On this page, you will find upcoming and past Commision and community events. We encourage all Nova Scotians to participate and celebrate our diverse communities. If you have an event we should include here please contact us.
December 4th, 2023 - December 4th, 2023 - Housing and Human Rights Panel
What role do human rights play in Canada’s national housing crisis? Tune in for a virtual panel discussion with Nova Scotians working to find housing solutions for unhoused people. A representative from the Office of Canada’s Federal Housing Advocate will provide context and insights from the Advocate’s recent interim report on housing encampments in Canada.
December 3rd, 2023 - December 3rd, 2023 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities
December 1st, 2023 - December 10th, 2023 - Human Rights On Screen: Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor
In partnership with the Atlantic International Film Festival
From December 1 – 10 Nova Scotians are invited to watch the film Dawn, Her Dad & the Tractor for free via the Atlantic International Film Festival’s virtual screening platform. Reflect on some viewing questions and plan to take-in an accompanying panel discussion during which we will discuss the role film can play in public dialogue on important human rights issues.
Viewing Questions
Developed by Brody Weaver, Youth Project
For a narrative film featuring a transgender story, why is the setting of the film in rural Nova Scotia significant?
Observe different character’s reactions to their discoveries of Dawn’s identity. What can you learn from this? What responses make her feel alienated and what makes her feel affirmed?
As you watch the film, observe how people adapt to using Dawn’s pronouns (she/her/hers). What do you notice?
Pay attention to gender roles and stereotypes as you watch the film. How does it reinforce the gender binary? How does it challenge it?
What can you learn from the film about how transgender and cisgender people alike are subject to harsh expectations of what it means to be a ‘man’ and a ‘woman’?
