rabble radio What success can look like when implementing gender equity
Hello and welcome to rabble radio. It's Friday, January 28, 2022. I'm Breanne Doyle, the host of rabble radio. Thanks for tuning in.
rabble's got its finger on the beat of the stories that matter to you. If you're curious about the latest in Canadian politics, labour, environment, or health – you've come to the right place to find the stories that matter to you. Free of corporate influence.
This week we'll cover two stories on the growing tension between Russia and Ukraine. We ask the question that's on everyone's mind: how likely is it that this situation becomes a war? Plus - our national reporters cover Quebec's Law 21 and the Halifax police force looking to define "defunding the police." We'll check in all that and more, a bit later on in our show.
First, rabble contributor Libby Davies joins political scientist Dr. Jeanette Ashe again this week. It's part two of their special two-part series. Dr. Ashe and Davies discuss what responsibility political parties have in upholding gender equality in Parliament. They ask what success might look like when we implement equity mandates.
Dr. Ashe is the Chair of the Political Science Department at Douglas College. She's also a Visiting Faculty at the Global Institute for Women's Leadership, King's College, London. She also advises legislators on drafting legislation on gender equity and democratic reform.
Libby Davies is the author of Outside In: a Political Memoir. She served as the MP for Vancouver East from 1997-2015, and is former NDP Deputy Leader and House Leader. Libby's also a recipient of the Order of Canada.
Here are Libby and Jeanette in conversation, in part two of our two part special.
Take a listen: (interview – 22 mins)
That was Dr. Jeanette Ashe in conversation with Libby Davies. You can hear part one of their conversation from last week's episode. Thanks for that, Dr. Ashe and Libby, it's always great to hear from the both of you.
Now, it's time for a segment we call, In Case You Missed It.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT.
This week rabble.ca delves into the growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Guest writer Fred Weir has been living in Russia and writing about the former Soviet Union since 1998. In his article, he asks: how likely is Russia to invade Ukraine? He implores readers to consider, despite the widespread media expectations of a blitzkrieg-like invasion, an all-out Russian assault on Ukraine is less likely than they might think.
Rather than going to war, Weir writes, "Russian foreign policy experts suggest that an acceptable outcome for the Kremlin would be to create a system of neutral states between NATO and Russia, perhaps something like Finland or Austria during the Cold War."
Weir also notes that the idea of war is largely unpopular for Russian citizens. He points to a survey by the Levada Center in Moscow, which found 54 percent of Russians felt positive toward Ukraine, compared to 31 percent who did not.
As tensions mount as a result of speculation about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, columnist Bill Blaikie reflects on how things might have been different. Blaikie highlights key moments in Russia's recent history, from the Cold War until now, pondering the question: What role did the West have in creating the situation at hand?
In Canadian Politics, senior national politics reporter Karl Nerenberg reports on the declining support for Law 21, which the Quebec government enacted back in 2019. In December, a school board in western Quebec transferred a teacher from her Grade 3 classroom to a behind-the-scenes role because she wore a hijab. In January, the firm Leger Marketing conducted a poll on attitudes toward Law 21 for the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies that found support for the law in Quebec has dropped from 64 per cent to 55 per cent. More importantly, the poll found a huge generation gap in attitudes toward Law 21. While older Quebecers still support it strongly, over 70 per cent of young people in the 18-to-24 age group do not support it.
Meanwhile, Stephen Wenzell looks to the Halifax Regional Municipality which is set to become the first jurisdiction in Canada to define the phrase "defunding the police". The move comes as the result of a report that features 36 recommendations to reallocate resources away from the police to more appropriate service providers.
Also on the site this week, columnist Rachel Snow criticizes the National Post for publishing a piece she deemed a "racist, historical slant that counters the lived experiences of thousands of First Nation peoples." The piece, written by National Post columnist Barbara Kay, keeps colonial narratives alive implying that residential schools were somehow beneficial for Indigenous children and that the unmarked graves found of hundreds of Indigenous children simply can't be true.
Snow writes: "These narratives state that the kidnapping and forced labour of First Nation children in residential schools did not happen."
rabble contributor David Climenhaga was among the first to report on far-fight influence in the online campaign for rolling truck blockades to protest vaccine mandates.
Climenhaga argues the campaign raises questions about the potential use of the GoFundMe site to get around election financial reporting laws for what are clearly intended to be political campaigns attacking one party.
That was, in case you missed it. You can find all those stories and much more, on rabble.ca
rabble.ca is proud to announce the return of our Off the Hill political panel series in February. The theme of the upcoming show is: Who's budget is it, anyway? A new federal budget is about to be announced that will affect us all in big and small ways. Our panelists will focu s on deconstructing and understanding what a federal budget is all about: why is it important and what power does the government really have in designing a federal budget? We will also zero in on what a federal budget could look like for ordinary people to benefit.
You can register to attend the entire panel on Thursday, February 10 in the link in our bio or catch a highlight of this event on our February 11th rabble radio episode.
The last thing I'd like to leave you with today is this: rabble's annual fundraiser is on the go and we are looking for indie media heroes! Is that you? Please consider making a donation at rabble.ca/donate. The generous support from our readers is what makes it possible for quality journalism to support transformative political action.
And that's it for rabble radio this week. Thanks as always for tuning in. If you like the show please consider subscribing on Apple Podcasts or whatever podcast app you use. And please, rate, review, share rabble radio with your friends -- it takes two seconds to support independent media like rabble. Follow us on social media across channels @rabbleca.
If you have feedback for the show – ideas, stories, opinions you'd like us to cover – I'd love to hear about. Get in touch with me anytime at editor@rabble.ca.
Thank you to Libby Davies and Dr. Jeanette Ashe for their interview this week. Thanks also to Stephen Wentzell and Karl Nerenberg for their reporting - and Karl, too, for supplying the music. Thank you to all the journalists and writers who contributed to this week's content on rabble.ca. And lastly, thank you to you for tuning into rabble radio.
I'm Breanne Doyle, and I'll talk to you next week.
Credit for photo: Roya Ann Miller / Unsplash