Human Rights A Day

Remembrance Day established the year after first world war’s end. On Monday, November 11, 1918 at 11:00 a.m., the fist world war came to an official end. The following year, the Commonwealth established Armistice Day, later to be known as Remembrance Day – a day for remembering the men and women who died during battles. During the first world war, of the 619,636 Canadian men and women who served, 66,655 died and another 172,950 were wounded. The second world war - with 1,081,865 Canadians in service - took the lives of 46,777 Canadian men and women with another 53,145 wounded. Some 516 Canadian soldiers also died during the Korean War. The poppy, a symbol of remembrance in many countries, has special significance for Canadians. In 1915, Canadian Lt.-Col. John McCrae wrote the poem, In Flanders Fields, when he saw poppies growing beside a grave of a close friend who had died in battle. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nigeria hangs human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. Kenule “Ken” Saro-Wiwa was born on October 10, 1941 in Bori, Nigeria, a member of the Ogoni ethnic minority. The homelands of the Ogoni are in the Niger Delta, where oil extraction has negatively impacted the environment. As an adult, Saro-Wiwa became a successful businessman who in time turned his attention to writing novels and producing television programs – both to high acclaim. However, his political and environmental involvement caught the attention of Nigeria’s military government. In 1990, Saro-Wiwa founded MOSOP, the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, through which he and other supporters pressed the government to address the environmental damage from oil companies Shell and British Petroleum. In May 1994, the government arrested Saro-Wiwa, later sentencing him to death for the alleged murders of four Ogoni elders. Leaders from around the globe urged Nigeria’s government to grant clemency for what everyone knew to be trumped-up conviction

When Mikhail Gorbachev took control of the Soviet Union in 1985, he brought about change well beyond his own borders. In East Germany, the Berlin Wall symbolized the divide between East and West, freedom and oppression. The East German government had put up barriers in 1961 to prevent the flow of millions of East Germans to the West. Once completed, the wall stood 12 feet high and 96 miles long. Thousands tried to make it across. Many made it, but 246 were killed trying. Even when the cold war officially ended and countries like Hungary and Czechoslovakia eased up travel restrictions, the flow continued. Finally, a change of leadership in East Germany led to liberalization. The East German government announced that as of November 9, 1989, travel restrictions would be lifted and the gates of the Berlin Wall would open. Thousands of people took to the streets with picks and axes to tear down the wall and East and West Germany were soon unified as they had been before the second world war. See acast.com/privacy

Ireland elects first woman president. Mary Robinson served as an Irish senator for 20 years, simultaneously working as a civil and human rights lawyer. She ran unsuccessfully for Parliament under the Labour Party twice, then made a run for president as an Independent a few years after leaving the Labour Party. On November 8, 1990, Robinson became Ireland’s first woman president. By Irish standards, she was considered a radical for her campaigns to liberalize divorce and abortion laws in the heavily Catholic country. Before she took the helm, the presidential role was largely ceremonial. She raised its status through her dedicated work on humanity issues at both the national and international level. Robinson left her presidential post one year early in 1997 to become the United Nations commissioner for human rights. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Supreme Court of Canada upholds decision to imprison a homosexual as a "dangerous sex offender." Everett George Klippert unwittingly woke Canadians up to injustices against homosexuals, and inspired Pierre Trudeau’s famous quote, “The state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation.” On the morning of August 16, 1965, when RCMP officers in Pine Point, Northwest Territories happened to speak to Klippert, he openly revealed his homosexuality, and mentioned he’d been sexually involved with a number of men during his adult life. They arrested him and the next day, in Hay River, he was charged with four counts of gross indecency under section 149 of the criminal code. Days later, he was sentenced to three years in prison, and on a subsequent charge, was declared a dangerous sexual offender to be held in prison indefinitely. Even on a final appeal, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against Klippert on November 7, 1967. Despite the court’s majority opinion, many Canadians were shocked. Klippert’s case alerted them

Women’s group files discrimination complaint against CNR. On November 6, 1979, the Quebec group Action Travail des Femmes filed the first of 155 complaints against the Canadian National Railway (CNR), alleging systemic discrimination against women in its hiring and promotional practices. The case took years to wind its way through the human rights and court system, but eventually, the Supreme Court of Canada agreed with an earlier Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision, and ordered CNR to hire one woman for every four non-traditional jobs filled, until the firm attained the Canadian national average in its ratio of male to female employees. Chief Justice Brian Dixon noted that CNR had indeed “prevented and discouraged women from working on blue collar jobs.” See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Quebec’s new lieutenant governor resigns for wearing swastika during student protest. On September 12, 1996, Prime Minister Jean Chretien appointed Jean-Louis Roux as lieutenant governor for Quebec. A strong federalist who had campaigned vigorously against separation during the 1995 referendum, Roux had a long and prominent career as a stage and television actor in the province. However, in an interview with L’Actualité magazine, Roux admitted that in 1942, when he was 19 years old, he’d worn a swastika during a student protest against conscription. This prompted numerous requests for his resignation from many fronts, including the Jewish community. Roux argued that his actions had been a lark and in no way related to the anti-Semitism common at that time. But when the media revealed that Jewish shops had been vandalized in the heat of that protest, pressure mounted against Roux. He finally resigned as Quebec’s vice-regal on November 5, 1996. Two months later, the prime minister appointed Lise Thibault to the

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney apologizes to Italian Canadians for World War II internment. While Canada’s mistreatment of Japanese Canadians before, during and after World War II became well known, its mistreatment of Italian Canadians was less publicized. Of course, being at war with fascist Italy prompted suspicions about some Canadians of Italian descent as well. Although Canada detained hundreds of Italian Canadians in internment camps, few had their property seized as did Japanese Canadians. Even so, years of discussions ensued before Canada agreed to acknowledge its injustices to this community. On November 4, 1990 in Concord, Ontario, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney apologized to the Italian community in a speech addressed to the National Congress of Italian Canadians and the Canadian Italian Business Professionals Association. The speech was not accompanied by monetary compensation, because Italian Canadians had agreed that, given the lack of property seizures, it was not necessary. However, 15 years l

Canadian court allows gay inmates family-visitation rights. Timothy Veysey, an inmate at the Warkworth Institution in Ontario, wanted his partner, Leslie Beau, to participate in the facility’s private family visiting program. The only drawback was, the program’s aim was to prepare inmates for a successful return to their community by supporting their family relationships – and Veysey’s and Beau’s gay relationship was not regarded as “family.” So Veysey went to court claiming that his rights had been violated. Although protections under the Charter of Rights did not explicitly include sexual orientation (as it did gender, race, religion and others), he argued that he should receive the same protections. On November 3, 1989, Justice Dube of the Federal Court of Canada agreed with Veysey and ordered the Correctional Service of Canada to revisit its decision. The judge rejected the argument that harm would come to Veysey if inmates found out about the visits. Less than seven months later, the Federal Court of App

Former Yukon MP Martha Black dies. Martha Munger, born in Chicago in 1866, left a life of privilege, as well as a husband, to join the Klondike gold rush in 1898. Her journey involved a rugged 92-kilometre hike through Chilkoot Pass in the Rocky Mountains, but her wealth made it easier than for most; she paid others to haul her mass of gear. In 1904 she married her second husband, George Black, who later became commissioner of the Yukon Territory and a member of Parliament. Martha’s career included partnering in gold mine businesses and running a sawmill. When her husband was too ill to run as MP in 1935, Black ran for Parliament herself. She became Canada’s second female MP at the age of 69. Five years later, when her husband recovered, she gave up the seat she had been “holding” for him. Black died on November 2, 1957 at age 91, but her name (and that of her husband) lives on through streets and mountain peaks named after the couple. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Separatist and former Quebec Premier René Lévesque dies. For years, French-speaking Quebecers were treated like minorities in their own province. Then the “quiet revolution” of the 1960s fuelled the flames of separation, convincing Francophones that Canada would never give them the respect they deserved, and instilling in them a desire for their own country. In 1976, René Lévesque, a former reporter and popular television show host, became the first premier of any province to pledge separation from Canada. A former Liberal Quebec cabinet minister, Lévesque had joined forces with other separatists to create the Parti Québécois. He lost the 1980 referendum on separation but continued winning elections until his retirement in 1985. Quebec changed significantly under his leadership; Francophones finally became maitre chez nous (masters in their own house). On November 1, 1987, Levesque died in Montreal. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Supreme Court of Canada refuses to force treatment on glue-sniffing pregnant woman. “Ms. G” was so addicted to glue sniffing that she was deemed unable to care for her children. All three of them were taken into custody by Winnipeg Child and Family Services and two were permanently disabled due to her addiction. In August 1996, while five months pregnant with her fourth child, a Manitoba judge ordered Ms. G placed in the custody of the director of the Manitoba Child and Family Services, where she was put into a hospital. Two days later the judge’s order was overturned, yet the mother stayed in the hospital until discharged and stayed clean until the birth of her child, which she was allowed to raise. While previously the Supreme Court of Canada said an unborn child does not have legal rights, could they consider placing the mother into custody in order to protect the health of the child? In a seven-to-two decision, the Supreme Court of Canada decided they could not. Numerous organizations were granted lea

Women allowed into the House of Lords through hereditary titles. The British system of peerage for the aristocracy meant that titles and other privileges always passed from father to son. This tradition persisted even after the House of Commons outlawed gender discrimination years earlier. For 40 years, the government simply refused to apply that stipulation to the House of Lords membership. The practice finally ended on October 30, 1957 when the British government announced that women would be allowed into the House of Lords through the peerage system. That meant that for the first time in history, hereditary titles could pass from father to daughter, allowing women life peerage. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

U.S. Supreme Court orders an immediate end to school segregation. In 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States made it clear that schools segregating blacks from whites were in the wrong. In the famous case of Brown v. Board of Education, Chief Justice Earl Warren said, “We conclude that in the field of public education, the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” But the American South dragged its heels over integrating its schools, which eventually brought Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education before the court. On October 29, 1969, Supreme Court justices ruled that 33 Mississippi school districts had to act promptly on integration plans. Where earlier, the federal government and an appeals court had allowed delays, the Supreme Court stated emphatically that schools must complete the desegregation process immediately. President Richard Nixon followed up the court’s declaration by promising that he and his government would support

Winnipeg’s Glen Murray becomes Canada’s first openly gay mayor. Glen Murray was born in Montreal on October 27, 1957. After graduating from Concordia University in Quebec, he worked for Canada Post, which transferred him to Winnipeg in 1985. In 1990, Murray ran for city council with a left-of-centre civic party; he was popular enough to win and get re-elected. That made him decide to run for mayor in 1998, despite some supporters’ concerns about how his homosexuality would affect his chances. Murray was not only openly gay, but he was featured in a 1992 documentary, “A Kind of Family,” in which he narrated his struggles of adopting a teenaged boy and trying to bring some stability to his life after a childhood marked by years of being bounced from one foster home to another. On October 28, 1998, after a campaign in which some of his opponents made an issue of his sexual orientation, Glen Murray was elected mayor of Winnipeg with 50.5 per cent of the vote. That made him Canada’s first openly gay mayor of a maj

Court ruling forces Canadian Army to protect gay and lesbian members of the military. When air-force lieutenant Michelle Douglas was forced out of the Canadian military for being a lesbian, the Federal Court of Canada ruled that the armed forces had infringed on her rights. Canada’s military head, General John de Chastelain, responded to that ruling by issuing a statement on October 27, 1992. Canada’s military service, he emphasized, was open to gay men and lesbians. The court’s decision put Canada ahead of most NATO countries in allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in their military. The military paid Douglas $100,000 as part of the settlement, which led to other human rights action that finally put sexual orientation protections into the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hollywood’s first black Oscar-winner, Hattie McDaniel, dies. Very few African American actresses have been nominated for Academy Awards, even today. The second black woman to win an Oscar was Whoopi Goldberg in 1990 for her supporting role in the movie Ghost. The first was Hattie McDaniel, who was born June 10, 1895 in Wichita, Kansas. She began her career by working beside other blacks in the limited roles that tent shows and vaudeville allowed. After a stint as a radio singer, she moved to Hollywood to build an impressive movie career. Even though movie producers withheld prime roles from blacks at the time, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People saw fit to criticize McDaniel for playing characters that perpetuated black stereotypes. Ironically, it was her role as Mammy in the legendary 1939 movie Gone with the Wind that made her the first African American woman to win an Academy Award. Despite her prominent place in history, McDaniel faced discrimination for the color of her skin. D

Prime Minister Eugenia Charles stands with Ronald Reagan announcing Grenada invasion. Mary Eugenia Charles was born on May 15, 1919 in the village of Pointe Michel, Dominica, an island nation of 290 square kilometres in the Caribbean Sea. Eugenia went to school in Canada, graduating from the University of Toronto, then attended the London School of Economics before heading back home to become a lawyer in 1949. Charles practiced law for years until the Labour government passed laws restricting criticism of the government, prompting her to enter politics. She was elected to Parliament in 1970 under the new Dominica Freedom Party and became and leader of the Opposition in 1975. In 1979 Dominica became fully independent from Britain and in July 1980 Charles was elected prime minister, a post she held until June 1995. When elected prime minister, she became the first woman prime minister in the Caribbean and the first black woman to lead a country. She soon became known as the “Iron Lady of the Caribbean” for her

United Nations founded. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill used the term “United Nations” in reference to the Allies fighting Germany, Italy and Japan. After the term’s first formal use in 1942, the Allies referred to themselves as the “United Nations Fighting Forces.” Hence the United Nations was founded in the wake of the second world war’s destruction in the hope that a world body assigned to deal with conflict might lower the chance of future world wars. In late 1943 and through the summer of 1944, representatives of the Soviet Union, United States, Britain and China met to discuss creating the United Nations. On March 5, 1945, the governments of these four countries sent invitations to 42 other countries to join in a conference in San Francisco that would begin the legwork of the United Nations charter. Two criteria determined who could attend this influential meeting: First, the countries had to have signed the Declaration by United Nations on January 1, 19

Pearl McGonigal named Manitoba’s first female lieutenant governor. The Honourable Pearl McGonigal was a part of the Winnipeg political scene for many years. She was the first woman elected to the St. James-Assiniboia city council, a position to which she was re-elected when Winnipeg amalgamated with its suburb cities. She went on to become Winnipeg’s deputy mayor. Then, on October 23, 1981, McGonigal became the first woman to be appointed lieutenant governor of Manitoba, and only the second Canadian woman to hold such a post. She held this vice regal post until December 1986. In 1994, McGonigal was appointed to the Order of Canada, and in 2000 to the Order of Manitoba. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.