From the CFUW Ontario Council President
Standing Committee Meetings
Legislation Committee
Status of Women and Human Rights
Education Committee
Regional Roundups
Ontario Council Clubs Write
Events Past & Future
Ontario Council AGM 2002 Advocates for Advocacy
CFUW National & Ontario Council Tools for Evidence
Based Advocacy
From the CFUW Ontario Council President
When writing this message, I had a lively conversation with myself:
-write about the superbly organised Ontario Council in Etobicoke - Thank
Linda MacGregor and her team for a job well done. -There are members who
think CFUW is non-political.- Tell the clubs about our presentation on
high quality public education and education funding to the Ontario
Equality in Education Task Force chaired by Dr. Rozanski. Thank Beth
Haynes. -But there are members who think CFUW is non-political.- Write
about our brief which is to be presented in the new year to the Ontario
Government and which deals with health, education, affordable housing and
poverty, youth in protective custody, water, cosmetic use of pesticides
etc. Thank the Standing Committee Chairs, Teri Shaw, Marilyn Letts and
Beth Haynes for it. -There may be
many members who think CFUW is
non-political.- But if you want to write about that you have to talk
about the CFUW constitution. Do you want to risk that everyone's eyes
glaze over, as soon as you mention the word constitution? -We have to
talk about it.
A CFUW member wrote to me recently complaining that she thought
that CFUW was getting too political and that involvement in politics was
against the spirit of CFUW. I have heard similar comments before on
occasions when CFUW policy was too ardently presented to the government of
the day and the person expressing that criticism was a supporter of that
government. Other members truly feel that since politics is "dirty business" CFUW should stay in pristine academic splendour, studying
issues, creating flawless research backgrounds to resolutions, filling
policy books with perfect resolutions. Why we would go through all this
trouble if we are not to be "political" has always confounded me. It has
been my strongly held traditional presupposition though, that we are an
organisation that is non - partisan and non - sectarian in all our
dealings. But non-political? Even our most innocuous activity, the
awarding of scholarships, is political. When we award scholarships to
women and girls, we are meddling in the social and educational systems,
we are taking sides, for education and for women.
But when in doubt about appropriateness of beliefs and actions
go to the source, in our case the National, Provincial and my own club
CFUW/ Ottawa Club constitution. While the CFUW National and the CFUW
Ontario Council constitutions say nothing about CFUW being non-partisan
and non - sectarian, the CFUW/Ottawa constitution requires its members to
"facilitate understanding, friendship and cooperation among university women, irrespective of race, religion or political opinion". So my
concept of non - partisanship and non - sectarianism comes from my own
club. How many clubs in Ontario have a similar article in their
constitution? Most? All?
What I found in all three constitutions, however, is the
thoroughly political and social purpose of our organisation: -University
women unite! - Provide an opportunity for effectual concerted action! -
Develop sound concepts of educational values! - See to it that public
education in Canada is of high standards! - Encourage advanced study and
research by women university graduates! -Take an intelligent interest in
all aspects of public affairs! -Encourage active participation of
qualified women in public affairs! -Feel responsible for your community!
-Put your privileged education and professional training at the service
of your community! - Be concerned with human rights! -Safeguard the
economic, legal and professional status of Canadian women! -Improve the
economic, legal and professional status of Canadian women!
The mothers of our Federation were not content with a local,
provincial or even national focus of our activities only. Our "community"
and our action is to include international fields: - Effect change at an
international level! -Take action in concert with IFUW! -Encourage
friendship, cooperation and understanding among university graduates world
wide!
The Toronto University Women's Club will celebrate 100 years of
its existence this year, our National and the International Federation of
University Women were founded in 1919. For more than 80 years our
members' sights have been on a wider circle of action than just personal
and professional development. Non-political you say? Don't take my word
for it, check out the CFUW constitution yourself.
This is the time of year when we make new year's resolutions. It
is not too early to resolve that when looking at your club programmes for
next year, that you will remember that wider circle of study and action.
- And what about bridge, and literature and gourmet groups, skiing and
hiking and fun and laughter? Well, did I not tell you? They are equally
essential. Without all these activities we would be very poorly balanced.
They make up the other firm leg our clubs stand on. May we always stand
on both legs.
With the very best wishes for the year 2003 to all CFUW members in
Ontario,
Edeltraud Neal, President,
CFUW Ontario Council
An enthusiastic group attended the September 21st meetings, including our
national president, Jacqueline Jacques. The Ontario Council theme of
Advocacy got off to a good start with an emphasis on letter writing in the
separate committees and we were pleased to hear Doris Anderson's
presentation when we got together at lunch.
Registration Form
Chair: Teri Shaw
The January 18th meeting of the Legislation Committee will revert to its
normal schedule - a speaker in the morning and discussions in the
afternoon. Our guest in the morning will be Doris Grinspun, Executive
Director, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, who will be speaking
on the Romanow Report, Medicare reform and the nursing situation. Please
visit their web page at www.rnao.org.
The Association strongly supports
the final report of the Romanow Commission, and is concerned that it will
be relegated to a shelf. Public support will be needed if the provinces
are to accept its proposals. After lunch, our discussions will include
updates and feedback on letter-writing, as well as beginning preparations
for the upcoming elections. Please think about your experiences with
letter-writing, in particular, your problems. Your successes will be a
joy, but your frustrations are where we can all learn. Getting ready for
the election can be two-fold – encouraging women to vote (the Amean
Association of University Women have a very sophisticated Voter Education
Campaign) and preparing questions (and answers) for candidates. It should
be a stimulating day.
Decision Making at
Standing Committee Meetings
The discussions of the resolution at the 2002 OC AGM, both
publicly, during the business sessions and privately before and after the
sessions have pointed to the need for clear deadlines for the resolution
process and a more transparent democratic process by which we arrive at
decisions during Standing Committee meetings.
With respect to the decision making process in Standing Committee
meetings, common practice has been to decide by consensus of the members
present. At standing committee meetings, if clubs send more than one
representative, the decision process may be affected. Clubs that are able
to send more than one representative have a stronger voice than those that
can send only one representative. However, the democratic process used by
Ontario Council for AGM is one vote per club.
The open discussion format of the standing committee meetings
allows for the sharing of many different view points and allows for each
member to be heard. Decisions are made only after the group has had an
opportunity to fully discuss the issues and consider the merits of the
different viewpoints. Therefore, to bring the decision process in line
with that of OC AGMs, at Standing Committee meetings we will use the one
vote per club method of decision making. Only those clubs present at a
particular Standing Committee meeting will be entitled to vote.
Resolutions
The Ontario Council Executive will continue to evaluate the
timeline for Resolutions as well as the processes for submission and
review. The formal date for receipt of resolutions of April 15th is set
in the Constitution (By-law XI, 5, Constitution). If we receive any
Intents (By-law XI, 4.a & b, Constitution) we will encourage the
completion of the Resolution(s) earlier than the prescribed date, so that
we in turn may be able to distribute the Resolution(s) to the clubs for
study and analysis as early as possible.
Please remember that clubs may also sponsor a Resolution "that is provincial in scope and relevant to Ontario" (By-Law XI,1, Constitution).
2003 Resolutions Timeline
|
Intent to submit a resolution formal submission with topic
|
Feb.1st, 2003
|
|
Resolution complete with Background & Bibliography
| Apr. 15th
|
|
Amendments
| Aug. 1st
|
|
Vote at
Annual Meeting
| October 2003
|
Submit Intents to:
(a) Regional Director (b) Relevant committee chair (c) Ontario Council
President (d) O/C Legislation chair
Chair: Marilyn Letts, Chair
At the Standing Committee meeting in September Dr. Sylvia Novac an
independent research consultant specializing in housing and
gender-analysis presented the research report: On Her Own: Homelessness
among young women in Canada for Status of Women Canada. In the discussion
that followed one of our members who is a public health nurse raised the
issue of girls and body image.
With the assistance of Lynn Franklin, Regional Director for
Ontario South, I have arranged for Dr. Gail McVey to speak at the January
meeting. Dr McVey, a Registered Psychologist, is Director of the Community
Outreach Program for Eating for all Ontario outside of Toronto
Dr. McVey is Chair of the Body Image Coalition of Peel, which has
as its goal to raise awareness and understanding of body image issues and
eating disorders in the community. She is a co-author of the Coalition's
prevention manual entitled "Every BODY is a Somebody".
She completed a Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship at the Hospital for Sick
Children, where she developed and evaluated a school-based prevention
program for elementary school children and their parents.
CFUW policy on this issue: Eating Disorders in Canada (1999)
Related
policy: Girl Child IFUW 1992 Increasing Girls' Self Esteem.
Websites to check out:
National Eating Disorders Information Centre:
www.nedic.ca
Sheena's Place:
http://www.sheenasplace.org/main.html
Body Image Coalition of Peel:
http://bodyimage.castle.on.ca/
Bellwood Centre:
www.bellwood.ca
Women's Health Matters:
http://www.womenshealthmatters.ca/
Action:
With the information from Dr. McVey, let's see if some members
from various clubs can work together via email on drafting letters to the
MPPs and school boards. I will act as coordinator and work with this
information to draft the letter to the Ministers of Health and Education
for the President of OC CFUW to sign.
Human Rights
Also at the January Standing Committee meeting we will use the Educational
Package for Ontario Schools to learn more about Human Rights using case
studies, quizzes and fact sheets. It may be an eye-opener to be back in a
classroom setting!
WWW Sites
Also in follow-up to the September meeting Carolyn Johns,
President Brampton CFUW and Fatima Myers shared the website of the
National Anti-Poverty Organization
www.napo-onap.ca
as a valuable resource.
Please bring to share any excellent sources such as websites. If
you email me, I'll prepare a list for handout at the January meeting.
Chair: Elizabeth Haynes
We have two interesting sessions planned for the Education Committee in
January. In the afternoon, we will hear from Sam McKinlay. Sam is well
versed in the public education funding formula. He will be speaking about
the current formula, as well as responding to the Education Equality Task
Force Recommendations (the Rozanski Report) that was released on Tuesday,
December 10. A complete copy of the Rozanski Report can be downloaded from
www.edfundingreview.on.ca.
As usual, the morning session
will
include an opportunity to share activities of local clubs in support of
education. Please bring copies of letters your clubs have written--letters
to the Education Equality Task Force; letters to your local MPP's in
support of the public funding of public education resolution or other
letters your club may have written on education issues. We can share these
letters and it is good for me to keep them as part of the Standing
Committee Files. We will also discuss education questions that can be
directed to candidates during the next round of elections.
Finally, we will discuss the Equity in Education Tax Credit. Many
members of the committee are interested in continuing to look at this
issue, and we will be formulating an approach for further activity.
ONTARIO WEST: Regional Director, Ardith Toogood
The Region of Ontario West is comprised of 14 CFUW clubs situated in the
area bounded by Southampton and Owen Sound in the north, Orangeville and
Guelph in the east, St. Thomas in the south and Windsor and Sarnia in the
west. In size these clubs range from 8 to 273 members, and in visibility
within their communities they range from somewhat to quite well-known.
This fall two clubs in particular provided services to their
communities which not only involved high-profile speakers, but also
attracted many citizens to meetings which were held in addition to the
regular CFUW monthly meetings. In both cases the local media were there
to record the event and of course raise the profile of the clubs as well.
CFUW Owen Sound & Area featured Sally Armstrong whose
speech on
the schooling of girls in Afghanistan helped to increase the knowledge of
their club members and the townspeople who were lucky enough to get
tickets. CFUW Sarnia sponsored a huge event at a local high school
so
that students would have the opportunity to learn with them the
experiences of a space traveller. The picture that appeared in the paper
was Colonel Chris Hadfield with one of the students, autographing the
model of the Canadarm which the student had constructed. (See a detailed
write-up of these two events elsewhere in Dates and Data.)
CFUW Southport has been setting an exemplary model for
advocacy
with their Brief to the Equity in Education Task Force in September and
their many subsequent letters to Government representatives not only on
issues regarding this year's resolutions but also on those stemming from
other policy topics. CFUW Kitchener-Waterloo sent some of their
Political
Action committee members to both a Symposium and a Public Meeting on a
pending Regional by-law regarding the cosmetic use of pesticides before
writing letters to the MPPs on the issue. The above-mentioned clubs along
with CFUW London also sent letters to their MPs on The Kyoto
Protocol.
CFUW Windsor has submitted an Intent for a National
resolution on
Public Funding of Public Education. CFUW Stratford's article,
"Change the World,"submitted for their September newsletter by one of the authors of the Cosmetic Pesticides resolution, may give inspiration and encouragement to all clubs planning to write resolutions. It describes the journey of a
resolution from inception to adoption, including the bumps, hills and
wrong turns along the way!
CFUW Chatham-Kent, along with planning the next Ontario
West
Spring Gathering, raised $425 for their Scholarship Fund by holding a
cooking class at a local Japanese restaurant. This club also made a
difference in the lives of some local children through their donations to
the duffel bags/suitcase program of the Chatham-Kent Integrated Children's
Services.
A new interest group, The Breakfast Club, has been formed in the
CFUW Orangeville & District club. Besides eating and enjoying
fellowship
this group, which has attracted 34 members so far, has a Vision Statement
and features motivational speakers each month. What an inspiring way to
start a day! Happy Holidays to all.
ONTARIO SOUTH: Lynn Franklin, Regional Director
Ontario South Region has had a very busy fall. Clubs have embraced the
advocacy theme and copies of letters to M.P.s, M.L.A.s, Hospital Boards,
Mayors and even the Chair of the Education Task Force on Funding fill my
Outlook Folder. Monthly programs are challenging and motivate members to
get involved in local, national and international issues. CFUW
Oakville
organized a panel on Hot Issues in Health. Panel members included the
president and CEO of the local hospital, and a board member from the
Ontario Medical Association. CFUW Mississauga invited Flora
MacDonald to
speak on Experiences in Afghanistan. Clubs report that membership numbers
are increasing!
Club newsletters and local newspapers record the resumes of our
scholarship winners. Most clubs are increasing the number of
awards/scholarships available this year because of the double cohort. To
that end, fundraising continues. CFUW Mississauga held a
successful
fall
wine tasting; CFUW Niagara Falls, an enjoyable Dinner Theatre;
CFUW
Welland, a community used book sale; CFUW Milton and CFUW St
Catharines,
live and silent auctions.
CFUW Brampton has been working diligently on the Spring
Gathering.
Executive workshops, and round-table discussions are planned. Dr. Michael
Rachlis, private consultant in health policy analysis and co-author of two
national bestsellers about Canada's health care system will be the keynote
speaker. Please keep Saturday, April 5th free, for a worthwhile day.
Several clubs are marking special milestones this year. CFUW
Norfolk and District celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special
dinner
in Port Dover. Eighteen past presidents representing twenty-six years of
leadership and five charter members with fifty years of continuous
membership were in attendance. A book entitled, Our First Fifty Years,
was compiled to mark the anniversary and recorded "the high standards of accomplishments set by all who have preceded us".
We have been making a difference for a long time! Happy New Year!
ONTARIO NORTH : Joan Gentle, Regional Director
Clubs in Ontario North have had a success fall with interesting programmes
and social events. CFUW Thunder Bay and CFUW Sudbury held
their annual
Fall Receptions to renew old acquaintances and welcome new members.
CFUW
Thunder Bay has chosen the theme of Health Issues for this year.
Based on
one of the resolutions passed at the AGM in Richmond, the club will hold a
public meeting on April 14, 2003, on the topic of Organ and Tissue
Donation. The club continues to "Build Bridges" with the local community
of aboriginal women graduates. Their annual Christmas Fete and Bazaar was
held in November, with proceeds going towards bursaries. CFUW Sudbury,
Muskoka and North Bay held annual Christmas socials, with
Sudbury
and
Muskoka having silent auctions for scholarships, and collecting
funds
to
sponsor a needy family and to contribute to the Salvation Army Christmas
Hamper Fund. North Bay donated gifts to Transition House, and sent
money
to a school in Zambia. Sudbury again participated in LEAF's 13th
Person's
Day Breakfast. Both Sudbury and Muskoka are preparing for
their annual
author's night. For the second year, CFUW Muskoka in partnership
with
Nipissing University hosted a lecture series.
Following the model used at the September Standing Committee
Meeting, Muskoka's Standing Committee Liaison led the membership in
an
Advocacy Letter-Writing Workshop prior to the December general meeting.
CFUW Muskoka hopes that a trained membership will be more effective in
their advocacy efforts. A letter from the Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Bill Graham, in response to the club's letter expressing support for
Canada's signature and ratification of the Optional Protocol was received.
CFUW Muskoka was proud to celebrate two of its members,
Ruth
Bell-Towns and Susan Daglish, who were nominated for the YWCA Women of
Distinction Awards for their outstanding achievement in community
volunteerism. Ruth Bell-Towns was the award recipient.
Our clubs continue another year of contributions to the community
and support of the goals of CFUW. All good wishes for the New Year.
ONTARIO CENTRAL: Regional Director, Linda MacGregor
"Thank you for your letter addressing our concerns about water exports"....."appreciated your support of the ratification"......."importance to the economic, health, social and environmental well being of" ........"these resolutions are supported by the Vaughan Club....". and so these and many other letters were dispatched
by Central region Clubs to our politicians in the hopes of influencing
them on issues of importance to our federation.
However, equally important to our advocacy efforts is the
education, fellowship and fun provided at our general meetings and study
groups. In January, Orillia will be hosting an Antiques Road Show
followed
in February by a more sobering insight into "Ground Zero" while
Vaughan
members learned last September about Islam from a doctor from Zimbabwe.
CFUW Barrie & District has "linked up" with the Vaughan
Club to
co-host the April 12, 2003 Spring Gathering as well as "forming links"
with the Barrie Literacy Council, while the North York and North
Toronto
clubs will be studying what the Toronto City Summit Alliance proposes to
improve the economy, education, infrastructure, immigration and social
structure of Canada's largest city. CFUW Oshawa members, through
informative experts and a prospective resolution, are determined to fight
the environmental dangers of sludge dumping, the practice of dumping
recycled paper, composts and other waste products into quarries where they
threaten to contaminate their water table.
Etobicoke members, celebrating their 50th anniversary,
found out
what one former Prime Minister's wife meant when she said "Behind every successful man there stands a surprised woman!!" Do you know who she is?
Our sisters to the east in the hills of Northumberland,
commemorate the passing of their members by donating money to a local
library so that a book can be purchased in their honour. Both
Northumberland and Peterborough Clubs received the CFUW
Certificate for
Increased Membership (over 10% increase in one year!!).
Aurora-Newmarket
has two, very timely, programs this year; last month, it dealt with global
values, moral awareness and ethical dilemmas, while in January, climate
change will be highlighted.
The Toronto Caucus December 6th luncheon was sold out within the
first few weeks. Karen Empringham, CFUW Ajax-Pickering,
disappointed at
not getting tickets for herself and business associates, turned bad luck
into the Caucus' good fortune by persuading them to go out to lunch on the
6th and donating to the Ecole Polytechnique Award, established in honour
of the 14 women murdered in 1989 on that date.
Many Clubs, including Markham-Unionville are advertising
themselves through book marks which have their program agenda on one side
and a list of the benefits of joining on the other. Place these on a
distribution table at your local library and see what happens. Habitat for
Humanity will be visiting CFUW Scarborough in January. Its
president has
started a new interest study group called "Making a Difference", which
could use the work behind Habitat to raise awareness and support on the
broader issue of the lack of affordable housing in this province and
country. UWC Toronto welcomed a speaker from the Interval House for
Battered Women while Leaside-East York's guest night in October was
a
performance by Act II Studio/Ryerson Theatre entitled "IF NOT NOW, WHEN?",
a research-based dramatic presentation on aging in our time, showing new
possibilities, old attitudes and barriers. CFUW Weston followed up
on the
Ontario Council AGM with a study of the Famous 5 enhanced by a stamp
collection of women of distinction and an audio recording of "The Pink Tea". Will tell you more in May !!
ONTARIO EAST: Regional Director, Marylea Burtt
The 10 clubs of Ontario East are busy with many interesting projects and
activities. CFUW Belleville & District launched their book Quinte
Women
of
Distinction on October 5th, 2002. CFUW Renfrew & District
celebrated
their
45th anniversary on October 21st, 2002 with Linda Souter as their guest
speaker. On November 2nd, 2002 CFUW Kingston held a public forum on
the
new youth criminal justice act. The main message from all presenters was
that we (Canada & Ontario) are spending far too much on the incarceration
of young people and not enough on low key responses to casual offenders.
For every 1000 young people, Canada takes 44 to court and sentences 12 of
them to custody and only 2 have committed violent crimes. In the US only 8
kids per 1000 are sentenced to custody. A special thank you to Joanne
Dovey, of CFUW Orleans for accepting the position as chair of the 2003 LAC
committee for the OC AGM 2003.Also thanks to CFUW Kingston for agreeing to
host the Spring Gathering on May 3rd, 2003 for East Ontario.
Ontario Council Clubs Write!
|
Club | Recipient | Subject
| Reply
|
|
Aurora/Newmarket | D. Anderson, Jean Chretien | Kyoto | yes from MP
|
|
Aurora/Newmarket | Director of Education York Region | Education
| yes from MP
|
|
Aurora/Newmarket | Elizabeth Witmer, Ernie Eves, Gerrard Kennedy,
Rosario Marchese | Education - Public Funding |
|
|
Brampton | Sarkis Assadourian, Colleen Beaumier,Gurbax Singh Malhi |
Congratulations on UN Optional Protocol CEDAW |
|
|
Brampton | Tony Clement, Ernie Eves, Raminder Gill, Joe Spina, Mayor
Susan Fennell, Board of Brampton Memorial Hospital Campus, William Osler
Health Centre | For-profit corporation involved in building of new
hospital |
|
|
Etobicoke | Jean Augustine, Allan Rock, Roy Cullen | Annual letter
on
Resolutions |
|
|
Etobicoke | Jean Augustine, Allan Rock, Roy Cullen | Kyoto |
|
|
Georgetown | Julian Reed | Kyoto | yes
|
|
Georgetown | Mayor Gastle & Councillors | no-smoking by-law |
|
|
Kitchener-Waterloo | MPP's | Cosmetic use of Pesticides |
|
|
Leaside-East York | John Godfrey, Dennis Mills | Resolutions, Water
exports, Kyoto |
|
|
London | Joe Fontana | Kyoto |
|
|
Muskoka | Bill Graham | Optional Protocol | yes
|
|
North Toronto | Jean Chretien | Kyoto | yes
|
|
North York |
Judy Sgro, David Collenette, John Godfrey, Joseph Volpe,
Jim Peterson, Art Eggleton, Alan Tonks | Kyoto | David
Collenette
John Godfrey Jim Peterson
Judy Sgro
|
|
Northumberland | Harold Macklin | Kyoto |
|
|
Orillia | Garfield Dunlop | Non-essential Pesticides |
|
|
Orillia | Paul DeVillers | Annual letter on Resolutions
|
|
|
Ottawa | City of Ottawa | Cosmetic Use of Pesticides |
|
|
Scarborough | Jean Chretien, David Anderson, Jim Karygiannis, John
Cannis, John McKay, Derek Lee, Tom Wappel | Kyoto |
|
|
Scarborough | Ernie Eves, Chris Stockwell, Dalton McGuinty, Howard
Hampton, Gerry Phillips, Steve Gilchrist, Marilyn Mushinski, Dan Newman,
Alvin Curling | Kyoto |
|
|
Southport | | Resolutions |
|
|
Vaughan | Maurizio Bevilacqua, Greg Sorbara | Annual letter on
Resolutions |
|
|
Weston & District | All MP's in areas where club members reside
| Kyoto |
|
EVENTS PAST & FUTURE
KINGSTON CLUB
HOSTS PUBLIC FORUM
A public forum on the new YOUTH CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT was held in
Kingston with over 60 people in attendance on Saturday November 2nd.
Issues involved in the new act (the changes in jurisdiction and how these
changes will impact on the youth in conflict with the law) were considered
with many suggestions as to how to proceed from here.
This act, BILL C-7, was passed by Federal Parliament in May 2001
and is scheduled to be proclaimed on April 2003.
Speakers were Mr. Justice Rommel Masse who introduced the
topic,
Dr. Don Campbell retired professor of the faculty of education who
introduced the current situation in Kingston. Mary Lynn
Cousins-Brame who
discussed the different community support services. Dr. Gary
Bernfeld
(critique) has done academic research on the effectiveness of approaches
in relation to recidivism / reintegration and shared his findings.
Prof.
Nick Bala dealt with the legal perspective. He is the author of
Canadian
Youth Justice Law and is a professor of law at Queens University.
According to Nick Bala youth incarceration in Ontario is twice of that in
the United States and six times the rate in England. Depending on how it
is measured, Ontario's youth recidivism rate is around 40%. After a
brainstorming session in small groups, Bryan Bowers pulled together
a
summary of the day.
- Youth offenders are a community responsibility
- Youths must not be dealt with in isolation
- It is important to keep kids out of the courts
- More work is needed to strengthen the families of youth offenders.
TORONTO CAUCUS LUNCHEON
A Great Success!
December 6th Luncheons are very special events. We enjoy a
splendid speaker, an excellent meal, and the friendly, Christmas-festooned
warmth of the Toronto Club House. The fourteen roses that centre the
dining room tables symbolize the fourteen girls who were murdered thirteen
years ago and remembering those young women is the compelling reason that
so many CFUW members from Ontario Clubs come together to contribute to our
Ecole Polytechnique Award. As a result of our three December 6th
Luncheons, we now have donated well-over $4000 to the Award.
Submitted by Kathryn Manzer
CENTRAL SPRING GATHERING
Renew and Renergize!
Saturday April 12th at the Kortright Conservation Centre in
Kleinburg, this event is to be jointly hosted by CFUW Barrie and CFUW
Vaughan.
The Kyoto Accord has dominated the news the past few months. The
Kortright Centre is known throughout Canada for its research in renewable
forms of energy namely solar and wind energy. Renewable Energy is the
theme of this event. Come to Kleinburg and choose a workshop that will
enable you to have a better understanding of alternative sources of
energy. The workshop choices are President's Forum, Water Conservation,
Energy Conservation and Aboriginal Life. The Kortright staff will be
conducting the workshops. Each presentation will include a short walk on
Kortright's scenic trails. Casual dress will be the order of the day along
with comfortable footwear. Allan Foster who is the director of Kortright
will be the keynote speaker at the luncheon.
Submitted by Lynn Dobson
GALA EVENING
WITH SALLY ARMSTRONG
CFUW Owen Sound & Area hosted an enormously successful evening
with author and activist Sally Armstrong. Almost 200 guests were
captivated by her account of her experiences in Afghanistan. Guests were
treated to a variety of elegant hors d'oeuvres prepared by our members as
well as a bubbly cranberry punch. Our wine bar was a big hit due to the
handsome bartenders (husbands of members) who wore tuxedos for the
occasion. The event raised over $4500 for our Scholarship Fund. Sally was
particularly generous with her time by agreeing to numerous media
interviews. This gave positive publicity to our local club. We are also
very appreciative of our members who were all involved in the gala in some
way.
With the help of the success of this event, the Owen Sound & Area
CFUW has established itself as one that values fellowship and has a strong
sense of purpose.
Submitted by Donna
Phillips
COLONEL CHRIS HADFIELD
Visits Sarnia Club
On November 5, 2002 CFUW Sarnia sponsored a presentation by
Colonel Chris Hadfield, Canada's first astronaut to walk in space when he
was in charge of installing the Canadarm 2 on the International Space
Station. This event for our community was arranged through the Canadian
Space Agency by a member of our club who for many years has known Colonel
Hadfield, a former member of our community.
About 700 adults, students and children attended this free
presentation in the auditorium of the Sarnia Collegiate Institute and
Technical School where Colonel Hadfield took us on a space journey via
slides and video. Many of us felt we were actually making the trip, and
were
quite in awe of the beauty of our planet, and the immensity of space. The
question and answer
time at the end was a highlight, especially for the children and
students.
Our expenses of about $475 were for publicity and a small
reception following the presentation. We are grateful for financial
support from Ontario Council, and although it was not a fund raising
event, we were very pleased with the resulting interest of the community
in our club and in CFUW.
Submitted by Mary Warkentin
ONTARIO COUNCIL AGM
The 2002 Ontario Council AGM was hosted by CFUW Etobicoke at Black
Creek Pioneer Village and the theme was The Persons Case: A Platform for
Progress. On Friday evening a musical presentation by The Ginger
Group celebrated the work of the Famous Five women who took the fight to
have women included in the term "persons" to the Privy Council of Great
Britain. Jean Augustine, MP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore and the Minister of
Multiculturalism and the Status of Women was a guest at this reception and
was presented with the CFUW national brief.
Business on Saturday included discussion and voting on two
educations resolutions. The resolution on public funding of public
education was passed by the delegates and is now part of Ontario Council
policy.
During the regional meetings members were asked to identify
concerns in their region and the compiled list included: health care
issues; poverty and homelessness; abuse of children and the elderly; water
quality; deregulation of public resources; and the social cost of
gambling.
The main focus of the afternoon program was a workshop on
advocacy
during which Carolyn Day gave us a CFUW perspective and our keynote
speaker, Marilou McPhedran, gave us the benefit of her expertise in this
area. Marilou was given a list of the regional concerns and made the
point that health and human rights are inextricably linked and that women
must strive to insure healthy communities.
The workshop concluded with a moderated question period. A
summary
of Marilou McPhedran's remarks and her reply to some of the questions
follows on page 13.
CFUW Ontario
Council 2002 Advocates for Advocacy!
Reported by Moira Hoogeveen, CFUW Etobicoke
Carolyn Day
The Ontario Council has instituted the Advocacy Award which will
provide a signpost as we engage in Advocacy work. The founders of CFUW
were contemporaries of the Famous 5, driven by the same imperatives. This
was after World War I, and they felt a group of educated women might be a
means of providing understanding which could prevent war. They had a
number of committees: - a Vocations Committee which produced leaflets
distributed to schools all across Canada, listing job opportunities and
pay scales. They had committees on War Work, Penal Reform and later, the
St. Lawrence Seaway committee, which worked for the preservation of the
houses, and the creation of Upper Canada Village.
Our Clubs worked to remove the notwithstanding clause with
regard
to equality rights; we have been active in many other important issues,
like Gun Control and Land Mines. The voice of CFUW has been loud and
strong, and it has made a difference. Advocacy is also reflected in our
Standing Committees, on Education, Status of Women & Human Rights and
Legislation. Our resolutions and follow-up letters are another example.
It happens in briefs to government at all levels, and in discussing our
policies with ministers of the federal government.
Marilou McPhedran
A tree lives for generation after generation, through many
terrible crises. It may look as though it cannot respond, but this is not
true. It does respond, and it survives. The same is true of women. Many
women are raising children under hostile environments, but are strong
enough to prevail. Health and human rights are inextricably linked.
Women everywhere have had to construct their rights. The
Persons
Case is a good example. Then there are the United Nations four World
Conferences of Women, in 1975, 1980, 1985 and 1995. Other milestones were
the establishment of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), The Canadian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms and the Beijing+5, June 2000 and beyond.
At the 1975 World Conference of Women, it was considered that only
member states could be a part. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were
not recognized and not welcomed. Twenty-five years later, in the most
recent conference (Beijing +5 in June 2000) the NGOs were given full
status, and some made presentations. This demonstrates the shift in how
women have gone from the outside, to the inside of decision making.
By the UN Vienna Declaration 1994, it was finally recognized
that
rape is a war crime. Before, women were not considered victims of war,
because rape was not considered an instrument of war. The key factor in
this difference was the pressure from women activists, and the NGOs.
Millennial checks and balances on human rights
However, this progress is in some ways more apparent than real.
National governments cannot "govern" the global corporate structures.
Increasingly civilians are the casualties of war, with women and children
bearing a disproportionate burden. Restructuring in some countries means
destructive government cutbacks to health and education triggered by a
government's response to the International Monetary Fund and World Bank
demands, destroying generations of social capital.
The UN, Council of Europe and the European Union are the only
international governmental systems that we have to provide some
countervailing influence to value and protect "social capital". We, as
women, have to participate. We cannot leave the knowledge gathering to
the men! We must gather the evidence, but we don't need to be the experts
before we take action. We know what is unfair, and we can do something
about it.
How to link national and international?
NGOs are crucial to this task. We must make the UN and country
members accountable to the citizens. We must bring that accountability to
our own political representatives in our own governments. We need to look
at benchmarks, and ask the questions: Why have you done this? It doesn't
work. What are you going to do about it?
Beijing Platform for Action:
"Promote and protect the human rights of women by fully implementing all human rights instruments, especially CEDAW; Review national laws to ensure implementation of all international human rights agreements; Ensure equality and non-discrimination under the law and in practice; Achieve legal literacy."
A country reports to the CEDAW Committee of the UN, while NGOs
provide shadow, or alternative reports. The alternative report is being
developed, but Canada's report is two years overdue. We should ask our
M.P.'s when Canada will make this report.
Optional Protocol
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW) can be referred to by women in countries without a
national constitution protecting women's rights, but there is a strong
push back against these aims behind closed doors in the UN. Women in
these countries can appeal directly to CEDAW at the UN. This is the
optional protocol, but we will see women from those countries die in the
use of this option.
Canada #1 on the UN Human Development Index - no more!
Comparing the status of Canadian women relative to other women in
other countries, it is indisputable that Canadian women are still among
the world's most privileged, but the steady cutbacks to community-based
women's organizations have taken their toll in Canada. Measured for the
status of women, Canada comes in as No. 9. Measurements of women as a
group obscure the gap between women who "have" and women who "have not"
within our own country. There is a need for more research and action to
reveal this truth to bring systemic change.
Evidence Based Advocacy
Legal Literacy is the capacity to access and understand laws and
policies affecting individual or group status at the national, regional
and international levels. Evidence-based advocacy occurs when those who
argue for the implementation of equality rights support their points with
analysis of quantitative and qualitative data illustrating the extent of
the problem for which they are seek Your clubs have a whole range of
interests among the members. Usually there is only a small number of
members interested in advocacy, but that is all right. This kind of
thing is done better in small groups. Debate and talk through your ideas,
then reach out to the larger group to take part in any campaign you come
up with. This is advocacy.
? ? ? ? QUESTIONS ? ? ? ?
Q. Law Reform. Can we use it?
A. Regarding Electoral Reform, get your web site linked to Equal
Voice at
www.equalvoice.ca and
also Fair Vote Canada at
www.fairvotecanada.org
of which Doris Anderson is the Vice-president. No
matter what form Proportional Representation takes, or in what country,
you see an increase in women and minorities in parliament. We can as
Canadians decide what is a desired outcome. We don't have to have the
answer now, just state the question, asking for electoral reform and a
consideration of Proportion Representation.
Q. How do we get more women in public office?
A. Push on electoral reforms, limits on spending, equality as a
value. When it comes to getting elected, it comes down to money.
Q. How do we advocate for women immigrants who are neither English
nor French?
A. There are two organizations which focus on professional women who
cannot practice in this country, Visible Immigrants and Visible Minority
Women, and the National Organization of Immigrant and Visibadle Minority
Women of Canada. Ask their representatives to come and speak to your
clubs. Work with them, much as you have done with the Canadian Coalition
for Gun Control. Form linkages.
Q. Can you comment on the complexity of the Rogers inquest, regarding
the woman who died in Sudbury, after being sentenced to house arrest for
welfare fraud?
A. As a member of the National Anti-Poverty League and LEAF, which
have intervenor status, I am very familiar with the issues. Media
commentary is somewhat misleading. Margvaret Wente questions how is it
that this woman is given seven months supply of antidepressants. Wente
seems to be saying "This isn't about welfare fraud, it's about anti-depressants". But this is not an appropriate diversion from the important social aim of this inquest. It seems to me they are focusing on parts of the elephant, and not the whole animal. We should look at the
way the law gets used to restrict opportunities. Rogers used welfare
money to go back to school, and was punished for it. Don't be
disotracted, focus on the social, economic and political analysis of this
case.
Q. Can you comment on a right wing women's organization?
A. Democracy is the place to start. Agree to disagree, and go on to
debate. Behind these groups are organizations of massive wealth. That
background is important for us to understand. Organizations like this are
the tip of an iceberg, and we have to pay attention to the iceberg.
Q. Can you comment on the demise of a once important and influential
women's organization?
A. Sadly thcis voice has been lost. In recent years their
tactics
changed, and those tactics were not favoured by some of us: Hectoring vs.
knowledge based advocacy. An organization that relies on government
funding, well, when you hector the funders, you may lose your funding,
which is what happened.
Q. Can you comment on the Young Offenders Act and anonymity for those
under age?
A. Research tells us that under the previous system (where there was
not anonymity) crime did not decline. When a person is labeled as a
criminaal, that person tends to absorb the labeling. Rehabilitation is
difficult
to do in that case. People tend to live up to their labels. For
rehabilitation to occur, it is necessary to have access to resources.
This is difficult to do when one is identified as a criminal. We want the
young offenders to have the opportunity to turn their lives around.
CFUW National & Ontario Council Tools for Evidence Based Advocacy
- Policy Book
- Presidents' Manual (times and dates)
- Written Material:
a. Advocacy tePrimer (National)
b. Nuts and Bolts (National)
c. CFUW Annual Brief to Government
d. The Communicator, and reports of Standing Committee
Chairs
e. Policy Pamphlets
f. Copies of letters to government. Use for information, but
don't copy word for word
g. Ontario Council Dates and Data
h. Copies of briefs presented by Ontario Council as well as
National CFUW
i. Resources given out at the Annual General Meeting of the
National CFUW
j. Book: How to Write a Resolution
k. Web Sites
- Meetings:
a. Gatherings in Spring & Fall
b. Ontario Council Standing Committees
c. Feedback on Government meetings
d. International Link to IFUW
- People: We are an organization of fantastically remarkable
women! (Carolyn Day)
Reminder! Ontario Council dues must be remitted before February 1st
CFUW Ontario Council
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