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Canada’s longest-ever election campaign resulted in a Liberal majority, significant losses of NDP seats, and the Conservatives as the Official Opposition. At the same time, Alberta elected an NDP government.
In the lead-up to the aforementioned longest election campaign ever we saw what is now our former government drawing on racist rhetoric and action and fiscal showmanship in an attempt to retain power. No luck for them.
There widespread resistance to C-51 (which still needs to be repealed, by the way), and a growing awareness of the Syrian refugee crisis which has culminated with our government accepting thousands of refugees and struggling to resettle them quickly.
There were new developments in social justice, environmental, and labour movement collaborations, and victories for many workers across Canada. At the same time, April 1 saw temporary foreign workers facing new restrictions with many negative consequences.
Here are ten articles to remind you of the year that was, and to power you up for the year to come.
- The Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its final report on December 15. Billy-Ray Belcourt is the first Indigenous person to be named a Rhodes Scholar. He wrote about reconciliation and what it really means in this piece: The day of the TRC Final Report: On being in this world without wanting it.
- Let’s begin with our celebrated new Prime Minister, shall we? Trudeau’s promises sounded good, but as we’re seeing, some of them have to be rolled back or downgraded. Here’s Karl Nerenberg talk about just that in Prime Minister-Elect Justin Trudeau has many promises to keep.
- The Supreme Court has ruled that Zunera Ishaq could take the citizenship oath while wearing niqab, but the government case against her was another example of a government using Islamophobia and racism for political gain. Long before the Supreme Court’s ruling, Monia Mazigh wrote about how they both played into the election in her piece From Marois to Harper, niqab debate plays with xenophobic fire.
- Ryan McMahon’s Indigenous multimedia network hit it’s first anniversary so rabble.ca interviewed him all about it. It’s still going strong, and you can hear what he had to say about changing the face of media by reading this: Indian and Cowboy lays the foundation for an Indigenous media revolution
- Canada can be a more inclusive, positive place. On the third anniversary of Jack Layton’s death and as this year’s election campaign was drawing to a close, Libby Davies wrote about Layton’s legacy and vision in this article: Remember Jack Layton and build a better Canada
- Christina Grey was called to the bar in 2015. She was one of many new lawyers called to the bar this year, but she was the first to wear her regalia for this important ceremony. Miriam Katawazi wrote about this historic moment in her article: Soon-to-be lawyer wins right to wear regalia when she is called to the bar
- After the Harper government changed its regulations for temporary foreign workers, uncertainly loomed for the children who travel with them: April 1 deadline looms for children of temporary foreign workers
- Dalhousie University is still struggling to properly handle sexual harassment allegations. When the university chose to use a restorative justice process, rabble.ca explored just what that would mean in this piece: Because Dalhousie: A closer look at restorative justice
- Nova Scotia’s health care unions fought back against Bill 1 which would have affected their membership’s right to organize. Here’s how they did it: Three things that tipped the scale for Nova Scotia’s health-care unions.
- A new movement sprang up in the spring bringing together environmental and labour activists. rabble.ca was there. Jobs, justice, climate: A new climate movement is rising from below
- That wasn’t the only new coalition for change. The LEAP Manifesto brought together Canada’s most prominent activists, writers, and thinkers to proclaim a new era of collaboration to end climate change. Read The Leap Manifesto here.
- Black Lives Matter in Canada, too. As protestors made themselves heard in the US and in Canada, a report on the movement.
- As the refugee crisis across Canada grew, the Harper government continued to refuse to accept most refugee claimants. Protests across Canada showed that refugees are welcome. ‘Refugees Welcome’ rallies expose Canada’s broken immigration system.
- Attacks in Paris have been followed by rising surveillance and calls for bombing in Syria. In the aftermath of the attacks, Jooneed Khan wrote NATO’s wars in the Middle East hit home in France.
- At the end of this year, rabble.ca launched a new series encouraging our readers to take up some of the calls to action provided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commision. To find out how to make reconciliation your new year resolution, visit this page.
rabble.ca will continue our work in 2016. La lutte continue.
Like this article? rabble is reader-supported journalism. Chip in to keep stories like these coming.