HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE

Wednesday January 23, 2008

MINUTES

Present: Andrew Zarebski, Chair (Greenwood Reception Centre), Roger Langen (D12), Lynda Lemberg (OTBU), Javier Davila (Parkdale CI), Walter Schweigel (Oakwood CI), Eunice O’Mahony (Central Commerce CI), Tim Heffernan (York Mill CI)

Regrets: Janice Patterson (Albert Campbell CI)

1.      MEETING CALLED TO ORDER at 4:40 p.m.

2.      APPROVAL OF AGENDA

3.      MINUTES FOR DECEMBER 12, 2007 – Incomplete; approve next meeting  

4.      REPORT OF THE CHAIR – Andrew

STUDENT ACTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD – Changes to language for 2008 Student Action on Human Rights Award were suggested. These involved the incorporation of the phrase, “social justice,” in the terms of reference, a revision of the criteria to include the “sustainability of the action,” and a limitation on supporting documentation to “five pages text and five pages display material (or their media equivalents).”

Dates were also established. The deadline for applications is April 18, 2008, extendable to May 2, 2008. The award winners will be announced in the first week of June and the celebratory dinner held at a restaurant to be determined on June 18, 2008. Roger will send out the revised package through the February 21, 2008 STBU Council and by broadcast fax.

5.      OAXACA MOTION – MOVED by Lynda, SECONDED by Javier

BIRT D12 HRC endorse and promote to the membership the local Oaxaca solidarity event featuring the film, A Little Bit of So Much Truth, presented by Educators for Peace & Justice and supported by Provincial OSSTF to be held on January 31, 2008 at the Koffler Institute, University of Toronto. CARRIED

6.      ORGAN DONATION MOTION – MOVED by Javier, SECONDED by …

BIRT D12 HRC support in principle the following motion: BIRT STBU Executive write a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper demanding that the government reverse its December 2007 homophobic decision to disallow men who have had sex with men in the last five years from donating life-saving tissue and organs, and to move to the equitable practice of allowing all persons to donate blood (i.e., reverse the 1983 decision that prohibits a man who has had sex with a man even once to donate blood), tissue and organs while ensuring appropriate safeguard tests on the donation are performed. CARRIED

NOTE: The motion will be shared with the D12 Gay-Straight Alliance Committee for consideration for action at their February meeting.

7.      EXECUTIVE LIAISON REPORT – Roger

·        Materials were distributed, including the flyer for the Oaxaca solidarity event and notice of an Amnesty conference on Business & Human Rights scheduled for  February 9, 2008. Roger will be a panelist on Socially Responsible Investing.

·        On non-unionized cafeteria workers: The D12 Executive advises that, without a clear proposal or motion to vote on, this matter belonged, first of all, to political action by CUPE (with union solidarity as might be requested) in the manner standard for such practices by management. It was suggested that Robert Kettle (who raised the concern) might like to write an article for D12 VOICE. D12 PAC will not consider action unless action is proposed to it directly.

·        On DADT/NOII: A copy of a letter to Lloyd McKell, dated January 21, 2008, was distributed (re: concerns around the TDSB implementation of its DADT policy). The D12 HRC/NOII videography project has been approved, subject to some points for clarification; Javier will advise NOII to respond. Javier will also alert NOII to the possibility of presenting its videography project when completed at the OSSTF Educational Services Conference in October 2008. The NOII PD proposal did not materialize, due in part to time constraints (Vivian).

·        On AMPA motions: The Provincial HRC approved two motions for AMPA – one opposed to active military recruitment in our schools, and the other recommending cross-curricular inclusion of equity-promoting curriculum materials across the equity spectrum, including (notably) LGBTQ.

·        On the Falconer Report: The OFL Education Committee is considering a coordinated education (& other) union statement to the Minister of Education around the Falconer Report. Roger attended the first meeting on January 17, 2008. The D12 OSSTF emphasis will be on safety, as opposed to confining discussion mainly to equity concerns.

8.      BLACK-FOCUSED SCHOOLS – Discussion deferred to the next meeting.

9.   NEW BUSINESS – None.

      MEETING ADJOURNED at 6:30 p.m.

Next meeting:  Wednesday, February 13, 2008, 4:30 p.m., Library