Jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi wins the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting women's oppression

Jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi wins the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting women's oppression© Provided by The Canadian Press

OSLO — Imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in recognition of her tireless campaigning for women’s rights and democracy, and against the death penalty.

Mohammadi, 51, has kept up her activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. She has remained a leading light for nationwide, women-led protests sparked by the death last year of a 22-year-old woman in police custody that have grown into one of the most intense challenges to Iran’s theocratic government.

Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, began Friday's announcement with the words “Woman, Life, Freedom” in Farsi — the slogan of the demonstrations in Iran.

“This prize is first and foremost a recognition of the very important work of a whole movement in Iran with its undisputed leader, Narges Mohammadi," Reiss-Andersen said. She also urged Iran to release Mohammadi in time for the prize ceremony on Dec. 10.

For nearly all of Mohammadi’s life, Iran has been governed by a Shiite theocracy headed by the country’s supreme leader. While women hold jobs, academic positions and even government appointments, their lives are tightly controlled. Women are required by law to wear a headscarf, or hijab, to cover their hair. Iran and neighboring Afghanistan remain the only countries to mandate that.

In a statement released after the Nobel announcement, Mohammadi said she will "never stop striving for the realization of democracy, freedom and equality.”

“Surely, the Nobel Peace Prize will make me more resilient, determined, hopeful and enthusiastic on this path, and it will accelerate my pace," she said in the statement, prepared in advance in case she was named the Nobel laureate.

An engineer by training, Mohammadi has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five. In total, she has been sentenced to 31 years in prison. Her most recent incarceration began when she was detained in 2021 after attending a memorial for a person killed in nationwide protests.

She has been held at Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, whose inmates include those with Western ties and political prisoners.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Amnesty International joined calls for Mohammadi’s immediate release.

“This award is a recognition that, even as she is currently and unjustly held in Evin Prison, the world still hears the clarion voice of Narges Mohammadi calling for freedom and equality,” Biden said in a statement. “I urge the government in Iran to immediately release her and her fellow gender equality advocates from captivity.”

Friday's prize sends "a clear message to the Iranian authorities that their crackdown on peaceful critics and human rights defenders will not go unchallenged,” Amnesty said.

Mohammadi's brother, Hamidreza Mohammadi, said that while “the prize means that the world has seen this movement,” it will not affect the situation in Iran.

“The regime will double down on the opposition" he told The Associated Press. "They will just crush people.”

Mohammadi's husband, Taghi Rahmani, who lives in exile in Paris with their two children, 16-year-old twins, said his wife "has a sentence she always repeats: ‘Every single award will make me more intrepid, more resilient and more brave for realizing human rights, freedom, civil equality and democracy.'”

Rahmani hasn't been able to see his wife for 11 years, and their children haven't seen their mother for seven, he said.

Their son, Ali Rahmani, said the Nobel was not just for his mother: "It's for the struggle."

"This prize is for the entire population, for the whole struggle from the beginning, since the Islamic government came to power," the teen said.

Women political prisoners in Evin aren’t allowed to use the phone on Thursday and Friday, so Mohammadi prepared her statement in advance of the Nobel announcement, said exiled Iranian photographer Reihane Taravati, a family friend who spent 14 days in solitary confinement there before fleeing to France this year.

Mohammadi is the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman, after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi won in 2003.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Friday's selection “a tribute to all those women who are fighting for their rights at the risk of their freedom, their health and even their lives.”

It’s the fifth time in its 122-year history that the Nobel Peace Prize has been given to someone in prison or under house arrest. In 2022, the top human rights advocate in Belarus, Ales Bialiatski, was among the winners. He remains imprisoned.

Mohammadi was in detention for the recent protests of the death of Mahsa Amini, who was picked up by the morality police for her allegedly loose headscarf. More than 500 people were killed in a security crackdown, while over 22,000 others were arrested.

But from behind bars, Mohammadi contributed an opinion piece for The New York Times in September. “What the government may not understand is that the more of us they lock up, the stronger we become,” she wrote.

Iran's government, which holds Mohammadi behind bars, criticized the Nobel committee's decision as being part of the “interventionist and anti-Iranian policies of some European countries.”

It “is another link in the chain of pressure from Western circles against Iran,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a statement. Iranian state media described Mohammadi as being “in and out of jail for much of her adult life," calling her internationally applauded activism “propaganda” and an “act against national security.”

In Tehran, people expressed support for Mohammadi and her resilience.

"The prize was her right. She stayed inside the country, in prison and defended people, bravo!" said Mina Gilani, a girl's high school teacher.

Arezou Mohebi, a 22-year-old chemistry student, called the Nobel “an award for all Iranian girls and women,” and described Mohammadi "as the bravest I have ever seen."

Political analyst Ahmad Zeidabadi said the prize might lead to more pressure on Mohammadi.

“The prize will simultaneously bring possibilities and restrictions,” he wrote online. “I hope Narges will not be confined by its restrictions.”

Before being jailed, Mohammadi was vice president of the banned Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran, founded by Nobel laureate Ebadi.

The Nobel prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1 million). Unlike the other Nobel prizes that are selected and announced in Stockholm, founder Alfred Nobel decreed the peace prize be decided and awarded in Oslo by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee.

The Nobel season ends Monday with the announcement of the winner of the economics prize, formally known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.

___

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Leicester reported from LePecq, France and Becatoros from Athens, Greece. Mike Corder at The Hague, Netherlands, Nicolas Garriga in Paris and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed.

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Follow all AP stories about the Nobel Prizes at https://apnews.com/hub/nobel-prizes

Jon Gambrell, John Leicester And Elena Becatoros, The Associated Press

Change in Iran 'irreversible': Narges Mohammadi


Cécile FEUILLATRE and Stuart WILLIAMS
Fri, 6 October 2023 

Mohammadi is held in Tehran's Evin prison which was hit by a fire in October 

(KOOSHA MAHSHID FALAHI)

Rights campaigner and 2023 Nobel Peace laureate Narges Mohammadi said in a September interview with AFP that she retained hope for change in Iran, despite having no prospect of release from prison and enduring the pain of separation from her family.

In the interview, where Mohammadi gave written answers to AFP from Evin prison in Tehran, she insisted the protest movement that erupted one year ago in Iran against the Islamic republic is still alive.

First arrested 22 years ago, Mohammadi, 51, has spent much of the past two decades in and out of jail over her unstinting campaigning for human rights in Iran. She has most recently been incarcerated since November 2021 and has not seen her children for eight years.


While she could only witness from behind bars the protests that broke out following the death on September 16, 2022 of Mahsa Amini -- who had been arrested for violating Iran's strict dress rules for women -- she said the movement made clear the levels of dissatisfaction in society.

"The government was not able to break the protests of the people of Iran and I believe that society has achieved things that have weakened the foundations of religious-authoritarian rule," she told AFP.

Noting that Iran had even before September 2022 seen repeated protest outbreaks, she added: "We have seen cycles of protests in recent years and this shows the irreversible nature of the situation and the scope for the expansion of the protests."

- 'Realising democracy' -

She said that after "44 years of oppression, discrimination and continuous repression of the government against women in public and personal life" the protests had "accelerated the process of realising democracy, freedom and equality in Iran".

Mohammadi said the protests opposing the Islamic republic had involved people "beyond urban areas and educated classes" at a time when religious authority was "losing its place" in society.

"The weakening of the religious element has created a vacuum that the government has not been able to fill with other economic and social factors, as the government is essentially ineffective and corrupt."

But she was bitterly critical of what she described as the "appeasement" by the West of Iran's leaders, saying foreign governments "have not recognised the progressive forces and leaders in Iran and pursued policies aimed at perpetuating the religious-authoritarian system in Iran."

Mohammadi said she was currently serving a combined sentence of 10 years and nine months in prison, had also been sentenced to 154 lashes and had five cases against her linked to her activities in jail alone.

"I have almost no prospect of freedom," she said.

- 'Indescribable suffering' -

But she said she "kept the hope of seeing the light of freedom and hearing its voice" and in prison organised discussions in the women's wing of Evin as well as singing and even dancing.

"Prison has always been at the core of opposition, resistance and struggle in my country and for me it also embodies the essence of life in all its beauty."

"The Evin women's wing is one of the most active, resistant and joyful quarters of political prisoners in Iran. During my years in prison, on three occasions, I shared detention with at least 600 women, and I am proud of each of them."

But for Mohammadi, the cost of her activism has also been immense, meaning she has missed much of the childhood of her twin children Kiana and Ali who now live, along with her husband Taghi Rahmani, in France.

As well as not seeing them for eight years, restrictions placed by the prison on her telephone calls mean she has not even heard their voices for more than a year and a half.

"My most incurable and indescribable suffering is the longing to be with my children from whose lives I departed when they were eight."

"The price of the struggle is not only torture and prison, it is a heart that breaks with every regret and a pain that strikes to the marrow of your bones."

But she added: "I believe that as long as democracy, equality and freedom have not been achieved, we must continue to fight and sacrifice."

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US fears Canada-India row over Sikh activist's killing could upend strategy for countering China

MATTHEW LEE
Fri, October 6, 2023 


 A man rides a bike outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, British Columbia, on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, where temple president Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down in his vehicle while leaving the temple parking lot in June.

 (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is nervously watching a dispute between Canada and India, with some officials concerned it could upend the U.S. strategy toward the Indo-Pacific that is directed at blunting China’s influence there and elsewhere.

Publicly, the administration has maintained that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that the Indian government may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist near Vancouver are a matter between the two countries.

But U.S. officials have also repeatedly urged India to cooperate in the investigation. Those calls have been ignored thus far by India, which denies the allegations.

Behind the scenes, U.S. officials say they believe Trudeau’s claims are true. And they are worried that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be adopting tactics to silence opposition figures on foreign soil akin to those used by Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and North Korea, all of which have faced similar accusations.

Perhaps of more concern, though, is that the Canada-India dispute could have major implications for one of the administration’s main foreign policy priorities: the Indo-Pacific strategy, which seeks to counter China's increasing assertiveness in the region, according to numerous U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the extreme sensitivity of the matter.

Both Canada, a Pacific country and key NATO ally that shares with the United States the longest undefended border in the world, and India are critical to U.S.-led efforts to present a united and democratic front against growing Chinese assertiveness.

Aside from countering Russia’s war in Ukraine, the administration has been most focused on dealing with China as a competitor and the potential international threat it poses. To that end it has boosted its diplomatic efforts in the Indo-Pacific, including by creating a leaders group that brings together Australia, Japan, India and the United States. President Joe Biden has hailed the formation of the so-called Quad as a key part of that effort.

The fear — albeit a worst-case scenario envisioned by U.S. policymakers — is that the dispute will escalate in the same way that Britain's row with Russia did over the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England, in 2018.

In that case, Britain accused Russia of an assassination attempt on its soil and expelled 23 Russian diplomats from the country. It also sought similar action from its NATO allies and European partners, which almost all agreed to take. For its part, the U.S. expelled 60 Russian diplomats and ordered the closure of Russia's consulate in Seattle in solidarity with its British ally. Russia responded with reciprocal actions, including closing down the U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg.

Shortly after Trudeau made public his allegations last month and expelled a senior Indian diplomat, U.S. officials began to fret over the possibility that Canada might decide to go “full Skripal” with mass diplomatic expulsions and make requests, as the British did in 2018, of its allies to do the same.

If asked by Canada to expel a large number of Indian diplomats, these officials said, the U.S. would have little choice but to comply. That, in turn, could lead to a rupture in U.S.-Indian relations and the possibility that India might either narrow its cooperation with the Quad or drop out entirely.

At the moment, there’s relief it hasn’t escalated to that point yet — but that could still change.

“I’m not saying we're at the danger zone yet,” said Danny Russel, a former senior diplomat in President Barack Obama’s administration, who is now vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York. “But it is a situation I would certainly be watching.”

The allegation of Indian involvement in the murder was supported by intelligence from the “Five Eyes” grouping of Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and the U.S.

Even before Canada made the accusations public, Trudeau had frosty encounters with Modi during last month’s Group of 20 meeting in New Delhi, and a few days later, Canada canceled a trade mission to India planned for the fall.

This week, India told Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country, ramping up the confrontation. Trudeau and other Canadian officials, including Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, have hinted that Canada won't take reciprocal measures.

Trudeau has appeared to try to calm the diplomatic clash, saying that Canada is “not looking to provoke or escalate," but officials said the concern in Washington persists.

Why is India so worried about Sikh separatist calls for Khalistan?

Story by Analysis by Rhea Mogul, CNN • Fri, October 6, 2023 

In the early hours of June 23, 1985, a bomb planted in the cargo hold of Air India flight 182 traveling from Montreal to New Delhi exploded off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people on board.

The people arrested and charged for the bomb attack were Indian-born Sikh Canadians, alleged by prosecutors to be radical separatists seeking revenge for the Indian army’s deadly storming of the Golden Temple in Punjab state the previous year. Only one was convicted; two were acquitted in 2005, and in 2016, Canada released the only person ever found guilty of the bombing.

Nearly four decades on, that terrorist attack – which remains the worst in Canada’s history – and the wider history of overseas Sikh separatism has suddenly been thrust back into the international spotlight in the wake of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations the Indian state may have been involved in the June killing on Canadian soil of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

New Delhi had previously designated Nijjar, an Indian-born Canadian national, as a terrorist, and accused him of being behind a banned militant group that sought to “radicalize the Sikh community across the world” in support of Khalistan – a separate Sikh homeland that would include parts of India.

Nijjar’s supporters rejected the terrorist label, arguing it was used to discredit the Sikh leader, who was known for his Khalistan advocacy and speaking out against alleged human rights abuses by India’s government.

Trudeau’s assassination claim has inflamed relations woth New Delhi, which has fiercely denied the allegation and taken a series of diplomatic measures to make clear its displeasure with Canada.

Relations between the two countries – both key US allies – have nosedived and neither side shows signs of backing down.

The question some are now asking is, why has an issue that has laid largely dormant in recent years suddenly become such a live issue again?



Irish naval authorities bring ashore debris from an Air India Boeing 747 in Cork, Ireland, following the bombing of the aircraft on June 23, 1985. 

- Andre Durand/AFP/Getty Images/File© Provided by CNN

Stuck in the past?

Sikhism, a monotheistic faith, was founded in the Punjab region in the 15th century by Guru Nanak, a non-practicing Hindu who preached about freedom of religion, community service and inclusiveness.

Amplified calls for the creation of Khalistan date back to when India gained its independence in 1947. The departing British split the country in two, in what became known as Partition, with the demarcation slicing Punjab – once home to a large and powerful Sikh empire – in half.

Muslims were expected to go to newly formed Pakistan, and Hindus and Sikhs to independent India. While Sikhs formed a majority in Punjab, they were a minority in India, where they today make up less than 2% of the country’s 1.4 billion population.



A nurse with two child victims of communal violence in Amritsar, Punjab, during the Partition of British India in 1947.

 - Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images/File© Provided by CNN

Some in the Sikh community felt mistreated in the new Hindu-majority nation, and the struggle began for greater political and cultural autonomy. Bloodshed between Sikhs, Muslims and Hindus ensued, prompting some Sikh leaders to call for the creation of a new homeland.

The calls sparked further clashes between the separatists and the Indian government, which claimed many lives.

But while there hasn’t been an active insurgency in Punjab for nearly three decades – a 2021 Pew Research Center survey found 95% of Sikhs were “very proud” to be Indian, while 70% agreed that a person who disrespects India cannot be a Sikh – security officials in the region have in recent years sounded the alarm for renewed calls for separatism after sporadic violence, blasts and targeted killings of Hindu religious leaders.

“Khalistan is now mostly a bogey term in India,” said Amandeep Sandhu, author of Panjab: Journeys Through Fault Lines. “But there is a sense that injustice has been done to the Sikhs and Punjab.”

Earlier this year, police embarked on a colossal hunt for Amritpal Singh, a Sikh separatist who had revived calls for an independent homeland. His comments about social issues and protecting religious rights of Sikhs against India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) struck a chord among some in the state.

Police had accused Singh of attempted murder, obstruction of law enforcement and creating “disharmony” in society, prompting him to hide from authorities while hundreds of his supporters marched through the streets of Punjab, demanding his freedom. He was arrested in April, after more than one month on the run.


Amritpal Singh leaves the Golden Temple along with his supporters, in Amritsar, India, March 3, 2023.

 - Stringer/Reuters© Provided by CNN

And amid tensions with Canada, India’s anti-terror agency last week conducted raids across seven Indian states and union territories in connection with alleged Khalistan violence and promised a reward for information leading to the capture of five individuals who it accused of “spreading terror” in the state of Punjab.
Memories of a painful insurgency

Prime Minister Modi and the ruling BJP have long maintained that Canada’s inaction toward extremism within the sizable Sikh diaspora poses a national security threat to India.

And although Modi has yet to publicly address the growing rift with Ottawa, Indian authorities have called Canada a “safe haven for terrorists,” and New Delhi has suspended visas for Canadian citizens, citing “security threats” against diplomats in the country.

At the same time, some Sikh supporters of Khalistan have made comments perceived as anti-national and threatening toward India and its government.

“India has consistently accused Canada of accepting people responsible for violence in India and has asked for the extradition [of Sikh separatists] including those responsible for the Air India bombing,” said Suhasini Haidar, diplomatic affairs editor at The Hindu newspaper in New Delhi. “India has always said Canadian authorities have been dragging their feet over it.”

That bombing capped a period when clashes between the Indian state and Khalistani militants had reached an apex.

The decade-long Khalistan insurgency in the 1970s and 80s saw the massacre of civilians, indiscriminate bombings and attacks on Hindus. And in counterinsurgency operations, Indian security forces were accused of a multitude of human rights abuses.



The first photos of the damaged Akal Takhat after the army stormed the sikh Golden Temple complex in Amritsar on June 9, 1984

. - Sondeep Shankar/Hulton Archive/Getty Images© Provided by CNN

The insurgency reached its peak in 1984 when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered Indian troops to storm the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Sikhism’s holiest shrine, to dislodge a Sikh militant and his supporters who had been hiding in the complex.

The operation destroyed much of the temple and left hundreds dead, sparking widespread Sikh outrage. Months later, Gandhi was killed by her Sikh bodyguards in an act of revenge.

“In some ways, before extremism came to the West, it was Sikh extremism that was defining India’s national security concerns,” said Harsh Pant, vice-president of the Observer Research Foundation, a New Delhi think tank. “As a result, there is a degree of sensitivity involved in how the Indian government frames its national security agenda.”

Riots broke out in the days after Gandhi’s assassination, killing some 3,000 people – predominantly Sikhs – according to official figures, in one of the worst outbreaks of communal violence since India’s partition.
A disconnect with the diaspora

In the years that followed Gandhi’s killing, advocacy for Khalistan diminished within India, though painful memories remain etched in the minds of many Sikhs still living there, many of whom were afraid to speak to CNN for fear of retribution from authorities and because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Those events continue to resonate with the Sikh diaspora in countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, many of whom say they are still seeking reconciliation for the human rights abuses committed against the community.



Protesters rally outside the Indian consulate in Toronto against the Indian government's alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on September 25, 2023.

 - Cole Burston/AFP/Getty Images© Provided by CNN

Several overseas Sikh organizations say the Khalistan movement is being falsely equated with terrorism by the Indian government, and say they will continue to peacefully advocate for the creation of a separate homeland.

Those violently pursuing the Khalistan cause, analysts say, form a minority in Punjab. “Indian communities have dissociated, more or less, dissociated from the idea [of Khalistan],” said Pant, the analyst.

“The national security establishment is saying this is now less of a responsibility for the Indian government at home, but there is more responsibility on our partners in UK, Australia and Canada to see how this can be best resolved.”

As such, Nijjar’s death has come to symbolize a growing disconnect between members of the Sikh diaspora and Modi’s government.

For weeks after Nijjar was gunned down by two masked men while he was in his van outside a Sikh temple, many Canadian Sikhs urged authorities to investigate the murder, claiming he was killed for political reasons.



Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media outside his office in Ottawa on September 25, 2023. 

- Blair Gable/Reuters© Provided by CNN

And Trudeau’s statement was welcomed by some members of the diaspora.

“The larger [Sikh] community is standing by the statements from Trudeau and they want action upon this,” said Jasveer Singh, a British Sikh and senior press officer with the Sikh Press Association.

“There is a sense that Sikhs are incapable of being free [in India],” he added. “There’s a lot of depth to this issue.”

 CNN.com

Hazardous waste plant, directors face 84 charges after explosion killed worker in St. Catharines

Story by Samantha Beattie •

A hazardous waste management company and its owners are facing 84 charges after a series of explosions occurred earlier this year, killing a worker and triggering nearby homes to be evacuated in St. Catharines, Ont.

Ssonix Products and three directors are each facing 21 charges under the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, the city said last week. If found guilty of any of these provincial offences, the company could be fined up to $500,000 and the directors up to $50,000.

Owner Steve Baker declined to comment when reached by CBC Hamilton Friday.

The city did not immediately respond to a request for the types of charges laid.

The explosion happened on Jan. 12 at about 6:30 a.m. Ryan Konkin, 37, was the only worker in the building and was rushed to hospital with "significant burns" but later died of his injuries, Fire Chief Dave Upper previously said.

Konkin's fiancée, Natalia Sepúlveda-Lastra, said the first responders who treated him heard his final words.

"He managed to say to the nurses, 'All I did was open the door.' ... I wish I could've been the one that heard that," Sepúlveda-Lastra said.


Residents who lived near the site were forced to leave their homes for most of the day as firefighters worked to put out the blaze.
Company applies to reopen

The industrial waste processing business has been closed since the fire, but in August applied to the province seeking environmental compliance approval so it can reopen, according to a provincial notice posted online.

The main building that included an office, lab and storage was partly destroyed and then demolished, but Ssonix Products is proposing limiting operations to one remaining building until the other can be rebuilt, the notice says. In the meantime, it would use three sea containers and a trailer.


The explosion killed one worker and took fire fighters all day to put out, resulting in residents having to evacuate the area. (Dina Mavridis/Twitter)© Provided by cbc.ca

The company has also faced one Ministry of Labour order earlier this year, and has been obligated to meet 11 requirements.

Orders are issued when a ministry inspector determines a contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Some examples include clearing debris to prevent trip hazards or protecting workers from electrical hazards.

Requirements are orders issued when an inspector has to get information or verify compliance. Examples of those include a requirement to provide documents or to keep employees away from the scene.

CANADA

These drag performers say protests, threats won't stop them from reading to kids at storytime events

Story by Anya Zoledziowski •CBC

Adorned in fake lashes and colourful, blown out wigs, Fay and Fluffy walked out in front of cheering children at an outdoor amphitheatre in Mississauga, where they sang songs and read stories.

Before opening their books to read, Fay and Fluffy greeted the crowd enthusiastically, shouting "All are welcome here!" The Aug. 16 event seemed light and playful, with children laughing at stories full of monkeys and elephants.

But then, more than a dozen protesters appeared, surrounding the audience of about 50 people. A sign that read, "stop sexualization of children," was hoisted high by protesters wearing T-shirts emblazoned with phrases like, "Groom dogs not children," and "there are only two genders." One protester appeared to be livestreaming the event.



Protesters surrounded the Fay and Fluffy storytime event in Mississauga, Ont., on Aug. 16. (Mia Sheldon/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca

Police and security watched attentively nearby, while a few parents told protesters to be quiet. When the show ended, Fay and Fluffy were quickly escorted off stage. Protesters followed them out, chanting, "Leave our kids alone."

Fluffy was in tears.

"I've never felt like that before," she said as Fay consoled her.

The last year has been marked by similar protests — and in some cases, threats of violence — at drag storytimes across the country.

Last summer, protests formed outside an Edmonton library over a drag storytime. The same has happened in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In Quebec, one storytime event was moved to a secret location for safety reasons.

Often, the signs protesters carry have similar themes, including slogans that compare drag to pedophelia, sexual exploitation and grooming.

"A lot of those are kind of tied into the idea that educating kids about queerness is inherently grooming them and going to turn them gay and trans, which is their worst fear," said 19-year-old Isaac Maker, who reads at the library in Peterborough, Ont., every month while in the drag persona of "Betty Baker."
Pastor calls drag storytime 'destructive'

Hill City Baptist Church pastor Ben Inglis organized the first protest at a Betty Baker drag story hour in Peterborough last fall. He believes these events normalize being transgender.

"I would love to see drag story hours dry up and be erased from public memory," Inglis said. "We believe this is a destructive thing for kids and a destructive thing for families and for our nation."

For Maker, drag is about supporting kids.

"The whole point is drag is so playful and so colourful and so creative, and being able to bring that to storytime just gives kids another reason to want to play," said Maker.



Isaac Maker, who performs in drag as Betty Baker, reads and sings to kids during storytime events at the library in Peterborough, Ont., every month. (Mia Sheldon/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca

At the latest event in August, Maker sang a song about resilience. Protesters have shown up at several storytimes, but they're typically outnumbered by counter-protesters there in support of the event.

Maker has no plans to stop performing, but said, "It's hard to be a public figure when you're getting death threats and people call you a groomer and a pedophile."
Confrontation in Calgary

Out West, similar confrontations are taking place.

On Feb. 25, Calgary preacher Derek Reimer — a man with a history of violence — stormed a drag storytime event called Reading with Royalty hosted by the Calgary Public Library. Reimer allegedly pushed parents out of the way and shouted transphobic and homophobic epithets at children in attendance.

He was later arrested and has since appeared at subsequent drag storytimes and been charged with hate-motivated crimes.

It was the first time something like that had happened in the nearly six years the Calgary Public Library has hosted Reading with Royalty, spokesperson Mary Kapusta told CBC's The National.

"The level of intimidation and harassment that we felt and observed in that space, it did not feel at that moment that it was a safe space for children."

Kapusta says the library's Reading with Royalty events are geared toward small children, and are "really beautiful, fun and joyful." But she said the library has had to adjust how events are organized so staff, performers and families feel safe. Kapusta says this can include staff check-ins, having families pre-register for events and having police on site during drag storytimes.



Protesters at a recent drag storytime in Calgary had to gather 100 metres away from where the event was being held after city council brought in a new safety bylaw that prohibits demonstrations from taking place near the entrances of libraries or recreation centres. (Mia Sheldon/CBC )© Provided by cbc.ca

The city itself acted fast following the incident. In March, Calgary council members voted 10-5 in favour of a new safety bylaw that prohibits protests from taking place within 100 metres of a public library or recreation centre entrance.


Related video: Dueling protests over the issue of transgender policy in schools were held in cities across Canada (Global News)  Duration 4:11 View on Watch


On Aug. 4, Calgary's Seton Library hosted its first drag storytime since the February incident. About six protesters stood far from the entrance, in accordance with the new bylaw.

"We are all part of the basic freedom movement of Canada," said one protester, who added that he believes drag performances are inherently sexual and encourage young people to be transgender.

Inside, local performers Aida Cupcake and King Neptune performed for a crowd of children. A large group of LGBTQ supporters, including Calgary's Rainbow Elders, a group of seniors in the LGBTQ community, sat outside the library, many decked out in rainbow colours.

These supporters outnumbered the protesters, and several said they were there to make sure families and performers felt comfortable and supported.

"Drag queens are not trying to groom your children for any sort of purpose," said Aida Cupcake, known as Steven Morton out of drag, in an interview with CBC the day before the performance. "They want to make sure queer kids stay alive."



Calgary's Aida Cupcake, left, and King Neptune, centre, chat about the books they plan to read during a drag storytime event. (Mia Sheldon/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca

Dramatic rise in hate crimes

Since 2022, more than 160 drag events have been targeted in the U.S., according to LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD.

All this is coinciding with a dramatic rise in hate crimes targeting LGBTQ people across North America. Police-reported hate crimes related to sexual orientation in Canada rose 64 per cent between 2020 and 2021, according to Statistics Canada.

A recent study from U.K.-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a think-tank specializing in hate, extremism and disinformation, found that around the world, far-right groups, religious activists, conspiracy theorists who gained momentum during the pandemic and mostly right-wing anti-LGBTQ influencers are driving anti-drag sentiment.

Nowhere is the trend worse than in the U.S., the study found. Indeed, anti-drag views have permeated U.S. politics, with several states, including Montana and Tennessee, attempting to ban drag entirely.

"One of the scary trends I've seen is that it's — and I'm going to be careful not to over generalize — a community that seems to be fuelled by misinformation, by rage, but also by this sense of community," said University of Alberta law professor Timothy Caulfield, who specializes in misinformation.

"COVID and the anti-vaxx movement sort of gave them cohesion: They had their social media groups, COVID starts to subside, and it's almost like they were looking for another topic to vent their rage, and they found, for example, drag events."

According to Caulfield, "protecting the children" rhetoric at anti-drag protests is effective.

"If you disagree with them or tell them they're wrong or say that this is misinformation or this is about hate, they immediately retreat to, 'Well, you don't want to protect our children,' " he said.



Though there have been protests at Betty Baker's Peterborough events, her fans, who wear buttons and pins with her face to show their support, frequently outnumber demonstrators.

 (Anya Zoledziowski/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca

Drag groups supportive, parent says

For Charlie, an all-ages drag troupe in Edmonton gave his LGBTQ son a purpose. CBC is not using Charlie's last name because he fears backlash.

Charlie says he considers himself an understanding and accepting right winger, somebody who was willing to go check out drag shows to see what it was all about.

"If I didn't like it, my kid wouldn't be in it," he told CBC.

Charlie and his son first checked out Dragging Youth in Edmonton in December. They don't perform in drag but they've volunteered behind the scenes, selling merchandise and taking photographs at events.

The sense of community fostered by such groups is a big deal for kids like Charlie's son.

Studiesshowthat LGBTQ youth are more likely to suffer from mental health issues, including anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide than their non-LGBTQ peers.

Studies alsoshow that when LGBTQ youth have support, such as a trusted adult, risk of suicide declines dramatically and mental health outcomes improve.

"He can talk to anybody within Dragging Youth," Charlie said of his son. "Show up, and they'll find him the support."



JP Kane, seen preparing to embody the Fay Slift drag persona, says the storytime events are about joy, literacy and acceptance and that, 'we want all kids to thrive.' (Anya Zoledziowski/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca
Drag performers vow to keep reading

That's partly why Fay Slift and Fluffy Soufflé do what they do.

Out of character, the drag performers are known as JP Kane and Kaleb Robertson. Collectively, they have years of child-care experience. Kane is an elementary school teacher, while Robertson nannied and babysat.

They've also won a Canadian Screen Award for their television show, The Fabulous Show with Fay and Fluffy, which airs on Family Jr. Canada.

To them, drag storytime is about literacy, joy and acceptance.

"We want trans kids, we want queer kids, we want all kids to thrive," Kane said, adding they won't stop performing amid the protests and threats.

"They ignore the beauty and the universe that is drag," Robertson said of the protesters.

"If they want to come and hold out their signs, we can't stop that. We don't need to stop that. But don't stop us from doing what we're doing."

Fluffy Soufflé says she's never experienced anything like the protest that took place at the Fay and Fluffy event in Mississauga last month, but she says it won't stop them from reading to kids. 

(Anya Zoledziowski/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca

Ex-diplomat says Poland asked him to keep tabs on Alberta politician

Story by Raffy Boudjikanian • CBC

A  month after Global Affairs Canada told CBC News it was looking into claims that the Polish government asked one of its diplomats in Canada to gather information on a former Alberta cabinet minister, the dismissed consul general at the centre of the affair says he still hasn't heard from the department on the matter.

Andrzej Mańkowski told CBC News the only official he has heard from is a B.C. bureaucrat who asked him to return his diplomatic licence plates and identification.

"[Officials with Global Affairs] haven't tried talking to me," he said.

Mańkowski showed CBC News a copy of a letter dated Aug. 31 he received from B.C.'s Chief of Protocol for Intergovernmental Relations Lucy Lobmeier asking him to turn in his identity card and to return his diplomatic plates "within 30 days of this letter." She also thanked him for his service.

Mańkowski alleges he was dismissed from his post in late July after he refused to carry out orders from the Polish government to gather information about Thomas Lukaszuk, a former deputy premier of Alberta who often provides commentary to CBC News about the province's politics.

"It's clear that Polish diplomacy during Communist times, the main responsibility was to collect information, to gather information on some Polish representatives abroad," Mańkowski said, adding he felt as if the request was a throwback to that time.

"The analogy's extremely evident."

Last month, Global Affairs Canada said it was taking the allegations seriously.
Spying allegations 'out of this world': ambassador

In August, Lukaszuk said he believed he had been targeted by Poland's department of foreign affairs over his activism against a controversial Polish pastor, Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, who has private radio and television stations in Poland.

Rydzyk, who has ties to the Polish government, has been criticized for delivering sermons featuring homophobic and anti-Semitic views and for preaching against the European Union.

Lukaszuk also shared what he said were encrypted messages Polish government officials sent to Mańkowski asking him over the course of a year to prepare notes on the former Alberta politician.

CBC News has not independently verified these messages were official government communications. Mańkowski did not dispute their veracity in his interview.

"Asking for my opinion about Lukaszuk was just a kind of trap, was just a political test of my loyalty," he said.


Polish Ambassador to Canada Witold Dzielski has dismissed the claim that his government tried to get a diplomat to keep tabs on a former Alberta politician. (Darryl G. Smart/CBC News)© Provided by cbc.ca

Poland's Ambassador to Canada Witold Dzielski called the allegation "totally absurd."

"The idea of Polish diplomacy spying on a former provincial politician ... it's really out of this world," Dzielski said.

He said he has never met Lukaszuk and did not know of his previous career in politics before Lukaszuk emailed him about an unrelated consular matter long before the reports about Mańkowski came out.

Dzielski said that if the notes cited by Lukaszuk are real, they were leaked illegally because they would constitute private diplomatic communications.

The affair has captured attention in Polish media, where the story first broke.

In July, Polish opposition politicians cited the messages released by Lukaszuk when they asked Piotr Wawrzyk, a secretary of state in the government's foreign affairs department, whether Mańkowski was dismissed because he refused to spy on Lukaszuk.

In reply, Wawrzyk said the government could recall a diplomat who refused to carry out an assignment.

Wawrzyk, who was also a deputy foreign minister, has since been fired himself over an unrelated matter both local media outlets and Reuters have linked to a clandestine scheme awarding migrants visas in exchange for cash.

On Saturday, The Associated Press noted he had been hospitalized following an apparent sucide attempt.

"The minister, Wawrzyk, was laid off because of a totally different subject," Dzielski said.

He pointed out that those documents were cited by opposition politicians in the context of a heated election campaign.

Dzielski also said it's normal for diplomats to be asked to gather information on notable members of diaspora communities.
'A very marginal conversation'

"We are working very closely with them," he said. "It is obvious and natural, and it is an element of diplomatic workshops, that we provide and we build ourselves opinions about the quality of cooperation with particular actors."

He said Global Affairs has spoken to him about the allegations. "We had a very marginal conversation on this which reflects the level of seriousness of this topic," he said.

A NATO member, Poland has worked closely with Canada to help out its neighbour Ukraine ever since Russia launched its full-scale invasion last year.

Asked for comment, Global Affairs said in a media statement it "continues to work closely with security and intelligence community partners to assess the situation and identify next steps as appropriate."

The department said last month it had contacted Lukaszuk and that it took the responsibility of protecting Canadians from "transnational repression" very seriously.

Priceless artifacts found near untouched Beothuk site in central Newfoundland

Story by Ryan Cooke • CBC

When Don Pelley discovered the raised sides of a former Beothuk dwelling in 2016, everyone involved in the expedition knew he'd stumbled upon something special.

The circular pit was perfectly intact, where the Beothuk had erected walls about 200 years earlier. There was no sign of interference from the amateur archaeologists who swept the Beothuk Lake region years ago with metal detectors, digging up all manner of artifacts and leaving little in the ground.

It was the rarest find in that region for decades.

"At the time that it was discovered it was the only known Beothuk house pit in that region … that had not been impacted by erosion or unauthorized digging," said provincial archaeologist Jamie Brake.


Jamie Brake, Newfoundland and Labrador's provincial archaeologist, says more excavations are planned for the area so as much can be learned as possible before the site is lost to erosion. (Ted Dillon/CBC)© Provided by cbc.ca

Beothuk Lake was the last refuge for Newfoundland's Indigenous group. They struggled with European diseases, violent encounters, and losing crucial migration routes to colonization. Shanawdithit, widely recognized as the last Beothuk, died in 1829.

Residents around Beothuk Lake have raised concerns that the last remaining archaeological sites could be lost due to water levels on the lake, which doubles as a hydroelectric reservoir.

After the site was discovered, Brake said, archaelogists were concerned about erosion and teams have taken action to learn all they can from the house pit before it gets swallowed by the lake.

What's been done to protect the site

The area was mapped by drones, and the land was surveyed in and around the house pit. Crews removed trees that were deemed to be at risk of falling over and damaging the site.

Archaeologists have spent parts of three summers excavating the most vulnerable parts — removing important artifacts before they're lost to erosion.



A pair of Beothuk deer spears were uncovered near the site. Brake says they're perhaps the best preserved example of the tool used to hunt caribou. (Submitted by Jamie Brake)© Provided by cbc.ca

Among the items found were a pair of deer spears — metal rods taken from European settlements and sharpened at the tip to kill caribou. Brake said they're perhaps the best preserved spears uncovered by archaeologists.


This harpoon tip was found near the remnants of a Beothuk mamateek on Beothuk Lake. Its presence at an inland site shows the continued importance of coastal seal hunting right to the end of the Beothuk period, says Brake. 

Submitted by Jamie Brake)© Provided by cbc.ca

Another item found was a pointed piece of iron, which is an exact match to a drawing done by Shawnadithit depicting the end blade for a harpoon that would have been used for sealing.

Shawnadithit was one of the last Beothuk people, captured by English furriers in 1823. She died of tuberculosis in 1829.

Brake said more excavations are planned for the area, to learn as much as they can before the site is lost to erosion.

Artifacts tell a story

The items found help archaeologists date the site to the late 1700s or early 1800s, Brake said, which falls toward the end of the Beothuk period.

Its location is also important. While water is now sloshing against the walls of the house pit, it would have been located deep inland before Beothuk Lake was dammed and flooded in the early 1900s.

It dates to a period where the Beothuk were trying to hide from Europeans who were taking over important hunting and fishing grounds, Brake said.

In that context, the presence of a sealing tool is a curious find — since there are no seals in the middle of Newfoundland. Brake said it shows the Beothuk still must have trekked to the coast at some point, despite moving further inland to avoid detection.

"It's probably a good indication of the continued importance of the coast for these people right to the end," Brake said.

More discoveries possible — but leave it to professionals

The discovery of an inland site sparks some hope that more could be discovered in places that haven't been searched before — not just at Beothuk Lake, but in other areas around the province.

Brake said it's important that work be done by archaeologists. An artifact taken without proper study is an artifact lost, he said.

"If it's pulled out of its context, you lose its meaning," Brake said. "[It's] sort of like taking a word out of a page of a book. Once it's taken out of its context, you can no longer understand what it is, what its meaning is."

The stakes are huge, Brake said. Every item can go a long way to discover more about a people who are no longer here to share their own history.

"There's such a small amount of of surviving Beothuk material in existence today," Brake said. "We lose a tremendous sort of opportunity to learn more about these people. We lose a portion of the very limited physical legacy of the Beothuk. So every feature matters enormously. Every artifact and every site."

Why producing a barrel of oil causes higher emissions in Saskatchewan compared to Alberta

Story by Kyle Bakx • CBC


Oil producers use flaring to burn methane gases, rather than release them directly into the atmosphere. Venting and flaring accounts for about 42 per cent of emissions in Saskatchewan, significantly higher than Alberta or B.C.

© Kyle Bakx/CBC

Producing a barrel of oil in Saskatchewan causes much higher emissions compared to the rest of Western Canada, and the province's emissions intensity is getting worse, according to data compiled by Enverus Intelligence Research.

An August report from the energy analytics firm focused on emissions intensity, which is a measure of greenhouse gas emissions that are released when producing a unit of oil and natural gas.

Since the beginning of 2021, the emissions intensity of Alberta and British Columbia has decreased, while it rose in Saskatchewan. Notably, the report also remarked on the overall slow rate of change in the three provinces.

"There was surprise around how flat the lines were on average, and also the uptick from Saskatchewan," said Ivana Petrich, a Calgary-based analyst with Enverus.

The increase in Saskatchewan's numbers is mainly due to its focus on the production of emissions-intensive heavy oil. In comparison, the emissions intensity of B.C.'s oilpatch is much lower because it's mainly focused on natural gas production.

One of the key challenges in Saskatchewan is venting and flaring.

When oil is pumped out of the ground, a certain amount of methane typically comes to the surface. Some companies capture those gases and transport them in a pipeline to be sold as natural gas. Other companies may release the gases into the atmosphere (venting) or burn them (flaring).

"If you were to compare the provinces, we see venting and flaring accounting for 42 per cent of emissions in Saskatchewan, compared to 15 per cent in Alberta and 13 per cent in B.C.," said Petrich.

Alberta's large existing network of natural gas pipelines helps to minimize the amount of venting and flaring that occurs. When a new well is drilled, a company may only have to build a short pipeline to connect to a main natural gas system.

But in Saskatchewan, a company may have to build a much longer — and more expensive — pipeline.

It's a well-known issue, according to Phil Tomlinson, an emissions engineer with Calgary-based Highwood Emissions Management, which helps industrial companies understand and reduce their emissions.

"In Saskatchewan, we don't have that [pipeline] infrastructure," he said. "It means that it's generally not economical."

Rather than venting methane gases, Saskatchewan oil producers should consider other options, like burning them or using them to heat nearby buildings, Tomlinson said.  

Methane is considered to be 25 times as harmful to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

"You are better to burn off the methane than to vent it straight into the atmosphere," he said. "There are ways of destroying the methane with relatively high efficiency. It still produces CO2 but it produces less CO2 [compared to venting]."

Another factor impacting Saskatchewan's higher emissions intensity is that its oil wells are generally older than ones in Alberta, he added.

Smaller overall

Saskatchewan's oil industry is smaller than Alberta's energy industry, meaning its overall emissions are lower.

Since the start of the pandemic, Saskatchewan's total emissions have fallen but that's largely the result of a drop in oil production. The province's oilpatch emissions declined by about two per cent since the beginning of 2021, while oil and gas production has fallen by about 12 per cent, said Petrich.

Data used includes the production, transportation and processing of oil and natural gas. In Alberta, Enverus includes oilsands SAGD production but excludes oilsands mining.

Overall, total oilsands emissions were flat in 2022 even as production grew slightly, according to an August analysis released by S&P Global Commodity Insights.

In an emailed statement, Saskatchewan's energy department said its oil and gas emissions management regulations have "reduced greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from reported venting and flaring by over 60 per cent below 2015 levels.

"This is significantly ahead of the previously announced goal of 40 to 45 per cent reduction in GHG reductions by 2025," said spokesperson Jacob Fergus.

The main oilpatch lobby group, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, would not provide comment. The group instead pointed to its recent report that showed overall emissions in the conventional oil and gas sector declining over the last decade.

N.S. affordability crisis deepens as gap between living wage, minimum wage grows: report

Story by Alex Cooke •

Christine Saulnier, Nova Scotia director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, is seen in an undated handout photo.

© THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Foundry Photography, Trevor Beckerson, 

Anew report indicates Nova Scotia’s minimum wage is getting increasingly more difficult for people to live on, as the rising cost of basic necessities continues to outpace pay increases.

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives’ annual living wage report calculates what two adults working full-time would have to earn to support two children and have a decent quality of life.

The living wage calculations reflect costs in June 2023, and take into account government transfers added to the family’s income, like child benefits, as well as deductions subtracted, like taxes and EI premiums.

“The wage should be enough for the family to avoid severe financial stress, support the healthy development of their children, and participate in their social, civic, and cultural communities,” the report said.

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The report, released Thursday, said the living wage is $7.85 to $11.59 higher than what the minimum wage will be next month.

“Working people deserve to work to live, not just live to work,” the report said. “The cost of living is making that even harder.”

According to the report, the living wage is now $26.50 in the Halifax area, $25.40 for the Annapolis Valley, $25.05 for southern Nova Scotia, $24.30 for northern Nova Scotia, and $22.85 for Cape Breton.

On average, those numbers are 14 per cent higher than last year’s living wage calculations.

“These year-over-year increases are the most significant we have seen since we began calculating the living wage for Halifax in Nova Scotia in 2015,” said Christine Saulnier, the report’s author and director of the Nova Scotia chapter of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, in a release.

“Such unprecedented increases are due to overall increases to the costs of living, for shelter and food, in particular.”

The minimum wage in Nova Scotia is currently $14.50 per hour and is scheduled to rise to $15 in October.

But even with the scheduled increase, workers will still be left struggling to survive, said Suzanne MacNeil, spokesperson for Justice for Workers Nova Scotia.

“Workers in Nova Scotia are experiencing this crisis of affordability with no relief in sight,” she said in a release.

“We can’t stop at $15. The wage floor needs to come up much higher.”
Housing crisis

The report said shelter costs were “the most significant increases in every region’s budgets,” with an average increase of 18 per cent.

It said prices are soaring despite rent control legislation -- “yet the government chooses not to fill the gaps.”

“Instead, it insists that its role is ‘to balance the rights and needs of tenants and landlords,’” the report chided. “Landlords have no right to profit off tenants, nor do they need to do so. In contrast, tenants need housing to survive and thrive.”

While the province does have rent control -- with the cap increasing from two per cent to five per cent in January -- it does not apply to new tenants.

This means landlords can find ways to get rid of old tenants and increase the price for the new ones.

“The lack of provincial vacancy control, which ties rent to the unit, means that without reforms to the Residential Tenancies Act, such as closing no-fault eviction loopholes, more and more tenants are going to be displaced through renoviction or landlord-use evictions,” a spokesperson for ACORN Nova Scotia said in a release.

Video: Nova Scotia hasn’t built public housing in 30 years

The living wage report also identified food and child care as the second and third largest expenses, respectively.

The report, which can be viewed on the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives website, made a number of recommendations for both governments and employers.

They include calls for employers to pay a living wage, and for the government to raise the minimum wage to $20 per hour.

It also calls on the government to expand income benefits, improve labour standards, implement a more progressive tax system, and expand public services and infrastructure.

“The living wage is one tool to help low-wage workers bridge the gap between income and costs,” it said.

“Both employers and governments must do more to help workers attain a good quality of life.”