Halifax Central Library
5440 Spring Garden Road
Halifax NS B3J 1E9
Saturday, May 30th, 2015
12:45 - 5:00
This event is free and open to the public with no need to register in advance.
12:45 – 1:00 Welcome
Halifax Central Public Library Director Bruce Gorman and Sharmila Setaram, President of Amnesty International (Canada)
PAUL O’REGAN HALL
1:00 – 2:00 Opening Panel – The Year in Human Rights
This past year brought many grim setbacks, yet there were still some important signs of progress. Moderated by CTV News reporter Kayla Hounsell, this panel will bring together: Alex Neve, Amnesty International Canada’s Secretary General; Ángel Amílcar Colón Quevedo, a Garifuna defender from Honduras who was tortured and unjustly imprisoned in Mexico for five and a half years prior to his release in October 2014; and Connie Greyeyes, a powerful advocate for the rights of Indigenous women, and one of the founders of the annual Oct. 4th Sisters in Spirit Walk in Fort St. John, BC. Our panellists will discuss a range of human rights issues including the continued use of torture in many countries and the ongoing human rights challenges we face here at home.
PAUL O’REGAN HALL
2:15 – 3:30 Literature and Human Rights Panel
Literature, specifically fiction, has a unique capacity to touch the hearts and minds of people and engage them in a way that is distinctly different from political or academic texts. It has the potential to lead to personal or social change. Literature can be an important tool to educate people about and promote human rights. Moderated by Dr. Tatjana Takševa, professor of English and Women and Gender Studies at Saint Mary’s University, this panel brings together: Ami McKay, author of The Birth House and The Virgin Cure; Stephen Law, author of Tailings of Warren Peace; and Michael Crummey, poet and author of Sweetland, which is featured in AI’s Book Club for the month of May. The panelists will discuss the stories they have told in their books about prejudices and injustices as well as about the dignity and generosity of the human spirit. The panel will explore the role of the author in human rights work. Should literature be politically and socially engaged? Should authors take political or social stands? What consequences does it carry for their art? Can NGOs benefit by using literature in their human rights work?
PAUL O’REGAN HALL
Concurrent workshops
No more excuses (1): What we know about violence against Indigenous women and what needs to be done
Indigenous women and girls are going missing and being murdered at a much higher rate than other women in Canada—a rate so high it constitutes nothing less than a national human rights crisis. This information session will look at what we already know about this violence – the factors putting Indigenous women at risk, the key recommendations to stop violence, and the adequacy of government response. Workshop facilitators: Connie Greyeyes, a powerful advocate for the rights of Indigenous women, and one of the founders of the annual Oct. 4th Sisters in Spirit Walk in Fort St. John, BC; Audrey Marshall, who works for the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association; Constance MacIntosh, Associate Professor of Law and Director, Health Law Institute, Dalhousie University and Craig Benjamin, Amnesty International Canada’s campaigner for the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. This is one of two sessions on the theme. The two sessions will approach the issues from different angles.
ROOM 301
Canada and the global struggle to end torture
Torture is rampant and spiraling out of control in countries like Mexico. Join human rights defenders from Honduras and Mexico to explore what people in Canada can do to engage the Canadian government and other governments around the world to Stop Torture once and for all. Panelists: Ángel Amílcar Colón Quevedo, a Garifuna defender from Honduras who was tortured and unjustly imprisoned in Mexico for five and a half years prior to his release in October 2014; Luis Eliud Tapia Olivares, a human rights lawyer with the highly respected Miguel Agustín Pro Juárez Human Rights Centre in Mexico City; Kathy Price, Amnesty International Canada’s Campaigner for Mexico and other countries of Latin America; and Jackie Hansen, Amnesty International Canada’s Major Campaigns and Women’s Rights Campaigner.
RBC LEARNING CENTRE
3:45 – 5:00 Human Rights in the Digital Age
Two years ago, Edward Snowden's revelations about mass surveillance programs of the United States National Security Agency (NSA), UK Government Communications Headquarters GCHQ, and the "Five Eyes" alliance (US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) proved beyond a doubt that governments have systematically violated their citizens’ rights to privacy on a global scale, and in turn placed other rights at risk. Private data can be used to target journalists, persecute activists, profile and discriminate against minorities, and crack down on free speech. Digital rights experts will join us for a discussion about internet freedom and the use of mass surveillance by governments, as well as the persecution of whistleblowers and reporters who seek to tell the truth about human rights violations. Panelists: Michael Karanicolas , Senior Legal Advisor, Centre for Law and Democracy; David Fraser, lawyer specializing in internet, technology and privacy; and Hilary Homes, Amnesty International Canada’s Campaigner on International Justice, Security and Human Rights, and the Arms Trade. PAUL O’REGAN HALL
Concurrent workshops
LGBTI rights now!
Join our panel discussion to hear from frontline service providers and activists about progress in eliminating discrimination against LGBTI individuals in Canada and around the world and how you can take action to work towards justice and equality. Panelists: Kate Shewan, Executive Director of The Youth Project, a youth-driven organization dedicated to providing support and services to LGBTI youth; Kevin Kindred, lawyer and activist, Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project; and Jackie Hansen, Amnesty International Canada’s Major Campaigns and Women’s Rights Campaigner.
RBC LEARNING CENTRE
No more excuses (2): Working together to stop violence against Indigenous women
Although governments in Canada claim to be taking action to stop Indigenous women and girls, these actions fall far short of what’s needed to address such a widespread and pervasive human rights crisis. This workshop is an opportunity to discuss ideas and strategies of how Indigenous and non-Indigenous people can work together to make a real different. Practical examples of activism from across Canada will be shared. Workshop facilitators: Connie Greyeyes, a powerful advocate for the rights of Indigenous women, and one of the founders of the annual Oct. 4th Sisters in Spirit Walk in Fort St. John, BC; Audrey Marshall, who works for the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association; Constance MacIntosh, Associate Professor of Law and Director, Health Law Institute, Dalhousie University; and Craig Benjamin, Amnesty International Canada’s campaigner for the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. This is one of two sessions on the theme. The two sessions will approach the issues from different angles.
This is one of two sessions on the theme. The two sessions will approach the issues from different angles.
ROOM 301
5:00 Closing
