BLOG: Current Affairs,Programming
By now you may have heard of Bill C-14. It is the bill that regulates medically assisted dying in Canada. This bill will affect all of us, but in a special way, it will affect our medical practitioners, many who argue the restrictions are not adequate. The issue is complicated further by the fact that ...read more
In 2007, almost 60 years after the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The declaration recognizes Indigenous people’s basic human rights, as well as rights to self-determination, language, equality and land, among others. There were four votes against: Australia, New Zealand, the United States ...read more
I first heard of Mark Pickup, 10 years ago when we were working on Turning the Tide. At the time, it was not possible to interview Mark for the documentary. He would have been a great addition to the film. Mark was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at age 30. He is one of Canada’s most ...read more
This statement was released in response to the TRC's Call to Action #49 and is signed by representatives of the Catholic Church in Canada. ...read more
As I begin writing this, one week has passed since the series of terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13. I currently live about 6 km from the scene of the worst of the bloodshed of November 13: the Bataclan concert hall where 89 of the 129 deaths occurred. At about 10:15 that evening, I ...read more
Listening to all the readings at Mass about the end of times at this time of the year makes you wonder if we should be proclaiming them as “the Good News!” Recently while visiting my parents I found a book titled, “The Final Hour.” It’s about all the end-time prophecies. I have to be honest, ...read more
Nov 13, 2015 — terror attacks in Paris. Nov 12, 2015 — terror attacks in Lebanon. In 2015 — kidnapping, massacres, bombings, suicide attacks, car bombs, mass shootings, hostages taken…… in Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, Pakistan, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, China, Philippines, France…around the world. By 13 November, 2015, there have been 289 ...read more
It is very difficult to process what happened in Paris over the last few days. It is very easy to take the route of placing blaming to this group or the other. When I see people on social media saying that we should not welcome  Syrian and Iraqi refugees because they are somehow responsible for what happened ...read more
I recall with much vividness Sept 11, 2001. It was a surreal day that will always be remembered for all the evil and destruction at the hands of terrorists. Although violence has occurred since the beginning of time, this organized and premeditated act shocked the world and instilled a heightened fear of terrorism. I was ...read more
The brutal attacks in Paris last Friday have sparked an impassioned conversation that has sadly, though necessarily, become part of our everyday lives, namely, what are we going to do about this? The draconian responses of the French government in pursuit of the perpetrators and against ISIS strongholds in Syria are understandable. So too is their ...read more