REAL Women of Canada has obtained an additional Access to Information request on feminist groups for 2004 - 2005 through Status of Women Canada.

In their latest newsletter (May-June 2006), they've posted budgets to organizations such as LEAF, NAWL, & NAC on their website as a part of their Letter Writing Campaign to MPs.

Links to the specific articles in their online Newsletter:

Ongoing Discrimination of Status of Women:
http://www.realwomenca.com/newsletter/2006_may_jun/article_7.html

Professional Feminists Face Changing Times:
http://www.realwomenca.com/newsletter/2006_may_jun/article_9.html

For visitor's who don't wish to visit the REAL Women website, we have copied and pasted below, the text from one of the abovementioned URLs with the letter REAL Women wrote to MPs.:

From REAL Women website:

ONGOING DISCRIMINATION BY THE STATUS OF WOMEN

Since REAL Women of Canada began in 1983, we have had to contend with the fact that anti-family, anti-life feminist groups have been generously funded by the federal government 's Women's Programme at the Status of Women. Hundreds of millions of tax dollars have flowed to these feminist groups since this programme began in 1973. The funding of feminist groups has enabled them to become agents of change to promote feminism throughout Canada. As a result, feminists are more influential in Canada than anywhere else in the world.

In contrast, except for a few small grants from the Women's Programme, REAL Women has had to support itself from our membership dues and donations received from our members and supporters. As generous as our members are, it still means we have a limited income and in no way can operate on in a level playing field with the feminists.

As outlined in recent issues of REALity, REAL women applied, under the Access to Information Act, for material relating to the funding of feminist groups by the Women's Programme at the Status of Women.

The material we received revealed an abuse of power by the former Liberal government in funding feminist-only groups. This funding policy MUST be stopped.

On April 4, 2006, REAL Women sent a letter outlining the discriminatory policies of the Women's Programme and the Standing Committee on the Status of Women to all "friendly" MPs, which included Conservative, as well as some individual, Liberal and Bloc Quebecois MPs who are supportive of the pro-life/pro-family cause

Below is a copy of our letter to the MPs, which describes this outrageous funding in support of a special interest group of feminists and also raises objections to the re-establishment of the House of Commons Committee on the Status of Women.

April 4, 2006

Dear M.P.:

RE: THE DISCRIMINATORY POLICIES OF THE STATUS OF WOMEN

Since 1973, the federal taxpayers have paid hundreds of millions of dollars to feminist-only organizations by way of the Women's Program at the Status of Women Canada. The mission statement of the Status of Women is "to promote gender equality and the full participation of women in the economic, social, cultural and political life of the country". Its practical effect, however, is that only feminist objectives and feminist women in Canada are promoted by the agency. Other women's organizations, which have differing perspectives from that of feminism are denied funding and recognition.

The Status of Women refuses to fund organizations that are not feminist on the premise that it funds only "equality - seeking" women's organizations, and in its view, only feminist organizations are validly seeking equality for women. This is highly discriminatory since most women support the equality of women - but there are different ways to interpret and achieve this objective. For example, the promotion of the equality of women is one of the objectives included in the Objects of Incorporation for REAL Women, yet the Status of Women does not accept our organization as an "equality - seeking" organization.

Feminist organizations, however, do not represent Canadian women in general but rather a special interest group of women whose ideology is that of feminism. The feminist ideology does not now, and never has had the support of the vast majority of Canadian women. Thus, this funding of the special interest group of feminists by the Status of Women is highly biased and discriminatory, and provides an uneven playing field for all other women's organizations in Canada.

Because of its discriminatory policies, the Women's Program of the Status of Women has made only a few token grants to REAL Women of Canada over the years and these small grants were stopped entirely in 1996. Nor has REAL Women been invited to participate in activities supported by the Status of Women. An exception arose in December of 1999 when the Status of Women sponsored a Consultation on Gender Equality, to which REAL Women was given an invitation. However, the feminist participants at that conference, whose organizations depend solely for their existence on the Status of Women funding, insisted that REAL Women's invitation be withdrawn. When our representative refused to leave the conference, the feminist participants isolated, ignored and then booed her and refused to permit her to participate in the conference in any way. Since that conference, REAL Women has not been invited to participate in any further conferences sponsored by the Status of Women, even though our organization represents the views of over 55,000 Canadian women.

Extent of Funding to Feminist Organizations

An application was made under the Access to Information Act for information about the funding by the Status of Women in the ten-year period from 1992 - 2002. A further application was made under the Act for information about funding for the fiscal year 2004 - 2005.

According to this material, hundreds of feminist organizations receive government funding each year from the Program. For example, between 1997 - 2003 alone, the number of recipients and the total of the grants awarded to them by Status of Women were as follows:

Year - Number of Recipients - Amount
1997-1998 343 $ 8,286,059
1998-1999 262 $10,321,916
1999-2000 207 $ 8,502,412
2000-2001 227 $ 9,810,390
2001-2002 215 $10,385,851
2002-2003 222 $12,297,090

Organizations funded by the Status of Women include national, provincial and regional feminist organizations, such as the following:

* The legal arm of the feminist organization, The Legal Education Action Fund (LEAF) received $900,334 over a 10-year period, 1992 - 2002, which enabled this group to intervene in court cases and to mount their own court challenges. In contrast, REAL Women of Canada was obliged to fund its own pro-family interventions before the courts.

* The National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL) received $1,648,318 in the same 10-year period. In the fiscal year 2004-2005, this organization received an additional grant of $474,879.

* The National Action Committee on the Status of Women, (NAC), the umbrella group for the feminist organizations of Canada, received $984,551 in the 10-year period, and In the fiscal year 2004 - 2005 received an additional $150,000.

* Child Care lobby groups, such as the Canadian Child Care Federation, and the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada, received $1,362,209 between 1992 and 2002. These organizations form the pressure group for a national child care plan as recently proposed and implemented by the former Liberal government.

In the fiscal year 2004 - 2005 these child care lobby groups received a further $483,753 from the Women's Program. This large grant was given during the time that the former Liberal government was negotiating with the provinces for a national child care program.

On February 16, 2006, the tax funded Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada launched a Canada wide campaign called "Code Blue" to lobby for and work with the provincial / territorial governments and parliamentarians to prevent the present Conservative government from cancelling the federal / provincial agreements on child care made last year by the former Liberal government.

It is significant that these child care lobby groups have the most to gain from a national child care plan since such a program would provide them with financial security by placing them on the government payroll with secure income and benefits.

* In the 20-month period preceding December 4, 1998, lesbian organizations received $250,918. In the fiscal year 2004 - 2005, an additional $90,280 was awarded to a homosexual / lesbian association.

* 524 women's shelters across Canada have been funded by the Status of Women, even though such shelters fall within provincial jurisdiction. These women's centres serve as agents of change for feminists in communities across Canada. Feminists claim they provide protection from male assault, in spite of the fact that a Statistics Canada study, released in July 2003, found that more men were killed, hurt, or threatened by their partners in 2001 than in previous years. The study "Family Violence in Canada," funded by the Federal Family Violence Initiative, found that spousal violence has increased for both men and women. In 2001, there were 344 incidents per 100,000 women, and for men, there were 62 incidents for every 100,000 - the latter is up 40% from six years ago. Although there were many more incidents of assault against women, this does not mean that men should be neglected.

* The pro-abortion organization, BC Pro-Choice Action Network, initially received $60,220 in the 10-year period fro 1992 - 2002. However, in 2004 - 2005 it received $27,400. According to information on their web site, the spokesperson for this organization, Joyce Arthur, stated that opposition to abortion "comes primarily from religious justifications for oppressing women" and is due to a need to "maximize [the Catholic Church's] membership levels to maintain their worldly influence and wealth". This pro-abortion organization also accused pro-life Christians of being "religious fanatics" who do "little or nothing for children once they are born". She stated that pro-life Christians are "anti-woman and anti-child," and had views which were "uninformed, sexist, cruel". She also accused pro-life Christians of lacking the ability to empathize, which "breeds intolerance, hate crimes, and war". Ms. Arthur further stated, according to the web site, that pro-lifers' attitude towards women is like "the slaveholder's attitude to blacks, and the Nazi's attitude to Jews". That an organization that expresses such bigoted views, receives public funding is shameful and an unpardonable offense to the Canadian taxpayer.

* Organizations to promote the decriminalization of prostitution in Canada, namely the Canadian National Coalition of Experiential Women (CNCEW), received $325,000 to actively campaign to decriminalize solicitation for prostitution. In the fiscal year 2004 - 2005, it received an additional $322,646 from the Women's Program. This large grant was made at the time that the Liberal government had established a sub-committee of the Justice Committee to study the issue of prostitution. This Committee recommended that prostitution be decriminalized.

House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women in Canada (FEWO)

It is also a concern to us, that the House of Commons Standing Committee of the Status of Women, which was established in October, 2004, serves to promote only feminist organizations and their feminist agenda in Canada. The Committee stated that it promotes "equality - seeking" women's organizations. Of course, its narrow definition of "equality" excludes all other women's organizations. The Committee's first report, tabled in the House of Commons on February 10, 2005, recommended that funding for women's [feminist] groups be increased by 25%. In its second report, tabled in the House of Commons on April 19, 2005, the Committee recommended that a "gender analysis" be carried out on all federal government departments, their policies, and proposed legislation. In practical terms, the purpose of this proposal is to ensure that all government actions be subject to feminist overview and approval in order to ensure that the feminist ideology is spread throughout Canada.

Such extreme recommendations by the Standing Committee on the Status of Women expose it as being out of touch with the views of most Canadian women. This group's recommendations fail to comply with the democratic process in regard to a full consultation and fair treatment of all organizations.

Therefore, we request, that the discriminatory Status of Women, as well as the Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO), be disbanded, since they represent only the singular views of a special interest group of feminists. In short, these two agencies serve no purpose but to promote the views of a handful of extremist feminist organizations at the expense of the Canadian taxpayer. These feminist ideologues serve only to increase intolerance and disrespect towards those who do not share their views.

In this regard, it should be pointed out that women's organizations, being special interest organizations, should be self supporting as REAL Women of Canada has been since it was federally incorporated in 1983. REAL Women has managed to exist without debt, financed solely by the donations and dues of our grassroots members with only a few minor grants from the government. Similarly, all special interest groups should be required to do the same.

Summary

Feminist groups have few, if any, members, and are, in effect, mostly phantom organizations sustained only by the funding they receive from the Status of Women. Since these organizations represent no one but the radical feminists who run them, they should not receive financial support from the Canadian taxpayer.

Yours truly,

Lorraine McNamara
National President
REAL Women of Canada

Please write to:
The Right Hon. Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
Langevin Building
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

The Hon. Beverley Oda, P.C. M.P.
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women
Canadian Heritage
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
12th Floor, 15 Eddy Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M5

Please raise your objections to the funding policies of the Status of Women and the discriminatory policies of the House of Commons Committee on the Status of Women.

---

 

See also:

April 25, 2006

Call for Letters in support of increased funding for women's equality-seeking groups
Now is the time to ACT and stand in solidarity with women's equality-seeking groups who on a daily basis, struggle to advance women's equality with very little resources. I encourage every member of DAWN Ontario and our allies to share this far and wide. Please ask the same of women in your respective networks.

Write to the Prime Minister and send copies to the Minister Responsible for Status of Women and to the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Québecois Critics for Status of Women, in support of increased funding for women's equality-seeking groups! (see sample letter) As previously posted, the R.E.A.L. Women of Canada group has been lobbying for the last 7 years to disband Status of Women. With Harper and the Conservatives in power, the time to act is NOW!

French by HONEY HOT Feminist Translation
briand@mediom.qc.ca, martin@laurentides.net

Bulletin spécial
Le lobby R.E.A.L. Women of Canada tente de faire démanteler Condition
féminine Canada et le Comité permanent de la condition féminine (CPCF)

Le 24 juin 2006

R.E.A.L. Women of Canada a eu gain de cause dans une autre demande d'accès à de l'information concernant les organisations féministes pour l'exercice 2004-2005, par le biais d'une requête concernant Condition féminine Canada.

Dans la plus récente édition de son bulletin (mai-juin 2006), R.E.A.L. Women affiche sur son site Web les budgets d'opération d'organisations comme le Fonds d'action et d'éducation juridique (FAEJ), l'Association nationale Femmes et droit (ANFD) et le Comité canadien d'action sur le statut de la femme (CCA), dans le cadre d'une campagne de pressions visant la députation fédérale.

Liens à ces articles de leur bulletin en ligne:

Ongoing Discrimination of Status of Women (La discrimination se poursuit à Condition féminine Canada) :
http://www.realwomenca.com/newsletter/2006_may_jun/article_7.html

Professional Feminists Face Changing Times (Les féministes professionnelles se heurtent à des temps nouveaux) :
http://www.realwomenca.com/newsletter/2006_may_jun/article_9.html

Pour les internautes qui ne souhaitent pas honorer de leur présence le site de R.E.A.L. Women, nous avons copié-collé ci-dessous le texte (traduit) d'une des pages Web susmentionnées, y compris une partie de la lettre adressée par R.E.A.L. Women aux députés fédéraux :

Du site de R.E.A.L. Women:

[TRADUCTION]

LA DISCRIMINATION SE POURSUIT À CONDITION FÉMININE CANADA

Depuis les débuts de R.E.A.L. Women of Canada en 1983, nous avons dû composer avec le fait que des organisations féministes anti-famille et anti-vie recevaient un généreux financement du Programme fédéral de promotion de la femme, à Condition féminine Canada. Des centaines de millions de dollars des contribuables ont été versés à ces groupes féministes depuis les débuts de du programme en 1973. Le financement des organisations féministes leur a permis de devenir des agents de changement par la promotion du féminisme dans tout le Canada. Suite à cela, les féministes ont plus d'influence au Canada que partout ailleurs dans le monde.

En contrepartie, sauf pour quelques subventions restreintes du Programme de promotion de la femme, R.E.A.L. Women a été forcée de s'en tenir aux cotisations et aux dons de ses membres et de ses supporters. Malgré la générosité de nos membres, cela signifie que nous ne disposons que de revenus limités et ne pouvons fonctionner sur un pied d'égalité avec les féministes.

Comme nous l'avons expliqué dans des numéros récents de notre bulletin REALity, R.E.A.L. Women a demandé, aux termes de la Loi sur l'accès à l'information, des éléments d'information concernant le financement d'organisations féministes par le Programme de promotion de la femme à Condition féminine Canada.

Les données qui nous ont été communiquées révèlent un abus de pouvoir par l'ex-gouvernement libéral, qui ne finançait que les groupes féministes. Cette politique de financement DOIT être abolie.

Le 4 avril 2006, R.E.A.L. Women a fait parvenir une lettre décrivant les politiques discriminatoires du Programme de promotion de la femme à tous les député-es « amicaux » à notre cause, soit les Conservateurs et quelques élu-es du Parti libéral et du Bloc québécois qui ont manifesté leur soutien à la cause pro-vie et pro-famille.

Veuillez trouver ci-dessous une copie de notre lettre aux député-es. Elle décrit ce scandale - leur financement d'un groupe d'intérêt, les féministes - et soulève également des objections à la remise sur pied d'un Comité permanent sur la condition féminine à la Chambre des communes.

_______________________________________________________

Le 4 avril 2006

Monsieur ou Madame le/la député-e,

OBJET : LES POLITIQUES DISCRIMINATOIRES DE CONDITION FÉMININE Canada (CFC)

Depuis 1973, les contribuables fédéraux ont versé des centaines de millions de dollars à des organisations exclusivement féministes par le biais du Programme de promotion de la femme de Condition féminine Canada. CFC a pour mission de « promouvoir l'égalité entre les sexes et la participation active de toutes les femmes à la vie économique, sociale, culturelle et politique du pays ». En pratique, cependant, il n'y a que les objectifs féministes et les femmes féministes du Canada qui bénéficient du travail de promotion effectué par cet organisme. D'autres organisations de femmes, dont les perspectives diffèrent de celles du féminisme, se voient refuser financement et reconnaissance.

CFC refuse de financer les organisations qui ne sont pas féministes, sous prétexte de ne financer que les groupes de femmes « oeuvrant en faveur de l'égalité ». À leur sens, seules les organisations féministes oeuvrent de façon valide à l'égalité des femmes. Cette politique est hautement discriminatoire puisque la plupart des femmes appuient l'égalité des femmes, mais qu'il existe différentes façons d'interpréter et d'atteindre cet objectif. Par exemple, la promotion de l'égalité des femmes est un des objectifs inclus dans les motifs d'incorporation de R.E.A.L. Women; néanmoins, CFC ne reconnaît pas notre organisation comme un groupe « oeuvrant en faveur de l'égalité ».

Il faut savoir que les organisations féministes ne représentent pas les femmes canadiennes en général mais bien un groupe d'intérêt particulier de femmes dont l'idéologie est celle du féminisme. L'idéologie féministe n'a pas actuellement et n'a jamais eu le soutien de la vaste majorité des Canadiennes. C'est dire que le financement du groupe d'intérêt particulier que constituent les féministes est hautement biaisé et discriminatoire et qu'il crée une situation inéquitable pour l'ensemble des autres groupes de femmes du Canada.

À cause de ses politiques discriminatoires, le Programme de promotion de la femme de CFC n'a accordé que quelques contributions symboliques à R.E.A.L. Women of Canada depuis ses débuts, et ces micro-subventions ont entièrement
cessé en 1996. R.E.A.L. Women n'a pas été invitée non plus aux activités soutenues par CFC. Une exception est survenue en décembre 1999 lorsque CFC a marrainé une Consultation sur l'égalité entre les sexes, à laquelle R.E.A.L.

Women a été invitée. Toutefois, les participantes féministes à cette conférence, des membres d'organisations qui dépendent exclusivement de CFC pour financer leur existence, ont insisté pour obtenir le retrait de l'invitation faite à R.E.A.L. Women. Lorsque notre représentante a refusé de quitter la conférence, les participantes féministes l'ont isolée, ignorée, puis huée et empêchée de participer d'aucune façon à la conférence. Depuis cet événement, R.E.A.L. Women n'a été invitée à participer à aucune autre conférence marrainée par CFC, même si notre organisation représente les
opinions de plus de 55 000 Canadiennes.

(.)

Veuillez écrire au:
Très honorable Stephen Harper
Premier ministre du Canada
Édifice Langevin
80, rue Wellington
Ottawa (Ont.) K1A 0A2

L'honorable Beverley Oda, députée conservatrice
Ministre du Patrimoine canadien et de la Condition féminine
Patrimoine canadien
Les Terrasses de la Chaudière
12e étage, 15, rue Eddy
Gatineau (Québec) K1A 0M5

Veuillez vous objecter aux politiques de financement de Condition féminine Canada et aux politiques discriminatoires du Comité permanent sur la condition féminine de la Chambre des Communes.

____________________________________

(RETOUR AU MESSAGE DE DAWN)

Voir également:
Le 25 avril 2006

Appel à des lettres de soutien pour un meilleur financement des groupes oeuvrant pour l'égalité des femmes

Le temps est arrivé de PASSER AUX ACTES et de nous montrer solidaires des groupes oeuvrant pour l'égalité des femmes qui luttent quotidiennement, avec très peu de ressources, pour promouvoir l'égalité des femmes. J'encourage
chaque membre de DAWN Ontario et chacun-e de nos allié-es à donner à ce message une diffusion maximale. Veuillez demander la même chose aux femmes de vos réseaux respectifs.

Écrivez au Premier ministre Harper et faites parvenir des copies de votre lettre à la ministre fédérale responsable de la Condition féminine, Madame Oda, ainsi qu'aux critiques à la condition féminine du Parti Libéral, du NPD et du Bloc québécois, pour réclamer un meilleur financement des groupes oeuvrant pour l'égalité des femmes! (voir lettre-échantillon). Comme nous l' avons dit, l'organisation R.E.A.L. Women of Canada fait pression depuis sept ans pour obtenir l'abolition de Condition féminine Canada. Avec l'arrivée au pouvoir de M. Harper et des Conservateurs, c'est MAINTENANT qu'il faut agir!

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