Canada shouldn't tolerate bullies. And we need to stand firm in the face of business practices we find unacceptable
When I was in secondary school, there was a bully who had to have his way. He figured because he was bigger and stronger than most other kids his age, he should be able to do whatever he wanted. He coerced other kids to do his dirty work and sometimes even his homework. He intimidated…
Ontario lawyers are being asked to agree to principles that may run counter to their beliefs
The Law Society of Ontario wants to compel all lawyers who wish to practise in the province to agree to the society’s version of a progressive agenda. It would be a dangerous precedent. The society may also make it mandatory for lawyers to attend sessions on such subjects as “unconscious bias” and apparently any other…6 strategies to use to make your workplace more livable
Your boss is a bully (read: manipulator, control freak, tyrant, power junkie, obnoxious jerk). No matter how hard you work, you always do something wrong. No matter how many hours unpaid OT you put in, it isn’t enough. Your boss demeans you in front of your colleagues and then laughs it off as a "joke".…
Gillette has stepped boldly into the socio-political minefields of #MeToo, bullying, spousal abuse and male self-absorption
It’s tempting to take the recent’s ‘controversy’ over the Gillette shaving company’s new advertising campaign at something less than face value. For starters, controversy itself is no longer the conversational cutting edge it once was. In this era of fake-versus-false news, universal short attention spans and ludicrous overstatement as the entry price for even being…
While boys bully using physical violence, girls bully by gossiping, manipulating others to exclude a victim, teasing or spreading rumours
The subject of bullying is widely publicized every time a severe case of bullying results in a killing or suicide. Citizens and parents express outrage and disbelief that such an incident could happen right in their school or neighbourhood. People are right to be outraged. This type of behaviour is potentially identifiable and preventable. Although…
There isn’t any sport – played by men or women – in which Williams’ behaviour at the U.S. Open would or should be tolerated
Serena Williams wanted an apology from Carlos Ramos. It should’ve been the other way around. Ramos was the chair umpire in the U.S. Open women’s tennis final last Saturday. The match pitted Williams against a young upstart from Japan named Naomi Osaka. Ramos is widely recognized as one of pro tennis’s best umpires, one of…
Patrick Brown, Kent Hehr and more – the cultural shift has finally reached Canadian politics
The Conservative MP shook his head. We were in a restaurant in Toronto, getting caught up. He’d just told me that a little-known federal Tory backbencher named Patrick Brown was going to seek the Ontario Progressive Conservative party leadership. I’d told him all I’d heard about Brown was that he “had a zipper problem.” The…
Overlooked by the mass media and given almost free rein, the academic world is a haven for bullies and antisocial behaviour
According to the mass media, Hollywood and Westminster are awash with misogynists, pornographers, exploitationists and bullies. That may or may not be true. Natural justice requires that accusers and accused have their day in court. Unfortunately, trial by media seems to have replaced trial by jury. While we’re in the mood to put the world…
Canada needs laws to protect vulnerable transgender youth, who experience bullying at much higher rates than their peers
Conservative Sen. Donald Plett recently said, “I don't think there's any law in the world that will prevent children from bullying.” With all due respect, the Manitoba senator is wrong. He made the comment last week during discussion in the Senate about Bill C-16, which is designed to protect gender identity and gender expression in…
By organizing activities at recess, or replacing recess with more classroom studies, educators are doing a horrible disservice to children
Educators like to focus on the three Rs – reading, writing, arithmetic – but pediatricians say we should add a fourth R of equal importance: recess. Recess has long been thought of simply as a break in the day. Kids let off steam and then return to the classroom with renewed focus and resolution. Framed…