Come out to Pride
In my column this week I amplify Fae Johnstone’s invitation to straight and cis-gender Ottawans to march in Sunday’s parade. I add a few choice words about the “parents’ rights” crowd, including this important bit: If your child is out and you’re the only one who doesn’t know about it, you are the problem.
In that same vein, the new requirement in Saskatchewan for parental consent before a student’s name and/or pronoun change is not only hateful, evil and wrong, but it’s also criminally dangerous. It will result in harmed children.
Do not, ever, out children to their parents. Parents who are safe don’t need to be told by the school what pronouns the kids use. They already know. The only people who don’t know about their children’s gender or sexual orientation are the dangerous parents.
I will say this as often as is needed, including to any Conservative activist asking for their federal leader to do what Saskatchewan has done and what New Brunswick is still trying to do. If you want to be made aware of your children’s identity, start by accepting them exactly as they are. Children are full humans with rights, not chattel.
In my legal writing this week for National Magazine you’ll find an article on retroactive taxes, lucky you! And another one on the ways the Canada Not-for-Profit Corporations Act could be updated betterly. Yes of course that’s a word. I just made it up myself. Finally, there is this piece on how Pathway initiatives should be made more accessible to Indigenous inmates.
In other news
The new justice minister is openly saying he’s considering criminalizing coercive control in an effort to combat intimate partner violence and allow me to add my FUCK YES to the debate. Coercive control, emotional abuse, financial control, belittling, intimidation, psychological threats — these are all forms of violence and they are all as bad as physical violence. See the illustration below if you’re not convinced. It is used by many people who work with victims of intimate partner violence because it makes that point very clearly indeed.
En français
Il manque tellement d’enseignants dans les écoles du Québec que le ministre avoue que dans certaines classes les élèves seront chanceux d’avoir un adulte dont la seule qualification est qu’ils ont au moins 18 ans. D’autres politiciens se plaisent à blâmer les niveaux d’immigration pour le manque d’enseignants comme si ça avait rapport. Depuis le temps que les experts, enseignants et syndicats avertissent que la dégradation des conditions de travail allait mener à une pénurie d’enseignants, me semble qu’on pourrait peut-être regarder un peu par là?
Ben non. À la place, on annonce qu’on va bannir les téléphones portables en classe.
Excusez, je viens de me fouler une neurone. Pauvre mononcle Drainville.
Pendant ce temps, un sondage Léger indique que 40% des gens pointent le gouvernement fédéral du doigt pour la crise du logement. À peine un tiers dit que c’est le provincial. Six pourcent croit que c’est la faute au municipal et près d’un quart ne sait juste pas quoi dire.
Ce qui me déboulonne, c’est que personne ne pense à se pointer eux-mêmes du doigt pour un problème qui n’est pourtant pas sorti de nulle part.
Local news
I’m glad the vacant unit tax isn’t dead yet. I explained why this tax is a good idea in this old column.
Some councillors in Ottawa want to follow Montreal’s example for the pedestrianization of streets and I say yes please.
And finally, you might be surprised to hear that Para Transpo, which has been notoriously short of vehicles and drivers for years, apparently has a surplus of same to dedicate to a pilot project for the suburbs. For people who have been complaining about the lack of resources available to Para Transpo customers for years, this pilot project is a giant slap across the face.
