The Power and Disempowering of Language in the Trump Era

James Baldwin viewed language as deeply tied to power, identity and historical reality, particularly for marginalized communities. Language, he wrote is “meant to define the other – and in this indispensable, cruelly dishonest role, it can be employed to obscure the truth.” Writers like Baldwin remind us that language is more than just a tool for communication—it shapes thought, reinforces power structures, and influences the way individuals perceive reality.

Faith on the Margins: Christianity’s Evolving Role in a Diverse and Inclusive Canada

Her name was Debbie. I cannot recall her last name, and I have only the vaguest recollection of what she looked like. But I still recall vividly how she was the one person who stepped out of the classroom every morning while the rest of us recited the Lord’s Prayer. 

In Conversation With the Stratford Festival

“We’re getting to a place where we’re thinking across the whole experience: How do we welcome people in? And there’s something really joyful about that. So it’s not just the spreadsheet of it being a good business decision. It is the experience of the festival being enriched.”

– Anita Gaffney, Executive Director, The Stratford Festival

Murray Sinclair – Canadian Leader

He was well-known as Justice Murray Sinclair, the first Indigenous judge appointed in Manitoba and only the second in all of Canada. He became a Canadian senator, then chancellor at Queen’s University.

Off the Bookshelf: Under the White Gaze

The core tenets of journalism include fairness, accuracy, objectivity, impartiality, and representation. These guiding principles ensure journalists maintain ethical standards as they and the organizations they work for serve the public interest. Too often the profession falls short of these standards, especially in adequately reflecting the wide variety of diversity in the public, in the people it covers, and the reporters telling those stories. This has been an age-old criticism of Canadian media…

Inclusive City Planning: Q&A with Alexandra Lambropoulos

Inclusion, diversity, equity, and anti-racism (IDEA) are foundational to my work in urban planning because cities thrive when they reflect and serve the diverse populations that inhabit them. IDEA informs my personal research interests in community economic development because it focuses on building strong, resilient local economies that benefit all residents.

Off the Bookshelf: North of Nowhere

Marie Wilson’s newly-published “North of Nowhere: Song of a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner” is a tour de force.
Richly woven, it is part memoir, part documentary. It’s also the kind of book you’ll want to read more than once – not only because it reveals an important part of Canadian history, but because the overall story is so compellingly told.
The book starts with a story about Wilson’s mother-in-law watching Canadian TV at home in the Northwest Territories.

Understanding the Mind-Body Connection to Make More Mindful Choices for Inclusion

As an interculturalist engaged in IDEA and intercultural capacity building, I see myself as a lifelong learner who recognizes that there is always more to discover and understand. I am passionate about guiding individuals toward those “aha!” moments that spark their curiosity and foster deeper connections across differences. As the daughter of immigrants, although I was born in Canada, English was my second language. Assimilation was still the model then. To ease the effects of culture shock and foster community connections, my parents were inclined to connect with people who came from similar ethnic backgrounds. However, back then, all I wanted was to be Canadian – to blend in, to belong. Our family also moved around a lot and as they did that my thirst for belonging grew…

Reading for Reconciliation: Indigenous Reading List

As the Month of June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, it is a great time to explore the world of Indigenous literature. Reading books written by Indigenous authors serves as a gateway to understanding Indigenous culture and history. By exploring Indigenous literature, we can learn about the diverse experiences of individuals who have endured historical marginalization, and whose narratives are frequently excluded from mainstream discourse. In addition, we are amplifying indigenous voices and perspectives. Honouring Indigenous literature is crucial to decolonization and reconciliation efforts.

Indigenous peoples no longer invisible

Most Canadians are not aware that the overwhelming majority of people who identify as Indigenous in this country are more than likely their neighbours.

The most recent census figures revealed that over one million of the 1.8 million people in Canada who identify as First Nations, Inuit, and Metis are now living in urban centres. Only about one third of registered Indians still live on the reserve lands of 634 First Nations.

Once out of sight and out of mind, the result of assimilationist government policies for most of Canada’s first century, Indigenous peoples are becoming much more visible.