Social Issues | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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  • Article

    Indigenous Feminisms in Canada

    At their root, Indigenous feminisms examine how gender and conceptions of gender influence the lives of Indigenous peoples, historically and today. Indigenous feminist approaches challenge stereotypes about Indigenous peoples, gender and sexuality, for instance, as they appear in politics, society and the media. Indigenous feminisms offer frameworks for learning about and understanding these, and other issues, regardless of one’s gender or ethnicity.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/new_article_images/IndigenousFeminisms/MMIWG activists.jpg Indigenous Feminisms in Canada
  • Article

    Labour Force in Canada

    The labour force refers to the total adult population available to the labour market at a specific time. Statistics Canada administers the Labour Force Survey (LFS), a monthly household survey, that provides estimates about employment and unemployment rates in Canada as well as labour market characteristics. Data about Canada’s labour force helps economists and other analysts understand the Canadian economy.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/TCE_placeholder.png Labour Force in Canada
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    Labour History

    Labour History, see WORKING-CLASS HISTORY.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Labour History
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    Labour Relations

    Labour relations refers to the relations between employers and employees. They are affected by a number of factors, including labour organizations, collective bargaining, labour market, government policy, the structure of the economy, labour law and technological change.

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  • Article

    Lobbying in Canada

    Lobbying is the process through which individuals and groups articulate their interests to federal, provincial or municipal governments to influence public policy or government decision-making. Lobbyists may be paid third parties who communicate on behalf of their clients; or they may be employees of a corporation or organization seeking to influence the government. Because of the possibility for conflict of interest, lobbying is the subject of much public scrutiny. At the federal level, lobbying activities are governed by the Lobbying Act. Provinces and municipalities have their own lobbying laws and by-laws.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/11551bec-a5f6-4e78-b101-265ddf7610cb.jpg Lobbying in Canada
  • Article

    #MeToo Movement in Canada

    The #MeToo movement protesting sexual violence against women began in the United States in October 2017 in the wake of accusations against Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein. Since then, it has rapidly expanded internationally through Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. In Canada, #MeToo and its French equivalent, #MoiAussi, have amplified the voices of victims and changed the conversation pertaining to rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence, harassment and misconduct.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/new_article_images/metoo/dreamstime_xl_114828812.jpg #MeToo Movement in Canada
  • Article

    'Mimkwamlis Potlatch (Memkumlis Raid)

    On 25 December 1921, a Potlatch ceremony was held in the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw village of ‘Mimkwamlis (also spelled Memkumlis, and also known as Village Island). The Potlatch ceremony was illegal at the time. Officers of the federal government’s Department of Indian Affairs (see Federal Departments of Indigenous and Northern Affairs), as well as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and, according to some sources, the British Columbia provincial police learned of this Potlatch. They arrested 45 people for participating in the Potlatch. Approximately half of the people were sent to prison for periods ranging from two to three months. Hundreds of precious Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw ceremonial objects were confiscated. Some of these items were sold to collectors and wound up in museums without the consent of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw people. The arrests related to the ‘Mimkwamlis Potlatch of 1921 were an example of police and government abuse of Indigenous Peoples. It is a further example of the attempted cultural genocide of Indigenous Peoples in Canada (see Genocide and Indigenous Peoples in Canada).

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/MimkwamlisPotlatch/umista_cultural_centre_web.jpg 'Mimkwamlis Potlatch (Memkumlis Raid)
  • Article

    Murder of Reena Virk

    Reena Virk, a 14-year-old of South Asian origin, was savagely beaten and murdered by teenaged attackers in November 1997 in a suburb of Victoria, British Columbia. The crime horrified Canadians and attracted international media attention because of the brutality of the killing as well as the youth of Virk and those who attacked her. It prompted a national conversation about teenaged bullying and racism, led in part by Virk’s parents, who became anti-bullying campaigners in the wake of their daughter’s murder. This article contains sensitive material that may not be suitable for all audiences.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Murder of Reena Virk
  • Article

    New Brunswick Schools Question

    In May 1871, the government of New Brunswick, under George Luther Hatheway, passed the Common Schools Act. This statute provided for free standardized education throughout the province, the establishment of new school districts, the construction of schools, and stricter requirements regarding teaching certificates. This law also made all schools non-denominational, so that the teaching of the Roman Catholic catechism was prohibited.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/d005fd0d-1dd4-4978-ae03-8c60a004c777.JPG New Brunswick Schools Question
  • Article

    Persons Case

    The Persons Case (Edwards v. A.G. of Canada) was a constitutional ruling that established the right of women to be appointed to the Senate. The case was initiated by the Famous Five, a group of prominent women activists. In 1928, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that women were not “persons” according to the British North America Act (now called the Constitution Act, 1867). Therefore, they were ineligible for appointment to the Senate. However, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council reversed the Court’s decision on 18 October 1929. The Persons Case enabled women to work for change in both the House of Commons and the Senate. It also meant that women could no longer be denied rights based on a narrow interpretation of the law.

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  • Article

    Persons Case (Plain-Language Summary)

    The Persons Case was a constitutional ruling. It established the right of women to serve in the Senate. The case was started by the Famous Five. They were a group of women activists. In 1928, they objected to a Supreme Court of Canada ruling that women were not “persons.” As such, they were not allowed to serve in the Senate. The Famous Five challenged the law. In 1929, the decision was reversed. As a result, women were legally recognized as “persons.” They could no longer be denied rights based on a narrow reading of the law. (This article is a plain-language summary of the Persons Case. If you are interested in reading about this topic in more depth, please see the full-length entry.)

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  • Article

    École Polytechnique Tragedy (Montreal Massacre)

    On 6 December 1989, a man entered a mechanical engineering classroom at Montreal’s École Polytechnique armed with a semi-automatic weapon. After separating the women from the men, he opened fire on the women while screaming, “You are all feminists.” Fourteen young women were murdered, and 13 other people were wounded. The shooter then turned the gun on himself. In his suicide note, he blamed feminists for ruining his life. The note contained a list of 19 “radical feminists” who he said would have been killed had he not run out of time. It included the names of well-known women in Quebec, including journalists, television personalities and union leaders.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/e46a9a44-231e-4000-8a86-dae26e0d9a25.jpg École Polytechnique Tragedy (Montreal Massacre)
  • Article

    Pornography

    Historically, pornography has been understood to be descriptions, in literature or in art, of the life and manners of prostitutes and their patrons. This is consistent with the origins of the word in Greek, the word porne meaning "harlot" and grapho meaning "to write.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Pornography
  • Article

    Potlatch Ban

    From 1885 to 1951, the Indigenous ceremony known as the Potlatch was banned by the federal government of Canada. The government justified their decision to ban the Potlatch because they believed it was preventing the assimilation of Indigenous Peoples. Today, this ban is recognized as an aspect of cultural genocide (see Genocide and Indigenous Peoples in Canada). Though the Potlatch was illegal during this period of time, the ban was only ever sporadically enforced. This was in part a result of the vagueness of the wording of the law. The law was rewritten and prosecutions increased. In 1922, Indian agents, aided by police, arrested individuals who had participated in a Potlatch held in the community of ʼMimkwa̱mlis. They arrested 45 people. Ultimately, this resulted in imprisonment and the confiscation of hundreds of precious ceremonial objects.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/f2fed9a9-c6dc-429a-80cd-98e6c7825449.jpg Potlatch Ban
  • Article

    Poverty

    About nine per cent of Canadians live in poverty, although the percentage is generally higher among certain groups such as single mothers and Aboriginal people. Low-income Canadians include the "working poor" — those with jobs — and the "welfare poor" — those relying mainly on government assistance.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/media/media/bc62a9cc-7256-4500-818b-6f2cd7bab8e2.jpg Poverty