Up For Debate

Basis of Solidarity
February 22, 2018

Our Basis of Unity presents the core values that our members agree upon,
uphold and support. It gives us the confidence of a common direction and
solidarity when working together on Up for Debate, and within our
organizational and activist lives.
Up for Debate is a feminist initiative. A feminist approach must seek to
transform systems of power and address the root causes of structural and
systemic inequalities that discriminate against women in all their diversity. We
advocate for the human rights, liberation, equality and equity of all people,
especially those who experience marginalization. All people who feel and
identify as women are women. This includes cis and trans women and other
gender oppressed people. We support sexual and gender self-determination for
all people. We support and defend bodily autonomy, referring to the right to
control decisions about one’s own body, free from coercion.
Up for Debate is an intersectional initiative. All people deserve living and
working environments that are conducive to safety, inclusion and fairness. We
actively oppose discrimination and violence based on, but not limited to, sex,
gender, ability, age, ethnicity, racialization, immigration status, geographic
location, identity, sexuality, class, religion and/or employment. We believe all
people employed in precarious and marginalized industries, especially migrant,
domestic and sex workers, should be afforded the same legal protections
entitled to all people in Canada, including the right to work in safety, without
fear of violence or discrimination.
We additionally recognize that Indigenous women are disproportionately
impacted by the systems of power and oppression outlined above, and that all
Up for Debate’s events and activities take place on stolen land. We reiterate
that Indigenous lives are valuable and affirm the rights and resilience of all
First Nations, Métis and Inuit women on the land now known as Canada,
including LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirited individuals. We further affirm that the
self-determination of Indigenous communities, and the leadership of
Indigenous women, is crucial to reconciliation in Canada.

Endorsers:
Oxfam Canada
Canadian Federation of University Women
Canadian Women’s Foundation
Native Women's Association of Canada

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