Immaculate Reflections

Time for Ford to join hands with feds

Ontario and Ottawa are reportedly on the brink of an agreement on the Liberal government’s offer of $10 a day child-care. We’ll believe it when we see it. Feminists have been fighting for a national universal child-care program for more than five decades and seen it all: the royal commissions, parliamentary committees, Red Books, and national frameworks that perennially propel the child-care promise to the top of election campaign agendas but never into law.

November 30, 2021 Continue Reading

One B.I.G. leap for humankind

Five years ago, Jessica Topfer had goals and ambition but was struggling to find a path forward. The 20-year old was working the full-time, overnight shift on the line at General Motors in Lindsay, ON, and frequently hearing rumours of impending layoffs. Determined to build a more fulfilling and stable work life, she enrolled as a full-time student at Trent University with the idea of spending her days studying and her nights still working to ensure she could cover tuition costs. By the end of her GM shift, she would often be so exhausted that she would need to pull into a parking lot to nap on the trip home, causing her to often be late or miss classes. Her mental and physical health were suffering. In 2016, just as she had feared, she was part of a lay off by GM.

November 19, 2021 Continue Reading

From ‘toxic’ to ‘heroic masculinity’ and beyond

Some believe that ‘toxic masculinity’ is a term concocted by angry feminists to undercut men’s authority, make them feel bad about themselves and break them until they ask for permission to stand up to pee. Only partly true!

November 10, 2021 Continue Reading

Pass the pretzels please

You would think that after suffering a daily onslaught of Trump news for the past six years, we’d have had our fill of the immoral, the shameless and the craven. But it turns out there are a whole lot of us pining for the next installment of Succession, the HBO series that titillates us with its portrayal of the scheming narcissism and depravity of the rich and powerful Roy family.

October 30, 2021 Continue Reading

Diagnosis: Chronic male interruptus disorder

Justice Sonia Sotomayor is the most interrupted member of the United States Supreme Count. Vice presidential candidate in the 2016 election Kamala Harris was interrupted twice as often as she interrupted Mike Pence during their debate. The only woman on a panel of theoretical physicists was interrupted incessantly, even when explaining her own theories of the universe, until an audience member, beside herself with frustration, stood and yelled. Let. Her. Speak. Please. (to thunderous applause).

October 21, 2021 Continue Reading

Staring down the male gaze

One of my worst memories of high school is the daily hallway scene outside the cafeteria. After lunch, hordes of boys lined up along the lockers on either side of the hall and shout a barrage of cruel and sexist taunts at girls passing through. Most girls paired up so as not to endure the experience alone. Walking the interminable stretch from lunch to locker alone was a special torture.

October 13, 2021 Continue Reading