Powers at be

From Opinion

Politics encroach on all aspects of our lives. Powers at be is a column written by External Politics Columnist Maya Tommasi about the ways in which political power — corporate, federal, provincial, Indigenous and municipal — affect the lives of those who call themselves part of the UBC community.

All in Powers at be

An illustration featuring the Vancouver City Hall and a close-up drawing of the top of the Parliament of Canada, with a yellow outline of British Columbia and a blue outline of the City of Vancouver overlayed in the background.

June 28

Powers at be: Misused science is threatening trans wellbeing

In conversations about trans issues, science is sometimes used as irrefutable proof to argue more socially conservative stances. Science, while often a fantastic tool, does have shortcomings, not the least of which being how it interacts with systemic prejudice to entrench that very sentiment, writes columnist Maya Tommasi.

Maya Tommasi

April 15

Powers at be: Climate action was huge in the late 2010s. What happened?

Climate action isn’t as politically popular as it used to be — but it doesn’t have to be that way. Climate activists have shaped our perceptions before with movements like Fridays for Future, and they can do it again, argues External Politics Columnist Maya Tommasi.

Maya Tommasi

An illustration featuring the Vancouver City Hall and a close-up drawing of the top of Parliament of Canada, with a yellow outline of British Columbia and blue outline of the City of Vancouver overlayed in the background.

March 10

Powers at be: Free speech isn’t what it used to be

It is impossible to talk about modern politics without recognizing the politics of freedom of expression, writes Maya Tommasi in the debut article of her column, “Powers at be.”

Maya Tommasi with Illustrations by Ayla Cilliers