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Winnipeg Free Press
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cuba, human rights and the greater good
Opinion The invocation of human rights discourse in Cuba is sensitive and often controversial. I vividly remember my first trip to Cuba in the mid-1990s, where we (I was travelling with a group of students from Saint Mary's University in Halifax) visited the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples (ICAP) in Havana. When a question and answer discussion started, I asked about Cuba's human rights record within the country. The room suddenly grew quiet. But, as is often the case, the Cuban representatives attending the session were more than happy to entertain my query. They wanted to make clear to the group that context, historical experience and cultural patterns and values are critical to grappling with such a thorny issue. I want to be very clear myself from the outset that this op-ed piece is not about defending or excoriating Cuba's human rights record. Readers can visit the country, talk to the people, and see for themselves. This piece hopes to foster greater understanding and context and spur debate. As a socialist and revolutionary country, Cuba gives more prominence to social policy challenges — as opposed to Western-style civil and political rights — and thus values economic, social and cultural rights or responsibilities. For them, the emphasis is on the valuing of 'human' life, as became clear during the ICAP discussion, and rests on advancing Cubans' human dignity, taking care of their basic human needs and tending to their overall welfare. Cuban President Fidel Castro, in an October 1979 speech before the UN General Assembly, stated emphatically: 'I speak on behalf of those who have been denied the right to life and human dignity.' Put another way, governmental preference should be given to collective or group rights/interests and not individual civil and political rights. It is also true that Global North free and fair elections are absent in Cuba, as are constitutionally mandated press freedoms and, most important, the right to engage in political dissent. Moreover, the Madrid-based non-governmental organization, Prisoners Defenders, maintains that there were over 1,000 political prisoners in Cuban jails in 2024. On the other hand, the Cuban government gives priority to responsibilities (as advanced by a socialist state that embodies the people) around equality, family, labour and, most significantly, community or group rights. Again, the focus revolves around human dignity, economic sustenance and ensuring that basic needs are met. For instance, the state seeks to keep the cost of housing low, subsidizes housing materials and offers low-cost rental fees. To a large extent (and these days everything is in short supply in Cuba), access to decent health care, education (including at the university level), a job and a small retirement pension are all guaranteed by the Cuban government. Socially speaking, Cuba has legally entrenched same-sex marriage (and adoption rights), prohibits discrimination based on gender, identity and sexual orientation and has recognized transgender people (and made gender affirmation surgery available for free). It has also codified responsibilities for equal family responsibilities for children, a family life free from violence and an inclusive LGBTTQ+ public health and education program. Much work, of course, still remains to be done in these areas. It is instructive to note that Cuba's turbulent and troubled history has been shaped by colonial dominance (by Spain and then the United States) that was characterized by economic exploitation, a sugar plantation economy and violent slavery and political repression. However, during these periods there was no cultural transplanting of any conception of the inalienable political rights of individual human beings. After 1959, socialist Cuba began to place higher priority on modernization/industrialization, counter-dependency, an end to economic subjugation and the fulfilment of basic economic and social rights (given its abject poverty) within the wider community. And it was clearly Spanish and U.S. colonization that reinforced among the Cuban people the notion of group cohesion, oneness and the emergence of a resilient value system. Accordingly, the Cuban state took on the core role of developing the country economically and socially with the purported best interests of its people in mind. Any interest in entrenching individual political rights had to take a back seat to ensuring human dignity for everyone and redistributing the fruits of a state-driven developing economy — as well as guaranteeing freedom from starvation, freedom from exploitation and the satisfaction of basic human needs. Of course, governmental promises and pledges around human rights are not the same thing as actual positive results on the ground — as we have seen in Cuba, the Global South and the industrialized North. Looking forward, though, can the Cuban state fulfil its social and economic responsibilities to the people without embracing free market capitalism? Or, will the manifestations of those rights (e.g., access to health care, education and state entitlements) fall prey to the profit motive and rugged individualism? And will traditional Cuban values of group-mindedness, looking out for the welfare of others and sharing what they have still remain over time? Lots of questions. Very few answers, I'm afraid. Peter McKenna is professor of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown.
CBC
04-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Some N.S. parents have trouble accessing literacy tutors for their children
Demand for literacy tutors is on the rise in Nova Scotia, but several factors are making it difficult for some parents to get their children the assistance they need. Nicole Conrad, a psychology professor at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, co-authored a research article published earlier this year that found financial constraints and long waits are among the obstacles parents face in trying to secure tutors for their children. She said her interest in the topic started when she noticed how many parents were commenting in Facebook groups about searching for help for their kids. "They were posting information about why they were looking for tutors and the difficulty they were having to find tutors. And I just thought it seemed like an overwhelming number of parents," she said. Affording a tutor Some parents interviewed for the research said hiring a tutor for their children meant making sacrifices. Tirsa Finlay of the Links Literacy Program at Chisholm Services for Children in Halifax says their program works to ensure that money doesn't stand in the way of families trying to access tutoring services. "A lot of the kids that need literacy support, their families can't afford it," Finlay said. "So, that's why we work hard and we work with the HRCE [Halifax Regional Centre for Education] and the Department of Education to find ways that we can offer that at a low cost or free." But little to no cost isn't always a given. Some parents paid up to $7,000 a year for their child to go to private tutoring businesses, Conrad's research found, and some paid rates ranging from $30 to $100 an hour for independent tutors. The expense can make accessing tutoring services especially difficult for low-income families, particularly those in rural areas who don't have affordable services like Links Literacy. "Just yesterday I received a call from someone in the [Annapolis] Valley looking for literacy support for a student in Grade 1," said Finlay. Finlay said that although they are expanding their program, they are not yet offered everywhere. Long waits for private literacy services have also posed problems for parents. Some were told they could be waiting for up to five years, according to the research. Demand for tutors amid curriculum changes Conrad said her research shows that some parents believe the literacy education their children receive in schools is inadequate, driving the demand for tutoring. "The parents had children who were struggling to learn to read and they didn't seem to be getting the support that they wanted to get from the school that their child was in," she said. Provincial assessments from 2022 showed that reading scores were below the grade level for nearly one in three students in Grade 3. Despite the difficulties in accessing tutors, Conrad found that parents took the initiative to ensure their children could build literacy skills. "The parents here seem to be very strong advocates for good literacy instruction and wanting that for their kids and that was really lovely to see," said Conrad.
CBC
17-04-2025
- General
- CBC
Halifax starting plan for Memorial Library site that will honour forgotten burial ground
More than a decade after the old Halifax library closed, the city has begun to explore options for the site's future that could include demolition of the municipal heritage building. The municipality recently passed $100,000 in this year's budget to hire a consultant to make a plan for the Memorial Library property. A Halifax spokesperson said that work will include public input and other research. Municipal staff have said removing the building, which would see the site become a park with "historical interpretation," is the best option for an area with a burial ground that has never been properly acknowledged. "It is just one of those classic cases, this [burial] site that illustrates how a whole part of our history can just be jettisoned and forgotten," said Jonathan Fowler, anthropology professor at Saint Mary's University. "There are many parts like that in this city, in this province, in this country. And I welcome the opportunity to engage in the work of remembering." The Spring Garden Road library opened in 1951 as a living cenotaph in honour of those who died in the First World War and the Second World War. It became a fixture of public life over the decades, with generations of Haligonians finding favourite books in the shelves, or enjoying fries from Bud the Spud food truck on the grassy area near the street. The library closed in 2014 when the Central Library opened, and has been vacant ever since. Although there was no mention of it in newspapers when it opened, or in council minutes about the location, the library was built on top of the Poor House Burying Ground. It's estimated 4,500 people from the neighbouring Poor House (located where the Doyle building is now) were buried there between the 1760s and mid-1800s. Poor House residents would have been those on the margins of society at the time, including orphans, people with disabilities, those who were homeless, or unwed mothers. People from all backgrounds were buried there, including Mi'kmaq, Black Nova Scotians, and victims of epidemics like smallpox. Records also show people new to Halifax, from around the province or the world, were buried at the site. "All of their lives have simply been forgotten. And it just doesn't seem right, does it?" said Fowler. Local historian William Breckenridge has formed Friends of the Halifax Memorial Library, and is working with the Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society to urge the city to repurpose the building. "It leaves me very concerned, because demolition is not an option that I think will respect the burials that are underneath, and also all the other history that goes along with it," Breckenridge said. Breckenridge and Emma Lang, executive director of the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, said the library is architecturally important and should be turned into a museum or community space to tell the entire story of the site. "The fact that they chose to build a memorial to people who died in the wars on a cemetery, without acknowledging the people who are under here, is a really important story in itself," Lang said. "To tear it down seems to be … making it worse when you have the ability to at least talk about why this building was there, and what does that say about Halifax at the time — good and bad." After the Poor House on Spring Garden closed in the 1860s, the burial site was grassed over and trees were planted for it to become Grafton Park. The green space housed a fire station before the library was built. Although there are no reports that human remains were found during the library's construction, Fowler said it's "highly unlikely, bordering on impossible" that graves weren't disturbed. An archeological report on the 2016-17 relocation of graves from the adjacent St. David's Presbyterian Church land shows the remains of 244 people were recovered and moved to the church crypt. Three mass graves were found, including one of "likely former residents of the Poor House Cemetery on the neighbouring property." A Halifax staff report from July 2024 said Mi'kmaw ancestral remains were discovered during that excavation work ahead of the creation of the Grafton Park apartment building. Given the cultural sensitivity of the Poor House burial site, and strict protocol around land with Mi'kmaw remains, the report recommends against ground-disturbing activities on the property. Municipal staff said it would take $15 million to $20 million to renovate the library with new water and sewer lines, replace the roof, elevator, and rebuild the interior. These updates, especially new pipes, would require digging. Pam Glode-Desrochers, executive director of the Mi'kmaw Native Friendship Society, said it will be up to elders and other experts to weigh in on what the protocols should be around any changes to the site. While digging should not be a "first resort," Glode-Desrochers said it should be up to the wider Mi'kmaw community, and people of all backgrounds in Halifax, to decide together the best option. "It's almost a little emotional because these are our ancestors. These were somebody's auntie and uncles and mothers and brothers, and like they belonged to community," said Glode-Desrochers. "But it's also exciting on the possibilities of what can be done, and how do we do that together." Although the burial ground is a piece of lost local history for many Halifax residents today, Glode-Desrochers said it's "always been known" by many in the Mi'kmaw community. "There'll be some tough conversations, but I also think it's part of the healing journey and what that looks like," said Glode-Desrochers. If the city wanted to explore repurposing the building, legal changes would need to be made because of a covenant on the land. The staff report said the province granted the land to Halifax in 1882 "for the use and enjoyment of the citizens of Halifax, as a public square or gardens forever and for no other purposes whatsoever." In 1949, the province amended the covenant to allow a public library only. Various groups have considered taking the building over the years, staff said, but determined it would be "uneconomical and thus inviable." Halifax eventually asked the province to take the site back, but it officially declined to do so in 2023. The consultant's final report is expected to go before regional council summer 2026.
CBC
15-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
'Taking a hammer to the humanities:' Profs say SMU slashing arts courses, putting jobs at risk
Around 50 arts and humanities courses at Saint Mary's University in Halifax will be dropped for the upcoming academic year, leaving dozens of part-time professors scrambling for work, according to the union representing them. The course cuts will begin in May and will mainly impact the departments of English, religion, history, and languages and cultures, said Erica Fischer, vice-president of CUPE Local 3912. Fischer said in an interview she has been teaching Spanish courses at Saint Mary's for around 13 years, but her courses are no longer being offered. "I need to find another job," said Fischer, adding that her options are limited because post-secondary institutions elsewhere in Halifax are also cutting courses. "It's really having a psychological impact because I didn't have any time to prepare." Fischer provided CBC News with a table of courses offered in the 2024-25 academic year that are no longer appearing on the university's internal course schedule platform for the upcoming year. They include courses like Canadian political history and religious diversity in Canada. At a time when some universities are facing increased financial pressures and concerns are being raised about government influence on post-secondary institutions, CUPE Local 3912 president Lauren McKenzie called this a "significant escalation" of cost-saving cuts. "This reduction will dramatically decrease the courses that are available on campus," McKenzie said. "It will impact the livelihood of many of the instructors here on campus, and their incredible expertise and knowledge in their discipline will no longer be available to our community." The union said the number of arts courses taught by part-time professors will drop to about 63, down from over 140 in recent years. Around 40 part-time profs will be either out of work or have drastically reduced work, it said. University admin says this is 'normal practice' Saint Mary's University administration declined an interview request about the course cuts, due to current collective bargaining with CUPE Local 3912. But a spokesperson said in an email that an annual course review is underway, wherein the university looks at the ratio of courses taught by full-time faculty and part-time faculty, and places a priority on full-time professors. "Courses must also meet a minimum number of students enrolled. It is normal practice to add and drop courses leading up to the start of a new academic year," wrote Margaret Murphy, associate vice-president of external affairs. "We are very early in the process and there will be many adjustments between now and the start of fall term 2025." McKenzie disputed this claim, saying more courses are being dropped than usual, and some were popular and always full. Other faculties, such as science and business, are losing 10 or fewer courses, added Fischer. Profs call for cuts to 'administrative bloat' Syed Adnan Hussain, chair of the department for the study of religion, said his department is one of the most impacted, with the dean "under a lot of pressure from the administration to make cuts." The Nova Scotia government recently put legislation in place that, among other things, could see provincial funding withheld from certain post-secondary institutions unless they create an acceptable "revitalization plan." Advanced Education Minister Brendan Maguire said in February the legislative changes were needed to ensure the institutions are sustainable and "meeting the job market." Hussain mused that this could be behind the decreased arts and humanities courses. "If there's a revitalization conversation going on in the government, the revitalization really should be about cutting administrative bloat, which almost every study about the academic sector will say that that is the real problem in our universities," Hussain said. "It is not the courses that we are offering. It is not the education that we are giving our students." McKenzie said she hopes the university will reconsider some of the changes before the fall semester. "We hope very much that the university will stop taking a hammer to the humanities," she said. Provincial government says it isn't involved A spokesperson for the Department of Advanced Education declined an interview request for Maguire, and instead sent a statement denying any involvement in the cuts. "Post-secondary institutions are independent, board-governed institutions who make their own decisions on programming," wrote spokesperson Chloee Sampson. "The department hasn't had any involvement in this decision, and we have not requested a revitalization plan from Saint Mary's University." Sampson did not answer a question from CBC News asking how the government responds to the concerns of the union representing part-time professors who are now out of work.
CBC
13-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Fresh-produce program makes 'astonishing' Cape Breton debut
After eight years of success in mainland Nova Scotia, organizers of a program that tackles food insecurity and food waste by bringing fresh fruit and vegetables to small communities decided to test the Cape Breton waters. In its first appearance in Port Hawkesbury, the Square Roots initiative — a venture of the Saint Mary's University Enactus program — quickly exhausted its supply of 900 kilograms of produce on Saturday afternoon. Another 330 kilograms of food disappeared within 90 minutes the following day, when Square Roots officials brought more fruits and vegetables to the same location to give away. "We were very shocked," said Nate Collier, a third-year bachelor of commerce student at SMU who is co-manager of the Square Roots project. "We were just astonished to see, I would say, probably half the produce gone before the event was even scheduled to be started." 'I couldn't believe that they were called seconds' Established in 2016, Square Roots brings in produce deemed surplus or unusable by farmers, wholesalers and supermarkets. The goods are first offered for free to raise awareness of the program in host communities, which then later organize sales of produce at prices lower than those offered by grocery stores. Proceeds from sales go back into the program to further its growth. The project originally served communities within the Halifax Regional Municipality but soon expanded to rural parts of mainland Nova Scotia. The success of a Square Roots operation in Guysborough sparked Port Hawkesbury's Michele Tabensky to organize Cape Breton's first experience with the initiative on Saturday and Sunday. Tabensky and her colleagues are now taking online orders from the community for their first Square Roots produce sale on March 21 at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre. She said they're pleased with the quality of the fruits and vegetables being made available. "Other than picking a few tomatoes out of this stuff that were a little overripe, everything was beautiful," Tabensky said of the introductory event. "I couldn't believe that they were called seconds." Square Roots planning further expansion into Cape Breton Square Roots is now preparing for its next Cape Breton launch in the Richmond County community of D'Escousse. Collier said the project is also reaching out to potential organizers in Sydney and Baddeck. Meanwhile, the program will set up shop in Shelburne County and the Annapolis Valley this weekend, as Collier and his colleagues seek to extend the Square Roots network through the province. "We'll be doing the same thing we did in Cape Breton, and giving free produce across those areas as well," Collier said.
