15 AWESOMECanadian DiversityStories of 2014

2014 had many diversity-related stories.

Many of these stories are cause for concern and highlight the need for us

to redouble our efforts and commitment to social justice.

As we begin 2015 here is our list of diversity-related stories that highlight the gains we’ve made and hint at wins

to comes.

1 ANTI-MUSLIM SOCIAL EXPERIMENT

After the shooting of a military reservist on Parliament Hill in 2014, which was linked to a Muslim extremist, three friends created a "social experiment" to film the reactions of Canadians to intolerance against Muslims. The result came as a surprise to them as they found Canadians were willing to stand up to intolerance.

2 RESIDENTS CLEAN UP VANDALIZED

MOSQUEThe shooting of the military reservist triggered the vandalism of a mosque in Cold Lake, Alberta. Over night the building was spraypainted with the words "Go Home" and "Canada" and two windows were smashed. Over the course of the next morning, town residents showed up to help paint over the graffiti. Some also taped their own messages -- "You Are Home" and "Love Your Neighbour" -- to the windows of the mosque.

3 PUSH BACK ABOUT RAPE

CULTURE AND SEXUAL ASSAULTViolence against women is nothing new, but this year’s high profile stories including Jian Ghomeshi, Bill Cosby, Ray Rice, sexual assault in the military and on university campuses, and sexism in video game culture brought the discussion to the fore in 2014. Many took to social media to voice their skepticism about the women who claimed to have been assaulted but never reported it.The questioning of women’s truthfulness and the prevalence of sexual assault sparked an international conversation and push back on Twitter through hashtags such as:

#BeenRapedNeverReported #IBelieveYou#WhyIStayed #YesAllWomen#Gamergate

4 ONTARIO ELECTS GAY PREMIERKathleen Wynne was elected by her party to replace outgoing Dalton McGuinty and lead the scandal-plagued minority Liberal government. When she sought a mandate from Ontario residents, they elected the Liberals with a majority -- the great thing was that neither her gender nor her sexual orientation were election issues.

5 GREATER DIVERSITY IN THE

ONTARIO LEGISLATUREJune's Ontario provincial election also saw an increase in the diversity of the provincial legislature. Ontarians elected 38 female MPPs, representing 35% of all seats in the legislature. Racial minorities also represented 17% of MPPs -- while it is well below the representation of racial minorities in Ontario (30%), it is a new high for Ontario.

6 TORONTO HOSTED WORLDPRIDEFor years Toronto's Pride parade was snubbed by Mayor Rob Ford. In 2014 the city proudly played host to WorldPride. While this event was also not attended the Mayor, it was embraced by the city and Toronto city council. Ontario's Premier -- Canada's first openly gay head of government -- proudly represented Ontarians and marched in the parade. 

7 GREATER DIVERSITY ON

TORONTO’S SCHOOL BOARDWhile 2014 municipal elections were marred by acts of racism and Islamophobia, there were also signs that the electorate is becoming more open to diversity among its elected officials. Torontonians elected 11 new trustees to the 22 seat school board -- the new board is now more diverse and more left-leaning than the previous board. The new board includes Ausma Malik who was the target of Islamophobic flyers and heckling at public meetings; Parthi Kandavel, who is Tamil; Tiffany Ford, a Black woman; and, Manna Wong, an Asian woman.

8 NEW GUIDELINES FOR POLICE

BACKGROUND CHECKSIn December, the Provincial Government finally announced that it will take action to legislate the non-conviction information that police can disclose through police records checks. Lives have been ruined as police services across Ontario have violated human rights by disclosing in police reference checks unproven allegations, arrests with no conviction, arrests with no charge, withdrawn charges, 911 mental health calls, police contacts as a victim or witness, and innocent connections to "persons of interest" to the police. This information has been used by organizations to deny education, employment and volunteer opportunities to individuals.

9 FILMING OF THE “BOOK OF

NEGROES”In 2014 Lawrence Hill’s 2007 novel, which sold nearly a million copies worldwide, was filmed for a miniseries to air on CBC in early 2015. After a history of redacting Blacks from Canadian history, this might signal a new chapter for how Canadian history is written and depicted on television -- one which includes peoples of all origins.

10 QUEBECKERS REJECT

CHARTER OF VALUESIn the April provincial election, Quebeckers rejected Premier Pauline Marois, the Parti Québécois, and their proposed Charter of Values which banned public sector employees from wearing visible religious symbols and clothing. This was a win for religious accommodation, human rights, and freedom of religion which is protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

11 WINNIPEG POLICE MAKE MISSING

AND MURDERED ABORIGINAL WOMEN A PRIORITY

As Prime Minister Harper continues to reject calls for a public inquiry into Canada’s missing and murdered Aboriginal women, Chief Devon Clunis announced that the Winnipeg Police Service has made protecting Aboriginal women and girls a strategic priority. It will commit more resources to investigations of cases involving missing and murdered Aboriginal women. The Service will also improve cultural awareness training for officers and provide better support to victims of violence and exploitation.

12 NEW RULES REQUIRE COMPANIES

TO REPORT ON ADDING MORE WOMEN TO BOARDS

Seven provinces and two territories have signed on to new rules to increase board diversity that was developed by the Ontario Securities Commission. These rules will require publicly traded companies to report annually on their approach to adding more women to their boards of directors and to senior management.

In 2013, women represented only 12% of directors of companies on the S&P / TSX composite index. 40% of boards had no female representation.

13 VANCOUVER’S CATHOLIC

SCHOOLS PROTECT TRANS STUDENTS

After a human rights complaint forced the local archdiocese to address the issue, Catholic schools in Vancouver have adopted a policy that could allow transgender students to use the pronouns, uniforms and washrooms that match their gender identity. This appears to be a first for a Catholic school board in North America.

14 ABORIGINAL GROUP WINS A JUNO

AWARD OUTSIDE THE ABORIGINAL CATEGORY

For the first time, an Aboriginal group – A Tribe Called Red -- won a Juno for Breakthrough Group of the Year. This was the first time an Aboriginal group won a Juno outside the Aboriginal music category.

15 TORONTO POLICE SERVICES

BOARD APPROVES NEW CARDING POLICY

In April the Toronto Police Services Board voted unanimously to approve a new policy to regulate the practice of carding, which has been argued racially profiles Black and Brown youth, and violates their human rights protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The new rules limit when officers can stop and document people on the street. It requires that officers inform people they are not under arrest and they are free to leave. It also requires police to provide a “receipt” when a person is stopped.