex free from retaliation.”

Natalia Kanem, executive director of UNFPA which now calls itself the U.N.’s sexual and reproductive health and rights agency, cited tremendous progress over the last three decades on the Cairo platform at the commemoration.

Maternal mortality declined by a third between 2000 and 2020, the number of women using contraceptives has doubled since 1990, adolescent births have dropped by a third since 2000, and rates of child marriage have decreased globally, she said.

Kanem also pointed to more than 60 countries passing legislation against domestic violence, and punitive laws against LGBTQ+ individuals “falling more quickly than ever.”

“And yet today, progress is slowing,” she said. “Annual reductions in maternal deaths have flattened, inequalities, between and within countries, are widening. And the rights of women, girls and gender diverse people are the subject of increasing pushback.”

U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed told the crowded General Assembly chamber that the great progress in 30 years “has been masked by those that have been left behind.”

She cited many developing countries whose child mortality rates remain too high and the 164 million women of reproductive age around the world with no access to family planning.

“We must remain vigilant and continue to address situations where sexual and reproductive health and rights are being rolled back,” Mohammed said. “We must respond and push back when women’s rights are being eroded.”

Scientists warn Canada 'way behind the virus' as bird flu explodes among U.S. dairy cattle

Story by Lauren Pelley • CBC

 

The CFIA says it has not detected this form of bird flu yet in dairy cattle — or any other livestock — in Canada. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

While federal officials say there's still no sign of a dangerous form of bird flu in Canadian dairy cows, scientists warn limited surveillance means Canada might not be staying ahead of an explosive H5N1 outbreak among dairy cattle south of the border.

So far, dozens of herds across various U.S. states have been infected with this form of influenza A. While it appears to cause milder infections in cows, H5N1 has also been linked to stunning death rates of 50 per cent or more in other species, including various birds, cats and even humans, though more data and research is needed to fully understand the risks.

"I think we're way behind the virus," warned Matthew Miller, an immunologist and vaccine developer with McMaster University, who's among the Canadians working on H5N1 research.

Without a "robust national surveillance program, there's no way to know if there are infections here or not."

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) told CBC News on Monday it has not detected this form of bird flu yet in dairy cattle — or any other livestock — in Canada. (In birds, however, the disease is already widespreadacrossthe country, impacting an estimated 11 million farmed birds to date.)

The disease is federally reportable in any species, cattle included, the CFIA said. The agency requires dairy producers to monitor for signs of infection, follow biosecurity measures, and contact their local CFIA office if there is a "high degree of suspicion" of the disease.

It appears that cross-country trade is still allowed. Asked whether dairy cattle can currently be transported between the U.S. and Canada, the CFIA said the World Organisation of Animal Health "does not recommend restrictions on the movement of healthy cattle and their products at this time."

As well, following a U.S. federal order last Wednesday requiring H5N1 testing for many dairy cattle moving between states, "Canada will also require testing for [avian flu] on imported lactating dairy cattle from the U.S.," the CFIA said. 

When asked about testing milk samples, the agency said if H5N1 is detected in Canadian cattle, it will help provide testing support.

(The agency was more clear in an earlier statement on social media, saying it is "not currently testing raw or pasteurized milk," adding that the virus isn't a food safety concern.) 

Multiple Canadian scientists, however, stress that widespread testing and surveillance efforts should already be underway rather than set to ramp up after a first detection.

Canada needs 'active surveillance'

Canada should "absolutely be doing active surveillance for H5N1 in cattle," other animals and humans who are in close contact with them, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases expert with the University Health Network in Toronto, in correspondence with CBC News.

He said those efforts could include a range of approaches such as wastewater surveillance, blood sample studies and nasal swabs.

The goal should be going "all-in on prevention," Miller said, adding "pandemics always have the highest risk of happening when we have a virus in animals that humans are heavily exposed to."

Given H5N1's unprecedented leap into cattle, followed by explosive cow-to-cow spread across the U.S. in mere weeks, the potential for human-to-human transmission seems more likely as the virus adapts to more mammals, he warned. 

"If we see more human infections, cat's out of the bag, it's way too late," Miller said. "We need to be sparing no amount of effort, and no amount of expense, in doing absolutely everything to prevent even those initial infections in humans — because the stakes are just too high."

The U.S. has reported one human infection linked to the cattle outbreaks so far, in an individual whose only symptom was eye inflammation. However, some scientists have warned there are likely more that aren't being detected, amid growing calls for mass testing on farms.

"Since the issue in the [U.S.] seems to be bigger than we thought and was brewing before it was recognized, and since we have a plausible route for exposure here, we should be proactive," said Dr. Scott Weese, a professor at the Ontario Veterinary College and director of the University of Guelph's Centre for Public Health and Zoonoses.

At a minimum, he added, that would involve milk surveillance. It may not be particularly sensitive — the milk supply is diluted because it comes from so many farms, Weese said. 

"But if there are positives, we know we have it and then need to look more aggressively at the farm level."

Despite sick cows being pulled from production lines, U.S. Food and Drug Administration officials said its recent nationwide survey of milk sold on store shelves found viral remnants of H5N1 in one in five samples. (More reassuringly, federal tests suggest pasteurization — a heating process meant to neutralize harmful pathogens — does ensure milk is safe to drink.)  

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also announced there will be testing of ground beef in states with bird flu outbreaks, and recently warned the virus may be passing back and forth between cattle and poultry farms. 

Outbreak officially spread to 34 herds, 9 states

The first known cattle infected with H5N1 were reported in late March. Since then, at least 34 herds across nine U.S. states have been impacted, and scientists suspect the outbreak is already far bigger than official figures suggest.

Newly released research from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also showed profound impacts on farm cats — with a death rate of around 50 per cent among those fed raw milk products from infected cows. 

The study raises "new concerns regarding the potential for virus spread within mammal populations," the team continued.

On Monday, other U.S. researchers shared a preprint — research not yet formally published or peer-reviewed — outlining efforts to monitor influenza A at dozens of wastewater sites this spring.

The team tested samples from three plants where spring rises in influenza A were observed, and found a marker for the H5 gene at all three facilities. Those plants were also located in an unnamed state with confirmed H5N1 outbreaks among dairy cattle, and two of the facilities discharged animal waste and milk byproducts into sewers, the researchers noted.

It all paints a picture of a fast-spreading outbreak that's impacting new species, appearing in new areas, and is likely past the point of containing, several outside scientists agreed.

Funding, support for testing needed

Here in Canada, funding and support for veterinarians and farmers to test needs to be clear, stressed Weese.

"If farmers have to pay for sampling and testing, and don't know what will happen if there's a positive, and have no direct personal gain from it, why would they do it voluntarily?" he questioned. "We need a clear program that supports good testing and supports farms."

Toronto-based infectious diseases specialist Dr. Allison McGeer, from Sinai Health System, said she's "personally hoping we are not going to get caught off guard" here in Canada.

What's reassuring, McGeer added, is that Canada does have robust human testing in place to catch severe flu infections. Typically, she says, Canadian hospitals use combined viral testing — for COVID, influenza and RSV — which can pick up a certain protein that is stable across all strains of influenza A.

If a human infection of avian flu showed up in a hospital, the test would label it along the lines of "influenza A, subtype not detected," she explained. And, if the patient had also been in contact with poultry or wildlife, that combination of factors could trigger extra lab work to pinpoint the specific type of influenza — including H5N1.

But that's only if someone is sick enough to visit a healthcare facility. 

"It's not a perfect system," McGeer acknowledged, "but it's [a sensitive system] for detecting severe disease from H5N1."

Edmonton Federal minister’s ties to lobbyist raise ethical concern

Story by Patti Sonntag and Krista Hessey • 


A lobbyist with business ties to federal cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault met with high-level political staff in six federal departments, including one where Boissonnault was also associate minister, a Global News investigation has found.

The meetings, which took place in 2021 and 2022, helped raise $110 million in federal grants for Edmonton International Airport.

Now serving as employment minister, Boissonnault is the only Liberal cabinet member from Alberta. The Edmonton Centre MP’s riding is one of the party’s two footholds in the province.

After he won the September 2021 election and was named tourism minister and associate finance minister, Boissonault began winding down his small consulting business, Xennex Venture Catalysts, which he ran out of his home.

As is legally required of elected officials, Boissonnault handed over control and the remaining administrative duties to Kirsten Poon, his friend and business associate. Poon had worked as a lobbyist for Xennex.

The company “ceased day-to-day operations,” according to his spokeswoman, Alice Hansen.

“Minister Boissonnault always met all of his conflict of interest and ethics obligations as a public office holder,” Hansen told Global News.

Poon, who had no prior experience with federal lobbying before working for Xennex, transferred the company’s sole registered client, Edmonton Regional Airports Authority, to her own small business, Navis Group.

As Boissonnault assumed his ministerial duties, Poon resumed lobbying.

In legally-mandated public disclosures listing his possible conflicts of interest, Boissonnault posted the legal name for Poon’s consultancy, 2050877 Alberta Ltd.

He did not, however, disclose its trade name, Navis Group.

The connection between the two entities would not be immediately obvious to government officials or the public. To find that Navis Group and the numbered company were one and the same, they would have to conduct a corporate records search and pay $80.

Poon lobbied high-ranking ministry staffers across federal departments, including three meetings with a policy adviser for the Prime Minister’s Office and two meetings with advisers reporting to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.

Poon’s meetings with Finance Canada took place in March and June 2022, when Boissonnault was attached to the same department as associate minister.

One of the topics in her meetings with Finance Canada was hydrogen fuel development. Within months, Boissonnault and other officials made an announcement at Edmonton International Airport awarding local hydrogen fuel initiatives $9.74 million in federal funds.

While Boissonnault’s office told Global News the minister has followed conflict-of-interest and lobbying rules, experts consulted by Global News expressed concerns about whether Boissonnault had met the high bar of transparency set by these regulations.




Federal minister Randy Boissonnault defends business ties to lobbyist

© Provided by Global News

The Conflict of Interest Act requires ministers to avoid using their offices “to further his or her private interests … or to improperly further another person’s private interests.”

The Open and Accountable Government Code expands on this, stating that “Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries must avoid conflict of interest, the appearance of conflict of interest and situations that have the potential to involve conflicts of interest.”

And the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct, a set of rules arising from the Lobbying Act, warns federal lobbyists to never pitch to officials who “could reasonably be seen to have a sense of obligation towards you.”

Ian Stedman, an assistant professor of Canadian public law and governance at York University, said that Boissonnault did not break any laws.

Nevertheless, he said, “This is an example of an arrangement with a ‘former’ business associate … that I don’t think the public would be comfortable with.”

Alice Hansen, the minister’s spokeswoman, replied to Global News’ questions, “Minister Boissonnault has not been involved with any of Ms. Poon’s lobbying activities since being elected, and all necessary steps have been taken to avoid any conflict of interest.”

For her part, Poon emphasized that her lobbying was independent of Boissonnault.

“Mr. Boissonnault was not involved in any way,” she stated in exchanges with Global News. “I take all applicable laws, rules and ethics very seriously.”

“Government officials at all levels will take meetings with my client because of who they are and their critical role in our country, not because of me or Mr. Boissonnault,” she added.

Delayed payments

Poon and Boissonnault still have business ties, Global News found. Poon is the only director of Boissonnault’s two businesses -- Xennex and a numbered holding company that controls his shares in a PPE supply business. Boissonnault received payments from Xennex into 2023, and the payments from Navis Group continue today, according to his public disclosures.

When asked why Poon’s business is paying Boissonnault, Hansen replied that these are long-delayed payments from Boissonnault’s consulting work in 2020 and 2021. That work “pre-dated the establishment of Navis Group from 2050877 Alberta Ltd., which is why that company was named as such,” she wrote.

Lawyers and researchers with expertise in federal lobbying and conflict of interest legislation told Global News they found these explanations insufficient.

“There is a difference between being compliant with the rules, which may be the case here, and the ethics of the relationship,” explained Robert Shepherd, a professor of public policy and program evaluation at Carleton University.

“Poon is placing departmental officials in the awkward position of at least having to take meetings with her” because of her relationship with Boissonnault, he said.

Freeland’s office and the prime minister’s office did not directly respond to Global News’ questions about whether their staff had known about Boissonnault’s business ties to Poon. Global News does not know whether any department officials whom Poon lobbied were aware of her relationship with Boissonnault.

A spokesman for the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, which is the organization that advises MPs on how to avoid conflicts of interest, indicated that it was not aware that the numbered company operates as Navis Group.

However, “the requirements of the Code are met,” he confirmed, pointing out that the minister was legally required to use the business’s legal name.

The Office of the Lobbying Commissioner told Global News that it could not comment on Poon or Boissonnault’s activities.

But experts caution there is an unaddressed, underlying problem: MPs and advisors starting up lobbying firms when they are out of power.
Lobbying "loophole"

Federal legislation prohibits former MPs and their staff from lobbying federal offices for five years after leaving office, or what’s called a cooling-off period, so that they cannot profit from their information about the government’s activities.

Stedman, however, said there is “a loophole” that allows members of this group to own businesses that hire other consultants to do the lobbying.

Boissonnault served as Edmonton Centre MP from 2015 to 2019. When he lost his seat in the 2019 election, he resurrected Xennex, according to government records.

Xennex had no website and had been dormant for years, but by spring 2020, the first year of Boissonnault’s cooling-off period, it won Edmonton Regional Airports Authority’s contract away from one of Canada’s largest public relations firms.

Xennex then hired Poon, who has been a consultant for the airport since 2018 and sometimes uses the title “director of business development” or “vice president, Asia.” Poon had volunteered on Boissonnault’s 2015 campaign and altogether had donated $4,000.

Boissonnault’s proximity to his firm’s lobbying contract was unusually close, experts noted.

Duff Conacher, founder of the nonprofit Democracy Watch, said with Boissonnault as Xennex’s sole director and voting shareholder, hiring Poon was a “sham facade.”

“Just to have a proxy person lobbying for you, when it’s your firm,” he said, was insufficient distance between Boissonnault and the lobbying contract.

Boissonnault did not lobby, observing the cooling-off period, Hansen explained.

Boissonnault “did not participate in work activities that involved communication with a federal public office holder nor did he arrange meetings with a public office holder on behalf of Xennex or its clients. There is no failure to comply with the Lobbying Act,” she stated.

The airport did, however, hire Boissonnault as a Xennex consultant while he was out of office, Hansen told Global News.

He worked on a project “advising the Edmonton International Airport throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” she stated.

Hansen did not respond to Global News’ request for documentation of Boissonnault’s work with the airport.

With Boissonnault advising and Poon lobbying, Edmonton International Airport received $25 million in pandemic recovery funds in July 2021, one month after he was nominated for his riding and two months before the federal contest.
Back in the driver's seat

After Boissonnault regained his seat in September and the PMO made him tourism minister and associate finance minister, his tight circle of relationships converged.

In his capacity as tourism minister, he worked on Edmonton airport’s new private partnerships involving hydrogen fuel, according to an April 2022 post in which the airport thanked him for “helping to make these agreements a reality.”

Hansen told Global News that the airport was simply thanking Boissonnault as a speaker at a convention where the airport announced the partnerships.

A spokeswoman for the airport later clarified to Global News that the post was in recognition of "the work of both the federal and provincial governments.”

Poon, meanwhile, was both serving as a consultant for the airport, which is owned by the federal government, and lobbying the federal government on its behalf. She helped to bring in two more grants totalling $110 million.

Hansen argued that there was nothing unusual about Poon's successes in obtaining meetings.

"As a major Canadian airport, EIA is a significant Canadian stakeholder that would meet from time to time with federal officials," she wrote. "There are extensive records of EIA getting similar meetings in the years preceding Ms. Poon’s lobbying on their behalf."

When Boissonnault announced the $9.74 million for hydrogen fuel projects, the minister was also receiving payments from Poon’s business Navis / 2050877 Alberta Ltd., according to federal records.

Hansen said these payments were for his work prior to his re-election.

“The Minister still has outstanding income from this completed work,” Hansen explained, adding that payments from the United Nations Development Programme, a former Xennex client, were long delayed.

Hansen pointed out that the federal funds the airport received “were not awarded by any departments reporting to Minister Boissonnault and he had no part in any of the approval processes for those grants.”

In Conacher’s view, while not required to do so, Boissonnault should have made a proactive, public declaration recusing himself from all activities connected with the airport’s lobbying effort when he took office.

“That would have again registered that (Poon) was someone who was associated with him,” he said.

Navis’ federal lobbying registration lapsed in April 2023. The airport has not received any new grants since then.

CENTRALIZING POWER IS NOT LIBERTARIAN

Alberta municipalities say proposed provincial law would create chill effect

“Bill 20 puts local governments up for sale to the highest bidder” 

Story by The Canadian Press • 


EDMONTON — The organization representing Alberta's cities, towns and villages says a bill that would grant the province sweeping new powers over local governments is creating an atmosphere of fear.

Tyler Gandam, president of Alberta Municipalities, said Monday his members are worried about potential repercussions if they disagree openly with the provincial government.

“Alberta Municipalities is concerned that the bill will intimidate and even silence legally-elected officials who dare to criticize the provincial government,” Gandam told reporters, adding the bill sets a dangerous precedent that could undermine the power of local voters.

The proposed law, introduced last week by Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative Party government, would give cabinet broad authority to dismiss councillors and overturn local bylaws.

Cabinet conversations are confidential and conventionally exempt from public disclosure. That means under the law, the public may not be privy to why a councillor is dismissed.

“The possibility of locally elected officials being removed at any time for any reason is deeply unsettling and likely to have a chilling effect," Gandam said.

Earlier Monday, Smith said the aim of the proposed legislation is to ensure municipalities are not enacting policies that are out of step with provincial priorities or creep into provincial jurisdiction.

Related video: Municipal governments face threat as Alberta asserts power over them in Bill 20 (Global News)   Duration 2:20   View on Watch

Related video: Concerns over proposed Alberta bill that would give province powers over municipalities (cbc.ca)  Duration 1:59  View on Watch


“We would use it very sparingly,” said Smith at an unrelated news conference in Calgary.

The bill would also allow political parties to run in municipal elections — for now in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta's two largest cities.

If passed, the law would also open the door to corporations and unions being able to donate in municipal elections, which was banned by the previous New Democrat government under former premier Rachel Notley.

Smith said the aim is balance, and existing rules on third-party advertisers have so far failed to bring proper oversight or discourage "big money" in local elections.

Still, Gandam said the bill proposes “almost nothing” to improve transparency over financial donations, and independent candidates risk being outspent and drowned out by party candidates who enjoy the financial backing of corporations and unions.

“Bill 20 puts local governments up for sale to the highest bidder,” said Gandam.

The bill came more than two weeks after Smith's government introduced other legislation that would give it the power to veto any deal between the federal government and provincial entities, including municipalities and post-secondary schools.

The Opposition NDP called Monday for the UCP to withdraw the municipal affairs bill from the legislature, echoing reaction last week from elected officials in Edmonton and Calgary, who called it an authoritarian overreach on local democracy.

NDP house leader Christina Gray said it would upend long-standing political norms.

"When people want change in municipal bylaws, do they — instead of talking to their city councillor — now go straight to Danielle Smith?"

Gray also disputed Smith's claim that corporate and union donations are currently flying under the radar.

“We're going to see a flood of money from corporations influencing our elections rather than what Albertans have asked for, which is to have the local voters be the ones who elect their governments," said Gray.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2024.

Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press

'Who stands to benefit from Bill 20?': ABMunis speaks out against allowing union, corporate donations in local politics

Story by Matthew Black •  Edmonton Journal

Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver introducing legislation to ammend the Local Authorities Election Act on April 25, 2024.© Provided by Edmonton Journal

The organization representing more than 250 Alberta municipalities accused the province Monday of ushering so-called “big money” back into local politics via its controversial Bill 20, something Premier Danielle Smith denied.

Bill 20 — the Municipal Affairs Statutes Amendment Act, 2024 — was tabled in the legislature last Thursday.

It’s drawn criticism for potentially giving the cabinet new, unilateral powers to oust councillors or compel a city council to amend or repeal bylaws with any such decisions to be made in secret and with no apparent criteria.

It also reintroduces corporate and union donations to municipal candidates, something that wasn’t allowed at the last election cycle, and also is not permitted at the provincial level in Alberta or for elections at the federal level.

On Monday, Alberta Municipalities president, Wetaskiwin Mayor Tyler Gandam, said the new rules “put local governments up for sale to the highest bidder.”

“If the bill passes in its current form, local government elections will end up being about what influential corporations and unions want, not about what voters want,” he said, adding the bill “does almost nothing” to improve financial transparency.

“Independent candidates risk being outspent and drowned-out by party candidates who enjoy the financial backing of corporations and unions.”

“Who stands to benefit from Bill 20?”

Smith defended the legislation, telling reporters Monday that current rules around contributions to political action committees (PACs) are too weak and don’t provide enough transparency.

“I don’t think it’s worked,” she said of the system used in the last municipal election cycle that limited PAC contributions to $30,000, but only during the “campaign advertising period,” defined as May 1 of an election year to the date of the election.

Legislation introduced in 2021 updated those rules to include annual limits , but Smith said that still doesn’t go far enough.

“The experiment of PACs hasn’t been overwhelmingly successful if you wanted to take big money out of politics.”

She hinted similar changes could be coming at the provincial level as well.

“We’re having a conversation about it.”

Related
Alberta cabinet to gain power to remove councillors, change bylaws as province also adds political parties to municipal politics

'Authoritarian' and 'frightening': Edmonton councillors lash out at UCP's Bill 20

Bill 20 sets out a $5,00 per year per municipality limit on corporate and union donations to local candidates. It also limits donations to third-party advertisers and PACs to $5,000 per election period.

Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver told reporters last week the new rules will ensure unions and corporations do not have a “disproportionate influence” on municipal elections.

“The previous rules prohibited direct donations from unions and corporations; however, business owners and union members were still allowed to donate as individuals,” his office said in a statement Monday, going on to note those groups could also donate to third-party advertisers.

Edmonton Coun. Andrew Knack has expressed his concern with the timing of disclosure rules, which allow donations outside the local election year.

“Why not require people to disclose who has donated before people go vote?”

NDP Opposition house leader Christina Gray said she is “incredibly proud” of how her party banned corporate and union donations through its first bill as government in 2015.

“This was something that was widely supported by Albertans because of the strong desire to make sure that our democracy is protected, and that it is individual voters and Alberta citizens who decide elections and not big money politics,” she said.

University of Calgary political scientist Lisa Young said while the new rules may appear fair on the surface, they may also have an asymmetrical effect in favour of corporations.

“There are many corporations out there. And there are a relatively small number of unions,” she said.

“We’re going to see quite a bit of corporate money in the local elections, and a relatively small amount of union money.”

mblack@postmedia.com

More Indigenous content among changes to Alberta's draft K-6 social studies curriculum

CBC
Fri, April 26, 2024 

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the latest curriculum revision 'moves the needle' on expert concerns about content. (Craig Ryan/CBC - image credit)

The latest draft of Alberta's elementary school social studies curriculum is out, with revisions that integrate more Indigenous perspectives and a focus on critical thinking.

The third iteration of kindergarten to Grade 6 social studies content comes after the province took the curriculum back to the drawing board in the wake of backlash over a 2021 draft, with critics saying it was age-inappropriate and culturally exclusive.

The government subsequently did a new round of consultations with the public, teachers, community leaders and curriculum experts to come up with a new plan.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said Friday that the government listened to feedback that there was too much focus on memorization, and some content was being introduced too early. The new draft curriculum now introduces taxes in Grade 5 instead of Grade 2,   WTF 

and the amount of content in Grade 4 social studies has been reduced.

WAIT, WHAT?!

"I think our approach has been to take politics out of the classroom and give students a deep understanding of history, to understand an evolving and complex world, and give students the skills that they need to be successful," Nicolaides said.

An overview of the new draft says citizenship is an ongoing theme, with more exploration of diverse communities. First Nations, Métis and Inuit histories and contributions are addressed more consistently, according to the government, and additional content about discrimination and racism has been added for grades 3 and 6.

School authorities will have the option to begin piloting the new social studies curriculum this fall, but classroom pilots aren't mandatory.

After the previous social studies draft curriculum came out in 2021, most school authorities refused to pilot test draft versions while they were optional.

Details of the latest draft

When the draft subject overview for the revised social studies curriculum came out last month, some curriculum experts who participated in the latest round of consultations said their concerns and feedback have still been left unaddressed.

Nicolaides said despite that, he thinks the latest curriculum revision "moves the needle" for elementary school social studies.

"Some of their concerns related to content in junior high and high school. So obviously, we haven't developed that content, Nicolaides said. "I'm sure we'll be able to address that."

In the draft curriculum, kindergarten students start learning about the general concepts of community and belonging. More specific information about traditions, cultures and symbols starts in Grade 1.

Grade 2 students start learning about "the diversity of people and places" in Canada, including Indigenous communities, and are introduced to the concept of distinguishing between fact and opinion.

Lessons about provincial and municipal governments, as well as the five numbered treaties in Alberta, begin in Grade 3. The draft also has students cover specifics about the distinct languages and cultural practices of First Nations communities.

There's no mention of residential schools in the K-6 draft social studies curriculum. In its 2015 Calls to Action, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended age-appropriate curriculum on residential schools, treaties and Indigenous contributions be taught starting in kindergarten.

Grade 4 includes details about European colonization of North America and an understanding of the establishment of Canada. And in grades 5 and 6, students learn more about ancient civilizations and the principles of government and democracy.

Minister tells Moncton school district he's repealing its gender identity policy

CBC
Fri, April 26, 2024 a

Education Minister Bill Hogan says he has repealed the gender-identity policy implemented by Anglophone East District Education Council because it goes against the policy he created. (Ed Hunter/CBC - image credit)


New Brunswick's education minister has told a Moncton-area school district that he is repealing its policy on sexual orientation and gender identity to bring the district in line with the province's approach.

Hogan had given the Anglophone East district education council until March 29 to repeal its Policy 1.7, which set out how it would implement the province's Policy 713.

The DEC didn't comply, and on April 22 Hogan wrote telling chair Harry Doyle that he was repealing the district policy and ordered Doyle to have it removed from the district website.


"You have not complied with my demand for corrective action and the time for doing so has expired," Hogan wrote in the letter to Doyle, obtained by CBC News.

"Your defiance in the face of clear direction has left me no choice" but to repeal the policies and order them taken offline, he said.

Two days after Hogan's letter, the district adopted a new policy, Policy 1.8, that replaces the Policy 1.7 that Hogan repealed, but is identical to it.

It includes the phrasing that "school personnel shall respect the direction of the student in regard to the name and pronouns they wish to be called in daily interactions."

Last year, the Higgs government changed the provincial Policy 713, on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools, to require teachers to get parental consent before using the chosen name and pronoun of a child under 16 verbally in the classroom.

Anglophone East argued it cannot implement that without risking a violation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Education Act and the provincial Human Rights Act.

Instead, it adopted Policy 1.7 that said staff must respect all students' chosen names and pronouns in "daily interactions."


The first page of the letter sent by Minister of Education Bill Hogan to Anglophone East District Education Council Chair Harry Doyle on April 22.

The first page of the letter sent by Minister of Education Bill Hogan to Anglophone East district education council chair Harry Doyle on April 22. (CBC)

District already filed lawsuit

The district is now before the courts seeking an injunction to block Hogan from quashing its policy and from dissolving the district council — something members say he threatened to do.

The court is set to hear arguments on that June 18-19.

Earlier this month, Hogan warned Anglophone East that it did not have the legal authority to challenge the province in court and warned he would take "further action."

His April 22 letter tells Doyle that while the district may not agree with Policy 713, "it is my office that is ultimately responsible for setting education policies in the province and it is your obligation to ensure your policies do not conflict with the direction that I have provided as minister."

After the provincial changes last year, all seven councils created their own policies, or amended an existing policy, to emphasize the Human Rights Act and support for diversity.

All but Anglophone North added operational language allowing teachers to use a child's chosen pronoun verbally in the classroom if parental involvement was in the works or not possible.

All three francophone districts meanwhile worked together to create a uniform policy.

Their policy is modelled after the one suggested by child and youth advocate Kelly Lamrock, in which teachers are to respect all students' pronouns from Grade 6 and up.

For students younger than Grade 6, the decision is made on a case-by-case basis.

Last October, Hogan told all of the councils except Anglophone North that their policies were inconsistent with the provincial policy.

Anglophone West and Anglophone South fell in line, but Anglophone East and the three francophone districts did not.

No one from the three francophone districts responded to a request from CBC News for comment on whether Hogan has tried to repeal their policy as well.

The provincial Policy 713 allows districts to adopt policies that "are consistent with, or more comprehensive than, this provincial policy."


Francophone school districts defy minister, stick with gender identity policies
CBC
Tue, April 30, 2024 

Last Monday Education Minister Bill Hogan wrote to the three districts, along with Anglophone East, pointing out they had defied a March 28 deadline he gave them to modify or repeal their policies. (Mikael Mayer/Radio-Canada - image credit)


New Brunswick's three francophone school districts have defied a letter from the province's education minister repealing their gender identity policies and ordering them removed from district websites.

The policies, adopted last September and at odds with the province's Policy 713, remain posted online on the sites for the Francophone South, Francophone Northwest and Francophone Northeast districts.

The three districts adopted identical policies last fall saying that, "regardless" of the Higgs government's changes to Policy 713, students in Grade 6 and above can choose the names and pronouns they want the school to use for official purposes.

The policies say students younger than Grade 6 may do the same, depending on their age, maturity and capacity.

Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick’s child, youth and seniors’ advocate, wants to examine the shortage of workers, how the sector is governed, and why so many seniors are waiting in hospitals while vacancies exist.

Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick’s child, youth and seniors' advocate, said the province's changes to Policy 713 violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Human Rights Act and the Education Act. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

Those provisions mirror recommendations made last year by child and youth advocate Kelly Lamrock, who said the province's changes to Policy 713 violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Human Rights Act and the Education Act.

Those changes include requiring teachers to get parental consent before using the chosen name and pronoun of a child under 16 verbally in the classroom.

On April 22, Hogan wrote to the three districts, along with Anglophone East, pointing out they had defied a March 28 deadline he gave them to modify or repeal their policies.

He said he was repealing their policies and demanded they be taken offline.

No one from the three francophone districts agreed to an interview.

But Francophone South spokesperson Jean-Luc Thériault pointed out in an email statement that the district's policy remains on its website.

He said the DEC "chooses to interpret and apply Policy 713 in a manner consistent with existing constitutional and quasi-constitutional rights, in the best interests and well-being of all our students."

Francophone Northwest spokesperson Alain Sirois confirmed its policy remains in place but would not confirm the existence of Hogan's letter.

The district doesn't know exactly why the teachers are absent, but assumes they are sick, said spokesperson Jean-Luc Thériault, and asks any staff or students who are unwell to stay home to prevent the spread of any viruses.

Francophone South spokesperson Jean-Luc Thériault pointed out in an email statement that the district's policy remains on its website. (Francophone south school district)

No one from the Francophone Northeast district responded to a request from CBC News, but its policy also remains on its website.

Hogan's department provided copies of his letters to all four districts.

The three francophone district policies say they will interpret Policy 713 "in a way that protects the rights of students to a safe, inclusive, caring and welcoming learning environment" consistent with the Charter and provincial laws.

Another section says officials will not interpret Policy 713 in ways that violate the rights of students under Section 15 of the Charter — its equal rights provision — or discriminate against them, "notably with regard to gender identity or expression."

On April 24, Anglophone East responded to Hogan's letter by adopting a new policy identical to the one Hogan said he was repealing.

Anglophone East has argued it cannot implement the province's Policy 713 changes as drafted without risking a violation of the Charter, the Education Act and the provincial Human Rights Act.

It adopted a policy that said staff must respect all students' chosen names and pronouns in "daily interactions."

The district is now before the courts seeking an injunction to block Hogan from quashing its policy and from dissolving the district council — something members say he threatened.

The court is set to hear arguments on that June 18-19.

 

Epicureans on Preconceptions and Other Concepts

Gábor Betegh

2024, Betegh, G & Tsouna, V. (eds.), Conceptualising Concepts in Ancient Greek Philosophy, CUP

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Hellenistic Philosophy,

Ancient Philosophy,

Epicurus,

Concepts,

Ancient Greek Philosophy,

Epicureanism,

Ancient Epistemology,

Philodemus,

Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy,

Diogenes of Oenoanda,

Ancient Philosophy of Language

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Publication Date:  2024

Publication Name:  Betegh, G & Tsouna, V. (eds.), Conceptualising Concepts in Ancient Greek Philosophy, CUP

Scotland's Humza Yousaf quits as ruling-SNP first minister

04/29/2024April 29, 2024

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has resigned ahead of two no-confidence votes that could bring down his Scottish National Party-led government. The move comes after he ended a cooperation agreement with the Greens.

Scottish leader Humza Yousaf on Monday announced his resignation as the possibility he might scrape a win in two no-confidence votes appeared to wane.

Yousaf's leadership was plunged into trouble last week when he ended a cooperation agreement between his Scottish National Party (SNP) and Scotland's Green Party.
What did the SNP leader say?

The first minister said he had not realized how much upset ending the deal, known as the Bute House Agreement, would generate. He said he needed to step aside so that bridges could be rebuilt.

"My hope was to continue working with the Greens in a less formal arrangement as the SNP moved into a new phase of minority government. Unfortunately, in ending the Bute House Agreement in the manner that I did, I clearly underestimated the level of hurt and upset that caused Green colleagues.

"For a minority government to be able to govern effectively and efficiently, trust with working with the opposition is clearly fundamental."

"I have concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm," Yousaf said.

Yousaf said he would remain as first minister until the SNP elected a successor as its leader.

"As a young boy, born and raised in Scotland, I could never have dreamt that one day I would have the privilege of leading my country," Yousaf said in his resignation speech. "People like me were not in positions of political influence, let alone leading governments when I was younger."

"We now live in a UK that has a British Hindu prime minister, a Muslim mayor of London, a Black Welsh first minister and, for a little while longer, a Scots Asian first minister."

How did things go wrong?

The rift with the Greens came after a dispute over climate change, with Yousef having ditched Scotland's goal of cutting carbon emissions by 75% by 2030.

While Yousaf had hoped to lead a minority government, opposition parties moved quickly to say they would not support him.

The SNP-Green deal, known as the Bute House Agreement after Yousaf's official residence in Edinburgh, was signed in 2021.

It put the Green Party into government for the first time anywhere in the UK, where devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have limited powers. Areas of competence include environment, health, transport, and social policy.

The SNP has struggled in the wake of the resignation last year of party leader Nicola Sturgeon. The party elected 39-year-old Yousaf as her successor but his political honeymoon was short.

A campaign finance scandal surfaced that was rooted in Sturgeon's time in office, and the party has been dogged by infighting over how progressive it should be on issues such as transgender rights.

rc/wd (AFP, Reuters, dpa)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says he will not resign

April 29, 2024

The announcement comes after Sanchez had canceled appointments last week amid corruption allegations against his wife. He has vowed to end "toxic" politics.


Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Monday that he planned to stay in his role, despite allegations against his wife Begona Gomez.

The news came after five days of silence that began when a court said it was investigating his wife for corruption and other charges.
What the Spanish prime minister said

"I have decided to continue with even more strength, if possible, at the helm of the government of Spain," Sanchez said in a televised speech.

The premier said an apparent campaign against him and his wife was serious, but that it was not the most important thing.

Sanchez said a mass show of public support and the backing of his own party had helped make his decision.

"For too long we've let this filth corrupt our political and public life with toxic methods that were unimaginable just a few years ago... Do we really want this for Spain?" he asked.

"I have acted out of a clear conviction: either we say 'enough is enough' or this degradation of public life will define our future and condemn us as a country."

Sanchez had said last Wednesday that he was considering stepping down, in a surprise move.

The leader of Spain's socialist PSOE party had then canceled all appointments and said he would announce his decision on Monday.

Why was Sanchez considering quitting?

The allegations against Gomez, who does not hold public office, came from the right-wing Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) organization, which accused her of peddling influence and corruption in business.

Sanchez had posted a letter on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, saying he needed to think about whether it was worthwhile continuing in his role.

He blamed the investigation on online news sites politically aligned with the leading opposition center-right Popular Party (PP) and the far-right Vox party.

Sanchez accused opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo of the PP and Vox leader Santiago Abascal of "trying to dehumanize and delegitimize the political adversary through actions that are as scandalous as they are false."

The 52-year-old Sanchez, in office since 2018, was reappointed to another term in November.

Thousands took to the streets in Madrid and other cities on the weekend to demonstrate in favor of Sanchez remaining in office.

Demonstrators carried placards with messages such as "Sanchez, yes, keep going" or "Don't give up."

rc/wd (dpa, Reuters, AFP)

Don't rush restoration of Copenhagen's Old Stock Exchange, Notre-Dame expert says

Published 30/04/2024, 

: A firefighter works after a fire broke out at the Old Stock Exchange, Boersen, in Copenhagen, Denmark April 16, 2024. 

Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo

By Lucien Libert and Isabelle Yr Carlsson

PARIS/COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Restoring Copenhagen's Old Stock Exchange, a local landmark that partly burned down earlier this month, needs to be done step-by-step, resisting the emotional impulse to rebuild quickly, an expert involved in the restoration of Notre-Dame-de-Paris said.

Two weeks ago to the day, a blaze toppled the spire of the old exchange, causing large parts of its roof and later its walls to collapse. The scene was reminiscent of the fire that engulfed the French cathedral in 2019.

"It is important not to rush. There are a thousand problems to fix and the temptation is to go very fast," said Antoine-Marie Preaut, an official from the French Ministry of Culture, who was one of the first people to enter Notre-Dame after the blaze and has been closely involved in its restoration since.

"The will to rebuild is a response to the emotion created by the fire. But is it possible to rebuild? Can the structure support the spire again? At what cost and under which approach? The experts will help answer," he told Reuters.

"One needs instead to assemble a team across fields, to have the most comprehensive view possible."

The lord mayor of Copenhagen, Sophie Haestorp Andersen, will visit Paris this weekend for a climate change meeting but will discuss the fire while there.

She told Reuters she is hoping to learn from French experts how to prevent other historical buildings from damage by fire.

She said the Mayor of Paris had also invited Danish officials for a Paris visit, at a later stage, to study what can be relevant from the Notre-Dame fire.

The restoration of the French cathedral is nearing completion and the re-opening is scheduled for December.

Preaut said Danish authorities will need to secure their site and allow investigators to find out the cause of the fire, which is unknown. However, both fires started during renovation work.

"Fires can happen more frequently during renovations. More people come on a site, increasing the risk of something going wrong," said Preaut.

Finding the funds for restoration will also be key, said Preaut, given the works will cost more than before the fire.

To restore Notre-Dame, France raised 850 million euros ($911.29 million) in donations from the general public, France's richest businessmen and public financing.

"We don't know how much the Stock Exchange's restoration will cost. "We hope they can get some private financing ... this will be long and costly," said Preaut.

The images of the Danish fire were eerily reminiscent of the fire at Notre-Dame, Preaut recalled.

"It was troubling to see how similar the situations were: the pictures from April 16, when we saw the Copenhagen stock exchange on fire, it immediately looked like it was April 15, 2019 when Notre-Dame-de-Paris burnt," Preaut said.

($1 = 0.9327 euros)