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DA Toronto Leadership:
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See all postsCall for Candidates for DA Toronto Co-Vice Chair for 2020!
posted by Danielle Stampley | Canada Legal Counsel / Toronto Chapter Chair / DPCA Voting Rep
December 30, 2019read moreDue to a resignation in 2019, we are looking for male/male-identifying/non-
binary candidates to volunteer to serve as Co-Vice Chair of the Democrats Abroad Toronto Board for the 2020-2021 term. (Our DA Charter and the DA Canada Bylaws require Chapters to have a Vice-Chair of a different sex from the Chapter Chair (currently female), which is why this position has a restriction on who can run.) Serving on the Board is a great way to take action and make a difference in 2020. We will be organizing debate watches, running a polling place for the Democrats Abroad Presidential Primary, and most importantly Getting Out the Vote for 2020!
The Co-Vice Chair performs the following role:
In the absence of the Chapter Chair, either of the Co-Vice Chairs shall call and preside at meetings of members and of the Executive Committee. The Co-Vice Chairs shall have such other duties as chairing one or more committees. The Co-Vice Chairs shall work with the Chair to ensure all responsibilities approved by and on behalf of the organization are supervised and executed appropriately.
Submit you nomination here by January 12, 2020.The voting will take place online during February and at the DA Toronto Annual General Meeting on February 25, 2020. Further details of the AGM will be sent in January 2020 according to our Bylaws.
If you have any questions about what's involved and whether this is a good fit for you, email us at Info-CA-Toronto@
democratsabroad.org. +Lights for Liberty: Democrats Abroad Joins Others to Protest Detention of Migrant Children
posted by Julie Buchanan | Canada Executive Vice Chair / DPCA Voting Rep
July 26, 2019read moreOn July 12, about 100 people, including members of Democrats Abroad (DA), gathered near the U.S. Consulate in Toronto to protest the detention of thousands of migrant children in overcrowded settings in Florida, Texas, and elsewhere in the U.S.
A lawyer who visited one of these facilities has reported that a large majority of the children have U.S. based family members who could take care of them. Instead, they are sleeping on mats and cement floors, and they are not being adequately nourished. Fruit and vegetables are not provided.
Reporters for the Miami Herald, who visited a facility in Homestead, Florida, said that children are identified by a number rather than a name and have very regimented schedules, including five-minute showers and two 10-minute calls a week to family members.
As protestors gathered in Toronto, gatherings were happening at detention centres across the U.S. and in other countries, including Germany and Ireland. The Toronto gathering included participants in the YWCA Settlement Program, the Canadian Association of Refugee lawyers, members of the Honduran community, and other groups, as well as DA members.
A number of speakers talked about urgent need to close these prison-like facilities:
Irit Printz, the rabbi of B’nai Shalom v’Tivah synagogue, said that “This is not a moral gray area. Children should not be held in detention in conditions that are worse than the conditions in which people can keep animals. Parents should not be torn away from their children. Providing people with basic necessities and a safe place to stay should be obvious, not a matter of debate.”
Karin Lippert, DA Toronto chapter Vice-chair, stated later that “Our message at the Lights for Liberty was: Close the Camps. Americans and people around the world are horrified by the images of children in cages, sleeping on the floor in their own feces, without adequate food and water. This is not reflective of American and Canadian values and must not continue. Close the Camps was both a solemn demonstration and a sacred space. Several speakers reminded us of the decades of exploitation of Central America by American corporations – supported by the U.S. government – and the general disregard there has been for the PEOPLE of Central America.”
Ed Ungar, DA Canada Vice-chair, stressed that action is required: “If you do not provide the basics of life (toothbrushes, showers, and so on) for children in your custody, that’s child abuse – child neglect. Society removes those children from custody. This is just as society must remove children from the Trump administration’s custody.”
The gathering concluded with candle lighting, song, and words of encouragement for the journey forward. Julie Buchanan, DA Canada Executive Vice-Chair recalled that “after moving stories and inspirational speakers, we sang John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’”: Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one. ”True, I may be a dreamer but clearly I was not the only one there that day. There is always hope,” said Ms. Buchanan.
In her statement, Rabbi Printz noted the meaning of candle lighting: She said that Jews light candles on Hannukah “because of the principle that light should always be increased in the world, that the world is dark enough without removing what light there is. I am so proud to stand with you today as we add our light to the world with the hope that we can make the world a little brighter, a little more caring, perhaps even a little more just.”
For DA members, the July 12 protest pointed the way toward action that is needed in 2020. Karin Lippert said that the gathering was a powerful reminder of our shared humanity. “ Going forward, the activism of Democrats Abroad living in Canada and around the world, and also our voter turnout in 2020 will be an affirmation of our values and an expression of the collective power of every vote.”Authored by Virginia Smith
Upcoming Events
Friday, January 31, 2020 at 06:00 PM · 14 rsvps
O'Grady's on Church in Toronto, ON, CanadaLGBTQ+ Happy Hour
Join DA Toronto for an LGBTQ+ Caucus reboot!
Come out, be proud, and meet other Dems Abroad for this casual meetup social event. We will be meeting up at O'Grady's on Church, in the heart of the Village. Folks of all identities, allies, friends, and partners welcome.