On June 5, 2013, the visitors galleries held a number of members of the Grandmothers Advocacy Network. MP Frank Valeriote was one who paid tribute to GRAN in glowing terms.
Jun 162013
GRAN makes a splash on Parliament Hill
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Jun 162013
June 3-6 saw 50 members of the GRAN Leadership Team, national Steering Committee and many who have participated in GRAN sub-committees and working groups convened in Ottawa to address matters of issues selection and governance, and to receive input from national experts on global poverty reduction, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS and the law, elder women research, official development assistance and international trade agreements with implications for patent rights.
A highlight of the time together was a meeting convened by MP Helen Laverdiere (sponsor of Bill C-398) in one of the larger committee rooms on the hill where MPs from all parties gathered to listen to and speak with “The GRAN“, as many termed us.
Jun 102013
According to a press release from Action Canada: for Population and Development, Canada is putting up road blocks to numerous key recommendations relating to sexual violence against women being proposed at a UN gathering in Geneva. “Governments and civil society are calling into question the leadership of the Canadian government on the theme of Violence Read more . . .
Salute to GRAN in the House of Commons
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Jun 102013
On June 5, 2013, 50 GRAN participants in “Hello Friends” * sat in on Question Period in the House of Commons and later participated in a meeting with MPs representing all parties to discuss GRAN priorities. The video below depicts MP Helene Laverdiere offering a tribute to the GRAN participants occupying parts of the visitors Read more . . .
Jun 082013
Conflict minerals are mined in conflict zones, especially in the Republic of the Congo. Rebel militias control an illegal trade in specific minerals necessary for electronics we use every day, like cell phones. They exert control in the communities where they mine, or through which they wish to transport these minerals, by appalling violence against Read more . . .
Kenyan girls secure victory
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May 292013
On April 12, 2013, we carried a video about a campaign in Kenya, based upon the stories of 160 girls between the ages of 3 and 18 who had been raped without any validation or follow-up by police. The court process was focussed upon 11 representative girls’ rape cases. Yesterday, the Kenyan High Court announced Read more . . .
Bill C-398: NOT forgotten VIDEO
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Apr 172013
This week, on Tuesday April 16th, 2013, Helene Laverdiere again raised issues related to the handling of Bill C-398 in the House of Commons. Parliamentary Secretary to Industry, MP Mike Lake, responds. This video is worth watching and the matter worth remembering. As the speakers go back and forth between English and French, English translation Read more . . .
Millenium Development Goals Update VIDEO
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Apr 162013
April 5th marked the beginning of the last 1,000 days until the target date for fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Established at the UN in the year 2000, signed by most developed states including Canada, the MDGs have been an inspiration and a reference point for global development ever since. We’ve made progress but Read more . . .
Apr 122013
The “160 Girls Project” in Kenya involves 160 girls, including AIDS orphans, originally aged 3-17 years, who suffered rape at the hands of family members, strangers and even the police. Working with the Equality Effect group, these girls are demanding justice from the Kenya government on constitutional grounds. On October 11, 2012, the first International Read more . . .
Apologies subscribers
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Apr 112013
For reasons unknown, protocols for the Google feedburner program I’ve been using to keep track of subscribers and send out notices when new content appears on the site is on the fritz. People haven’t been getting the notices they signed up for. I apologize. I have been trying to work at the problem for a Read more . . .