Politics Archives - Queen's Journal

The realities of being a young woman of colour in politics

Written on September 9, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Postscript.

I never understood why women of colour are so underrepresented in Canadian politics. I’ve read textbooks with chapters on intersectionality and barriers to political engagement, and I’ve heard female politicians discuss gendered coverage and covert discrimination in the political arena. Despite my...

The fight for paid sick days continues through a pandemic. It shouldn’t.

Written on February 9, 2021. Posted in Columns.

In 2018, the newly-elected Ford government cancelled all mandatory paid sick days. Since then, health advocates and labour activists have been fighting to bring them back. In a global pandemic with a contagious virus, paid sick days are more vital than ever. Over the past several months, many groups...

Everything you need to know about the unfounded QAnon theory

Written on February 5, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle.

Many of us will chalk the hardships of the last year up to difficult circumstances and doing our best to make it through. Others, however, might go looking for answers and wind up caught in a complicated and deeply problematic web of deceit. If you keep up with American politics, you might be familiar...

When politics come to the dinner table

Written on November 6, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

Family dinners at my household have always been filled with vibrant conversation. Growing up, popular topics included what my brother and I learned at school, complaints about workdays, and drama surrounding social lives. But when I moved home this spring at the beginning of the pandemic and family...

'Patriot Act' was a hilarious, brilliant example of South Asian representation

Written on September 15, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle.

When I saw Hasan Minhaj’s performance at the White House Correspondence Dinner in 2017, I didn’t know whether to laugh, applaud, or pray for his life while he ripped President Trump apart with comedic brilliance. I did know I was completely captivated by his brutal honesty and perfectly delivered...

Strength in numbers is clear for Queen’s female politicians

Written on January 17, 2020. Posted in Features.

Jessica Dahanayake (Sci ’20), AMS vice-president (Operations), sometimes second-guesses herself in her role as part of the Society’s executive. The student politician says these doubts are intertwined with concerns about how she is perceived as a woman in a political position. According to research...

Scapegoating other countries allows us to ignore Canada's issues

Written on January 14, 2020. Posted in Editorials.

As North Americans, we love to blame China for our problems. From propaganda to Chinese companies’ “alarming” presences in major North American industries, we seem to be scared of a nation that’s no different in their economic and political objectives than any European country, or our own government. But...

For Canada, being the ‘nice guy’ isn’t enough

Written on February 12, 2019. Posted in Editorials.

Sometimes the good guy doesn’t finish last. In the case of The New York Times’ recent opinion piece glorifying Canada as a moral leader of the free world, this certainly rings true. Described as America’s “boring neighbour,” the piece continuously reaffirms how lucky the U.S. is to have us by their...

Pop culture increasingly vital in current political climate

Written on July 30, 2018. Posted in Editorials.

People who disparage pop culture to make a point don’t just exclude themselves from the conversation—they disrespect the power of diverse audiences. A guilty pleasure is something a person enjoys despite that thing not being held in high regard. More often than not, the term also applies overwhelmingly...

The Handmaid’s Tale’s second season is a warning for white women

Written on July 30, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

As Canada’s southern neighbors question their democracy, and rights seem to be little more than suggestions, Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale is here to remind us that the worst is yet to come. The eerily-relevant dystopian drama, which recently wrapped up its second season, should serve as a wake-up...

The relationship between sex and pop culture

Written on April 5, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

Through Trump’s presidency, we’re truly learning about the way sex interacts with politics. Thanks to Anderson Cooper’s two interviews with different women earlier this month, we know way more about Trump’s sex life than we probably ever wanted to. But the reason why it’s suddenly appropriate to discuss...

Parkland shooting shows power of youth political engagement

Written on March 2, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

Youth political engagement is something that’s seemingly encouraged by everyone, but the past couple weeks have proven to us that politicians are willing to undermine the younger generation when they argue against their views. On Feb. 14, a shooter killed 17 students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman...

The case of Colten Boushie

Written on February 15, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

In light of the recent case of Colten Boushie, it’s clear that the Canadian justice system hasn’t done enough — Canada needs to stop pretending it’s a superior nation to countries like the United States. On Feb. 9, George Stanley, a Saskatchewan farmer, was acquitted for the second-degree murder of...

Rose McGowan isn't the only advocate for ending sexual abuse

Written on February 15, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

During her 2018 book tour, Rose McGowan’s been getting a lot of media attention due to a confrontation she had with a trans woman that was caught on camera and later circulated. The protestor called out McGowan for not doing enough to advocate for trans women, having criticized trans women like Caitlyn...

Taking my seat: Where are our leaders?

Written on January 30, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

It’s 2018 and I’m waiting for our political leaders to step up. Why is it every day that we hear about a new scandal or problem? Why do we hear so often about the celebrities we idolize, the leaders of the free world and the leaders in our own backyard in a negative light? I find, comparatively, when...

Taking my seat: 2018 is the year of woman

Written on January 12, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

Let’s claim it now – 2018 is the year of the woman. It’s our turn. Issues of sexual violence, gender inequality and race inequality are all at the top of our minds and the media is actually taking significant steps to report on it, thanks to the perseverance of a lot of tired advocates who have put...

Taking my seat: Let's talk about the table in the room

Written on November 3, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

I’ve been writing this column for two months now and I realized I hadn’t taken the time to explain my thought process behind the column name ‘Taking my Seat”. The idea of taking one’s seat and being a part of a conversation while still making room for others is so important. We need to understand...

Taking My Seat: complacency in politics is so freaking political

Written on October 17, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

In having the opportunity to voice my opinion every other week on matters relating to politics, I know I’m incredibly privileged. As Canadians, we’re similarly fortunate enough to have voices in democracy and vote for our leaders. Refusing to engage or being disinterested in politics is a very...

Taking my seat: Gerry Ritz says Barbie, I say empowering female leader

Written on October 3, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

Causing controversy in the Twittersphere on September 19, Conservative Canadian Member of Parliament Gerry Ritz referred to Catherine McKenna, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, as “our climate Barbie.” We should hold our elected government officials to the highest of standards, right? Yet...

Politics professor awarded professorship in Stockholm

Written on September 29, 2017. Posted in News.

Queen’s Professor Margaret Moore was awarded a visiting professorship at Stockholm University earlier this week, set to begin next July. The Olof Palme Visiting Professorship, granted by the Swedish Research Council and named after the late Swedish Prime Minister, provides the opportunity for researchers...

Taking My Seat: The importance of Title IX

Written on September 19, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

This article talks about sexual violence and may be triggering for some readers. On this week’s chronicle of ‘WTF is up with the White House women’, President Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced the education department’s plan to reform Obama-era guidelines of Title IX, implemented to...

6,000 Kingston students receiving free tuition this year with new OSAP

Written on September 14, 2017. Posted in News.

This year more than 6,000 postsecondary students in Kingston received free tuition through new changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), according to the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development. The changes were implemented in February 2016, with Ontario Premier Kathleen...

How "Broad City" is the voice millennial women need

Written on September 12, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

In a time when politics dominates almost every aspect of our lives, watching Broad City presents a fun and engaging way to stay up-to-date with the current state of US government administration. The general synopsis of the show is that it’s about two girls in their twenties trying to live their...

Taking my seat: guess who opposes equal pay

Written on September 8, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

It’s been quite the summer. Nearly one year ago, our neighbours to the South realized a catastrophic mistake when the electoral college gave the Presidential race to a racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, ableist (or any of the myriad of other “ic” or “ist” terms that he most likely falls...

Athletes shouldn’t be expected to be neutral

Written on June 26, 2017. Posted in Editorials.

Often known for their athletic ability rather than their way with words, athletes are taught to let their play do the talking. When it comes to politics, they are heavily criticized for transgressing the perceived boundaries of their profession. It’s time we recognize them as private citizens with...

Politics students providing Insight on refugees

Written on June 26, 2017. Posted in News.

Very rarely do group projects in class become something students continue to work on after it’s due. For a group of political studies students, one assignment has gone from an idea to a reality. Starting as a collaborative project in Professor Stéfanie von Hlatky’s International Politics class, a...

At Conservative candidate events, Kellie Leitch met with protests while Lisa Raitt sees small turnout

Written on March 24, 2017. Posted in News.

With the Conservative Party leadership race ongoing, Queen’s University Conservative Association (QUCA) hosted two more candidates this week — following Kevin O’Leary and Michael Chong in past weeks — that sparked more protests on campus. On Monday, a handful of student protestors gathered outside...

Kevin O’Leary draws crowd to Grant Hall

Written on March 17, 2017. Posted in News.

“Here’s my plan. I’m going to win this leadership race and then I’m going to shine the light of transparency and accountability on Justin Trudeau for the next two years, and make his life a living hell,” Conservative Party leadership candidate Kevin O’Leary declared to a crowd of approximately 1,000...

Tag: Politics

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