It Doesn't Have to be a Binary Choice + Thoughts From the Hill - June Edition

I have two pieces in the June issue of Outlooks, the first of which is my editorial on the narrative of "uniting the left" after the last election. My case is largely to look south of the border to see what a polarised political landscape has done to the country, and how partisan devolved into tribalism, and how that is not an idea that we need to import into the Canadian scene. The other piece is my usual Thoughts From the Hill panel, where Libby Davies steps in to fill the role that Bill Siksay played since the inception of the panel. Davies will appear again in the next issue before the spot is taken over by Randall Garrison, who is the party's new GLBT critic (and also fills in my urban and west coast boxes of regional representation).

The editorial is on page 11, and the panel is on page 22 of the issue.

Gay people and national security

I have a new story up on the main page of Xtra.ca today, that immediately gained a lot of attention and was even the headline story at the top of National Newswatch, one of the most popular news aggregators in the country. It was a story that was a couple of weeks in the making, gathering the right interviews and having the time to work on it and edit it just right (which was a bit tough during the busy past week), but I had a lot of interest from certain acquaintances and even a few other reporters in just what it means that Baird became the new foreign minister. It also became an opportune time to provide a bit of a history lesson on our country's history with the security campaigns of years past, which is something that not a lot of people gay or straight know about, and to show the kind of progress that we've made in the past couple of decades. Baird's appointment turned out to be an opportune hook for the story, and based on the feedback that I've received over the course of the day from some pretty prominent reporters from national outlets, I think I struck a good balance.

Canadian Human Rights Act amended to cover First Nations

I have a story up on the main page of Xtra.ca today, which is one from Friday (oh, delays...) about the changes that have just happened to the Canadian Human Rights Act. It's not something entirely in Xtra's usual beat, but there is a peripheral connection, and I was curious about a few other issues at the CHRC (such as if they're afraid they're up for the axe under the Conservative majority), so there was enough to keep one engaged with the story nevertheless.

UN to study discrimination against queer people

I have a new story up on the main page of Xtra.ca today, which is a closer look at the UN vote the other day with regards to queer rights, and which also takes a look at political reaction here in Canada. Finding the UN document and decoding it was a bit of work, but I think I got a better read of the situation than was reported in some other outlets. My editor was also warning that I seemed to be letting Hedy Fry take all the credit, when what I was hoping her comments would actually convey were the fact that this is a very long process, and that Canada's persistence did pay off.

Phil Toone brings activist experience to Parliament

Also up today on the national page of Xtra.ca is my introductory interview with Philip Toone, one of the new gay NDP MPs (which also managed to languish in limbo for a couple of weeks). Toone was the last of my new MP interviews, and he was quite pleasant to talk to, and I will certainly be talking to him more in the days to come.

Silva walks away with no regrets

Up on the national page of Xtra.ca is a long overdue "exit interview" with former Liberal MP Mario Silva, which I actually did about a month ago, but it managed to languish in limbo for an inordinate amount of time. That said, here it is, and it was a pleasure dealing with Silva in the years I was covering him on the Hill, and I'm sure I'll see him again in the future.

NDP plans to give pass on tough-on-crime bill

I have a new story up on the main page of Xtra.ca today, which looks at the upcoming bill on mega-trials that is about to go before Parliament, and they're going to try and pass it in a single day. While it's a bit on the edge of what we normally cover in Xtra, the fact that it's a "tough on crime" bill that is getting a pass, likely without debate, we wanted to ensure that this fact gets some notice and attention.

Conservatives vote to soften marriage stance

I have a brief piece up on the main page of Xtra.ca today, which is a quick recap of the same-sex marriage policy resolution from the Conservative convention, plus a quick quote from Senator Nancy Ruth. There wasn't much more to add than that, and for having to work on a Saturday afternoon, I'm glad we were able to get the piece online in very short order.

NDP names Garrison queer issues critic

I have a new story up on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which is the long-awaited (for me, at least), announcement of who the NDP has chosen to be their GLBTT issues critic, along with (for the first time ever), an associate critic. With Garrison number 38 on the Order of Precedence, and given that he plans to reintroduce the trans rights bill again under his name, it looks like I'll have plenty to cover with him come autumn.