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We’re Coming for You! “We are fighting for the soul of Canada; fighting for significant change for workers at the service level”

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Photo Credit: Cliford MervilJennelle Creft/Cypher Media

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

“We should go back to the good old days when we had slaves!”

He said what?” I was speaking with Nicholas Marcus Thompson Black Class Action Secretariat about a recent announced submission to the UN Commission for Human Rights’ Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.

That comment was made by an employer (who and what company was not disclosed), and to be honest, even though my response sounded surprised, I really wasn’t. It has become exhausting to repeatedly explain that racism exists in Canada. For Canadians who have likely never experienced systemic racism, it is easy to deny its existence.

The issue is that our government officials continue to ignore the cries of the people, the very same people who have put them in office. A few years ago, Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated that Canada doesn’t have the same systemic deep roots of racism that the United States does.  He retracted that statement, but his original spoken thoughts are telling. Canada’s racist past continues to be felt by people of colour, particularly African-Canadians, and Indigenous communities.

This is not something that White privileged individuals give much thought to, because let’s be honest, it doesn’t directly impact their lives. We did however see the experience of division during the pandemic, when it was no longer about colour, but more so about whether you were masked, or unmasked, vaccinated, or unvaccinated, but I digress.

Let’s go back to the head of the snake, and speak about our leader, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Since he has taken office, Prime Minister Trudeau has been cashing cheques that he doesn’t have the money to pay. In other words, making promises that he cannot, and doesn’t seem to want to keep.

When he got elected, Trudeau told us three of his priorities were delivering action on climate change, reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous people and running an open government. To this day, he has not delivered on his promises and Canadians are not getting timely resolution of their complaints for access to information requests, which go against his promise to run an open government. Other than wearing an orange shirt, and providing a holiday, Canada’s Indigenous people are still dealing with systemic racism, and there are many of them who are unable to access clean drinking water. Can you imagine; a country as large as Canada with access to large quantities of fresh water?

In August 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised action to address systemic racism in Canada policing and other institutions. This was after more than 100 Liberal MP’s and half of Trudeau’s cabinet signed a declaration from the Black caucus that called for a wide range of reforms.

In 2019, the Liberal government unveiled a $45-million strategy to tackle racism in the public service and federal policies, and in mid-June 2021, Trudeau pledged further action on systemic racism would come “Very soon.”

Well enough is enough! There are a group of individuals who have decided that they are going to take action. In December 2020, a class action was filed against the Canadian government on behalf of more than 45,000 Black federal public service employees who have been subjected to systemic racism, discrimination, and employee exclusion

This complaint to the UN outlined the Canadian government’s failure to protect Black Canadians, and on September 28th, 2022, representatives of the Black Class Action Secretariat (BCAS), together with partner Amnesty International Canada (Amnesty), joined forces to shed light on the historic and on-going human rights violations faced by Black employees in Canada’s federal public service. These workers have endured anti-Black hate and anti-Black racism, both covertly and overtly, over the course of decades in the service of their country. This is contrary to the right to non-discrimination found within several international conventions ratified by the Government of Canada.

“On behalf of all Black workers, we are elevating Canada’s past and on-going failures to the United Nations,” said Nicholas Marcus Thompson. “Black Canadians are suffering, and we will be relentless in our pursuit of justice on their behalf. Each of us believes the government of Canada must be held accountable. What they do is throw money at us, and it doesn’t reach our community. Other community newspapers have not covered this matter; and I want to thank the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper for taking the lead. This story impacts 1000’s of Caribbean’s, and there is a significant connection to the Caribbean.

 

A lot of Caribbean people migrated to this country. They have been welcomed to this country and get caught up in the dream; they think that if they get their foot in, they can work their way up. Many of them today have retired in the exact same position that they started in. Many cannot afford to retire; it is so expensive. Pensions are not enough to retire.

They have gone through so much trauma, and dealing with it on a day to day basis, living in low income housing, not being able to get by. We are Caribbean Canadian Nationals fighting the government, against systemic racism. We have to dismantle this system from the top. It is Caribbean people who are leading the charge, and creating this massive dialogue on the economic impacts of systemic racism.

It is about setting the precedent and empowering members of the community to step forward, and stand up. How do we sustain changes? I thought about how we are treated in the workplace; employers have their knees on our neck.

It is dehumanizing. It takes away a person’s values. They speak about the work giving you experience, but what good is this experience if it doesn’t move you up.

Black people have been in Canada for 400 years; majority of them were brought here as slaves. Slavery was abolished, and then they couldn’t vote because they didn’t have property. Then the government of Canada said that Black people were undesirable. During the war, they said it was a White man’s war, and they created a segregated battalion. They had to cut down trees, defuse landmines, and dig the trenches. That was the early public service. 107 years later, family members are still digging the trenches. The government of Canada knows it has treated Black people terribly for years.

Black people have to continue to fight for representation, to defend our need for mental health support. The government will say they are doing these things, but nothing is happening.”

Together the BCAS and Amnesty are calling on the Special Rapporteur to investigate Canada’s violation of its obligation to abide by these international treaties. This includes calling on the federal government to:

  • Meet its international obligations
  • Establish a coherent plan to address hiring and promotional gaps for Black Canadian workers
  • Develop a plan to increase opportunities for professional development
  • Initiate a study and report on systemic discrimination in labour and employment to help identify why this persistent culture exists

With almost 1,500 plaintiffs from across Canada, the Black Class Action has garnered the support of major international organizations like Amnesty International and Canadian associations, including: the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.

“Black women make up 70% of Federal employees who have come forward with allegations of discrimination in the public service. These experiences are not only an affront to the inherent dignity of the people who uphold the Government’s functions daily,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada.

“They are contrary to Canada’s obligation under international law to eliminate discrimination in employment. We unequivocally support Black Class Action’s call for justice and urge the government not to wait for the UN’s response to start enacting much-needed change. Federal workers, and millions of Canadians who rely on their efforts, cannot wait.”

As a worker, if you have faced systemic racism in your workplace you can join the suit by visiting www.blackclassaction.ca.

We, as humans are guaranteed certain things in life: stressors, taxes, bills and death are the first thoughts that pop to mind. It is not uncommon that many people find a hard time dealing with these daily life stressors, and at times will find themselves losing control over their lives. Simone Jennifer Smith’s great passion is using the gifts that have been given to her, to help educate her clients on how to live meaningful lives. The Hear to Help Team consists of powerfully motivated individuals, who like Simone, see that there is a need in this world; a need for real connection. As the founder and Director of Hear 2 Help, Simone leads a team that goes out into the community day to day, servicing families with their educational, legal and mental health needs.Her dedication shows in her Toronto Caribbean newspaper articles, and in her role as a host on the TCN TV Network.

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You get vaccinated, get Myocarditis, and then have a ticking time bomb in your chest

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BY MICHAEL THOMAS

According to a new peer-reviewed study funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sixty per cent of young people who were hospitalized with Myocarditis after receiving an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine still showed signs of this disease six months after being injected.

Some 307 out of 333 patients they started with had their health data collected from April 2021 to November 2022. The time between injection and follow-up varied, with a median of 178 days, almost six months.

What is worse is the study authors are said to be making fun of the seriousness of the findings. They are calling the results reassuring and describing these cases of Myocarditis as mild.

Who are these study authors? Why are they acting so recklessly? Critics said that some of those study authors who published their report in The Lancet on September 6th, 2024, also have ties to the government and the big drug companies that may have influenced the research.

One such person is lead author Dr Supriya S. Jain, a pediatric cardiologist and researcher at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York. Daniel O’Conner of Trial Site News criticized the FDA as the study’s funder. “The FDA is not keeping up with its tradition of ‘patient safety first,’” he said.

O’Conner said he believes the outcome is much more severe than is reported, and The FDA study authors do not have the urgency they should, given the vulnerabilities of the population.

Chief Scientific Officer of The Children’s Health Defense Brian Hooker agreed, saying he was “disgusted” by the study authors’ downplaying of cardiac harm caused by the COVID-19 mRNA injections. Hooker is quoted as saying, “You get vaccinated, get Myocarditis, and then have a ticking time bomb in your chest for the rest of your life.”

Some of the most vital questions here concerning these injected youths, and the injected population is “What happens as they age?” or “Where do they go from here?”

It is important to know that medical researchers have pointed out that studies show Myocarditis can be life-threatening and can also cause critical changes and scarring of the heart.

“I don’t feel that any incidence of vaccine-induced Myocarditis is reassuring,” Heather Ray, a science and research analyst with CHD told a reputable news source. “Additionally, we have all witnessed several anecdotal, or personal reports of individuals who died from vaccine-induced cardiac issues over the past four years.”

Dr Peter McCullough said, as a cardiologist, he was “Greatly concerned,” that COVID-19 vaccine heart damage in most of the young people studied had not resolved at the time of follow-up. McCullough said that he disagreed with the author’s reports calling this finding mild, “Even small areas of damage invisible to cardiac MRI could put vaccine recipients at risk for a future cardiac arrest.”

It is amazing that with all these findings and recommendations to date, COVID mRNA Injections are still very intentionally and maliciously pushed on the population quietly worldwide, this is especially true here in Canada.

It may interest readers to know that the same people behind these mRNA injections in the Western world have decided to look at Africans as lab rats too. The World Health Organization has approved so-called mpox injections for use in adults and said it can be used for: babies, children, teens, and pregnant women in Africa.

Brian Hooker called the WHO’s approval of the shot for infants and children in Africa “A train wreck in the making.”

Recently here in Canada, Global News is now warning that the CDC is telling folks that COVID injections, and heart inflammation issues between injected teens are related. This is something that Toronto Caribbean Newspaper has been warning Canadians about for years now.

Again, Global News has reported, “Myocarditis is noted by the Canadian Pediatric Society as a possible side effect of mRNA injections.” https://old.bitchute.com/video/EFDWj1rHrX6v/

Now more than ever it is vital that folks think for themselves and quit relying on compromised professionals who are in positions of power but are wolves in sheep’s clothing working for Big Pharma.

A rule of thumb is to question everything because history has shown that liars usually suffer from short memory.

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New course launched that counters narratives and understands Black children’s humanity

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BY PAUL JUNOR

The launch of the new course “Black Childhoods in Canada” in the School of Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University is positive and encouraging. Details of the launch of this groundbreaking course were revealed in a post by Clara Wong on May 8th, 2024. For many students it will be the first time formally studying Black experiences; encountering Black scholarship, or even being taught by a Black professor. It was introduced in the winter term of 2024 and was one of the first courses in TMU’s Black Studies minor, which is offered by the Faculty of Community Services.

The course is coded as “CLD540” and details of its content are noted.

“An introduction to Black Canadian Studies in the context of childhoods. Childhoods are considered via Black feminism, Black studies, anti-racism, and de-colonial theoretical and practical frameworks and pedagogy. Students engage in a range of textual, experiential and multi-modal learning opportunities.”

Some of the topics covered include:

  • Black acts and media
  • Black Canadian histories
  • Black families and mothering
  • Black girlhood
  • Blackness and disability
  • Blackness and ECEC and education
  • Black play
  • Black queer activism
  • Global anti-Black racism

Professor Rachel Berman was inspired to enlarge the Black studies content in early childhood studies and reached out to her colleague, Janelle Brady to collaborate on the development of the course. This was financed through the Faculty of Community Services Anti-Black Racism Curriculum Development Fund, which ensured that it was ready.

Professor Berman states, “I’m thrilled now to see the course come to life. It’s long overdue. There’s a deficit assumption about Black children-that Black boys make trouble during play, or that Black girls are made to seem more mature than they are. We need to counter those narratives and understand Black children’s humanity.”

Professor Brady notes, “The course doesn’t resolve everything, but it’s a start in breaking the ‘preschool-to-prison’ pipeline for Black children.”

She observed further that the impact of teaching the course has influenced her greatly. She adds, “It motivated me to do even more and seek more resources. There were so many informal discussions among students inside and outside of class. There’s a real hunger for spaces like this. It was inspiring to see how much students are already engaged in anti-Black racism work, and I feel I was learning just as much as they were.”

There are many testimonials from students who have been enrolled in this extraordinary course. Faizi Ali, an undergraduate student in the early childhood studies program states, “Any forum that allows Black students to lift their voice is cause for celebration. The course provides so much space for us to exchange ideas and thoughtful dialogue. I’ve gained many new perspectives and techniques to better support students.”

Magdalena Grammenopoulos, a media production undergraduate student, talked about the insight that left the biggest impression on her from the course. She states, “The concept of Black ‘futurity.’ It’s about imagining a stronger future for Black children through the ways we live day-to-day-ways that counter the stereotypes and discrimination which prevent Black children from living as freely as others. I want to implement futurity by always taking it upon myself to create safer spaces for Black children, whether it be my friends, family, or strangers.”

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“No! You can’t check my phone.” Border officers are not authorized to search your electronic device

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BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Each year, millions of Canadians travel abroad, and we carry our personal devices (computers, tablets, and smartphones). These devices contain highly sensitive and private information about who you are, reflecting your: lifestyle, beliefs, relationships, finances, and health.

What you may not know is that even though your personal device is very personal, and highly sensitive because of the information on it, section 99(1)(a) of the Customs Act allows Canadian Border Officers to search these devices without any reasonable suspicion. This law was recently challenged by two travelers, Jeremy Pike and David Scott, who were charged with possessing and importing child pornography after their devices were searched. Now, although it is a good thing that this type of behaviour was caught, the key question in their appeal is whether this law is constitutional.

On August 12th, 2024, the Court of Appeal for Ontario released its decision in R v. Pike, 2024 ONCA 608, holding that section 99(1)(a) of the Customs Act, which authorizes border officers to search electronic devices without any reasonable basis, is unconstitutional because it violates the section 8 Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. CCLA was an intervener in the case.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is a human rights organization committed to defending the: rights, dignity, safety, and freedoms of all people in Canada. CCLA is the pre-eminent voice advocating for the rights and freedoms of all Canadians and all persons living in Canada. They are leaders in protecting rights and have earned widespread respect for their principled stand on such issues as: national security, censorship, capital punishment, and police and state accountability with a fearless voice on civil liberties, human rights and democratic freedoms.

Shakir Rahim, Director of the Criminal Justice Program, made the following statement, “CCLA applauds this important ruling, which makes it clear the border is not a Charter-free zone. As CCLA argued, standardless limitless searches of electronic devices, which contain highly private information, violate the Charter right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.”

I had a chance to review the decision, and I found direct references of CCLA’s submissions at paragraphs:

  • 63: The Crown’s related counterargument that travelers’ “choice” to travel with digital devices merits a lower threshold also fails. Because digital devices are our “constant companion[s]” (Bykovets, at para. 1), travelers need to bring them across borders to work and communicate. As the trial judge ruled, leaving them behind is not a meaningful choice. Neither is declining to leave and re-enter Canada, which, as the intervener Canadian Civil Liberties Association (the “CCLA”) submits, is not merely a choice but a section 6 Charter Just as “Canadians are not required to become digital recluses” to preserve their privacy (R. v. Jones, 2017 SCC 60, [2017] 2 S.C.R. 696, at para. 45), they also should not have to surrender the ability to enter and leave Canada with an indispensable instrument of modern life.
  • 66: The law’s low threshold increases this risk because, as the CCLA submits, low threshold powers are the easiest for officers to wield to target, whether intentionally or not, racialized and disadvantaged people: R. v. Landry. While the law’s good faith purpose test offers some protection against this risk, its subjective nature makes that risk harder to detect because officers do not have to point to objective facts to justify the search and help negate the possibility of discrimination.
  • 73: Simmons held that the state’s interest in suppressing the trafficking of drugs produced in other countries that had to be transported across the physical border to enter Canada justified the strip search law: at pp. 526-529. In contrast, digital contraband, even when downloaded to a device, is usually also stored on external servers and can be electronically transmitted into Canada, a mode of transmission that the Agency admits it has no mandate to control.

(They refer to Professor Steven Penney’s article “Mere Evidence? Why Customs Searches of Digital Devices Violate Section 8 of the Charter” and an article by Professor Robert Diab “Protecting the Right to Privacy in Digital Devices: Reasonable Search on Arrest and at the Border” (2018)

  • 89: Manual searches can still invade large amounts of highly private information and, if officers invest the time, can be almost as revealing as forensic searches. Further, officers could easily use manual searches as a backdoor to gain information that would meet the higher threshold to conduct forensic searches.

They refer to an article by Bingzi Hu, “Border Search in the Digital Era: Refashioning the Routine vs. Nonroutine Distinction for Electronic Device Searches” (2022)

“Parliament must legislate a stringent standard with clear safeguards for the state to search an electronic device at the border. This reflects the fact that electronic devices are a trove of our most personal, intimate, and sensitive information,” shares Shakir.

The pandemic showed how willing our government is to overlook and ignore our rights and freedoms. This is why the Toronto Caribbean Newspaper will always keep you “In the Know,” when it comes to how to truly live as a FREE Canadian.

REFERENCES:

https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/2024/2024onca608/2024onca608.html

https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2017/2017scc60/2017scc60.html

https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/stat/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11/latest/schedule-b-to-the-canada-act-1982-uk-1982-c-11.html

https://ccla.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CCLA-Intervener-Factum-R.-v.-Pike-Scott-COA-23-CR-0023-C70656.pdf

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