May 2021
Greetings!
International Nurses Day!
This month, we celebrate nurses all around the world!
May 12th is International Nurses Day and Florence Nightingale's Birthday.
In January 1974, May 12th was chosen as the day to celebrate nurses - the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who was the founder of modern nursing.
Florence Nightingale, OM, RRC, DStJ; born on May 12, 1820 – August 13, 1910, was an English social reformer, statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War in Constantinople. She gave nursing a favorable reputation and became an icon of Victorian culture, especially in the persona of "The Lady with the Lamp," making her rounds of wounded soldiers at night.
Today, in 2021, we especially celebrate our nurses as our essential soldiers who have been caring for those wounded by the deadly COVID-19 virus.
Enjoy this edition of News,
Jag Parmar,
Administrator
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Thank you to everyone who attended our 2021 AGM and Town Hall Meeting |
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A big thank you to all the members who joined us on Sunday, May 2nd, for our 2021 Annual General Meeting. We are a member-driven organization, and it was very gratifying to have so many of you join us for the recap of 2020 and a glimpse into what we are planning for 2021!
The highlight of the meeting was the Town Hall, which was an excellent opportunity for all members to engage with one another. The breakout rooms provided an unprecedented level of interaction between members from across Canada. We certainly took notice of the success of this type of community building, and we will announce some exciting initiatives to keep the conversations growing! Already underway is a plan to host three Town Halls a year (one every four months), with the next one in late September.
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Did you receive your Digital Membership Card?
On April 1st, Humanist Canada rolled out new digital membership cards to most members, with remaining members to receive their cards soon. All you need to do is a ccess the email sent to you from your smartphone and click the “Download” button. The process is different for ios and android, so check out details on the FAQ page.
The new cards allow us to provide event details and other customized information and reflect your membership renewals. The membership cards were sent to current members, so if your membership has lapsed, please take a moment to renew or if you have recently become a member, you will receive an email, soon, to download your card.
If you have already downloaded your card, please feel free to give us your feedback.
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Sunday, May 23rd, 2021
3:00 pm ET
The current state of democracy in India is abysmal. According to the Freedom House report, India’s status slips from ‘free country’ to ‘partly free’; the questions about the rise of majoritarianism have become imminently important to examine. The world is witnessing India under an elected autocracy where religious fundamentalism and fascism, and authoritarian leadership style are at their peak. With freedom of speech and expression under attack, the surge in populism has contributed to the dismantling of democracy and secular, liberal tenets of India as a nation. This insidious attack on the world’s largest democracy isn’t merely a worry for India but also for the world, as India has always represented a prominent case for democracy.
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Humanist Canada's Petition Committee has been working with our partners at Centre for Inquiry Canada (CFIC) and Secular Connexion Séculière (SCS) on the Less Complex Claims Petition, known as e-3114, a petition to ensure equal treatment for atheist refugees.
Our petition received over 2,273 signatures of support. The Petition, sponsored by MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (Beaches-East York), has received enough signatures to qualify it for reading in the House of Commons, which requests the minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship to Include Atheists in the list of people eligible for the Less Complex Claims asylum process. The minister then has 45 days to respond.
This Petition is essential because, in addition to ensuring government awareness about the needs of secular refugees, it puts Secular Humanism on the Government's radar.
We thank you for your support!
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Humanist Canada has endorsed the Pro-Abortion petition. Join the fight with us by signing the Commit to Resist petition.
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College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) values your feedback
You are being invited to participate in the CPSO's three open policy consultations:
Planning for and Providing Quality End-of-Life Care: Click Here
Professional Obligations and Human Rights: Click Here
Your feedback is essential to the CPSO policies and practices. To help with the review of these policies and inform what changes need to be made, please visit the dedicated consultation pages linked above for more information, including instructions on how to submit your feedback.
Please provide your feedback by Friday, May 14, 2021.
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Shop online for your very own HC mask, mug, or pin.
Don't forget to visit our online store! We’re a small shop right now, but we have big plans! Check in regularly to find new HC logo items like our masks, mugs, and pins. Soon, we will be offering books from our HC family of authors, apparel, and items available from other Humanist Canada members.
If you have any ideas about what we should offer, send them our way!
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Polling Results of Bill C-7 |
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"Under Bill C-7, intolerably suffering Canadians who are not near the natural end of their lives now have the right to seek medical assistance in dying. That will also eventually include people suffering solely from grievous and irremediable mental illnesses." CTVNew.ca
Here is how you responded to our poll:
88.9% of you agreed with the government's decision.
11.1% of you disagreed with the government's decision.
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The Universal Basic Income Program in Canada
The parliamentary budget officer says a basic income program could cut poverty rates nationally by almost half in 2022. Budget officer Yves Giroux estimates that poverty rates could fall as much as 61.9 per cent in Manitoba or as little as 13.5 per cent in Newfoundland and Labrador if the federal government instituted the program.
At its core a basic or guaranteed income provides a no-strings-attached government benefit to citizens to provide each with a minimum amount of earnings. (Global News, posted April 7th, 2021)
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To ensure the newsletter is relevant we invite your response to a few short questions. Having feedback from across the country is our goal. Click here!
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Why membership in Humanist Canada is important!
We simply can't do it without you. We are entirely funded through memberships and donations. Your involvement is incredibly significant and goes a long way to support lasting change for a better society and a tolerant world where rational thinking and kindness prevail.
Humanist Canada has just launched a new member system that will allow you to update your own information. Click on the button below, and you will be prompted to set up your login information.
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