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Canada

Escalating Threats Against Women Candidates Undermine Democracy in Canada

by faeze mohammadi April 18, 2025

As the 2025 Federal Election approaches, concerns over rising harassment against women in Canadian politics have intensified.

Reports indicate that female politicians face not only physical threats but also targeted online attacks, baseless accusations, and discriminatory behavior—a phenomenon that jeopardizes their participation in democratic processes.

Concrete Examples of Harassment

Targeted Online Campaigns:

Kaveh Shahrooz, a right-wing analyst at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, has repeatedly attacked Iranian-Canadian female journalists and activists with labels like “Iran lobbyists.” These attacks include unfounded allegations and attempts to discredit their professional integrity.
In 2020, Narges Mortezaei, an Iranian-American journalist, faced coordinated online harassment from Shahrooz and his allies after exposing his misogynistic rhetoric. Such cases reveal a systemic pattern aimed at silencing women in public discourse.

Physical Threats and Heightened Security:

In October 2020, Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party, was threatened near Parliament Hill, prompting increased security presence around the parliamentary precinct.
Data from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) shows a 30% rise in threats against the Prime Minister and cabinet members between 2019 and 2020.

Negative Impacts on Democracy

Declining Participation of Women: Studies from Afghanistan (despite cultural differences) reveal that sexual and verbal harassment of women during elections discourages families from supporting female candidates and reinforces stereotypes about the “immorality of women in politics.” Similar dynamics, though distinct, are emerging in Canada.
Undermining Representative Diversity: Justin Trudeau’s 2015 cabinet, with 15 women and minority ministers, was celebrated as a symbol of inclusivity. However, current threats risk deterring women from entering politics, potentially erasing decades of progress.

Existing Measures and Legislative Gaps

Bill C-65: Enacted in 2018 to combat workplace sexual harassment, this law does not extend protections to election campaigns or parliamentary settings.
Proposed Solutions:
Anti-Online Harassment Laws: Advocates call for clearer definitions of cybercrimes against politicians and harsher penalties.
Enhanced Parliamentary Security: While the Parliamentary Protective Service has increased its presence on Parliament Hill, critics demand stronger collaboration among security agencies.
Support for Victims: Establishing confidential reporting mechanisms and legal aid for targeted women.

Conclusion: Democracy’s Future Hinges on Equality

The harassment of women in politics is not merely a security issue but a threat to democracy itself. While steps like forming diverse cabinets and raising public awareness are commendable, without legal reforms and cultural shifts, there is no guarantee that women’s voices will be heard in democratic processes. As Robina Hamdard, an Afghan activist, emphasizes: “Empowering women requires transparent laws and the support of civil institutions.”

The Conversation

April 18, 2025 0 comment

Central America Politics

Indigenous reporter fears more journalists will be targeted after arrest as police cleared Canada camp

by Narges Mohammadi February 10, 2024

A journalist in Canada who was arrested and charged while reporting on a police operation to clear an encampment for unhoused Indigenous people says she fears the charges will chill further reporting of marginalized groups.

Brandi Morin, an Indigenous journalist, was arrested on 10 January while documenting police efforts to dismantle the camp in the city of Edmonton.

Morin, an award-winning journalist who has written for a range of outlets including the Guardian, was interviewing the camp’s leader when police created a perimeter of yellow tape around the camp. As a scuffle broke out, an officer ordered her to join other reporters outside the perimeter.

Morin, at the time on assignment for Ricochet Media, said she refused to leave.

“As someone who has covered police action against Indigenous peoples, I know of the violence and brutality that our people experience. It was important for me to be there as a witness,” she said in an interview.

A spokesperson for Edmonton police service said officers “repeatedly” directed Morin to an area where other journalists were gathered, warning that she would be arrested if she “refused to comply” with the orders.

“The EPS has made extensive efforts to ensure journalists have access to encampment closures. Journalists are allowed to capture footage while standing a safe distance from the worksite,” the statement said. “This is done to protect them from the unpredictable hazards of an encampment clean-up, such as explosions, fire, biohazards and weapons concerns, and to protect the privacy of encampment residents.”

Ricochet called the arrest “unlawful”.

Morin said that being arrested and then “paraded” before TV cameras to a police van was deeply humiliating. She was kept in a cell for five hours before she was released, after signing a promise to return for fingerprinting and a mugshot. She was given the chance to call Ricochet to arrange a lawyer and arrange for her daughter to be picked up from daycare.

She initially believed the charges would be dropped. But when it became clear the city’s police weren’t backing down, Morin returned to the police station on Tuesday.

Morin was photographed and fingerprinted – and realized that she was now on the police database. “I thought about all of the violence against our people – and how police use mugshots of Indigenous women and youth when they’re missing, to identify them – and to criminalize them.”

Morin is due to appear in court on 16 February.

The Stony Plain-based journalist has made a career of reporting on climate crisis and Indigenous issues, documenting tailing pond leaks in First Nations communities as well as the national crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. But the emotional toll of the charges have weighed heavily on her.

“I am a strong person and a strong woman. But there have been moments where I have felt defeated. There have been moments when I’ve have felt like getting out of this work. And that terrifies me. Because if I do, they are successful in silencing me.”

PEN Canada said it was “deeply concerned” by the charges against Morin.

“Canadian law protects journalists from arrest or detention when they are reporting on matters of public interest and not engaged in violent activity or serious attempts to obstruct police,” the group said.

Morin’s arrest comes as a British Columbia court prepares to consider another lawsuit that could have significant implications for Canadian journalists reporting in areas where police try to limit access.

Photojournalist Amber Bracken was detained in 2021 while covering a police raid on an Indigenous protest camp in British Columbia.

The Narwhal, an environmental publication that had commissioned Bracken, has sued Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), arguing Bracken’s rights were violated. The case is due to be heard in October 2024.

Courts in both Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia have been critical of how police apply injunction orders and ‘exclusion zones’ to journalists.

Earlier this week, the Canadian Association of Journalists called Morin’s arrest a “self-imposed ‘black eye’” for law enforcement “through ignorance or indifference, the invaluable role journalists play in a free and democratic society”

“This pattern of behaviour must be stopped in its tracks,” president Brent Jolly said at a press conference.

Morin says she will plead not guilty to the charges. If convicted, she could face a maximum of two years in jail.

“For too long, our people’s voices were silenced. Their stories are starting to make headlines,” she said. “And this isn’t just about me. Every other journalist could be targeted. This is what we’re called to do as journalists: to hold powers to account and to go places that are contentious and difficult and tough. To do our jobs.”

Source: Guardian

February 10, 2024 0 comment

North America Society

UN initiative to stem gender-based violence urges Canada for funds

by Narges Mohammadi July 15, 2023

CANADA/A United Nations initiative aimed at eliminating gender-based violence is asking Canada to put up cash to help stem a backsliding in women’s rights, even though the Liberals are cutting back on foreign aid.

“Women’s rights and violence against women and girls is not a side issue,” said Nahla Valji, the UN’s senior gender adviser, a position Canada pushed to have created at the agency’s headquarters in New York.

Valji, who grew up in Burnaby, B.C., is on Parliament Hill this week asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to help stop an erosion of women’s rights globally.

She’s following up on a letter from UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, who asked Trudeau to help fund what’s called the Spotlight Initiative.

The project launched in 2017 with the European Union pledging 500 million euros, or roughly $740 million, for projects that work to curb gender-based violence and to give women a seat at the table in post-conflict negotiations.

Spotlight Initiative works in two dozen of the world’s poorest countries, helping local groups launch projects that provide women with employment while weeding out violence.

For example, a project in Liberia worked with elders and feminist groups in the West African country to help enforce a national ban on female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation. Spotlight Initiative also provided training so that people who used to do this practice could instead find jobs in agriculture.

Yet Valji’s request comes at a time when many countries are seeing drastic shifts.

Afghanistan’s Taliban regime has banned women from schools, and gangs in Haiti are weaponizing sexual violence in their turf wars. The level of femicide in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala is on par with countries in conflict settings, she points out.

“Amid multiple crises globally, and a proliferation of violence against women and girls, we’ve been able to prove a model of success,” Valji said.

Valji’s office wouldn’t share the letter but said it “invites Canada to be a partner in scaling up the investment” by the end of 2023, and said the letter didn’t specify an amount.

She’s leaning on the Liberals’ rhetoric about putting women at the center of their diplomatic efforts, such as through a feminist aid policy.

“Canada has always been a leader on the international stage, going back to Lester B. Pearson through to today, in terms of multilateralism,” she said.

“Canada throughout history has walked the talk, in terms of the values of the (UN) charter.”

The government says it’s assessing the request. But at the same time, federal cutbacks have the development sector preparing to scale back programs.

The Liberals insist a 15 per cent drop in funding for foreign aid is not a cut because it’s higher than their pre-pandemic spending.

Trudeau faced questions about that last week at the Global Citizen Now event in New York City. He stressed that an uptick in humanitarian crises means Canada will spend more on reactive support _ even if proactive spending on development projects is back around the same level as before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, Valji said Canada is among the best countries in the world for trying to tackle gender-based violence, in part through admitting to its problems at home.

“This role of leadership that they play on the international stage has also been one of self-reflection about the fact that there is no single country in the world that has achieved gender equality,” she said.

She noted that Canada’s ambassador for Women, Peace, and Security, Jacqueline O’Neill, is tasked with not just advocating for women abroad but also seeing what Canada can learn from how other countries are making gains for women.

“In Canada, this has been a role that has had an impact across departments in bringing together a coherence across departments and ministries,” Valji said.

“This is not just something for which we have to be focused on ‘out there.”’

At last week’s event in New York City, O’Neill said the backlash to women’s rights probably stems from progress, with women upending gender norms based on patriarchal values, and gaining a voice in governance.

“Autocrats, authoritarians, populists: they’re scared of being held accountable by their people. And that includes strong women who are urging them to share power, to be less corrupt, to be more transparent,” O’Neill said.

Valji said that pressure can be felt even in the halls of the United Nations.

“If violence is happening in a particular context, against one group of people, we have a Security Council, we have international laws and policies. And yet, when it happens to half the world’s population that happens to be women and girls, we couch it in terms of the personal and the cultural, and throw pennies at it.”

Source: Global News

July 15, 2023 0 comment

North America Society

Meet six women who are among U of T Engineering’s ‘grads to watch’ in 2022

by Narges Mohammadi June 21, 2022

As they cross the stage at Convocation Hall, graduates from the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering are marking the end of one journey and the beginning of another.

Having enriched the U of T community as undergraduate and graduate students, they now join a global network of U of T Engineering alumni who working to address pressing challenges around the world and inspire the next generation. Here are six inspiring women from the Faculty of Applied & Engineering annual Grads to Watch list .

Valerie Ajayi

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, plus professional experience year co-op.

Between working part-time and commuting two hours each way from just outside of Brampton, Ajayi found it difficult in her first year to participate in U of T Engineering life, especially on weekends. But she did not let that challenge stand in her way for long. “There are so many opportunities across a campus as large as St. George and a community as passionate as Skule,” she says, referring to the U of T Engineering community’s affectionate name for itself. “I wanted to take advantage of it as best as I could.”

Sayeh Bayat

PhD in biomedical engineering

In her thesis, Bayat aimed to develop “digital biomarkers” that can predict or explain neurodegeneration. For example, in one study she gathered mobility data from smartphones or other wearable devices to compare how older people – some with dementia and accompanied by family members – moved about their communities. The modes of transportation included by transit, bicycle, walking and by car. “Using machine learning, we showed that there may be very subtle changes in driving behaviors that can be indicative of the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease,” she says.

Laura Berneaga

Master’s degree in mechanical engineering

Berneaga works on problems at the intersection of engineering and humanity. Her thesis revolves around the manufacturing of ventilators – one of the earliest health-care bottlenecks exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. “We focused on the controller since it is the most complex component, responsible for all the major decisions the ventilator makes,” she says.

“Today, the code for the controller is highly dependent on the specific hardware components. We created a framework for an open-source design – one that could be adopted by manufacturers anywhere in the world, helping them quickly scale up in a crisis.”

Julia Bincik

Bachelor’s degree in materials science and engineering, plus professional experience year co-op

Bincik’s passion is environmental sustainability, and she is graduating with a feeling of confidence in her ability to have an impact in her chosen field. “I feel well-equipped to make a positive difference,” she says.

Bincik credits the TrackOne program, which she did in the first year of her undergraduate studies, for sparking her interest in materials science engineering as a way to explore green technologies. A highlight from her academic career was co-authoring an article on microplastics for the Society of Plastics Engineers Newsletter, which won first place at the University of Toronto Engineers Without Borders Green Plastics Article Competition.

Marie-Eve Caron

Master’s degree in civil and mineral engineering

Caron describes her two years as a civil and mineral engineering student as a roller-coaster ride. “It had its highs and lows,” she says. “But I am grateful for the support I had from those around me, including my thesis supervisor and members of the department.” While many of her classes and projects were completed remotely, Caron was still able to immerse herself in the social life of her department through the CivMin Graduate Students Association (CivMinGSA), where she served as vice-president, social.

Saanjali Maharaj

Bachelor’s degree in engineering science, plus professional experience year co-op

“My experience at U of T has been a time of discovery,” says Maharaj. “I learned so much about engineering design, innovations in the industry and working as part of a team.” The time was also a period of self-discovery for Maharaj, as her various internships, courses and research experiences helped her find out what she is passionate about, charting the course of her career. In 2019, Maharaj had “the amazing opportunity” to be an intern at the NASA Ames Research Center’s department of rotorcraft aeromechanics.

June 21, 2022 0 comment

North America Society

More accessible space given to women in Canada for social activities

by Narges Mohammadi April 5, 2022

More facilities are given to a Women Council in Canada

A new community space in Labrador West aims to provide people and community groups a place to gather and provide support for each other. Micheline Gray, executive director of the area’s Status of Women Council, which opened the space on Wednesday, said: “It’s essential for groups to have accessible, inclusive and free space to work in.”

She said : “I’m over the moon excited. This has been something I’ve been wishing for it since the beginning of my career. Being able to break barriers that women or people who need support urgently, is huge. And the more barriers you break down, the more of that equality we’ll have in our communities.”

The space will host the Status of Women Council’s occasions, awareness events on violence against women, the local teenage Inuit drumming group, art therapy classes, peer support groups and much more.

Gray added: “Plans fell into place when the space beside the council’s office became available. To get the space, the council raised the $65,000 needed through the community and local businesses, including a $25,000 grant from Rio Tinto and around $38,000 from the Ulnooweg Indigenous Communities Foundation to cover two years’ worth of rent.”

Pynn, a former tattoo artist, says: ” After fighting my addiction for years, its been four months that I have been sober; and I plan on sharing the experience that I had with this community center for my problem and how art therapy helped me to never give up on social media.”

April 5, 2022 0 comment