Canada’s Indigenous Affairs minister urges parliament to reject a bill that would end all sex discrimination in the Indian Act, asking for more time and consultation. The act dates back to the 1800s and discriminates against women by denying them status. Indigenous women have been challenging the act as sexist and unconstitutional in court for decades. Pam Palmater points out:
“Equality is actually the law…The fact that the government or any committee would be wondering or considering delaying equality for one more day shows exactly how ingrained sexism is in this country — and for Indigenous women, racism.”
The trial of three Toronto police officers for the 2015 sexual assault of a female parking enforcement officer began this week. Yesterday, the defence lawyer for one of the men accused her of lying and asking for it by wearing “a really low-cut top.”
Yesterday the UK elected a record number of female MP’s. Sarah Ditum explains that the election results are not necessarily good news for women:
“Instead of losing women, Westminster gained a record intake of them. And the Tories lost, lost, lost…But this is where the next irony comes in, because the only way for the now-diminished Tories to form a government is for them to join a coalition with the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland. And a ruling coalition that includes the DUP is profoundly bad news for women.”
After 10 days of incarceration in a male prison, Muskrat Falls protester Beatrice Hunter has been released from custody.