With special guest:
- Justin Trottier
It may come as a surprise to many of our listeners that many of the problems we face in Australia relating to equality as it applies to all men, women, girls and boys are similar in a distant part of the world, namely Canada.
A hotbed of activity in Toronto Canada is CAFÉ so we speak to Justin Trottier who is the Founder and Board Member of that association about what is being done over there while we look for lessons on improvements everywhere.
CAFÉ has a current focus on the status, health and well-being of men and boys where attention, investment and support for educational and social programs stands at a level that is far from equal to the seriousness of the problem. In 2014 CAFÉ opened Toronto’s first “Men’s Centre” in downtown Toronto under the directorship of Justin Trottier.
In March 2015 CAFÉ unveiled a billboard in Toronto which illustrated figures obtained from Statistics Canada that similar numbers of men and women experienced spousal violence in Canada. The billboard campaign and other efforts to provide evidence based research and balanced information have been attacked by vested interests but Justin is pleased to advise that the opposition on Toronto University Campus to CAFÉ campaigns has died down somewhat in recent times with a recognition that this cause is not going to go away.
We may be some distance from establishing a University course on Men’s studies in Toronto to match the Women’s study courses but it is great to hear about the work being done in so many areas by CAFÉ and Justin Trottier in particular on TV, in regular talks, radio and billboards. Now we can access these developments and share in the energy of the CAFÉ movement in Canada.
Justin Trottier
Justin Trottier has an Engineering Degree from the University of Toronto. He is Chair of the Canadian Centre for Men and Families Operations Committee and Board Member of the Canadian Association for Equality (CAFÉ). Justin is the founder of the Centre for Inquiry Canada, a national charitable organisation advancing science literacy. Justin speaks regularly in the media in defence of fundamental freedoms. He participates in debates and dialogues which bring together groups from vastly different backgrounds and perspectives exploring issues in ethics, religion and politics. Justin hosts “Think again TV” an independent media outlet that uses investigative journalism to explore human rights issues.
Song selection by our guest: Superman’s Dead by Our Lady Peace