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As the weather continues to heat up so have rabble.ca‘s blog posts. From the World Social Forum in Montreal to Canada’s progress on climate change here are some of this week’s top posts with the stories behind the headlines.
In Montreal, the World Social Forum (WSF) has begun, bringing together between 50,000 and 80,000 activists from around the world to discuss some of the most pressing issues of our time. We’ve covered the latest trends, issues, and social media posts to keep you up to date. Nick Filmore has also written about the history of the forum and its impact abroad and in Canada. He discusses the details of this year’s WSF and where its future may lead.
One of the key issues being addressed at the WSF is climate change, and David Suzuki checks in on Canada’s progress on the issue. He says that while positive commitments were made at Cop-21 in Paris there has been little follow through on the part of the federal government. This includes ignoring our greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. Suzuki notes the consequences if we don’t get back on track, and urges us to pressure Trudeau to turn promises into action.
The Canadian Liberals have also accused the WSF of being anti-Semitic after a cartoon depicting a stereotypical Jewish man accompanied a boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) talk on the forum’s website. The BDS movement has raised a deal of controversy in Canadian politics, including Elizabeth May’s announcement that she is considering resigning from the Green Party after their support of the cause. David Taub Bancroft has written an open letter to the MP asking her not to resign. He challenges the argument that any criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic, says that the resolution has some wiggle room, and that as a leader May doesn’t have to approve of every party policy.
Too often in the news we hear about bad cops, but Nora Loreto wants to address the bad cops that we don’t normally hear about. She says these are the cops whose actions don’t normally lead to an investigation and whose names don’t make it into the paper. She cites the case of Amanda Khrody and John Nutgall who the B.C. Supreme Court found were entrapped by 240 RCMP. Loreto discusses the importance of accountability and wonders how many other bad cops are out there.
Finally with the 2016 summer Olympics well underway most of the world’s eyes have turned towards Brazil. Robin Browne discusses how how many of our ideas about parts of the world we haven’t visited, including Brazil, come from the media. As he is planning a trip to the city for the first time, he questions whether Rio is really how the media portrays it to be; beautiful beaches, an emerging economy, and infested with Zika carrying mosquitoes.
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