World AIDS Day marks the close of a frustrating year for HIV/AIDS legal group

I have a story up on iPolitics.ca today for World AIDS Day, which looks at the year that the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network had, which was marked by a number of setbacks, with the Supreme Court decision that went against their position, as well as the defeat of the CAMR bill in the House of Commons. After a couple of months of doing daily posting over at Macleans.ca, it was nice to get to write a full-fledged story as a change of pace.

Knockin’ on doors with Peter Lougheed

My first story for Macleans.ca is an interview with Progressive Conservative Senator Elaine McCoy, who remembers her old friend and mentor Peter Lougheed. McCoy replaced Lougheed as the MLA for Calgary West after his retirement from politics, and she remains a Progressive Conservative to this day largely because of his legacy. There was some great material here, and I only wish I had more space to recount a couple more of her recollections of Lougheed.

Out in the public service

I have a new story on iPolitics.ca, which ties in with Capital Pride week, where I look at the Public Service Pride Network, which is a social organisation for GLBT public servants and how that kind of a network can be of value at a time of public service cutbacks. I've been covering PSP for many years, and it was nice to see how they've grown and become recognised by PCO and Treasury Board as sources of input when discussing Public Service renewal, and so on.

Six years on, $139M HIV fund mostly sitting in the bank

I have a new story up on iPolitics.ca today, which looks at just what has been happening the past to years with the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative. I've been covering the CHVI pretty much since its inception, and wanted to see just what has been taking place, seeing as it's been pretty quiet for the past eighteen months or so. The answer - well, not much. But my conversation with Dr. Gerson was something of a surprise, and did give the story a bit of a twist that I hadn't been expecting.

Rideau Hall beefs up Governor General book collection

I have a new story up on OpenFile Ottawa this week about the Governor General's Literary Awards Collection, now on display at Rideau Hall, which also features a sidebar on the new additions to Rideau Hall now on display including the new portrait of the Queen and the Diamond Jubilee Handrails. As always, I really enjoy Rideau Hall stories, and it gave me the opportunity to be present for the unveiling of both the portrait and the handrails, which was a great opportunity.

Health issues swept under with toothless ‘motherhood’ bills: opposition

I have a new story up on iPolitics.ca today, which looks at the work of the Commons health committee the past few months, and the frustration that opposition MPs are feeling as the work they're trying to do is being subverted by a government they feel is committed to the status quo, and which blocks any attempts to challenge it. More than that, they feel trapped into supporting the toothless measures because they don't want to be seen as voting against measures for suicide prevention, breast cancer awareness, or the like. It was a great story to write, and nice to be able to sink my teeth into it with all of the research that went into it.

Doors Open: Rideau Hall offers nature tour, wildlife presentation

I have a new story up on the Ottawa page of OpenFile today, which looks at the Doors Open activities at Rideau Hall, which have a bit of a twist - on top of the regular indoor tours, they'll also be doing a number of outdoor activities on the grounds. It was a fun story, and while I've been to Rideau Hall half-a-dozen times, it was nice to get a bit more of a private tour, including one of the rooms that wasn't previously open to the public before.

Unveiling the new tabard of the Chief Herald of Canada

I have a second story up on OpenFile today, which connects to my first one, and it was a bit of a treat in that I got to get a preview of a one-day-only event, which was happening at the opening of the 90 Wellington exhibition, but I also got to have a great discussion with the Chief Herald about this new tabard that has been created for Canada. It was definitely a fun piece to write, and I had a great time discussing heraldry with the Chief Herald, and some of the work that she and her office have done.

What the former Capital InfoCentre looks like on the inside

I have a new story up on OpenFile Ottawa today, which follows up on my story from last week, and shows the new Canadian Honours exhibition that now inhabits the space. As someone who has recently become interested in the Canadian Honours System - and who is a fan of the office of the Governor General - this was a really fun story to be able to cover. I updated the text over the course of the day with a couple of interviews of attendees at the opening event today, and I posted the full interviews on my Routine Proceedings blog here and here.

90 Wellington exhibit to showcase great Canadians

I have a story up on OpenFile Ottawa today which looks at who is moving into the former Capital InfoCentre space on Wellington street. This particular piece is a bit of a teaser, with more to come next week on just what's going to be part of the exhibition.

Bill to repeal hate speech prohibitions faces Commons committee

I have a story up on iPolitics.ca today, which follows Bill C-304 as it headed to the Commons justice committee. This is an issue I've been following for the past few years, since it was something that Xtra's editorial policy was in support of, so I was certainly familiar with the various aspects and arguments to it. And it's nice to now be doing reporting for iPolitics.

Public Works blocks entrance to National Press Building

I have a new story on the main page of OpenFile Ottawa today, which looks at the upcoming closure of a sidewalk on Wellington Street here in Ottawa, and how that closure affects the National Press Building, and by extension the National Press Theatre. It's something that not only affects journalists here in town, but any group or politician who would make use of the Theatre, and the fact that the main entrance is going to be blocked for two-and-a-half years is clearly an issue. It's also part of the pattern that seems to keep the most important street in Ottawa as far as tourism and public democracy continues to be a permanent construction zone, and it should be something that we are concerned about.

Sir John A's Name Belongs On Downtown Building: Biographer

I have a story up today on the main page of OpenFile Ottawa, wherein I spoke to Richard Gwyn, the most recent biographer of Sir John A. Macdonald, and we spoke about the governments' recent renaming of the old Bank of Montreal building on Wellington Street in Macdonald's honour. Gwyn approves, but had a few other interesting anecdotes to pass along. It was a great conversation, and I'd like to chat with Gwyn at some future point as well, given that I am quite fascinated with early Confederation history (not to mention that his two-volume biography is a fantastic read).

Homophobic group to help award Diamond Jubilee Medals

I have a new story up on the national page of Xtra.ca, which looks at how the group REAL Women has been inited to be a partner organisation for the Diamond Jubilee medal programme. It's one of those particular stories that does fit nicely into the niche of Xtra, which can be fun to write. Unfortunately, not all of the quotes I gathered made it into the final piece (especially one about "honouring unReal women"), but I'm glad to have gotten the story out there.

Expert says Lawful Access bill will be used for surveillance

I have a new story on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which is another look at the Lawful Access bill. I decided to take the approach of looking at the bill from the surveillance angle, which largely hasn't been touched until now. Unfortunately, not all of the context and explanations, such as the language around the lower standards for issuing warrants, survived the editing process.

ANALYSIS: Unpacking the latest refugee reform bill

I have a major analysis story on the national page of Xtra.ca, where I take apart the new refugee reform bill, and I also take a closer look at the rhetoric that Jason Kenney uses to justify the bill - and poke a bunch of holes in it. It was a pretty major undertaking, but I got to speak to a lot of experts in the field and got a really good picture of the bill, though I did have some of this from the last time these issues were debated. The story did lose a couple of things in the editing process - notably the comparisons to the Australian system that Kenney likes to cite, and some of the context around the Roma community, which many of the measures in the bill target, but I'm quite happy with the chance to write such a lengthy and in-depth analysis.

Refugee groups respond to Jason Kenney's letter to Xtra

I have a new story up on Xtra.ca today, which is a response to a letter that Jason Kenney wrote to Xtra in response to a previous story of mine. This probably should have gone up a bit sooner than it did, but I was giving Kenney's office every opportunity to respond to my request for information while I dealt with other things - namely a forthcoming analysis piece on the immigration bill that was handed down last week. But eventually patience runs out, and the story went out without the requested information, noting that Kenney's office didn't respond. Such is life.

Access to Medicines bill to return to Commons

My third and final story of the day on the national page of Xtra.ca is a brief piece about the return of legislation to reform CAMR to the House. After having covered its various iterations in the last Parliament (with bills both in the Commons and the Senate), I get to gear up once again for its latest incarnation, with a whole new group of players at the centre of it. This will be one of those pieces where I will definitely be drawing on my vast experience with the file, which I look forward to following.

Hate speech bill heads to Commons committee

My second piece on the national page of Xtra.ca today is a story about Bill C-304 passing Second Reading in the Commons. The issue of free speech and Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act is something I've been following for Xtra for the past few years, as this kind of issue occasionally rears its head, and in this parliament it's moving forward after a lot of discussions that went nowhere. It's interesting to hear the arguments on both sides, and it'll be extremely interesting to cover when it gets to committee.

Pierre Claude Nolin and medical marijuana

The first of three pieces I have on the national page of Xtra.ca today, this was an interesting little profile piece I did without the benefit of an interview. As Senator Nolin has decided he's in enough trouble as it is and wasn't giving interviews, I nevertheless thought it important that we at least highlight the fact that he's resisting his own government's bill, that he's showing the independence for which senators are afforded, and making a substantial contribution to the debate on the bill that comes from his decades of experience in studying these kinds of laws.

Russian opposition leader ducks questions on gay rights

I have a new story up on the Ottawa page of Xtra.ca, which comes from a press conference here on the Hill earlier in the week where Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was here in town. Unfortunately I wasn't able to follow up on the question I asked with a more straightforward question on the situation in St. Petersburg, but it was still pretty telling the way in which he rambled around the question I asked.

Chow loses motion to change flight rules

I have a new story on the national page of Xtra.ca, which follows the developing story around those air security regulations that affect the trans community. Over two early morning committee meetings, the story came together, and it was great to have a chance to chat with the two trans activists after the meeting today in order to put the issues into some perspective.

Conservative ministers champion crime bill in Senate

I have a second story on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which is a brief recap of the testimony made by ministers Rob Nicholson and Vic Toews at the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee last night. While the other reporters in the room left after the ministers left, I stuck around to watch the senators question the department officials who remained, and thanks to the continued questions from Senator Fraser, learned that the language of the bill casts a much wider net around drug trafficking than the minister seemed to indicate, which was a very interesting tidbit that made it into the story.

Critics assail government over creation of religious office

I have a new story on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which is my look at the new Office of Religious Freedom while talking to experts on international human rights and Canadian foreign policy. It was really fascinating to see how much convergence there was in the criticisms from three different professors in the field, and how their criticisms were about the message the creation of office itself sends, rather than any of the yet-unknown particulars of the office itself at this point (and one could certainly criticise the selection of groups they have been consulting with to date). The original version did have an added section about the death of multilateralism in Canadian foreign policy, but the point was made in some of the comments.

Paul Dewar vows to engage NDP grassroots

I have a new piece on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which was my contribution to the series of interviews with the various NDP leadership candidates. I spoke to Paul Dewar about his bid, which was an MP I'm glad I got to speak to given that I've talked a lot with Dewar over the past few years on a variety of issues, and he's one of the candidates that I do know best in the race. We had a good conversation, and the distilled version is here before you.

The Harper government's 'commitment' to gay rights

I have a new analysis piece on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which responds to the articles and op-eds that have shown up in recent days about the Harper government's commitment to gay rights, and the dichotomy between his promoting rights abroad while tinkering with same-sex divorce at home, and the left-right debate on whether or not there is a homophobic hidden agenda. I tried to play it as down-the-middle as possible, and to be fair to both sides, dismissing the talk of hidden agendas while at the same time taking a harder look at the real record rather than the appearances that have been put forward. It's generated some debate so far, so I'm hoping it will continue to stir some more in the days to come.

Government changes will hurt gay refugees

I have a new story on the main page of Xtra.ca, which looks at proposed regulatory changes to refugee policies that could have an impact on queer refugee claimants. This came up when I was writing about the government's pledge to increase the number of government-sponsored refugees they're accepting next year, so I was eager to take a look. Add to that, it was nice to get a chance to catch up with some of the groups I've dealt with before on this file.

Choosing a Liberal Party president

I have a piece on the national page of Xtra.ca today, in which I ask the five candidates for Liberal Party president how each of them thinks the party should be reaching out to the queer community. Some of the answers were surprising, some of them spawned off another discussion entirely in addition to what was said, and in all, we'll see who it is that wins the leadership at the convention this weekend.

Starting a Liberal gay caucus

I have a story today on the national page of Xtra.ca, in which I talk to the person behind the new Liberal "queer caucus" that is starting up in Toronto. This is one of two pieces that I've done in advance of the party's convention January 13 to 15, and the next piece will build off of this one in a way that wasn't expected when I started these pieces.

MP champions human rights in Colombia

I have a new story up on the national page of Xtra.ca today, which talks about Liberal MP Scott Brison and his involvement in the human rights treaty that became part of Canada's free trade agreement with Colombia, and his continuing engagement with that country. I had originally written this story for Outlooks back in the summer, but with the ownership change and the rebranding of that magazine, it never made it off the editor's desk. When it was released back to me, it made its way over to Xtra.ca, where it was published today.