Updates on Sisters in Spirit

"Sisters in Spirit Smothered"
http://www.dominionpaper.ca/articles/3764

"Why Harper Silenced Sisters in Spirit"
http://www.themarknews.com/articles/3171-why-harper-silenced-sisters-in-spirit

"Sisters in Spirit Shut Down"
http://creekside1.blogspot.com/2010/11/sisters-in-spirit-shut-down.html

List of Women's Organizations Cut by the Harper Government

http://www.womensequality.ca/#fundingcuts

Chipping Away at Gender Equality: Harper’s 5-year Round Up

http://www.feminisms.org/1542/chipping-away-at-gender-equality-harpers-5-year-round-up/

Chipping Away at Gender Equality: Harper’s 5-year Round Up

January 19, 2011 | Posted by laura in Canadian Politics,General Topics

This month marks the 5 year anniversary of the ascent to power of Canada’s exceptionally charismatic (cough*cough) and calculating Conservative PM Stephen Harper.  It’s surprising that Stephen Harper has lasted so long in a minority government, but for a minority PM, he sure has accomplished a lot- if by accomplishments, one is referring to the insidious erosion of women’s rights that has occurred in the last 5 years.  Let’s take a look back at what Harper has done to increase gender inequality, shall we?
1) Scrap Universal Day-Care
One of the first moves made by the Harper government was to cancel a national child care program, which most Canadians supported.   In its place was offered the Canada Child Tax Benefit, which provides parents the paltry sum of a taxable $100/month per child- you can’t pay a 12 year old to baby-sit more than a couple times for that amount, let alone access quality day-care
According to Sharon Gregson of the Coalition of Childcare Advocates of B.C, as reported by the Tyee
“Other countries are able to provide childcare for up to 100 percent of children between the age of three and six. Other countries, like Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Sweden, England and the United States invest more per capita in early childhood development services than Canada does.”
This move was supported, however, by right-wing group REAL Women- a truly terrifying conservative, anti-feminist, anti-choice, homophobic, judeo-christian group hell-bent on turning back the clock on women’s rights.

2)    Drastically Cut Status of Women Canada
Next up, Harper dramatically cut the funding of what was Canada’s most important body for promoting gender equity, Status of Women Canada.  Status of Women Canada provided advocacy, research and lobbying on behalf of women’s groups.  The government closed 12 out of 16 regional offices of SWC and their operating budget was cut by 38%. Changes were imposed to the criteria for funding for the Status of Women Canada’s Women’s Program that essentially barred advocacy and lobbying groups from receiving funding.   Many women-run NGOs no longer receive funding because they combine advocacy with other services — like women’s rape crisis centres advocating for an end to violence against women.  The icing on the cake?  The word equality was removed from the Status of Women Canada mandate.
With Status of Women gutted and many women’s advocacy groups silenced, who do you think the government takes its cues from when it wants ‘women’s opinions’?  That’s right.  REAL Women, who had this to say about the $5- million budget cut handed to SWC.
“This is a good start, and we hope that the Status of Women will eventually be eliminated entirely since it does not represent ‘women’, but only represents the ideology of feminists.”  (emphasis theirs)
3)    Cancel the Court Challenges Program
Up next on the docket- the court program that provided funding to women’s and minority groups to challenge court rulings that violated equality rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Sounds like a good program, doesn’t it?  And it was- it changed the way sexual assault complaints were reported in the media, when in 1988 the Supreme Court ruled that publishing victim’s names discourages reporting of sexual assault and does not allow privacy for victims.  And, in 1995, when a gay couple from BC challenged the definition of spouse in the Old Age Security Act, during which the the Supreme Court of Canada for the first time ruled that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited, leading the way for future cases against discrimination.
There have been many, many other important cases brought forth with the court challenges program to further equality and human rights.  It seems only fitting that a government that seeks to reduce women’s rights would want to stifle it.
4)    Axe Women’s Right to Pay Equity
It’s well known that across the board, women do not earn as much money as men.  Harper has taken steps to make sure it stays that way.

5)    Leave Abortion out of Canada’s G8 Maternal Health funding
Let’s start with this fact:
“Complications due to unsafe abortion procedures account for an estimated 13% of maternal deaths worldwide, or 67,000 per year. Almost all abortion-related deaths occur in developing countries.” (WHO)
How can a government that in 2009 stated it would champion maternal and child health in developing countries now declare its funding will not be used for abortion? When it is clear women in developing countries will die as a result?
Lack of access to safe abortion services is a serious health concern, and excluding it from Canada’s G8 funding is shamefully ignorant of good public health policy and does not support the rights and equality of women. Moreover, it speaks to a government that is socially conservative in its roots, and given the opportunity, might remove women’s ability to choose abortion in Canada, too.
6)    Appoint Fewer Women to Cabinet than Previous Governments
Despite being half the population (really!) women are still under-represented in government in Canada.  Women in Harper’s cabinet come in at a woe-full 26%  down from the only-slightly –better 30% seen with the previous liberal government.  Canada lags behind a lot of the world in terms of women’s representation in government.

That’s right, Canada is a ranked a pathetic 51 out of 135 nations.  Rwanda has the highest representation of women in government, by the way.
A lot of damage has been done in the past 5 years under Harper’s conservative government, and though he has tried to silence our voices, we are still here. Still making up half of the population.  It’s pretty powerful to imagine how much impact women could have if we demanded to be heard.
Harper may try to pacify us when the next election comes around- pose with kittens, dress in sweaters, smile occasionally- but the record of the last 5-years is very clear.  Women’s equality in Canada is going backwards.  When it’s time to vote, let’s change this.
Tags: Feminism whaaa?, Gender, Politics

SURVEY: 64% OF ABORTION CLINICS IN CANADA EXPERIENCE PROTESTERS

For immediate release  - November 16, 2010
From: Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, info@arcc-cdac.ca 

SURVEY: 64% OF ABORTION CLINICS IN CANADA EXPERIENCE PROTESTERS
But most clinics have no bubble zone protection

NATIONAL – A new survey by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC)
reveals that 64% of abortion clinics in Canada clinics currently experience
protest activity, while a further 15% have had protesters in the past. But
73% of clinics have no legal protection from picketing.

The survey, conducted by a UBC law student on behalf of ARCC, interviewed
staff at all 33 abortion clinics in Canada by phone. In addition to asking
about protest activity and history, the survey asked clinics about the
effect of protesters on patients and staff, measures taken to protect
patients and staff, and the effectiveness of those measures.

- Twenty-six (79%) abortion clinics in Canada have been picketed by
protesters, with twenty-one (64%) currently experiencing some degree of
protest activity, and five (15%) having had protest activity in the past.
Seven clinics (21%) have never had protesters.

- Sixteen clinics (53%) reported that patients and/or staff are negatively
affected by the presence of protesters, such as feeling upset, frightened,
or bullied.

- Twenty-one clinics (64%) have tried to reduce the impact of protester
activity by obtaining private injunctions, recruiting volunteer escorts for
the patients and staff, using security guards, calling in local law
enforcement, training staff on how to respond to protestors, and other
measures.

- Seven clinics (21%) have obtained private court injunctions to protect
staff and patients from protesters. Two clinics (6%) are protected by BC’s
provincial law, the Access to Abortion Services Act (which creates
protest-free “bubble zones” around clinics, hospitals, and the offices and
homes of providers).  Twenty-four clinics (73%) in Canada have no legal
protection.

- All clinics with injunctions or bubble zones reported heavy and/or
aggressive protest activity prior to obtaining their injunction or bubble
zone.

“The court injunctions and BC’s law have been quite successful – they have
significantly reduced protest activity at every clinic that uses them,
sometimes completely eliminating it,” said Joyce Arthur, Coordinator for
ARCC, and co-author of the study. “Women have a right to access necessary
health services privately without being bullied, and providers need
protection from anti-choice harassment and violence. We hope that the survey
data will be helpful for other provinces that may want to pass bubble zone
legislation, or for clinics thinking about getting a court injunction.”

Other highlights:

- Every clinic in Canada participated – a total of 33. There are 11
standalone clinics, 12 clinics located in a multi-tenant office or medical
building, and 9 clinics associated with a hospital.

- Seventeen clinics (52%) reported that the measures they took to protect
providers and staff from protesters were effective or mostly effective. Four
clinics (12%) said measures were not effective or only sometimes effective.

- Although protest activity has been relatively low and sporadic at most
clinics since the mid-1990’s, it is on the rise again with the anti-choice
“40 Days for Life” campaign that stages ongoing “vigils” outside abortion
clinics once or twice a year.

- Nineteen clinics (58%) said that bubble zone legislation similar to BC’s
would be desirable for their clinic.

The full report is available at
http://www.arcc-cdac.ca/presentations/ARCC-survey-protest-activity.pdf
(English only).

Women's Groupd Decry Long Form Census

http://www.canada.com/life/Women+groups+decry+long+form+census/3838037/story.html

40 Years After the RCSW Report: What do we have to show for it?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - PRESS RELEASE FROM NDP
SEPTEMBER 28, 2010

FOUR DECADES AFTER ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN REPORT - WHAT DO WE HAVE TO SHOW FOR IT?
OTTAWA - Today marks the 40th Anniversary of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women Report, which was groundbreaking for women´s equality in Canada. Sadly, many of the recommendations still have not been implemented.

"Many things have changed for women over the past 40 years," said New Democrat Status of Women Critic Irene Mathyssen, (London-Fanshawe). "Married women can now enlist in the Canadian Forces and the minimum wage for men and women is the same. But amazingly, four decades later, we´re still waiting for many of the recommendations from the Royal Commission to be implemented.

"New Democrats will continue to push forward policies and legislation that originally were recommended in the Royal Commission report - such as pay equity, equal representation in public office, improvement in the conditions in the lives of First Nations women and establishing a national Child Care Act," said Mathyssen. 

Mathyssen condemns the lack of action taken by the Harper government. Its outright opposition to women´s rights has turned back the clock on women´s equality. Whether it is cutting funding to women´s organizations, abandoning the court challenges program or ending real pay equity for federal workers, this government has shown a complete disregard for women´s rights.

"New Democrats have led the way in advancing women´s equality in Canada," said Mathyssen. "We´ve been vocal and consistent in defending reproductive rights, breaking the silence on domestic violence, electing the first female federal leader of a political party and electing the highest proportion of women Members of Parliament."

For more information, please contact:
Rupinder Kaur, press secretary: 613-222-5048 or rupinder@ndp.ca

Protesters want abortion on G20 slate

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100515/health/health_abortion_die_in

G8 to avoid thorny abortion, climate issues

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/06/04/summit-abortion004.html

This is ‘what women want’? Highly unlikely

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/809069--goar-this-is-what-women-want-highly-unlikely

The State of Women's Studies in Canada (CBC The Current)

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2010/01/january-12-2010.html

Harper Gov't Cuts to Women's Organizations

http://www.cbc.ca/politics/insidepolitics/2010/05/liberals-circulate-interesting-government-funding-list.html

More Women Than Men in Universities

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/technology/More%20woman%20than%20making%20grade/2123763/story.html

More woman than men making the grade

Universities ponder growing gender gap in Alberta and across the country

By Keith Gerein, Edmonton JournalOctober 20, 2009 10:02 AMComments (2)

• Story
• Photos ( 1 )

Female students comprise more than half of Lindsay Jantzie's medical class at the University of Alberta.

Photograph by: Ed Kaiser, edmontonjournal.com

EDMONTON - Three decades ago, when Lindsay Jantzie’s mother was in medical school, there were just a dozen women in her class of 100.

Even after graduating and establishing herself as a family physician, the female doctor sometimes had trouble gaining respect from male counterparts. At one point, a colleague suggested she should wear glasses to make herself look smarter.

Today, with Jantzie now in medical school, the gender jibes are pointed in an entirely different direction. That’s because her class at the University of Alberta is more than half female.

“There might be an occasional joke like, ‘Boys watch out because the girls are taking over,’ ” says Lindsay, a third-year student hoping to do family medicine like her mom.

“There is definitely nothing holding women back anymore. They have gotten the message they can do anything they want.”

Jantzie’s comment may be something of an understatement.

Historically a minority in the halls of higher learning, female students have not only climbed to equal status, but have now made men the under-represented gender in universities across Canada — a trend that raises some interesting questions about the future of academia.

While some observers suggest the shift is no big deal, others say they are worried about what U of A president Indira Samarasekera calls a “demographic bomb” working its way through the system. The problem is no one seems entirely sure what to do about it.

“The presidents of the major universities are very concerned we are not attracting young men in the numbers we should,” Samarasekera says.

“I got asked recently about special programs to get more women CEOs, and my response was let’s not worry about that because that will come in due course. The bigger worry is that we’ll wake up in 20 years and we will not have the benefit of enough male talent at the heads of companies and elsewhere.”

Usher of the Educational Policy Institute.

Figures from Statistics Canada show females now comprise about 58 per cent of the student body at Canadian universities. The split is about the same in Alberta, where the numbers have held fairly steady for close to 10 years.

The change has not been uniform, however. Efforts continue to get more gender balance into fields like engineering, architecture and computer science, which remain firmly male dominated.

Yet in many other high-prestige programs such as medicine, law and general sciences, male students now frequently occupy less than half the seats. Even smaller percentages go into nursing, education and the social sciences.

“It’s not that there are fewer men going to university,” Usher says. “It’s that mostly all the growth is from females.”

Just how that happened is a question of some debate. While some argue it’s a matter of men simply choosing different career paths, others wonder if there are factors at play making it harder for males to succeed academically.

Explanations have tended to favour the choice argument in Alberta, where it’s believed the trend has been exacerbated by a job market that has lured young men to the oilfield instead of the lecture hall.

“People go where the greatest incentives are,” Usher says. “The argument often made is that the gap in pay between women with a degree and women without a degree is bigger than for men. Therefore, a degree is worth more to women.”

Young men, in general, may be more focused on career prospects than finding something they love to do, adds University of Calgary provost Alan Harrison. Others wonder if males are more adverse to taking on student debt.

“Their way of looking at things is sometimes, ‘If I do political science, what kind of job can I get?’ ” Harrison says. “Female students don’t tend to ask that question quite as much.”

Now that the Alberta economy has weakened, administrators say they are watching to see if young men who skipped post-secondary studies decide to come back to class. Although too early to draw conclusions, preliminary reports indicate some are.

Besides economic incentives, some administrators think there could be more complicated factors discouraging men from academia. One theory notes young men tend to mature more slowly than women, which could mean they are less interested and less prepared for university by the time Grade 12 ends. It could also be they are not getting enough career mentoring as teenagers.

“I am concerned about those young men who just seem to drift,” Grant MacEwan University president Paul Byrne says. “We’re seeing a general trend now where the males who are coming to us are struggling a bit more, and it’s the women who are generally the ones pushing and chasing grades and so on.”

Samarasekera says educational leaders may also need to look at how high schools are structured, because there could be aspects of the system enabling more young women to succeed than young men. Her assertion is backed up by a recent research paper on Canadian youth that indicates male students are something of a “disadvantaged” group. The study suggests some boys are barred from campuses because their marks are insufficient to get in — and even hard work won’t put them on par with their female counterparts.

“Whatever is going on in the high school system rewards girls more than boys,” says Torben Drewes, an economist who led the study.

Officials at Edmonton Public Schools, however, say they see no evidence that one gender is greatly outperforming the other. Nor do they believe girls and boys are treated differently.

But beyond questions of how and why, others are trying to figure out what it all means to have female-friendly universities. So far, there’s little more than speculation.

At medical school, Jantzie says there has been increasing interest from students on not just learning medicine, but also on how to manage a medical career.

“We’ve done talks about taking maternity leave during residency,” she says. “There’s instruction on eating well and surviving the grind. How a physician’s family can be affected by the job. Those lifestyle aspects are reflected more in the teaching.”

While Jantzie believes such curriculum additions may be due to the number of women in the program, classmate Jon Loree isn’t so sure. He says he appreciates learning about work-family balance as much as his female classmates.

“I don’t know how much the (changes) have to do with women. I think it’s more just what students of my generation want today — men and women both,” Loree says.

Looking ahead, there are also questions about how more female graduates might impact various professions. The Alberta government, for example, is currently struggling with a demographic reality that may require a new “rhythm” to health delivery, says U of A provost Carl Amrhein.

“Female doctors want to be mothers and don’t want to work 18 hours, seven days a week the way men historically did, constantly on call.”

Some studies indicate female doctors also tend to treat patients differently. They may, for example, try to spend more time on each case and collaborate with other physicians to treat the patient’s “peripheral” issues, including problems with their family and lifestyle.

But again, there is no way to tell if such differences will persist. The generation of young male doctors now coming into the system is more sensitive to work-family issues and may take the same approach to care as women, says Verna Yiu, an administrator with the U of A’s faculty of medicine and dentistry.

Such qualities could potentially spread into other fields where women have gained on men. Is it possible society could soon produce more compassionate CEOs and lawyers?

While interesting to ponder such potential effects of the demographic shift, some argue there is little reason to care.

“Honestly, I think it’s an overblown issue,” Usher says. “Men have been occupying the senior management positions in the public service, but did that make a difference to society? If you don’t think it did, why would you think women taking over those positions — and they will — will make a difference?”

Penni Stewart, president of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, notes that although women now have the edge at the undergraduate level, they are still behind men in many graduate programs, including PhD programs. There are also considerably fewer female professors. Until those numbers change, it’s hard to see any major impacts in store for society, she suggests.

Others, like Samarasekera, remain concerned.

After all, if it was considered a problem when men outnumbered women, shouldn’t it still be a problem in the reverse situation?

Left unchallenged, the shift will eventually lead to a loss of gender diversity in high-profile positions, including CEOs, political leaders, non-profit bosses, administrators and judges — all of whom have profound influence on the world, she says.

The next step, she says, is figuring out what to do about it. To date, answers have been hard to come by.

One idea is that men need more mentoring programs, both at high school and at university. Just as there are programs encouraging women to go into science and engineering, perhaps there should be similar initiatives pushing males into nursing and sociology. Increasing scholarships in those areas may help, or universities could consider new types of curriculum. Perhaps “men’s studies” courses could be offered to match women’s studies?

Samarasekera says the U of A has no plans for a major “recruit men” campaign, but might consider enhanced support services to ensure men properly make the transition from high school.

Universities may also need to make greater efforts to convince young men on the financial benefits of a degree — an argument that may be easier to sell now that the oilfield economy has slowed.

Regardless of what approach is taken, Samarasekera says she can use her position as a university president, a woman and a visible minority to be a leader on the issue.

“I’m going to be an advocate for young white men, because I can be. No one is going to question me when I say we have a problem.”

kgerein@thejournal.canwest.com

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal

Famous 5 Named Honourary Senators

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2009/10/10/calgary-famous-five-honourary-senators.html

Last Updated: Saturday, October 10, 2009 | 2:09 PM MT

CBC News

Canadian artist Barbara Paterson has commemorated the Famous Five with two statues, one in downtown Calgary and the other on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. (Courtesy of the Famous 5 Foundation)

The five Alberta women who won the right for women to be legally recognized as "persons" have been named honorary senators.

The Senate voted this week to bestow the honour posthumously on Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Nellie McClung, Louise McKinney and Irene Parlby.

The women, known as the Famous Five, won a landmark court ruling in 1929 that recognized women as persons and allowed them to sit in the appointed Senate.

The idea to name the women honorary senators came from Calgary journalist Catherine Ford.

"I thought, wouldn't that be just gracious of Canada as a country to say, 'These five women did so much for the women of Canada. Let's give them a singular honour.'"

Ford said she was "stunned" and "so pleased for women" when she heard the five were being recognized for their work. It's the first time the Senate has named anyone an honorary senator.

WomenCAN - online resource for women

http://www.womencan.ca/redesign/index.php

Chronology of Women's Studies in Canada

A detailed chronology of how and when Women's Studies emerged in Canadian universities.

http://www.unb.ca/par-l/chronology.htm

Cuts to Women's Studies in Canada

Earlier this year, the University of Guelph cut its Women's Studies program, citing the financial crisis as the impetus for the move. This article from University of Western Ontario's paper, the blog posting from Feministing, and the letter from the Canadian Women's Studies Association (third link) debunk that logic.

http://www.gazette.uwo.ca/article.cfm?section=FrontPage&articleID=1359&month=03&day=25&year=2009

http://community.feministing.com/2009/03/save-womens-studies-at-the-uni.html

http://www.yorku.ca/cwsaacef/ (letter from CWSA)