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The conversation can sometimes be uncomfortable or difficult, but it is too important to let that stop us. We work hard every day to try to reduce and eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health. In order to recover, we must be willing to find and accept help. We can have conversations with our family and friends, even when it is difficult to do so.

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When I introduced Bill C-246, I said it would help to bring our animal protection laws into the 21st century, but it was really a basket of modest measures to improve our laws. While Bill C-246 was defeated, citizens across our country spoke loudly in support of improving our animal protection laws. And here is the silver lining: an issue that was not on our government's agenda is now there, thanks to the incredible outreach efforts of compassionate Canadians of all political stripes.

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One morning, I noticed a man behind me acting rather strange. This bloke was a fairly standard looking late middle aged man, probably in his 50's or early 60's, regulation belly protruding from his unfashionable shirt and bland baseball hat from some town he had once visited now covering his humpty dumpty head. And he was, quite clearly, a Trump.

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Technology plays a large part in the lives of everyone; it's where we communicate, learn, express ourselves and spend much of our leisure time, but what does it look like when the primary medium we use for these things becomes corrupted with hate and abuse?

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As an 18-year-old on Canada's no-fly list, I've realized what it means to be an adult and adjust to the responsibilities that come with it, I also have to deal with many fears and anxieties that most other people around my age do not have to face like boarding a plane with my friends an having to deal with any issues that may leave me stranded in a country not my own.

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The ripple effect of our collective decision to address this discomfort has been felt worldwide. Since that time, we have helped restart the lives of more than 30,000 newcomers. Our unique integration methods are hailed as an international model.

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Research has shown women with disabilities and deaf women face multiple barriers to accessing health care, including cancer screening and treatment. In some cases, health care practitioners focus on the disability itself as a health problem, and ignore the overall health of the patient.

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One night many years ago, while out for a few beers, a good friend of mine leaned in and, with a serious look on his face, said, "Does all this sustainability stuff really make a difference, or are we just rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic?"

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There's an old saying in the real estate industry: Drive until you qualify. Can't afford a home in downtown Toronto? Maybe look a little further from the core -- perhaps Etobicoke, or Mississauga, or Milton, or... Just how far are young home buyers willing to drive?

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The federal government's approval of the Pacific NorthWest LNG project has been presented as a positive outcome for industry and government, and a negative one for First Nations. The simple truth is, not all First Nations are opposed to the project. In fact, many along the project's route are in favour, and here's why

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In early June, 2003, Air Canada was about to launch its inaugural non-stop flight from Montreal to Beirut. But then, inexplicably, the Canadian government pulled the rug out from under Air Canada -- citing "national security" issues.

Quinn Greene

My name is Quinn Greene. I am mentally ill. My mother, Roxie. My father, Dave. My brother, Kane. We are all mentally ill. We are actor, entertainer, musician, writer. And we are anger, hoarding, anxiety and depression. But we are also working hard, fighting back, finding health and strength in each other, and we are full of hope.

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We can be steeped in tradition and obligation and feel overwhelmed by the expectations family holidays can bring. There may be that feeling that someone else is driving what we feel is expected of us during a holiday celebration. Could be family, friends or neighbours.

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Women continue to fear for their safety not only on campuses but on streets, in parks and on trails. I have spoken to a number of women who say they no longer jog alone on wooded trails. They also face harassment and implicit bias in the workplace which affects their ability to be effective and to advance in those workplaces. And now Trump has brought that same harassment onto a global political stage.

Gwyneth Richardson

The bullying I faced earlier in my life, was something that stuck with me and is still something that affects me today. My social anxiety and depression went hand in hand making events seem impossible, school lunch a nightmare and made my bed the only place I felt comfortable being.

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A term associated with dual and/or multiple expressions of identity alongside national identification, "hyphenated Canadian" identities are now an important part of our diverse ethnic landscape - and we owe it to the efforts of the very same individuals who regarded such multiple identities as a source of division.

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Teal Swan was only six years old when she found herself in the hands of her abuser and forced into a nightmarish world that a lot of people were unwilling (or unable) to believe. For the better part of 13 years, she was was raped, beaten and psychologically tortured by people who she was told to trust.

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Trans people are diverse, but we are not all the same. Non-binary trans people have been largely excluded from the discussion about trans people, and this erasure delegitimizes our identity. What troubles me is that some people are acting out dangerous forms of transphobia to erase non-binary trans people.

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As the international community is closely following the recent rejection of the peace deal in Colombia, another key issue has long been ignored in this war-torn nation: there has been an ongoing humanitarian crisis in the northern Colombian province of La Guajira, a remote and impoverished desert peninsula.

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Telling a great story should be the goal of every photograph. Food is chock-full of nostalgia and emotion. Photographing a great meal means styling, lighting, and shooting in a way that invokes a specific emotional response from the viewer. Is it a date night? Game day? Thanksgiving dinner? All very different experiences, and your food photo can tell that story.

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I was two months short of being 12. I went to bed quite late, only to be startled shortly afterwards by my mother. She was attempting to wake my father. She was yelling, "The war has started!" Years later I can still clearly recall the fright with which I got up. The haunting sound of the sirens still rings in my ears.