Michael Hunt

In Canada, many seem to consider anything to do with women's sex-based rights a "culture-war issue" or a soft social issue, or just "woke" politics, something definitely not important enough to be central in a political platform. Warren Kinsella, today, was appalled that a BC Conservative Party leadership candidate wanted to talk about women and girls' privacy away from male people in bathrooms: enclosed intimate spaces where female people must be in states of undress. To put this in perspective, in Canada, over 50% of the population have lost their exclusive descriptive language, lost their spaces needed to have freedom of movement, spaces needed to enjoy full citizenship, and lost fairness in their sport --and well-respected Warren Kinsella thought this a silly, frivolous issue. It's not just Warren, though. I heard Pierre Poilievre pass off a question about his not dealing with "cultural issues" by suggesting we just treat all people equally, regardless of race or "gender". (His use of the word "gender" where he should have said "sex" proves he has not informed himself enough on this issue.) His 'treat all people equally' sounds great. Indeed it IS great in terms of race, as humans of different skin colours should of course be treated equally. But if humans are not all the same. There isn't just one type of human. There are two: males and females. Men are not the default human. While both sexes are equally human, female and male people differ quite profoundly anatomically, physiologically, and so life-cycle-wise. Women share "only 98.5% of their genetic makeup with men. That’s 15 times greater than the difference between any two human males, who are about as genetically similar to a male chimpanzee as to a human female." Being of the female sex actually has a profound effect on women's lives. Women and girls are subject to very real oppression (Yes, there is such a thing) because of our reproductive role, our relative physical weakness and male pattern violence. Just look at what's happening to women in Afghanistan, if you don't believe me. But male violence against women has a profound effect on women's lives right here in Canada. Statistics show that one woman or girl is killed in Canada every two days. For perspective, the UK is admitting to be doing poorly on this file, though they have nearly twice our population and fewer femicides per capita: one per week. Male violence restricts female peoples' lives. Most of us live our lives smaller without talking about it. We habitually protect ourselves by not going out for walks alone at night, not walking in certain areas, not accepting rides from men, watching our drinks very carefully, carrying our keys at the ready, etc. We don't talk about it much because these things are commonplace for most of us. But our lives are made smaller. And believe me, we're living even smaller lives now since society decided to thrust males past our boundaries in breast-feeding groups, mom-and-me classes, bathrooms, changing rooms at the rec centres and schools, rape crisis centres, dv violence centres, and in women's jails and prisons. Women and girls actually do need civil protections to access full citizenship. 1) One of those civil protections is the recognition in law that female people are a sex class. We thought we had that in the Charter where sex is a protected characteristic, but then "gender identity" and "gender expression" were added to the Human Rights Codes, and voila, any man or boy is considered a woman or girl if he claims to be one. Poof! went all of women's protected spaces and sport. 2) One of those civil protections is access to safe spaces to relieve ourselves when we are out in public, so that we are not restricted by the urinary leash. But those spaces are not safe anymore. Girls are avoiding going to the washroom at school because they don't want to pee in a stall next to a boy, open a tampon next to a boy, heaven forbid make any smell next to a boy, or wash their hands that have a bit of blood on them next to a boy, etc. 3) Many other spaces are needed for women and girls' dignity and privacy away from males, and thus for women and girls to access full citizenship. Women and girls are self-excluding from going swimming at the rec centre because they do not want to change in a space with male people. As mentioned above, there are also rape relief centres, DV centres, breast-feeding groups, women's support recreation groups, women's jails and prisons where women need space away from males. There are violent male offenders being held in women's prisons right now, violent men including rapists, even a baby rapist -- being held in a women's prison where there is a mother and baby program. Lesbians are having a very hard time holding female only activities -- because men are claiming to be lesbians. I have hundreds of receipts and could go on and on. 4) Women and girls fought to have female sport for themselves so that female people could safely challenge each other on a fair playing field. That's all gone, and that's not okay. Yet people consider it a minor cultural issue. Voyeurism and exhibitionism used to be a crimes that women could go to the management or police about, but in Canada, a 50-year-old man who for years peeped at pre-teen girls in the swimming pool change room while he stripped naked was considered 'stunning and brave' and deserving of police protection from mothers who dared to raise the alarm. It is the most perverted men who want access to women and girls in public spaces where women and girls are in states of undress. My question is -- why don't female people matter enough in Canada to be taken seriously? Why are over 50% of the populations' rights and protections not big enough to be made a platform issue? https ://medicine.yale.edu/news-article/every-cell-has-a-sex-x-and-y-and-the-future-of-health-care/

BREAKING: Carney ends Commissionaires Canada $330 million security contracting rights for Federal properties. This is a non-for-profit security organization which employs Canadian veterans.

I've spent this race aiming my criticism at the NDP where it belongs. But, there’s too much at stake. It’s time to set the record straight.

If Florida tourism operators want to further drive down their Canadian business, pretending there is no problem today will help do that.

A heated exchange unfolds between Caroline Elliott and Yuri Fulmer over DEI. Elliott accused Fulmer of promoting land acknowledgements on his business website and then removing them more recently. "If you were at the last debate, you would've heard me say that," he said.

Q: Erin O'Toole said you need to moderate your position on culture war issues to compete with PM Carney POILIEVRE: Like what? ... I think it's time that Mark Carney moderate his position on the issues

A well deserved victory beer

I've spent this race aiming my criticism at the NDP where it belongs. But, there’s too much at stake. It’s time to set the record straight.

A well deserved victory beer