On March 26, Society members gathered online for a webinar on Consent Culture, hosted by the Society’s Young Professionals Network (YPN) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). The session was facilitated by labour activists Kim Kent, Candace Jazvac, Christopher Wilson, and Jeff Atkinson.
Facilitators provided a useful explanation of consent culture:
“In a culture of consent, the fact that consent is mandatory is normalized, respected and valued in society. It is an expression of values and attitudes that respects bodily autonomy and understands that each person is always the best judge of their own wants and needs.”
They discussed with participants what feelings, body language, verbal cues and sounds are signs that a space is aligning with consent culture. Facilitators explored how issues of consent can arise in everyday interactions, and examined the role of labour union representatives in addressing these issues at work and in union spaces. They looked at protocols that can help build a culture of consent.
For resources on the topic of consent, see this document produced by the CLC.
