Judy Rebick's Blog

Ursula Franklin a pioneer feminist, pacifist, scientist and social justice fighter

Judes — Mon, 25 Jul 2016 14:41:51 +0000

"Feminism isn't an employment agency for women; it's an alternative way of ordering the social space, in which women are the prototype rather than men. It is based on collaboration rather than competition. As a youngster, I still remember my feeling of joy that one could look at the earth differently. That's feminism; everything is differently oriented. Seeing the same world with different eyes." -- Ursula Franklin

This quote from Ursula Franklin introduces the chapter on the 1970s in my oral history of the women's movement. It most perfectly expressed the idealism of early second wave feminism and Ursula Franklin herself, who lived her life according to these principles until her death at the age of 94 on Friday.

A last-minute proposal: Think before you jump. This election is even more unpredictable than it seems.

Judes — Sat, 17 Oct 2015 18:32:30 +0000

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What we need is a giant leap forward

Judes — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 18:14:25 +0000

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Just when I thought I couldn't bear one more word of politics after listening to a revolting panel of so-called political strategists on my favourite radio show The Current, I was revived by a smart, diverse, powerful group of people reading the Leap Manifesto in downtown Toronto.

Beyond teamsters and turtles: Jobs, justice, climate

Judes — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 16:10:29 +0000

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Quebec City: Huge march raises temperature

Judes — Sun, 12 Apr 2015 15:44:51 +0000

in a wide swath of red, thousands upon thousands of people hit the streets in quiet Quebec City last Saturday with a cacophony of chants, drums and quiet conversations snaking through the tiny ancient streets of the old city emerging into a park. There organizers distributed large, square red construction paper. As one, we raised our voices and our red squares forming a giant thermometer as seen from the sky. A meme instantly appeared on social media under the thermometer: "We are reaching the boiling point, so has our planet." It was a combination of genius and good organizing.

'We don't hire girls in the newsroom': Reflections on 50 years of reporting while female

Judes — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 21:29:27 +0000

It is traditional on International Women's Day to celebrate the advances we have made as women. As I began my on-again off-again career as a journalist in the 1960s, it is easy to look back and see monumental advances.

December 6: A reminder to uproot our culture of misogyny

Judes — Thu, 04 Dec 2014 19:25:19 +0000

Violence against women was epidemic, but it wasn't until December 6, 1989 that the veil covering misogyny was lifted through an act of such fury and hatred it could not be explained any other way. That terrible act of violence allowed many of us to remember, to admit to ourselves or to speak to others about the violence we had suffered at the hands of men.

In that way, the aftermath of the Montreal Massacre 25 years ago had similarities to the unprecedented discussion of sexual assault and sexual harassment unleashed after the Ghomeshi scandal that we are experiencing now.

It's time for Canada to put our money where our mouth is and free John Greyson and Tarek Loubani

Judes — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 11:38:34 +0000

I first met John Greyson, now in an Egyptian prison, in the 1990s when he called me to ask if I would like to play a red blood corpuscle in his brilliant AIDS musical comedy Zero Patience. The shoot was in the pool of a downtown community centre. When it became clear that we would be in the pool for a few hours, I asked, "John, can I wear my glasses?" He put a finger to his chin, looked a little perplexed and said, "I don't see why a red blood corpuscle can't wear glasses?" Turning to one of his camera people, he asked "do you?" We all burst out laughing.

Why I don't celebrate Canada Day and never have

Judes — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 13:54:16 +0000

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My favourite story about Margaret Thatcher

Judes — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:16:37 +0000

Flora MacDonald, a Progressive Conservative elected in 1972, tells a story that illustrates something of what women politicians faced:

"I worked twice as hard as anybody. You had to work hard. I had decided early in my career in the House that I would change the custom that only dresses were suitable, so one day I wore a pantsuit into the House of Commons. It was a beautiful pantsuit. I had bought it in France, and it was good quality. That became a front-page photograph right across Canada.

International Women's Day: What's the way forward?

Judes — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:47:59 +0000

As an aging feminist I am often asked to speak about the progress we have made as feminists and how much is left to do. It gets depressing sometimes because of the persistance of violence against women and economic inequality. I am despairing of the deep gendered divide in children's toys and the heavy load placed upon young women expected to be beautiful, thin, successful, a great mom and too often chief cook and bottle washer at home. Not to mention daily viewing the old Reform party anti-feminists running the country.

Idle No More: A profound social movement that is already succeeding

Judes — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 14:02:36 +0000

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2012: A year of activism, from the Maple Spring to Idle No More

Judes — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 17:20:54 +0000

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I think we will look back at 2012 as the year that everything changed. The year began with what became a powerful strike of Quebec students against an intransigent government and ended with an historic movement of Indigenous peoples across the country declaring they will be Idle No More.

Idle No Mention: Letter to the Editor of the Globe and Mail

Judes — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 13:33:17 +0000

Idle No ... mention?

A well-known First Nations Chief is two weeks into a hunger strike when thousands of young indigenous people hit the streets, the malls and the highways in a myriad of non-violent creative actions in solidarity and to demand change from an intransigent government.

...

When I opened The Globe and Mail on Saturday I hoped to see some in-depth coverage of the new movement Idle No More. There was nothing.

How can you call yourself Canada's national newspaper? (edited out)

Judy Rebick, Toronto

This letter was published today in the Globe without the last sentence. I reproduce it here so I can post on Twitter without a pay wall

So sad for the people of Gaza

Judes — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 16:35:18 +0000

I haven't written a blog in a long time but the recent attack on Gaza has moved me to write. During the last attack in 2009, I was angry, furious at the slaughter of hundreds of people of Gaza trapped in a tiny slip of land without any protection. So I participated in an occupation of Jewish women of the Israeli consulate. As you will see from the video I was furious and ready for action. This time my feeling is more sadness.

Celebrate the Maple Spring tonight in Vancouver

Judes — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:04:20 +0000

Last night I attended the world premiere of Occupy Love, a wonderful film by Velcrow Ripper that poetically shows it's the combination of love and power that will transform this economic and ecological story into "the greatest love story" in human history. Nowhere in North America have we come closer to Velcrow's vision than during the Maple Spring in Quebec.

Building links of love and solidarity with pots and pans

Judes — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:45:21 +0000

I am sitting in a cafe in Calgary crying while I watch another joyous and beautiful video of the pots and pans marches in Quebec - "The Sound Your Life Makes." I don't know if it is the inspiring music of ordinary people coming into the streets to defy an unjust law; the awesome courage and determination of the Quebec students; or the shifiting sands of the global youth uprising, but for the first time in my lifetime there is a solidarity movement growing in Canada for the people of Quebec.

Understanding the victory of Thomas Mulcair

Judes — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 16:07:30 +0000

Most of the mainstream media, with the help of the Mulcair and Topp campaigns, constructed the leadership battle at the NDP convention as a battle between those who wanted to move to the centre to win government and those who wanted to win maintaining the "traditional" social democratic values of the NDP.

Maple Spring: Quebec students protest tuition hikes in massive numbers

Judes — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:08:16 +0000

I just got back from the biggest demonstration I've ever been on, maybe the biggest in Canadian history. Some of the signs said "Printemps Erable" (maple spring, a play on words in French), and it sure felt like it. In a massive show of solidarity, Quebec students not only said "no" to fare hikes but "no" to a neo-liberal agenda that says the poor, students and workers have to pay for the crisis of capitalism. Estimates are between 200,000 and 300,000 marchers.

Remembering activist Madeleine Parent

Judes — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 19:21:25 +0000

Madeleine Parent, one of our greatest activists, passed away last night in Montreal after a long illness. She was 93 years old.

Madeleine was a famous union activist in Quebec, having organized the textile workers in the 1940s and then battling with the anti-union forces of the ultra-right wing Duplessis government in the 1950s. Her fierce resistance to Duplessis resulted in five arrests culminating in a conviction for seditious conspiracy in 1948 for union organizing, believe it or not. She is a legend in Quebec and was probably more influential in the Quiet Revolution than many who have gotten the credit for it. The first time I met Prime Minister Jean Chretien, he told me that Madeleine was his hero.

Writing an e-book: Occupy This!

Judes — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:32:46 +0000

After I visited Occupy Wall Street in mid-October, I wrote my publisher Penguin and suggested that they re-issue Transforming Power as an e-book since it covers a lot of elements that helped to build towards Occupy. They came back with the proposal of a special e-book that we could get out quickly with a mix of new material with some material from the previous book. They said it would sell for $3.99. What a great idea, I thought. Now five months later, the e-book is out and called Occupy This! You can buy it on Kindle, Kobo/Chapters and iBooks or you can find it in Google books and go from there. You can also try downloading it from Penguin.ca. At the moment it is only available in Canada. It should be available in the US in a couple of days.

The Eviction of Occupy Toronto: An amazing, inspiring and sad day

Judes — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 19:00:12 +0000

It's hard to create a community based on love and compassion in the middle of a society based on greed and fear. The hippies tried it without much success even in the backwoods. We tried it in the women's movement but even in all-women groups, the training we received in a patriarchal society restricted our ability to achieve it. The Occupy camps are the closest I've seen to that beloved community that has so escaped our grasp.

Nancy Riche: A fierce feminist fighter

Judes — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:45:14 +0000

"I've seen the glass ceiling and it's made out of golf balls," Nancy Riche told a women's conference of the Canadian Labour Congress in the 1990s when she was secretary-treasurer.

That combination of wry Newfoundland humour and telling it like it is was Nancy's trademark. She was a fierce fighter for women and for workers. She stood up against all odds to become a major figure in Canada's labour movement. Nancy died on Saturday in Newfoundland, her home. In typical Nancy fashion, she volunteered to do phoning for the NDP during the Newfoundland election from her hospital bed.

Le bon Jack

Judes — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:54:43 +0000

Almost everyone I've talked to since what seemed like the sudden announcement of Jack Layton's death had the same experience that I did. It hit me harder than I expected. I've lost other comrades, many closer than Jack was to my politics and my practice but his death hit me harder. I've been thinking about why.

Maybe it was because we all believed with him that he could beat the cancer. And it seemed so cruel that just at the moment of his greatest triumph, it took his life. Such an archetypal tragedy. It might have left us in despair except for his amazing open letter to us.

Defenders of the Land: 'Building a powerful grassroots movement of indigenous peoples'

Judes — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:34:09 +0000

It is time to stop talking about what went wrong with the left that was so effective in the 20th century and identify the forces that are leading change in the 21st century. Primary among these, in my view, are indigenous peoples and movements.

In Canada, the most important new group is one that many readers may not even have heard of: Defenders of the Land. I will let them tell you who they are, as they explain on their website:

Senate page explains her brave Stop Harper protest on floor of Senate today

Judes — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 19:42:27 +0000

In an unprecedented protest Parliament page Brigette Marcelle (aka Brigette DePape) holds up a "Stop Harper" sign during the throne speech. Below is her explanation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, June 3, 2011

Senate Page disrupts throne speech Harper's disastrous agenda needs to be stopped with creative action and civil disobedience

Ottawa -- During the reading of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's throne speech today, a young page was yanked from the Senate Chamber as she tried to hold up a stop-sign placard reading "Stop Harper."

One hoax to rule them all: The Hobbit movie tar sands story revealed

Judes — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 23:41:35 +0000

Travellers at Terminal 3 in the Toronto airport were astounded Tuesday morning to see Gandalf the Grey and several hobbits march their handcuffed prisoner Stephen Harper, dressed as the evil lord Sauron, into a Syncrude Ltd. recruiting meeting. They demanded that Synacrude take him back to Mordor aka the Alberta tar sands, "the hell on earth that he created."

A young Quebecoise responds to my election blog

Judes — Thu, 05 May 2011 19:47:02 +0000

Caroline Castonguay-Boisvert was one of several Quebecois to respond to my blog agreeing with much of my analysis of the Quebec NDP vote and welcoming the invitation to work more closely together. Here is her response:

Hi Judy!

I see you have received a lot of attention from us, people who live in Quebec. I agree with what you say, and I wish more people outside of Quebec would understand it. It saddens me that Harper didn't get the message, when really, he should listen for the sake of Canadian unity.

We vote NDP because we were (and are even more now) scared of a Harper majority. We wanted to stop the Conservatives so that all we love about Canada is not taken away, as some of it is already gone.

The morning after: Where are we and where do we go from here?

Judes — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:47:17 +0000

It was an extraordinary election. Both Stephen Harper and Jack Layton got the results they were aiming for. Stephen Harper got his majority and Jack Layton replaced the Liberal Party not only as the Official Opposition but quite possibly as the only federal alternatives to the Harperites. Canada now looks like so many other countries with one party on the Right and one on the Left. So why do I feel so bad?

Vote for the Canada you want

Judes — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:25:09 +0000

"We're going to win, Judy," Stephen Lewis told me over the phone a few days before the 1990 Ontario election.
"C'mon Stephen, you guys always get a little delusional as the election approaches," I replied.
"No, really, we are going to win."