For the past 30 years, Gloria Mills has been a driving force in the trade union movement. After moving from Trinidad to Britain in her late teens, she became a regional organiser for the National Union of Public Employees in London in 1985, beginning her life's work as a campaigner for workers' rights. In 2005, Mills was appointed president of the Trade Union Congress - the first black woman to hold the position. During her year-long term, she became a prominent advocate of diversity issues and equal opportunities in the workplace. Today, she is national secretary for Unision, the biggest trade union in the UK, and is honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

During a visit to Canada last October, Mills was interviewed by the RPN's Meagan Perry. She provided insight into her life and work, as well as the philosophies which enabled her to become such a strong part of the trade union movement.

On September 8th, the Canadian Centre for International Cooperation's Americas Policy Group hosted a panel discussion at the University of Ottawa to explore concerns raised by the Harper government's proposed Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. The meeting highlighted the importance of conducting a Human Rights Impact Assessment before ratifying the agreement, as was recommended by the House of Commons' international trade committee. In addition, it examined the influence of transnational corporations on the rights of Colombians, and the potential harm to be caused by the Canadian government in endorsing such corporations in a country with significant existing human and labour rights abuses.

Speakers: Dora Lucy Arias, Colombian human rights lawyer from the Jose Alvear Restrepo Lawyers' Collective; Gauri Sreenivasan, trade analyst with the Canadian Centre for International Cooperation.

The panel was moderated by Fiona Meyer-Cook of the CCIC Americas Policy Group. Philippe Tremblay of Lawyers Without Borders provided interpretation. The recording includes questions asked following Dora Lucy Arias's presentation, along with the longer question and answer period which closed the event.

On August 26th, Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood was the location of an enthusiastic panel discussion regarding the Canadian government's abuse of the civil rights of some of its citizens in the name of security and counter-terrorism precaution. The panel, organized by Octopus Books, was an opportunity for the sharing and consideration of the experiences and activism of its speakers and all in attendance. Speakers: Abdullah Almalki - Canadian citizen who was detained, interrogated and tortured in Syria Yavar Hameed - Human rights lawyer, counsel for Abousfian Abdelrazik Maureen Webb - Human rights lawyer, co-chair of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group and author of "Illusions of Security: Global Surveillance and Democracy in the Post 9/11 World." The panel was followed by a question and answer period. Introductions and closing statements were made by the panel's moderator, Bill Skidmore, who teaches human rights at Carleton University.

On May 27th, the fourth and final equity issues panel was conducted at the 2009 Congress of the Humanities. The sessions marked the 25th anniversary of Rosalie Abella's Royal Commission on Equality in Employment, and sought to explore the status of equity today, and the progress made by those committed to the equity agenda in Canadian universities. The last panel, "25 Years After: A Retrospective on the Abella Commission and Employment Equity," looked specifically at the successes and failures of employment equity initiatives over the last two and a half decades in order to determine just how much of the rhetoric has been supported by practice. Speakers: Judy Rebick, Ryerson University; Shelagh Day, Poverty and Human Rights Centre of Vancouver; Isabella Bakker, York University; Joanne St. Lewis, University of Ottawa. The panel was followed by a question and answer period and closing statements were made by Malinda Smith (Vice-president Equity Issues, Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences).

On May 28th at the Congress of the Humanities, Judy Rebick discussed some of the themes explored in her recent book, "Transforming Power: From the Personal to the Political." Her lecture examined the social and political potential of what has become a new, interactive movement driven by technology - a movement Rebick asserts has the capacity to revolutionize our understanding of power and to engage an ever more connected public. The lecture was followed by a question and answer period. (Please note that audience members did not have a microphone, so audio quality varies.)

On June 26th, The International Development Research Centre hosted a lecture by Neil Turok, Director of the Perimetre Institute for Theoretical Physics, and founder of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Capetown, South Africa. Turok showcased the AIMS model and stressed the importance of investing in the math and science skills of the continent's younger generation -- what he asserts are crucial tools in driving economies and addressing challenges such as disease and natural resource management. The event was followed by a brief question and answer period.

"Seeding Change: Linking Youth for Food Sovereignty in Honduras and Canada" took place on July 2nd in Ottawa. The event was hosted by USC Canada, which has been working to improve food security in Honduras since 1998. Three young organic farmers - two from Ottawa and one from Honduras - shared photos of their experiences and, with the help of an intimate audience, discussed the challenges and benefits of regaining control over what we eat and where it comes from. Speakers: Sergio Ramirez, ecology student and coordinator of a youth agricultural research team (CIAL) in Honduras David Burnford, co-founder of the Riverglen Biodynamic Farm in Ottawa; Geoff Cross, facilitator of the OPIRG community garden at the University of Ottawa. Speakers were introduced by Sarah Mohan, Public Engagement and Fundraising Program Officer for USC Canada. Susie Walsh, Executive Director of USC Canada, directed the question and answer session and delivered the event's closing statements.

The Federation Equity Issues Portfolio conducted the third of its four-part equity panel series on May 26th. It featured Joyce Green, Makere Stewart-Harawira and Rauna Kuokkanen, who examined the status of indigenous peoples in Canadian universities, and the status of scholarship on indigenous people. Held as part of the 2009 Congress of the Humanities, the panels serve to explore what has been gained and what stands to be achieved for equity-seeking groups in the Canadian Academy. Speakers: Joyce Green, University of Regina; Makere Stewart-Harawira, University of Alberta; Rauna Kuokkanen, University of Toronto. The panel was followed by a question and answer period and closing statements were made by Malinda Smith (Vice-president Equity Issues, Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences).

On May 25th, the second installment of a four-part equity panel series was conducted by the Federation Equity Issues Portfolio at the 2009 Congress of the Humanities. The panels served to examine the status of equity-seeking groups in today's Canadian Academy, 25 years after Rosalie Silberman Abella issued the Report of the Royal Commission on Equality in Employment.

Speakers: Anthony Stewart, Dalhousie University; Aruna Srivastava, University of Calgary; Darren Lund, University of Calgary.

The panel was followed by a question and answer period.

Five speakers from across Canada made up the first of a four-part panel series held at the Congress of the Humanities to explore the status of equity-seeking groups in today's Canadian Academy.

Speakers: Marjorie Griffin Cohen, Simon Fraser University; James Deaville, Carleton University; Ashok Mathur, Thompson River University; Carl James, York University; Dolana Mogadime, Brock University.

The panel was followed by a question and answer period.