Recently, Justin Trudeau and his family took-up an offer from the Aga Khan to join him on his private island in the Bahamas. They were able to escape the cold, but clearly not the controversy. This whole thing has rubbed many people in Parliament, and across the country the wrong way. People have grabbed their metaphorical pitchforks and the ethics commission is now investigating. Sure, without context it seems as though this is just another lobbyist using wealth and influence to sway things in his favour, but if you actually want truth, context is everything.
He's the latest (last?) candidate to join the race to replace Stephen Harper as leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. He has no political experience and doesn't speak French. Still, I think he has a better chance of winning than most of the candidates in the ring so far.
As human tornado Donald Trump begins his apocalyptic presidency and Conservative leadership candidates Kellie Leitch and Kevin O'Leary try to emulate him here at home, it's time for Trudeau to get back to his old ways before the southern storm front crosses our border.
Who am I? If you look at what I eat and what I cook, it's the equivalent of throwing a dart at a map. The easy answer is that I'm Canadian. Few nationalities give you the privilege of good global gastronomy with such ease. The complicated answer is that I'm someone longing to reconnect with my Vietnamese roots.
You had me, McDonald's... but now you don't. I have defended and promoted the McDonald's brand countless times, but now I feel that I can't. This new allergy notice posted in all Canadian restaurants tells me that anyone with food allergies is not welcome at McDonald's.
At noon this Friday, what was once thought impossible is scheduled to happen -- Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. We are entering a period of unprecedented instability brought on by a Commander in Chief in the United States who seems to make policy through middle-of-the-night tweets and headline-grabbing interviews with select media.
It's a new year and in the new year, people start thinking new beginnings: "It's time to start looking for a job." The problem is, how can you make your resume stand out amongst all the others? How can you be the chosen one? Here are five tips to make your resume stand out in front of the virtual crowd.
I always spoke English with my parents and I never had any sense that my communication with them was in any way inhibited. There was no pressure to learn German or Czech. If anything, my parents wanted me to learn French, which we studied at school without any great success.
Neighbourhoods are always in a constant state of flux -- real estate developers continuously build new communities, cities enhance public spaces and, as neighbourhoods evolve, the population begins to change over time.
We are currently embroiled in a mass-extinction event and, by 2025, up to a fifth of our known wildlife species will be lost. Don't worry, this post isn't like the last ten minutes of a wildlife documentary where they tell you that all the lovely animals that you have been enjoying are about to die, and it's your fault.
Three years of conflict in South Sudan have taken a massive toll on the lives of millions of children and women across the country. As a result of the violence that erupted in December, 2013, nearly 3.1 million South Sudanese have been forced to flee their homes, with children representing about half of all those who are displaced.
Humans are one species among countless others to which we are connected and on which we depend. Viewed that way, everything we do has repercussions and carries responsibilities. That we are part of a vast web is a biocentric way of seeing that we've followed for most of our existence. But in assuming the mantle of "dominant" species, we've shifted to thinking we're at the centre of everything.
There are a lot of kind, educated, empowering and reasonable men in our communities, but sometimes they fail to acknowledge what we deal with. Sometimes there's so few of us working at an organization that we become representative of Native American Women concerning every issue, no matter our personal experiences, or specializations, or politics on representation.
Last week the B.C. Liberal government approved the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project. They have stated that Kinder Morgan has met their five conditions and have added 37 new conditions with their approval. From the National Energy Board hearings, to the recent to governmental approval, the process was problematic right from the start. It was nothing more than a public relations exercise.
As the famous Canadian media theorist, Marshall McLuhan, suggests "the medium is the message". While we most often apply this quote to communications or technology, I like to think of its application to the design of everything from city streets to textiles. I often wonder about the assumptions buried within various systems we have designed to develop, educate, work and live.
There are real indigenous people who do not know where they belong because their culture and communities have been taken from them by colonization, inter-generational trauma, victimization, racism and oppression. Like my late father, they may spend a lifetime of pain trying to make sense of what happened to them and wondering what the love of a mother and father was like. There are many ways people can support, point out injustice and take part in indigenous culture. But trying on the outfit of "indigenous" when it doesn't belong to you is always a horrible idea.
When it comes to marriage, emotional and sexual intimacy are two sides of the same coin. In successful marriages, we see a pretty decent balance. We see a couple who is going through life as best friends, and who just happen to think the other is pretty damn hot. Sex is a "use it or lose it" kind of thing.
My sister Yasmin took this picture on Jan 7, 2013. It was after my six-hour long emergency brain surgery. No one knew if I would wake up, but she took this picture. After months of living in the hospital and doing more weeks of therapy that I can count, I did recover from having a stroke and brain surgery.
She inspired Americans to be more caring and respectful toward one-another, as she never treated anyone with less than the utmost respect. For that reason, she won the love, respect and admiration of her fellow Americans. Many First Ladies are respected and admired, it's true, but few were as deeply loved as Mrs. Obama has been.
The number one issue in every corner of B.C. this year is affordable housing. In May British Columbians will head to the polls with a rising class of young people wondering if they'll ever own a home, Gen Xers considering leaving B.C., and seniors telling their seniors advocate that housing is the number one issue for them.
In 2016, as our children watched, bullying became legitimate. What we accept without dissent, what we allow to be framed as normal, alters according to our level of desensitization. We have become increasingly desensitized to bullying behaviour.
If you're not arrogant enough to believe that you know or recall everything that might be important, and you're willing to consult other authoritative sources, you may actually be more accurate and effective as a result.
Will the newly sworn in president speak of his genuine interest for uniting the country, which is rich with diverse cultures and beliefs?