Voices

New research network: Call for Applications to join the Editorial Board

Call for application to join the Editorial Board which will continue Voices-Voix's Documentation Project. You can find the Network's description in the News section of the Voices-Voix website.

A new research network to continue Voices-Voix's Documentation Project. Please see the description below and the call for applications to join the Network's Editorial Board.

On October 7, 2012, Voices-Voix submitted a report to the 16th Universal Periodic Review Working Group of the Human Rights Council to expose the current trend in Canada regarding human rights defenders, civil society groups, knowledge institutions and all those who exercise their democratic right to dissent. The Canadian government, along with other countries, will be reviewed by the United Nations UPR in 2013.

You can read the executive summary and download the report here.

The Harper government withheld tens of thousands of documents that it was obligated to disclose as part of a human-rights case in which it is accused of discriminating against indigenous children. Now, it is using its failure to hand over the files to try to get the proceedings put on hold.

The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society filed a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal in 2007 saying it is wrong for the federal government to pay 22 per cent less for child welfare on reserves than the provinces pay for non-aboriginal welfare services. (...)

Read the second cycle report for the UN Review of Canada in terms of human rights.

In October 2012, Voices-Voix submitted a report, which can be found here. Some of the observations and recommendations in the report were integrated in the Universal Periodic Review's second cycle (...)

Bold statements and polarized commentaries make for interesting reads. They immediately situate you on one side or the other of a debate, which can be fun. You’re engaged. But they don’t leave much room for moving forward and identifying solutions to challenges, especially because they break complex issues down into one simple “truth”. (...)

A great new report by CIVICUS, a world alliance that focuses on civic participation in society, “The State of Civil Society 2013: Creating an enabling environment,” helps move beyond this polarizing (and paralyzing) debate into a much more nuanced recognition and understanding of the key role that civil society plays (and must continue to play) in society and the conditions that enable it to do so. (...)

" In 2004, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) initiated an audit of Physicians for Global Survival (PGS) with respect to its charitable activities. On July 24, 2012, PGS received a letter from the CRA informing the organization that its status as a registered charity had been revoked. As a result, PGS can no longer issue tax receipts to its donors. The CRA stated that the objective of PGS is “inherently political” and thus it does not qualify as a charity. (...) "