Search results for ""Fernwood Publishing""

For a country as wealthy as Canada, poverty is utterly unnecessary. In About Canada: Poverty, Jim Silver illustrates that poverty is about more than a shortage of money: it is complex and multifaceted and can profoundly damage the human spirit. At the centre of this analysis are Canada's neoliberal economic policies, which have created conditions that make a growing number of people vulnerable to low income, vanishing public services and poor physical health. Silver also highlights the ways in which poverty is intimately connected to colonialism and racial and gender discrimination, and finds that the political and economic policies enacted by the Canadian government mainly serve a powerful minority, while producing a range of negative outcomes for the rest of us, especially the poor. Silver points out that the costs of poverty - relating to health care, crime, education and unemployment - are higher than the costs of solving poverty, and he lays out an achievable strategy for its dramatic reduction in Canada. When poverty is understood as resulting from political choices, its elimination requires putting pressure on governments to ensure that different choices are made.

Read more less

In an international geopolitical panorama where Northern countries are increasingly in crisis and where the most interesting alternatives to sustainable development are coming from the South, the Latin American small producers, represented by the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Small Fair Trade Producers (CLAC), are assuming a more protagonistic role in the defense of the founding principles of the fair trade movement. The CLAC is also leading a process of rethinking the fair trade system and launching concrete proposals to strengthen fair trade in local, national and regional areas. Through the direct testimonies of many of its protagonists, Coscione offers a unique portrayal of the CLAC - its past experiences, its present developments and, above all, its outlook and future challenges.

Read more less

Girl meets girl. Girl marries girl. They want to have babies - but they need a little help. Double Pregnant is author Natalie Meisner's light-hearted, poignant and informative true story of two lesbians who want to have children. For a variety of reasons, one being that Natalie's wife is a woman of colour who was adopted into a white family, the couple decides not to take the anonymous sperm clinic route. Natalie and Vivien want their children to have some connection to their donor if possible. Taking matters into their own hands leads the couple to a series of often-hilarious "dates" with potential donors, all of whom have wildly different opinions on how the donation process should go and also of what this new, twenty-first-century version of a family will look like.

Read more less

Conventional wisdom has it that science is boring. “The Science Files,” an hourly radio call-in talk show about science, is anything but boring, and certainly none of the listeners, emailers or tweeters who participate in the call-in radio talk show think science is boring either. Richard Zurawski has been hosting “The Science Files” for eight years and has fielded literally thousands of questions. This book, The Science Files, is about the questions that listeners have been asking about science and the way the world, nature and the universe works. Compiled by Zurawski, the questions and answers in this book are lively, engaging and interesting discussions about a wide range of topics. Present throughout is Zurawski’s passion for learning and his genuine fascination with the natural world. Furthermore, The Science Files is a dialogue that encourages readers and participants alike to continue to learn and to ask questions.

Read more less

For decades, public sector unions in Canada have been plagued by austerity, privatization, taxpayer backlash and restrictions on union rights. In recent years, the intensity of state-led attacks against public sector workers has reached a fevered pitch, raising the question of the role of public sector unions in protecting their members and the broader public interest. Public Sector Unions in the Age of Austerity examines the unique characteristics of public sector unionism in a Canadian context. Contributors to this multi-disciplinary collection explore both the strategic possibilities and challenges facing public sector unions that are intent on resisting austerity, enhancing their power and connecting their interests as workers with those of citizens who desire a more just and equitable public sphere.

Read more less

"I learned that the problems were much deeper than a flawed criminal justice system, and that our work needed to begin in our relationships with each other and the natural world, and most importantly, with ourselves." (from the preface)Restorative justice, as it exists in Canada and the U.S., has been co-opted and relegated to the sidelines of the dominant criminal justice system. In Security, With Care, Elizabeth M. Elliott argues that restorative justice cannot be actualized solely within the criminal justice system. If it isn't who we are, says Elliott, then the policies will never be sustainable. Restorative justice must be more than a program within the current system – it must be a new paradigm for responding to harm and conflict. Facilitating this shift requires a rethinking of the assumptions around punishment and justice, placing emphasis instead on values and relationships. But if we can achieve this change, we have the potential to build a healthier, more ethical and more democratic society.

Read more less

Public housing projects are stigmatized and stereotyped as bad places to live, as havens of poverty, illegal activity and violence. In many cities they are being bulldozed, ostensibly for these reasons but also because the land on which they are located has become so valuable. In Good Places to Live, Jim Silver argues that the problems with which it is so often associated are not inherent to public housing but are the result of structural inequalities and neoliberal government policies. This book urges readers to reconsider the fate of public housing, arguing that urban poverty – what Silver calls spatially concentrated racialized poverty – is not solved by razing public housing. On the contrary, public housing projects rebuilt from within, based on communities’ strengths and supported by meaningful public investment could create vibrant and healthy neighbourhoods while maintaining much-needed low-income housing. Considering four public housing projects, in Vancouver, Toronto, Halifax and Winnipeg, Silver contends that public housing projects can be good places to live – if the political will exists.

Read more less

Canada is a funny place with funny people and an even funnier system of government, according to this fictional humorist with a penchant for social engineering. In fact, he believes that the ability of Canadians to laugh at themselves is one reason their country could lead the planet in creating the first democratic, post-ethnic, internationalist style of nationalism.

Read more less

Once mainly breadwinners and disciplinarians, fathers are becoming increasingly involved and invested in their children's lives. Examining how this changing role has affected fathers' experiences of divorce and the loss of guardianship that too often follows, this exploration offers a glimpse into the emotional state and perspectives of fathers during the divorce transition. Ultimately, this account states that children benefit most from the love and support of both parents and argues for active parenting following divorce.

Read more less

Bullying in schools has garnered significant attention recently, but little has been said about the bullying of homosexuals and transexual students in Canadian high schools. This book fills that gap by exploring the experiences of youth who identify or are identified as "queer." Based on interviews with recent high school graduates in British Columbia, these researchers provide stories of physical, verbal, and emotional harassment in this group and offer insights into the negative outcomes that result from the experience of being bullied. On the other hand, however, these young people were not helpless victims: many learned to rely on resistance, inner strength, and true friends. In the last chapter, the authors make recommendations for handling homophobic and transphobic bullying in high schools and supporting students who experience this form of harassment.

Read more less

Since the beginning of capitalism-with its mathematical equations and laws of supply and demand-its champions have claimed that studying the moral aspects of the theory interfere with its natural function. Yet, as this ethicist and theologian argues, economies are always deeply integrated in social relationships, in morality, and in ethics. Using historical examples, the book argues that when economically hard-pressed people come together to defend their common rights, they are giving voice to the principle of a moral economy that does not cheat the lower classes. Particular attention is paid to the 18th-century English food riots, the spontaneous resistance of 20th-century Malaysian farmers, and the North Americans who picketed the homes of Wall Street bankers in 2008 and 2009.

Read more less

Casting a critical gaze over the exploitation of animals in agriculture, fashion, and entertainment, this manifesto investigates Canada`s antiquated laws for such industries as the fur trade, seal hunting, the Calgary Stampede, puppy mills, horse slaughter, and the virtually unregulated vivisection industry. The book advocates an abolitionist agenda; promotes veganism as a personal and political commitment; shows the economic, environmental, and health costs of animal exploitation; and presents animal rights as a social justice issue.

Read more less

For researchers seeking detailed information about the black diaspora in North America, this authoritative reference provides more than 300 years of black Canadian history, from the first migration of slaves, black loyalists, and Civil War refugees to the expansive movement brought about by the establishment of the point system in 1967. Venturing beyond established orthodoxies and simplistic solutions to discuss contentious ethno-racial problems in Canada, this critique addresses housing, the labor market, sports management, and race and ethnic relations. This new edition expands the regional coverage of black history, updates all the statistics with the 2006 census data, and adds important new material on multiculturalism and employment equity.

Read more less

Named after a statement made by former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien during a mid-1990s physical altercation with a protester, this study reflects on the relentless drive behind rewriting the historical compromise reached with working people after World War II. Discussing this early postwar agreement-sometimes referred to as the Fordist Compact-this reference covers a variety of topics, including the changing public perceptions of working life, the deregulation of labor law, the eclipse of union militancy, and the dismantling of social policy. Calling for a restoration of the Canadian left culture, this survey argues that they must work to promote the collective memory of working-class achievements, create venues to listen to working people in today's economy, reject nationalism outright, and encourage the labor movement to exploit its disruptive capacity. Contending that this revitalization will form the basis of a deepening social critique, this debate maintains that the resultant political lessons will prove to be invaluable for working people in the long run.

Read more less

Reflecting on two different communities that have been displaced throughout history, this outline reveals the harsh treatment suffered by both the Mi'kmaq people and the African Nova Scotians. Highlighting how the Mi'kmaq were dispossessed of their lands and, since the early 1820s, confined to reserves, this in-depth exploration also shows how the African Nova Scotians have been robbed of their homes-settlements that were originally granted to them by white colonial governments. In spite of this common ground, this emboldened examination sheds light on these cultures' distinct ideas regarding several concepts, thereby illustrating what draws them together and what keeps them apart. The role of the Human Rights Commission is also explored along with crucial aspects of cultural identity, including interviews with citizens from both groups. Providing an innovative assessment of ethnic relations and indigenous studies, this is an invaluable source of constructive dialogue on these aspects within the history of colonialism.

Read more less

Revealing a social justice movement that culminated through community activism in Vancouver's downtown east side, this account documents the opening of the first official safe injection site. Told from the point of view of drug users-those most affected by drug policy, political decisions, and policing-this narrative is conveyed through a montage of poetry and photos of early Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users meetings, journal entries from the Back Alley-the unofficial safe injection site-and excerpts from significant health and media reports. Chronicling the harms of prohibition and emphasizing the concepts of kindness, awakening, and collective action, this recollection spotlights a community of prophets who rebuked the system, bringing hope into situations of apparent impossibility.

Read more less

Exposing the stakes and consequences of the enormous bureaucracy behind the administrative surveillance of alcohol consumption, this critical study takes a closer look at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). Beginning with its inception in 1927, this study documents how the LCBO Subjected alcohol consumption to its disciplinary gaze and generated knowledge about the drinking population. The Board's exploitation of technological advances is also detailed, depicting their transition from paper permit books to the first punched card computer systems. Revealing how they tracked any and all alcohol consumption, this investigation records how they created categories and profiles of individuals, especially of women, aboriginals, and the poor, so they could ?control" drinking in the province. Examining the categorical treatment of populations such as First Nations, this analysis illustrates how this company helped to develop and foster stereotypes around addiction that persist to this day.

Read more less

Based on an empirical study of a women's movement in Arica, Chile, this exploration documents how this particular group organized to oppose Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Presenting an analysis of social movements in general as well as their reasons and barriers, this overview is told through the women's own words and experiences, painting a graphic picture of courage and determination. This gripping narrative also focuses on the political learning and educational processes that emerged from this effort. Three key themes are investigated, including political consciousness, social-movement praxis, and how participation in these struggles has a life-changing effect. Concluding with a discussion of the role of adult education in social movements, this powerful examination is buttressed with actual photographs from the Chilean protest.

Read more less

Answering frequently asked questions about Early Childhood Education and Childcare (ECEC) in Canada, this accessible investigation seeks to establish proper standards for childcare programs, kindergartens, and nursery schools, thereby supporting the development of youth and accommodating parents who work or study. Questions covered include Why doesn't Canada have an ECEC system, even though other countries do? What is missing in Canada's ECEC landscape and why? and Is ECEC primarily a public good, a private family responsibility, or an opportunity for profit-making? Identifying this system as a political issue, this argument proposes that Canada requires an integrated system of services, stating that the absence of universal public funding is detrimental to the future of the country's families, women, and children. Additional topics discussed include an analysis of the history of ECEC, politics and policies, and suggested improvements for the future.

Read more less

As access to sufficient health care continues to become a dominant-and divisive-issue in the world today, this resource acts as a primer to the public health care system Canada has had in place for the last 30 years. While explaining the program`s cost efficiency and dramatically better health outcomes compared with the United States` private health care system, it also addresses the complexities of the program, as well as the aspects that need improvement-such as wait times and the aging boomer generation. This analysis offers a detailed introduction on how the Canadian system works and assesses reforms currently underway, concluding that expanding Canada`s public health care system, rather than privatizing it, is the best way to improve it.

Read more less

Based on interviews with miners, union and company archives, newspapers, and reports by mine inspectors, this study looks at the tragic link between the dust and radiation of St. Lawrence`s government mines and approximately 200 fatal cases of lung disease and silicosis among former miners. By chronicling the many forces that created this particular disaster and shaped the response to it, this investigation tackles the larger problem of workplace health and safety, addressing the company disregard and government neglect that allow industrial tragedies such as this to happen and the community efforts to gain recognition of health hazards in the mines and obtain adequate compensation for victims and their families.

Read more less

In an overview of the last 20 years, this account shows how the corporate deathcare industry has bought up countless funeral homes, inflated prices, and maintained the facade of local ownership by not changing the name over the door. They have taken over Canada`s funerals and funeral planning in preparation for the "golden age of death" in North America, which will commence in 2016 when the first baby boomer turns 70. This book also profiles independent funeral homes that have remained committed to providing service rather than selling Product, advocates who work to educate funeral consumers, and innovators who are creating new, more humane, and environmentally friendly funeral traditions.

Read more less

"Our Board Our Business" is based on presentations made to a symposium on the Canadian Wheat Board organized by the National Farmers union held in Regina, Saskatchewan, February 24 and 25, 2006. The central purpose of the book is to help farmers and non-farmers better understand the essential role of the CWB in the lives of western wheat producers and their communities, and the Canadian economy. The need for such an understanding has been made all the more urgent by Prime Minister Harper's neo-liberal open market agenda which will guarantee corporate domination of Canadian grains. This book, like the symposium from which it is drawn, does not debate the advantages and disadvantages of the CWB. Rather, it sets out the context, operational mechanism, and role of the CWB, in order to make the case for its economic, social, and political value.

Read more less

"Canada's Deadly Secret" chronicles the struggle over Saskatchewan's uranium mining, the front end of the global nuclear system. It digs into impacts on Aboriginal rights, environmental health and the effect of free trade, tracing Saskatchewan's pivotal role in nuclear proliferation and the spread of contamination and cancer. Harding shows that nuclear energy cannot address global warming, nor is there a "peaceful atom." The book goes inside biased public inquiries; it exposes PR campaigns of half-truths and untruths and the penetration of nuclear propaganda into our schools. "Canada's Deadly Secret" also highlights successes in holding back nuclear expansion. It presents an alternative, ecological vision for a sustainable future that not only takes up the invitation coming from renewable energies, it also links energy, environment, health, peace and sovereignty.

Read more less

A critical look at the racism inherent in Canada's immigration and refugee policies, this thorough analysis dissects the socio-racial constructs used in Canada to exclude, contain, and forcibly repatriate refugees-especially those from Africa. With an eye to advancing an anti-racist framework of law, the lives and experiences of Africans living in the post-colonial North are explored amid discussions of recent Canadian migration initiatives that breach international human rights law.

Read more less

Investigating the effects of the New Economy on Canada's workers and their families, this study examines the promises made by the advances of technology and globalization versus the challenges that face workers today. The changes that have been made in the working world have not been the predicted boon for laborers, the book explains, leading instead to under- and unemployment and a rehash of an old, exploitative system.

Read more less

The problems of, and prospects for, a social-democratic government in contemporary Canada are explored in this in-depth analysis of governance at the provincial level during the 1990s and the early 21st century. Specific attention is paid to the competitive nationalism of the Parti Québécois, the pragmatic idealism of the New Democratic Party (NDP) in Manitoba, and the NDP`s embrace of Third Way neoliberalism. Through five case studies, this examination details the constraints of neoliberal globalization and the resulting effects on the governments in different provinces.

Read more less

This book begins with the questions: What draws people to become organic farmers? and Why do so many leave farming in short order? It argues that social cleavages between organic and conventional farmers make it very difficult for organic farmers to realise their utopian goals. Ideological differences between these two groups make them hostile to each other, even when their daily struggles as farmers might (and may still) unite them in the face of other, powerful interests in the food business.

Read more less

Coalition formation, broad-based campaign organizing, and activist education are among the methods discussed in this practical text for grassroots organizations attempting to advance their goals. The execution of social movements on a day-to-day basis is explained with attention to how social justice organizations struggle because many of the groups are disparate and poorly organized. The specific experiences of a leader of the Metro Network for Social Justice in Toronto are analyzed in detail to provide a practical discusssion of the key challenges facing social organizations: representation structures, decision making, democratic governance, and power in activist politics. The application of these issues illustrates methods and best practices for social change in other similar organizations.

Read more less

A compelling profile of a pioneer in social welfare and human rights policy development in Nova Scotia is provided in this autobiography of Fred MacKinnon. Discussions of key issues that MacKinnon advocated, including the modernization of social assistance, the extension of the child welfare service, and the development of a human rights program accompany personal accounts of his family, career choices, and educational experiences.

Read more less

Alternative budgets are presented as a method of political mobilization that advances fiscally responsible government allocation of resources in this treatise on the enlightened alternatives to the neoconservative agenda of slashing social services. The basics of budgeting, the technical and political contexts of budgeting, and the relationship between budget legislation and fiscal constraints on governments are among the issues discussed to make the more esoteric aspects of budgeting understandable. A budget that emphasizes the needs of poor people, women, and the environment is outlined with information on how to construct alternative budgets, analyze the possibilities of government funding, and mobilize political activists to propose clear, affordable alternatives to neoliberal government cutbacks.

Read more less

A wide range of perspectives on how Canadian criminal law, civil law, and policing strategies treat ecological transgressions are included in this introduction to the serious consequences of environmental crime, often perceived as an upper-class, "soft" crime.

Read more less

Exploring the effects of punishment and penality on women's lives, the impact of feminist reforms on the lives of women in prison, and the systemic barriers that limit change in the context of both provincial and federal prisons, these essays question the role of prisons in our society, the importance of taking account of gender and its intersection with race and class, and the problems of both weak feminist models and the cooptation of feminist ideals and Aboriginal spirituality by correctional systems.

Read more less

Pursuing justice is daunting. It plays out in a variety of contexts - like the environment, employment, the criminal justice system - and raises tough issues like racism, gender discrimination and poverty. But ultimately the aim of studying justice is to achieve it.This book is about justice in Canada: its definition, its boundaries, its contradictions and its nuances. It is also about the mechanisms and practices that enable the pursuit of justice. It problematizes the notion of justice while defining and pursuing the illusive notion of justice in Canadian society.This second edition features updated content from the popular first edition as well as new content about social justice and racism, the experiences of racialized persons with police, settler colonialism and issues of justice for gender and sexual minorities - all from a Canadian perspective. Additionally, each chapter contains objectives of the chapter, case studies and discussion questions.

Read more less

"There are people who break open and make a new, bigger, self. But some of us are brittle."When stress causes an old trauma to surface, Lucy, a longtime community organizer, teacher and anti-poverty activist, loses control of her life. On probation and living on the streets of Halifax's North End, all she has left is friends. Faithful friends like Judith, her lawyer, who is helping her take back her life.Lucy begins to regularly sneak into Judith's basement to take refuge from the cold, but Lucy's presence in the house betrays their friendship, and she uncovers mysteries from Judith's past. As events draw their lives closer, Lucy and Judith are forced to face the toll taken by their secrets. Each of them must choose between confronting past pain or remaining broken.

Read more less

This updated third edition of the immensely popular Doing Anti-Oppressive Practice introduces students to anti-oppressive social work, its historical and theoretical roots and the specific contexts of anti-oppressive social work practice. Key to this practice is the understanding that the problems faced by an individual are rooted in the inequalities and oppression of the socio-political structure of society rather than in personal characteristics or individual choices. Moreover, the contributors show that social justice and social change - working against racism, sexism and class oppression - can and must be a key component of social work practice.Drawing on concrete examples from specific practice contexts, personal experience and case work, including child welfare, poverty, mental health, addictions and disability, the contributors demonstrate how to translate social justice theory into everyday practice.This new edition adds chapters on working with refugee, immigrant and racialized families; children; older adults; cognitive behavioural therapy; and using social media as a tool for social change.

Read more less