Human Rights A Day

India's "father of the nation," Mahatma Gandhi, assassinated. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, born on October 2, 1869, went to England to study law at the age of 19, where he was shunned by fellow students for being Indian. After completing his law degree, he returned to India for two years before moving to South Africa, where he became the first “colored” lawyer to be admitted to the bar. During his 20 years in South Africa, Gandhi initiated peaceful protests against racism, which evolved into efforts to end British rule when he headed back to India in 1914. There, he led the Indian National Congress Party, spearheaded protests and began a campaign of non-cooperation with the British. Although his activities landed him in prison for two years, they eventually led to India’s independence in 1947. Unfortunately, the victory was tempered by a split amongst Muslims that resulted in the formation of Pakistan. The violence that subsequently erupted many times between the Hindus and Muslims took a great toll on Gandhi.

Author of the Female Eunuch, Germaine Greer is born in Melbourne. Germaine Greer became known as one of the defining authors and speakers of the feminist movement in the 1970s due to her first book, The Female Eunuch. Greer was born on January 29, 1939 in Melbourne, Australia and was educated in a convent. Her post-secondary education earned her degrees at Melbourne and Sydney Universities before she attended Newnham College, a women’s college at the University of Cambridge in England on a scholarship. After receiving her PhD in 1967, she stayed in England to lecture in English at Warwick University until 1973. While there, Greer published the Female Eunuch in 1970 and it immediately became a best seller. Since that time it has been translated into numerous languages and continues to be sold around the world. The controversy of the book came from Greer’s frank talk and explicit language about women’s sexuality and how the traditional family repressed women, turning them into eunuchs. Greer was quoted as sayin

Manitoba becomes Canada’s first province to give women the vote. The mostly upper-class women involved in the early days of Canada’s women’s movement viewed universal suffrage (the vote) as a tool to strengthen good, Protestant values in Canada. Their fight, of course, was a lengthy one, and led to a patchwork of results. Involved in the process were women of the Dominion Women’s Enfranchisement Association and the National Council of Women, where between 1890 and 1900 they introduced a number of bills for provincial suffrage that were all defeated in the legislatures of Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba and Quebec. The campaigns, political alliances and tactics continued into the new century, but that didn’t change much for almost another generation. Of course the vote did come to women and it started in Manitoba. After years of battles with Manitoba politicians, suffragettes like Nellie McClung – a long-time Manitoban and member of the Women’s Christian Temperance – could celebrate. On January 28, 1916, the go

Supreme Court rules against Premier Duplessis for punishing Jehovah’s Witness. Years ago, many people regarded the Witnesses of Jehovah as a radical Christian sect, especially in Quebec, where they were very critical of the Roman Catholic church. During World War II, Quebecors banned Jehovah’s Witnesses as an organization and imprisoned Witnesses practicing their beliefs. After the war, Quebec Premier Maurice Duplessis did everything in his power to put a stop to this group. In 1945, provincial authorities carried out large scale arrests of young Witness men and women as they broke local by-laws by handing out their magazines. Montreal restaurateur Frank Roncarelli gave legal assurances for each arrest and by November 12, 1946, he had posted about 380 sureties. Later that month, Premier Duplessis, who also served as Quebec’s attorney general, ordered the head of the Quebec Liquor Commission, Edouard Archambault, to revoke the liquor license at Roncarelli’s restaurant Quaff. This was despite the fact that Ronc

Racism caused 11 years of wrongful imprisonment for Donald Marshall, judge rules. When he was 17 years old, a Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq First Nations named Donald Marshall Jr. and his friend Sandy Seale tried to rob a man who pulled a knife on them, killing Seale. Marshall was convicted of the murder and spent 11 years in jail before the actual killer bragged about his actions, leading the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal to quash the conviction. Marshall became part of a process that exposed racism in the Nova Scotia police and judicial system. On January 26, 1990, the report of the Royal Commission on Donald Marshall, Jr. was released with harsh words for the entire justice system. The judges filing the report found grave injustices for non-Caucasians, especially black and Mi’kmaq Canadians. Their findings spotlighted complete incompetence, investigations designed to support their theory and discount others, police using oppressive tactics on witnesses, and Crown lawyers failing to disclose statements from witnesses s

Quebec town adopts popular “standards” that challenge religious differences. Although in 2007 all residents of Hérouxville, Quebec had been born in Canada, the town council decided the community would welcome immigrants – as long as any immigrants followed the town’s clearly established and democratically elected rules. On January 25, 2007, the mayor and six councillors of this rural community of 1,300 adopted a set of “standards” that included the following: “We would like to invite, without discrimination, in the future, all people from outside…to move to this territory. ‘Without discrimination’ means to us, without regard to race or to the color of skin, mother tongue spoken, sexual orientation, religion or any other form of beliefs.” Prospective newcomers were told, “the lifestyle that they left behind in their birth country cannot be brought here with them and they would have to adapt to their new social identity.” The standards went on to state, “We consider that killing women in public beatings, or bur

Sir Winston Churchill dies at age 90. Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England on November 30, 1874. Known as one of the great statesmen of the 20th century, he was also an accomplished writer and painter. Churchill was born into the British aristocracy, and his childhood entailed boarding schools, poor marks and distant parents. After a short stint in the Army, in 1900 Churchill followed in his father’s footsteps to become a Conservative member of Parliament (MP). He soon became politically disenchanted, however, and crossed the floor to sit as a Liberal. He served in cabinet, including as first lord of the admiralty, into World War I. He re-joined the Conservatives at the end of the war, and stayed there. In cabinet during World War II when Prime Minster Chamberlain resigned, Churchill took the helm and led his country to victory. Although his government was subsequently defeated in 1945, he returned to power in 1951 and stayed until he resigned in 1955. He stayed on as an MP un

funding. Susie Adler argued what she felt was a legitimate case: If Ontario fully funds Catholic and Protestant schools, why are schools that are run by other religions in the province not entitled to the same support? Adler linked up with fellow Jewish parents and the Ontario Alliance of Christian School Societies to take the government of Ontario to court. Why? Because their charter rights had been violated, she claimed. While the group lost their cases at all levels of courts including the Ontario court of appeal, Adler and her colleagues were given a chance at the Supreme Court of Canada. They made their arguments there on January 23 and 24, 1996. Ten months later, the court weighed in, dismissing their case and ruling that the Ontario government is not obliged to give funding to these private schools. While Ontario and Quebec specifically protect their Protestant and Catholic minorities, the court stated, this is part of a compromise that need not be extended to other religions. Governments may choose t

Former Manitoba Premier Edward Schreyer becomes Canada’s governor general. Edward Schreyer was Manitoba’s NDP premier between 1969 and 1977. A strong advocate of social democratic principles, he was a surprise pick for most Canadians when Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau appointed him Canada’s governor general. Schreyer was sworn in on January 22, 1979 – at the age of 43, Canada’s third youngest to take on the role. Prior to his appointment, all the queen’s representatives and heads of state had been “Canadian blue bloods” and/or individuals highly ensconced in the political sphere. The new Manitoban dignitary was anything but. Schreyer, with Ukrainian roots and a Catholic, was the first leader of the Manitoba CCF/NDP who was not of an Anglo-Saxon and Protestant background. His government was foremost in Canada regarding legislation in sustainable energy, the environment, as well as pharmaceutical care. His focus on environmental issues led to the creation of the Governor General's Conservation Awards in

RCMP raids home of journalist Juliet O’Neill, prompting widespread condemnation. Ottawa Citizen reporter Juliet O’Neill was writing about the imprisonment and torture of Canadian Maher Arar, who spent a year in a Syrian prison after being detained in the United States and sent to Syria due to information given to them by Canadian officials. The issue became more than just an embarrassment for the Canadian government as questions arose about the information Canadian officials had given the U.S. In the end, Arar was exonerated with an apology and an $11.5 million settlement from the Canadian government. On January 21, 2004, 10 RCMP officers raided O’Neill’s home, taking copies of her computer files along with notebooks, address books and other documents. They were investigating a possible breach of the Security of Information Act and implicating O’Neill in criminal activity. Worldwide condemnation by organizations devoted to freedom of the press followed immediately. PEN Canada for Freedom of Expression express

Norman L. Kwong of Calgary installed as Alberta’s 16th lieutenant governor. Norman Kwong was born in Calgary, 1929 to parents who had immigrated to Canada from China years earlier. In high school, Kwong took a liking to football and at the age of 18 in 1948 joined the Calgary Stampeders Football Club as a halfback. In doing so, he became the first Chinese Canadian player on a Canadian Football League team (CFL) and the youngest on a team that won the Grey Cup. He played for Calgary for three years before being traded to the Edmonton Eskimos for another 10. His career was a spectacular one. Known as the “China Clipper,” he broke numerous records and won many awards. In 1955 and 1956, Kwong won the Schenley Award (given to the CFL’s most outstanding Canadian player). In 1955 he won Canada’s Athlete of the Year. He retired from professional football in 1960 but came back almost three decades later to become president and general manager of his first team, the Stampeders. In 1998 Kwong was awarded the Order of Ca

woman prime minister. Indira Gandhi was born into a political family. Her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was India’s first prime minister, following independence from British rule in 1947. She was schooled in West Bengal and Oxford, and married Feroze Gandhi, a lawyer who rose to prominence in Indian politics before his death in 1960. Like her father, her husband and the most famous of Indians, Mohandas Ghandi (no relation), she was always actively involved in the Congress Party. When India’s prime minister died suddenly four days before the leadership contest, Gandhi put her name forward to lead the party. On January 19, 1966, she won the support of 355 of the Congress Party’s MPs, in sharp contrast to the 169 who supported former Finance Minister Morarji Desai. She became India’s first woman prime minister, leader of the largest democracy on Earth. Although she also won the general elections in 1967 and 1971, 1977 proved her first election loss. She’d just been convicted of corruption and creating a two-year sta

Supreme Court upholds Robert Latimer’s 10-year sentence for murdering daughter Tracy. When Robert Latimer killed his daughter on October 24, 1993, some called him compassionate while others called him a murderer. Tracy Latimer was 12 years old at the time of her death. Due to a lifetime of severe cerebral palsy, she weighed 40 pounds, was a quadriplegic, had the mental capacity of a four-month-old baby and was unable to walk, talk or feed herself. Her mother and father witnessed her five to six seizures a day and felt she endured excruciating pain. Doctors suggested surgery to allow for tube feeding and perhaps better management of her pain, but the Latimers refused, thinking of this as mutilation and the continuity of her suffering. Latimer, a Saskatchewan farmer, placed his daughter in their pickup truck and ran a hose from the exhaust pipe into the cab. Initially, Latimer told authorities Tracy had passed away in her sleep, but he later confessed to his actions. He was convicted of second-degree murder but

Ontario’s Pauline McGibbon is appointed the Commonwealth’s first woman lieutenant governor. Pauline Emily Mills was born in Sarnia, Ontario on October 20, 1910. She married her high school love, Donald McGibbon, in 1933, with whom she graduated from the University of Toronto’s Victoria College. At a time when women were just starting to break through gender barriers, McGibbon achieved many firsts. She was the first woman chancellor of the University of Guelph and the first woman chancellor of the University of Toronto. When she sat on the boards of George Weston, IBM, Imasco and Mercedes-Benz, she was the first woman to do so. On January 17, 1974, when the Canadian government announced that Mills would sit as Ontario’s lieutenant governor, she made history three times over. Not only was she the province’s and Canada’s first female to take on the vice-regal’s role, but she was the first in the entire Commonwealth. She held the position from April 10, 1974 until 1980. Before, during and after her post as t

Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi flees Iran as Islamic Ayatollah takes control. In 1941, Britain and the Soviet Union invaded Iran to replace the Iranian monarch, the shah of Iran, with his son, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. The new shah reigned over his country with limited powers until 1953, when his supporters – helped by the British and American governments – removed the country’s prime minister in a coup. In the 1960s, the shah brought in reforms in an effort to liberalize the country. He also chose to take strong action against the growing tide of Muslim support. In 1963, the Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini was imprisoned, then exiled for his opposition to the shah’s regime. For every act of opposition, the shah would bring in stronger measures, violating human rights in order to hold onto power. With the Ayatollah receiving considerable support in exile, the battle lines were drawn. Near the end of his regime, the shah imposed martial law, but it was not enough to dissuade the Ayatollah’s supporters from enacting massiv

U.S. President Richard Nixon orders ceasefire in Vietnam. With the deaths of more than 900,000 North Vietnamese, 180,000 South Vietnamese, 5,000 foreign Allies and 45,000 Americans, President Richard Nixon called for an end of his government’s bombing of North Vietnam and adjoining countries on January 15, 1973. That ended 18 years of American involvement in Vietnam, marked by an ever escalating military presence aimed at stopping the Viet Cong from getting a country-wide communist hold. Nixon decided to cut his losses – end a losing battle – when his National Security Affairs assistant, Dr. Henry Kissinger, returned from peace negotiations in France with a draft proposal. The proposal outlined the ceasefire, withdrawal of troops within two months of signing, the simultaneous release of prisoners, plans to ensure peace between North and South Vietnam, and a U.S. pledge to contribute to their economic restructuring. Kissinger then returned to Paris to secure the ceasefire that took effect midnight of January 2

Segregationist George C. Wallace is sworn in as governor of Alabama. George Corley Wallace was born in Clio, Alabama in 1919 and graduated from the University of Alabama Law School in 1942. Following a brief military stint, he found his legal work taking him into politics. Initially elected to the Alabama legislature and bench as a judge, the long-time Democrat was defeated in his race for governor in 1958. His opponent had the support of the Ku Klux Klan, an endorsement Wallace refused. But Wallace was so devastated by his defeat, that he quickly adopted the racist views of the majority. In the next race for governor, he promoted segregation and small government – and was sworn in on January 14, 1963 after garnering more votes than any previous governor in Alabama. In his inaugural speech, Wallace pledged “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." Federal interference blocked Wallace from keeping the pledge, but he was elected four times as governor and ran the same number of times for U.

Ann Cools becomes Canada’s first black senator. Born in Barbados in 1943, Anne Cools moved to Montreal at the age of 13. She graduated from McGill University with a bachelor of arts and worked at various academic institutions. Early on in her career, she demonstrated a passion for advocacy, taking on issues such as domestic violence and violence against women. An active member of Canada’s Liberal Party, she ran for the House of Commons in both 1979 and 1980 in Toronto. Her work inspired Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to appoint her to the Senate on January 13, 1984. It was a proud moment for blacks to hail Canada’s first black senator. But among her fellow Liberals, Cools was controversial. They regarded her stands on family issues as anything but “liberal.” She worked against expanding the definition of family, and opposed legislation that seemed to work against fathers’ rights. She was recognized by a number of organizations, including REAL Women, (Realistic, Equal, Active, for Life) for promoting family val

Synchronized swimmer Helen Vanderburg Shaw is born in Calgary, Alberta. Helen Vanderburg Shaw was born in Calgary, Alberta on January 12, 1959. From an early age, she showed amazing talent as a synchronized swimmer. In 1973, Vanderburg Shaw won the Canadian Junior Championships; in 1977 she took first place at the Pan Pacific Games and earned six gold medals at the Canadian Championships. But Calgary’s phenomenal teen swimmer was just warming up. In 1978 at the World Aquatic Games in Berlin, she became the first Canadian to win the World Championships, taking gold medals in both the solo and duet events. In fact, with partner Michelle Caulkins, she was the first non-American to win both events in the same competition. She repeated her win the next year at the 1979 Pan Am Games in Puerto Rico, and at the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Cup in Tokyo. Vanderburg Shaw was elected Canada’s Female Athlete of the Year in both 1978 and 1979. She was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fa

B.C. Human Rights Tribunal rules that a Jehovah’s Witness not required to display Christmas décor at work. Ray Jones worked for a Victoria, B.C.’s Shoppers Drug Mart store for 16 years. As a Jehovah’s Witness, he was never expected to display Christmas decorations, since his religion forbade the celebration and promotion of this Christian event. So in November 1998, when his supervisor asked him to put out six poinsettias, Jones refused. The supervisor’s reaction to his refusal led Jones to quit his job. He ended up at the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal, which on January 11, 2001 ruled in his favour, confirming that his employer should have accommodated his religious beliefs. The tribunal ruled that the task of putting out the poinsettias took only 10 seconds, and the refusal of Jones to do so did not constitute “undue hardship” for the store. When Jones was awarded more than $30,000, it garnered headlines across Canada. However, the court awarded more than $27,000 of that amount for lost wages, as is the norm fo