Another news week and rabble.ca bloggers continue to bring nuanced and thoughtful takes on the stories of the week. From workplace safety to the national MMIW inquiry, here are the top rabble.ca blog posts of the week.
Dr. Bob Barneston is a professor of labour relations at Athabasca University. He discusses why workers are often reluctant to exercise their safety rights. He examines the cases of Julio Serrano and David Britton who claim they were laid off after reporting unsafe work. Barneston then examines Canada’s history of poor enforcement of workplace health and safety.
Stephanie Langton writes about her experience with Ontario’s student loan system. She says it is restrictive and discriminatory. Langton discusses her difficulty in qualifying for financial assistance to pursue further education after receiving assistance on her previous loan. She says that Ontario’s assistance program comes with strings attached and writes, “When the benevolence of social assistance turns our social safety net into a glass ceiling, our well-meaning policies must be revised.”
Liz Kessler explains why calling Donald Trump crazy is wrong. She says his bahviour is based on hatred rather than mental illness. She details how hatred and racism are an old capitalist tactic to divide and conquer. Kessler details why throwing around language about mental illness is dangerous, stigmatizing, and glosses over real problems like racism, capitalism, and patriarchy.
Brent Patterson writes about concerns about the national MMIW inquiry. These concerns include how closely police will be examined, if closed cases will be re-opened, the commissioners that were chosen, how it will look at systemic issues, and whether the recommendations will be implemented. Patterson highlights the concerns of specific Indigenous women who have spoken out about the inquiry.
That’s it for this week’s blog roundup! Make sure to check out more rabble.ca blogs to find out what’s happening in your world.
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