At the end of her dramatic testimony this week, Jody Wilson-Rabould said this: “I come from a long line of matriarchs and I am a truth teller.” Today in The Conversation Canada, Corrie Scott of the University of Ottawa looks at the history of strong Indigenous matriarchs and how First Nations, Inuit and Métis women have consistently resisted attempts by white settlers to subjugate them.

South of the border, another strong feminist leader, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has been a driving force behind the Green New Deal. Kyla Tienhaara of Queen’s University explains the details of the Green New Deal and how it’s shifted the discussion about the best plan to combat climate change.

Junia Mason is a PhD candidate at York University. She’s also a former member of the Collective of Black Artists, a Toronto-based professional dance company, and tells us how the collective has created a platform for Black dancers who were traditionally underrepresented in mainstream dance companies.

And finally…later this year, the Alberta government will dramatically increase the amount of crude oil it will transport by rail. Mark Winfield and Bruce Campbell of York University look at a recent fatal derailment in British Columbia as proof that more safety measures are needed before the crude-by-rail program starts.

Regards,