Women's Equality related posts - 2007

(un) R.E.A.L. Women of Canada WATCH

Women & HIV/AIDS

June 4, 2007
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Women Against Poverty Take Over Abandoned Building
See Photos and listen to Audio from the Women Against Poverty Collective: Housing Takeover Day Rally and March
en francais

Photos:
John Bonnar: www.johnb.smugmug.com/gallery/...
Graeme Bacque: http://tinyurl.com/327u5j

Audio:
http://www.radio4all.net/proginfo.php?id=23409

Articles:
CTV Article: Police end anti-poverty group's house squat - Sun. Jun. 3 2007 http://tinyurl.com/3cbkd7

CITYNews: Police Clash With Protesters At Affordable Housing Rally - Sun. June 3, 2007 http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_11648.aspx

Women Against Poverty Collective (WAPC) - Press Release
Women Against Poverty Demand Government Action On Housing: Release dd June 3, 2007

May 30, 2007
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Lack of Quality Non-Profit Child Care a "Disgrace" Say Elementary Teachers
ETFO Press Release dd May 30, 2007
Poor quality care in licensed Ontario child care facilities documented in recent media reports dramatically underlines the need for a national, non-profit child care program, says the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO).

ETFO President Emily Noble acknowledged that the Ontario government quickly responded to concerns about quality of care by promising to post details of child care inspections on a government website. However, the issue of unsatisfactory child care continues to be a serious concern, she said. Read More

May 29, 2007
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Women's Group Applauds Amnesty International
CAEFS - Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies
Press Release dd May 28, 2007
The Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies (CAEFS) emerged from its Annual General Meeting in Montreal with a clear direction from its membership to commend Amnesty International for their report on The State of the World's Human Rights. CAEFS is a federation of 26 local, community based service providers who work with and on behalf of marginalized victimized, criminalized, and imprisoned women and girls. Read More

May 14, 2007
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Women Against Poverty Collective (WAPC)
Women's Housing Takeover

Who We Are
What We Are Doing
Why We Are Doing This
When & Where
Contact WAPC
Facts About Violence Against Women
Facts About Poverty and Women
Ways to be Involved
We demand

May 11 , 2007
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Please Support the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada / Coalition pour le Droit à l’Avortement au Canada (ARCC-CDAC)

February 15, 2007
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R.E.A.L Women of Canada Press Release, February 8, 2007
Hearings by Status of Women Committee a Hoax

November 24, 2006
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New Federal Policies Affecting Women's Equality: Reality Check -- CRIAW's latest Fact Sheet
Do you agree with the federal Conservatives that “women are already equal”?

Check out CRIAW's hard-hitting new fact sheet:
“New Federal Policies Affecting Women's Equality: Reality Check” (PDF file)

It summarizes “facts” and “current government policy” for six issues.

Read text here, highlighting one detail from each section.

November 5, 2006
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October 30, 2006
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Support a National Child Care Program
Momentum is building for a private members’ bill that would boost child care from a patchwork of services to a pan-Canadian program. Add your support today by emailing your member of parliament about this important bill. Read more and Take Action

October 8, 2006
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Harper's social Darwinism
Silver Donald Cameron, ChronicleHerald.ca
OPPOSITION PARTIES don’t win elections, says the old maxim; governments lose them. In 1957, Louis St. Laurent lost. In 1984, John Turner. In 2006, Paul Martin. On each occasion, the over-ripe Liberals yielded to a new-ish Conservative leader — Diefenbaker, Mulroney, Harper.

New Tory prime ministers always believe they won the elections, and thus have a mandate to reshape the country according to their dark fantasies. Wrong: Canadians did not suddenly decide to cleave unto the National Citizens’ Coalition and the Calgary Prophetic Bible Institute. They mainly wanted to punish the Liberals. Failing to understand that, the Tories soon make themselves loathed, and are firmly propelled into the wilderness for another generation.

The Harper Tories have started already, with their brainless budget cuts. With a surplus of $13.2 billion, the government is "swimming in money," notes former Liberal Revenue Minister John McCallum. The national debt as a percentage of GDP is at its lowest level in 24 years. No matter. Without even a fig-leaf of necessity to cover its naked social Darwinism, the government gleefully mounts a sly, mean-minded assault on civil society — the voluntary and non-commercial activities which glue the country together. Read full article here

In Spain, women are shaping a cultural revolution
Molly Moore, The Washington Post
MADRID - When Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega graduated from law school in the 1970s, Spanish law prohibited her -- and any other woman -- from becoming a judge, serving as a witness in court or opening a bank account.

Today, the angular, outspoken 57-year-old is Spain's first female vice president, helping orchestrate a cultural revolution in the boardrooms and living rooms of the country that coined the word machismo -- male chauvinism -- five centuries ago.

"We have a prime minister who not only says he's a feminist -- he acts like a feminist," Fernandez said in her cavernous office of polished wood floors and cream-colored sofas. "In 2 1/2 years, we have done more than has ever been done in such a short time in Spain."

Her Socialist government is requiring political parties to allot 40 percent of their candidate lists to women and is telling big companies to give women 40 percent of the seats on corporate boards. Half of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero's Cabinet members are women -- the highest proportion in any European government.

New divorce laws not only make it easier for couples to split, but stipulate that marital obligations require men to share the housework equally with their wives. Read full article here

October 6, 2006
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Funding Cuts to Women's Programs 'Profoundly Undemocratic'
Feds targeting the most vulnerable groups say elementary teachers
Funding cuts to federal programs protecting and promoting women's equality rights are profoundly undemocratic, charges the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO).

In a letter sent to Prime Minister Harper today, ETFO president Emily Noble stressed that the reductions in funding are "shamefully targeting the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in our community."

"Reverse these cuts and policy changes," Noble urged the Prime Minister. Read More

September 28, 2006
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Liberals Stand Up For Canadian Women
Liberal Party release dd Sept. 28, 2006
The Liberal Opposition today stood up on behalf of all Canadian women today and called on the Conservative minority government to respect the rights of women and promote their equality in Canadian society.

“This government has gutted the funding for equality seeking groups that help raise awareness and fight discrimination, including those for women” said Liberal Critic for Status of Women Maria Minna. “Moreover, we are saddled with Conservative Minister for Canadian Heritage Bev Oda, who won’t rule out the possibility that the Status of Women Agency might wind up on the Conservative chopping block. Read More

Support for Court Challenges Program (CCP)
Dear Friends of the Court Challenges Program

As you know by now the Court Challenges Program has been cancelled by the Conservative minority government. This is a blow to all those in Canada who believe in fairness, equality and language rights for French and English minorities. Please help us reverse this decision.

Below you will find links to a letter to the Prime Minister and several background documents regarding the Court Challenges Program. A Steering Committee representative of both language rights and equality rights communities has prepared these materials and is asking that you do the following:

Send your confirmations of support to april@ccdonline.ca along with your contact information.

Your endorsement should indicate the full name (not simply an acronym) of the organization in both English and French if you choose, as well as the full spelling of your name and title if you wish it included.

• Circulate this letter to others that have not received it and encourage their support. There will be follow up letters to the Prime Minister. We are seeking as many names as possible by Monday but do not stop seeking endorsements of the letter, there will be other opportunities for organizations and individuals to support this work.

• Write your own letter as an individual or organization to the Prime Minister and forward a copy for our records to april@ccdonline.ca
  
  
• Write your own Member of Parliament and send her or him a copy of the letter to the Prime Minister. We will circulate the final letter to the Prime Minister with endorsements to you on Monday afternoon.

An axe that harms democracy
Court Challenges Program played key role in settling equality rights
by Lorne Sossin, Op/Ed, Toronto Star, Sep. 28, 2006
On Monday, after announcing more than $1 billion in reduced federal government spending, including the axing of the Court Challenges Program, Treasury Board president John Baird said, "I just don't think it made sense for the government to subsidize lawyers to challenge the government's own laws in court."

At first glance, Baird has a point. Why should the government fund lawsuits against it?

The Court Challenges Program provides selective funding to "test cases" which seek to advance equality and language rights under the Constitution.

The rationale for the fund lies in the fact that access to justice requires resources — both in terms of court fees and fees for the lawyers who argue these cases.

The Court Challenges Program has over the years offered a voice in the debate on the scope and nature of language and equality rights to individuals and groups, which would otherwise not be able to bring these issues to court.

Equally important, this program has conferred legitimacy on rights-seeking individuals and groups. The program stands for the proposition that it is in the public interest to have courts clarify the nature of the constitutional constraints on government. ... Read More

Tories defend end to law program benefitting seniors, women, gays, minorities
by Alexander Panetta (CP), Wed Sep 27, 2006
Donated by The Canadian Press
OTTAWA (CP) - The Conservatives are under fire for killing a legal-aid program that has assisted Canadian minority groups in a series of historic court victories over the last three decades.

The cancellation of the Court Challenges Program was slammed Wednesday by the country's largest legal organization, opposition parties, and at least one Tory provincial government.

The Trudeau-era program has helped fund successful court challenges that broadened the rights of Canadian seniors, women, the disabled, homosexuals, religious groups, aboriginals, and minority-language groups.

The federal Tories announced this week that cutting the program would save taxpayers $5.6 million over two years.

Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams - a provincial Tory and a lawyer - called the cuts worrisome and distanced himself from the "right-wing" federal Conservatives. Read More

September 27, 2006
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Cancellation of Court Challenges Program a Step Back for Equality Rights
Read the press release that went out after today's press conference held by Liberal MPs Omar Alghabra, Sue Barnes, Mauril Bélanger, Bonnie Brown and Maria Minna
The Conservative government's elimination of the Court Challenges Program will strip minority groups of the ability to challenge legislation that infringes on their rights, says the Liberal Opposition. Read More

en français: L'abolition du Programme de contestation judiciaire est un recul pour les droits à l'égalité
L'annulation du Programme de contestation judiciaire va priver les groupes minoritaires de la possibilité de contester les lois qui enfreignent leurs droits, déclare l'opposition libérale.

Court Challenges: Mary's story
Dad tells how axing program will hurt disabled Canadians
Winnipeg Free Press, Wed Sep 27 2006, by Kevin Rollason
WE'RE not gay, and my nine-year-old daughter and I have never been jailed in a federal prison. We're ordinary Canadians who have been helped by a federally funded legal program the Harper government now wants to axe.

The Harper government's spin on shutting down the Court Challenges Program of Canada, to save $5.6 million, is that this is the organization that has been part of controversial cases including funding the advocates for gay marriage and the right of prisoners to vote.

In announcing the axing of Court Challenges, along with numerous other programs as part of $1 billion in spending cuts yesterday, Treasury Board president John Baird said those initiatives "weren't meeting the priorities of Canadians" or providing "value for money."

Scarier still, Baird went on to say about Court Challenges that the federal government is no longer interested in funding opposition to legislation it believes is right.

But if not for Court Challenges, I would not have been able to fight the government when our family was discriminated against by the federal employment insurance program. Read More

<SNIPED>

REAL Women Canada, a conservative women's group said in a press release today that they were "especially pleased" at the cut to Status of Women. "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," said the group. "The Status of Women was established in 1973 under Prime Minister Trudeau and over the years, it has funded feminist groups to serve as agents of change, never recognizing that other women have different views and have no wish to be represented by these feminist organizations."
Hold your nose & read more

R.E.A.L Women of Canada, Press Release, September 26, 2006
Conservative Government Bringing Common Sense to Public Finances

September 26, 2006
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Government's real priorities revealed - Media Statement
We are deeply concerned about the gutting of the only federal agency that addresses critical questions pertaining to equality and about what it suggests about what this government's true intentions are for equality matters in Canada.

Announced Monday, the 5 million dollar cut to Status of Women Canada (SWC) is a serious attack on the lone federal department engaged in the development of gender responsive policy and in the fulfillment of Canada's human rights obligations to women at the international, domestic, and inter-governmental levels.

We now see the government's real priorities revealed. Read More

National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC) Responds to Federal Budget Cuts
Stephen Harper promised to “take concrete and immediate measures …to ensure that Canada fully upholds its commitments to women.”

The elimination of the Court challenges Program will deny legal redress to poor and marginlized women: the Conservative Government is abrogating CEDAW Article 2 (c) To establish legal protection of the rights of women on an equal basis with men and to ensure through competent national tribunals and other public institutions the effective protection of women against any act of discrimination. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not include the financial means by which to access the courts on an equal basis with the wealthiest citizens or corporations when a individual’s rights have been violated.

Harper’s Government cut $5 million from the Status of Women budget despite the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee, representing all parties in the house, to an increase in the budget of at least 25%. How does this action live up to his promised commitment to Canadian women?

Cuts reveal Harper Conservatives agenda - For women and Court Challenges
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Press Release
The government has announced a series of cuts to social programs - so they can save $2 billion over the next 2 years. "Likely the money from these programs will be designated for some type of tax cut that the Harper Conservatives will announce in the next federal election - probably sometime this spring," said Paul Moist, national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

"When we look at just 2 of these program cuts $5 million from the Status of Women and $5.6 million from the Court Challenges program, a clear message is being sent. The government is essentially saying that any voice given to
addressing gender inequality in this country will be further silenced - furthermore any voices wanting to challenge the current status of the laws of this land will be muzzled," added Moist. Read More

Federal Conservatives Betray Commitments to Women's Equality: Provincial Advisory Council Responds to Cuts to Status of Women Canada
The Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women is alarmed by the federal government's decision to cut 1 billion dollars in spending. "The federal government signaled its intention to make these cuts last spring, and our worst fears are being realized," says Leslie MacLeod, President. "They are eliminating 1% of their overall spending by eliminating or reducing critical social programs."

The Advisory Council denounces the decision to cut the federal Department of Status of Women Canada by $5 million over two years. These cuts will be taken from its modest budget of $13 million per year. It is one of the smallest federal departments but has a huge role in advancing women's equality. This department provides critical analysis of the effect of policies and programs on women.

... The Advisory Council also condemns the decision to shut down the Court Challenges Program of Canada. Yesterday, federal Treasury Board President John Baird stated, "I just don't think it makes sense for the government to subsidize lawyers to challenge government's laws in court." The Advisory Council disagrees. Read More

Sue Genge Responds to Edmonton Sun column 'Despair over cuts to women's groups'
I read and disagree with much of Ms. Jacobs' article. But, in particular, I thought she should be clear that when women's organizations talk about the wage gap, we are not talking about the difference between men in highly skilled and higly paid professions vs women in low skilled and low paid professions. In particular, I'm refering to the following assertion in her article.

"The paper harps about the ongoing pay gap between men and women, without pointing out that men tend to choose higher-paying jobs because they're socialized to be the breadwinners.

It's disingenuous to complain that women working full time only earn about 70 cents for every dollar men make if you've deliberately chosen to work as, say, a low-paid restaurant hostess."

I've forwarded the attached Chapter 1 - Wage Inequities from the 2004 Pay Equity Task Force Report. If you consult Table 1:4 and Table 1:5 you will see a number of interesting and telling facts, based on Statistics Canada data. One, women are concentrated in lower paid occupations, which you will undoubtedly attribute to life choices. We will have to disagree about how much real choice many women have in our society. The other fact you should notice is that within each broadly defined occupational category, without exception, there is a significant gap between the wages of men and women ... the only "profession" where women earn more than men is as "babysitters, nannies and parent's helpers". Read More

September 25, 2006
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Cuts to Status of Women and Court Challenges Program Undermine Government’s Commitment to Women’s Equality
FAFIA (Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action) Press Release
Ottawa: FAFIA, a pan-Canadian alliance of women’s and human rights organizations, is denouncing the $5 million cut to the federal department of Status of Women over two years. These cuts will be taken from its modest annual budget of $13 million. The grants and contributions arm ($11 million) of the department was not affected.

“These cuts will critically affect the federal government’s own commitment to live up to its equality commitments to women,” said Shelagh Day, Co-Chair of the Canadian Feminist Alliance (FAFIA).

FAFIA is also dismayed by the elimination of the Court Challenges Program. “This Program has provided Canadian women with their only access to the use of their constitutional equality rights,” said Shelagh Day. “Equality rights have no meaning in Canada if women, and other Canadians who face discrimination, cannot use them.” Read More | en français: Des coupures à Condition féminine Canada et au Programme de contestation judiciaire sapent l'engagement du gouvernement envers l'égalité des femmes

Conservatives make their mark on government spending with tough choices
by: Jennifer Ditchburn, CP
The Conservatives put their mark on government spending Monday with the announcement of $1 billion in cuts to programs they did not consider priorities, from funding to Canadian museums to research on the use of medical marijuana. ... Some of the cuts, over two years, included:

Conservatives Elimininate Court Challenges Program & Cut $5M from Status of Women of Canada over next 2 years
The $5 Million cut to Status of Women Canada (SWC) and the elimination of the Court Challenges Program (CCP), seriously undermine the Government's commitment to women's equality. The overall budget at SWC is $24 million. The women's program absorbs almost $11 million (grants and contributions). That means the department functions on effectively $13 million, 5 million of which has just been cut over next 2 years.

Here's the pinpoint URLs to Treasury Board of Canada site with info on the cuts.
English: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/media/nr-cp/2006/0925_e.asp
En français: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/media/nr-cp/2006/0925_f.asp

September 22, 2006
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Notes from Pay Equity Press Conference, Ottawa, Sept/21/06
Andrée Côté, National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL)
Bonjour, my name is Andrée Côté, and until a few weeks ago I was Director of Law Reform at the National Association of Women and the Law. NAWL has been forced to lay off it's staff in the last few weeks and is waiting for the renewal of our funding application from Status of Women Canada.

The Harper government response on pay equity this week demonstrates why it is so important that women's groups receive adequate and stable funding: we need to have the capacity to defend women's rights, and to respond to retrograde and ineffective policies that bring us back 20 years. Read More | plus en français

Pay Equity: at the heart of equality
Canadian Labour Congress & Public Service Alliance Of Canada
Press Release dd Sept. 21, 2006
The federal government announced yesterday that it is taking a giant step backwards on the question of equal pay for women workers. More than thirty years after the adoption of the Canadian Human Rights Act, women still earn less, on average, than men regardless of their occupation, age or education. Today, a woman earns 72.5 cents for every dollar a man earns. Our equal pay legislation is not working. The wage gap is even greater for Aboriginal women, women of colour and women with disabilities. Read the full release in English

L'équité salariale... au coeur de l'égalité
Congres du Travail du Canada & Alliance de la Fonction Publique du Canada
Le gouvernement fédéral a annoncé hier qu'il prenait un énorme pas en arrière dans le dossier de l'équité salariale pour les femmes. Plus de trente ans après l'adoption de la Loi canadienne sur les droits de la personne, les femmes gagnent encore moins que les hommes en moyenne, peu importe leur profession, leur âge ou leur scolarité. A l'heure actuelle, une femme touche 72,5 cents pour chaque dollar que touche un homme. Notre législation sur l'équité salariale ne fonctionne pas. L'écart salarial actuel est encore plus important chez les femmes autochtones, les femmes de couleur et les femmes handicapées. Read the full release en français

Women's groups fear federal cuts coming
by Norma Greenaway, CanWest News Service, Vancouver Sun, Sept. 22, 2006
A leading Canadian women's rights group has been forced to close its office for lack of money and other federally financed organizations fear a similar fate as the Conservative government zeroes in on a promise to cut spending by $1 billion this fiscal year.

The prospect cheers Gwen Landolt, vice-president of the pro-life, pro-family conservative lobby group REAL Women Canada and a fierce critic of federal funding of ''feminist'' and other special interest groups. ''It's simply an abuse of taxpayers' money to fund only one ideology,'' Landolt said in an interview.

Suspense over how much, if any, money will flow to women's and other groups should end within the next week or so when the government tells Canadians what programs it plans to curb or kill to meet its budget commitment.

Opposition MPs accuse the government of using the spending review to dismantle by ''stealth'' the 30-year-old agency known as Status of Women Canada, which, among other things, hands out almost $11 million a year to groups committed to promoting gender equality and the full participation of women in society. Read Full article at: http://tinyurl.com/fl9aw

September 21, 2006
Featured article:

PM's pick for bench draws fire
Social activists cite conservative views
Globe & Mail, Kirk Makin
The appointment of an Ontario judge who is seen as an opponent of pro-choice and gay rights has created a stir among social activists.

Spokesmen expressed concerns yesterday about the appointment of Mr. Justice David Brown, a Toronto lawyer who has represented Christian family-value positions in several cases, and has written papers dealing with legal developments involving the sanctity of life. ... He represented Focus on the Family (Canada) and REAL Women of Canada in a court intervention against the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. Read full article

September 20, 2006
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Conservatives Take First Step Towards Dismantling Ministry for the Status of Women / Les Conservateurs Amorcent Le Démantèlement De Condition Féminine Canada
NDP / NPD Press Release dd Sept. 20, 2006
Excerpt: OTTAWA – The future of women’s organisations across Canada is being threatened as the Conservative Government is taking too long to review Status of Women Program applications – forcing prominent women’s organisations to close their doors.

“By not responding to funding applications, the Conservatives are allowing programs to shut down, one by one.,” said NDP MP critic for the Status of Women Irene Mathyssen. "What's next? The entire department? It looks like Bev Oda is spoiling to dismantle the Status of Women department."

As of Sept. 12, The National Association of Women and the Law, has closed their doors due to insufficient federal funding. The Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA) will shut down on Sept. 26. Organizations have put in applications for funding, but have heard nothing from the Minister responsible for Status of Women, Bev Oda.
English version
en français

September 14, 2006
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(un) R.E.A.L. Women of Canada WATCH (update)

Introduction

The Women`s Program

Standing Committee on the Status of Women Recommendations to improve the Women`s program

The Context : women's inequality remains deeply entrenched

A Lack of Political Will to Address the problem

And this was Brought to you by the Women's Movement

Past Federal Acknowledgment of the Important Role played by Women's Groups

International support for the funding of Women's Groups

Conclusion

TAKE ACTION

September 13, 2006
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(un) R.E.A.L. Women of Canada WATCH (updates)

September 10, 2006
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Womyn's Voices Online Consultation - Violence Against Women: Sept. 18 – Oct. 13, 2006
Objective: Engage women of Canada, including equality seeking women’s organizations, in the federal government ICT initiatives and collaborate on developing strategies to eliminate online violence and exploitation of women.
Outcomes
Activities
Schedule
Register

August 30, 2006
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Fighting the Blues - What the Social Conservative Agenda Means to Women
The CLC 13th National Women’s Conference Paper
REAL Women Canada is a key partner in the alliance of social conservative groups which strongly supports the Conservatives. In this statement, REAL Women acknowledges that the future they have planned for us is something that will alarm Canadians. What is their agenda? Should we be alarmed?

“Social Conservatives to Sell Tory Daycare Plan”, read the headline of a Globe and Mail story on April 19, 2006. The Globe and Mail reported what many in Canada may have known intuitively. On April 3, the day Parliament re-opened — the Conservative government had met with far right-wing groups to strategize around how to convince the public that a taxable $1200/year/pre-school child was preferable to setting-up a public system of early childhood learning and care. Their ideological base of support is really the far right. The most vocal critics of public child care come from small, fundamentalist religious-based groups; the Conservatives are relying on them to counter the voices of working families and child care advocates. And they now have a direct link to the Prime Minister’s office. Read More

Alliance for Marriage & Family (AMF) seeks to protect family as ‘3-parents case’ seen as impacting definition of marriage
Canadian Catholic News dd August 30, 2006
The AMF [composed of the Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL), REAL Women of Canada, the Evangelical Fellowship (EFC), Focus on the Family, and the Christian Legal Fellowship] has filed a factum in the so-called “three parents case,” saying its member groups have a “common cause” to protect the “traditional family unit in Canadian society and law.” Read More

August 25, 2006
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Conservatives Must Come Clean on Agenda for Status of Women Canada
Liberal Party of Canada Press Release dd August 25, 2006
OTTAWA – Liberal Critic for Status of Women and Multiculturalism Maria Minna today called on Heritage Minister Bev Oda to reveal the Conservative government’s true intentions for the future of Status of Women Canada.

“The Conservative grassroots community is actively campaigning for the demise of this important agency which promotes the rights of women in Canada,” said Ms. Minna. “Ms. Oda must come clean and reveal whether or not she will bow to the pressure of these extreme right-wing groups or if she will take a stand and publicly distance herself from their position.”

Recent media reports indicate that several socially Conservative blogs have begun a campaign to eliminate the federal agency for the Status of Women. The group REAL women of Canada, which also opposes same-sex marriage and legalized abortion, launched the campaign because of their belief that the agency “promotes feminist policies on the false premise that women in Canada are victims of a patriarchal society.” Read More

August 21, 2006
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Women and HIV: The promise of microbicides
According to the World Health Organization, women account for nearly 70 per cent of HIV-AIDS cases worldwide.
Randy Sheppard, CBC News Online
When most people think about AIDS, they see it primarily as a problem of the gay community or of those who share needles. And they wouldn't be wrong.

But over the past half-dozen or so years, the face of AIDS in Canada and the United States has begun to change quite dramatically. More and more of those acquiring the disease turn out to be young heterosexual women, infected by their partners.

As the Public Health Agency of Canada reported just last month, women now make up 20 per cent of the approximately 58,000 Canadians infected with HIV, up from 14 per cent in 2002.

What is more alarming is the quick step of this trend. In the late 1990s, getting AIDS from straight sex in Canada was a fairly rare occurrence. Fewer than 11 per cent of all new adult cases before 1998 stemmed from heterosexual sex, according to health officials. Today that proportion has nearly tripled and young, straight women alone accounted for 27 per cent of all new infections last year — a huge jump.

Seen another way, Canada's experience might be said to mirror that of some of the worst parts of Africa where the AIDS virus first rampaged through the male population but now seems to be turning its bile much more toward women.

According to the World Health Organization, women account for nearly 70 per cent of HIV-AIDS cases worldwide and in places such as sub-Saharan Africa and India a growing numbers are married women infected by their husbands, with little power to do much about it. Read More

Opening Address at 16th International AIDS Conference Aug. 13, 2006 by Governor General Michaëlle Jean

August 19-20, 2006
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Highlights from the XVI International AIDS Conference, Monday, August 14 - Friday, August 18, in Toronto, Canada

Global Leaders Speak Out: Mr. William Jefferson Clinton and
Stephen Lewis - August 15, 2006 -- XVI International AIDS Conference
Read Transcript and/or View Video of this session

Clinton, Gates Address Stigma, Other Challenges to Combating HIV/AIDS Pandemic - August 14, 2006 -- XVI International AIDS Conference

Priorities in Ending the Epidemic: Mr. William J. Clinton and William Gates - August 14, 2006 -- XVI International AIDS Conference
Read Transcript and/or View Video of this session

Women at the Frontline in the AIDS Response - August 14, 2006 -- XVI International AIDS Conference
Read Transcript and/or View Video of this session

Actor, HIV/AIDS Advocate Richard Gere Says Media is Crucial in Fighting Pandemic - August 14, 2006 -- XVI International AIDS Conference

Media and AIDS: Spreading Information Faster than the Disease - August 14, 2006 -- XVI International AIDS Conference
Panelists at this session discuss the mobilization of the media industry following the 2004 launch of the Global Media AIDS Initiative by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at a special meeting organized by the Kaiser Family Foundation and UNAIDS.
Read Transcript and/or View Video of this session

High Level Session on Leadership: Time to Deliver for Women and Girls - August 13, 2006 -- XVI International AIDS Conference
Read Transcript and/or View Video of this session

Daily Roundup for Friday, August 18, 2006 from the XVI International AIDS Conference
Delegates at the closing of the XVI International AIDS conference in Toronto were reminded that now is the "Time to Deliver." Read More

Daily Roundup for Thursday, August 17, 2006 from the XVI International AIDS Conference
The XVI International AIDS Conference began today by addressing the need for a coordinated and comprehensive approach to HIV that includes elements some say are often overlooked, like human rights and youth. Read More

Daily Roundup for Wednesday, August 16, 2006 from the XVI International AIDS Conference
On Wednesday, achieving universal access to HIV/AIDS was a major focus of the conference. The World Health Organization released new estimates of global antiretroviral therapy coverage. Read More

Daily Roundup for Tuesday, August 15, 2006 from the XVI International AIDS Conference
The latest Daily Roundup includes comments from actor Richard Gere and former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Read More

Daily Roundup for Monday, August 14, 2006 from the XVI International AIDS Conference
The Daily Roundup for Monday, August 14 looks at the AIDS 2006 theme – Time To Deliver – and features comments from Bill and Melinda Gates and former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Read More

August 10, 2006
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Four Steps for Canada: Stephen Lewis and Canadian civil society groups demand action on global AIDS crisis
Platform presented to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in advance of XVI International AIDS Conference
Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa, today joined the Global Treatment Access Group (GTAG) and the Make Poverty History Campaign in calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to take decisive action in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The Global AIDS Crisis: Four Steps for Canada is a civil society platform for action to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS globally and to improve the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS. The platform has already been endorsed by more than 80 organizations across Canada, including the labour movement, faith groups, AIDS organizations, student groups, human rights advocates, and humanitarian and development organizations. Read More

August 8, 2006
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ATHENA: Advancing Gender Equity and Human Rights in the Global Response to HIV/AIDS
As the world enters the third decade of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, women — especially the young and the poor — are increasingly affected. Because gender inequity fuels HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS fuels gender inequity, it is imperative that women and girls speak out, set priorities for action, and lead the global response to the crisis. The ATHENA Network was created to realize this imperative.

ATHENA strives to bridge the communities around the world that are addressing gender, human rights, sexual and reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS. Further, ATHENA promotes the leadership and participation of women and girls, especially those living with HIV/AIDS, as central to the global response. Through these efforts, we are guided by four central mandates for our collective work – the indivisibility and intersectionality of issues and experiences; the need for independence and integrity; the inclusion of grassroots and indigenous groups; and the importance of intergenerational exchange, new voices, and the involvement of youth. Read More

A Dose of Reality: Women's Rights in the Fight against HIV/AIDS
The global HIV/AIDS pandemic is taking a catastrophic toll on women and girls. The number of HIV infections among women and girls has risen in every region in recent years, and in sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls constitute nearly 60 percent of those living with HIV. In some countries, the HIV infection rates for girls are many times higher than for boys. The rising number of HIV infections among women and girls is directly related to violence against women and their unequal legal, economic, and social status.

Abuses of women's and girls' human rights impede their access to HIV/AIDS information and services, including testing and treatment. Those who do obtain HIV services sometimes face disclosure of their confidential HIV test results by public health officials without the women's consent. This heightens women's risk of being ostracized by their communities and abused by their intimate partners.

Governments around the world have done far too little to combat the entrenched, chronic abuses of women's and girls' human rights that put them at risk of HIV. Misguided HIV/AIDS programs and policies, such as those emphasizing abstinence until marriage, ignore the brutal realities many women and girls face. By failing to enact and effectively enforce laws on domestic violence, marital rape, women's equal property rights, and sexual abuse of girls, and by tolerating customs and traditions that subordinate women, governments are enabling HIV/AIDS to continue claiming the lives of women and girls. Read More

Women and HIV/AIDS: The Barcelona Bill of Rights
As we enter the third decade of HIV/AIDS, women, especially the young and the poor, are the most affected. Because gender inequality fuels the HIV/AIDS pandemic, it is imperative that women and girls speak out, set priorities for action and lead the global response to the crisis. Therefore, women and girls from around the world unite and urge all governments, organizations, agencies, donors, communities and individuals to make our rights a reality. Read More

July 29, 2006
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How you can participate online (free) in the 16th International AIDS Conference - Aug. 13 to 18, 2006
In preparation for the 16th International AIDS Conference taking place in Toronto from Aug. 13 - 18th, 2006, (and to help inform both myself as a conference delegate and other DAWN members) we've assembled some information on Women and HIV/AIDS (see below) from the International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC).

Please note that portions of the AIDS 2006 Conference will be available for viewing on the Internet at no cost and with no registration... Webcasts and transcripts, along with additional coverage, will be accessible at a later date. You can now sign up now to receive a daily update email during the week of the conference, providing summaries of each day's developments and direct access to all of the online coverage. Sign up at www.kaisernetwork.org/aids2006.

For those of you living in or near the Greater Toronto Area, please note that there are a number of women's events that will be held in the Global Village at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. These are open to the general public (free of charge) as well as to conference delegates.

Here is the link to the Programme available online: www.aids2006.org/PAG/ProgrammeAtAGlance.aspx. Any event marked with GV as the venue is scheduled to take place in the Global Village and does not require a conference badge to attend. As an example, here are 2 events scheduled at the Global Village (which I am anxious to attend):

1. An interactive session hosted by Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID)

Where's the Money for Women's Rights and HIV/AIDS?

AWID will share its 'hot off the press' research on resources for women's rights organizations and HIV/AIDS. Come share and learn if women are being short-changed and become part of the strategies to mobilize more resources for women's rights. For more info, contact awid@awid.org.

When: Sun. Aug. 13, 2006 from 3:00pm to 4:30pm
Where: Global Village, Main Stage, Metro Toronto Convention Centre

2. Hosted by the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ICW), International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC) and AWID:

In Her Own Words: Violations of Women's Human Rights and HIV
Moderated by Charlayne Hunter-Gault (CNN-Johannesburg)

This panel will expose rights violations that have led to the growing number of women who are now living with HIV, calling for greater respect and promotion of women's rights within the HIV/AIDS response. Panelists from different parts of the world -- HIV+ women activists and policy analysts -- will identify where appropriate policy or program interventions might have made the difference in terms of HIV status, treatment and community response. For more info, contact Cami Hilsendager at chilsendager@iwhc.org.

When: Mon. Aug. 14, 2006 from 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Where: Global Village, Main Stage, Metro Toronto Convention Centre

Women and HIV/AIDS: Select Facts
Women are increasingly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. 
Young people, especially young women, are disproportionately at risk.
Women and girls do not have access to comprehensive information and services.
The biggest HIV/AIDS risk for many women and girls is marriage.
Sexual coercion and violence lead to a greater chance of infection.
Read More

With Women Worldwide: A Compact to End HIV/AIDS
Outlines priority actions for making global HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care strategies work for women. Developed by a group of women advocates for use in 2006 negotiations on HIV/AIDS and beyond. ... Read More

Women and HIV/AIDS: Women's Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS: An Overview

The Context: Women's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS Worldwide
In January 2002, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan announced that for the first time, women represented half of HIV-positive individuals worldwide, and more than half in sub-Saharan Africa, the region of the world hit hardest by the epidemic. HIV/AIDS had become a generalized epidemic in many African countries, moving from high-risk groups such as sex workers and injection drug users to the general population, largely because of pervasive gender inequality. The combination of social and political inequalities and severe poverty is lethal to women in the developing world, rendering them disproportionately vulnerable to the virus. ... Read more

The Commitment: Addressing Women's Realities
Despite women's disproportionate vulnerability, few programs aimed at curbing the pandemic's spread target them or reflect the realities of their lives. If we want to stop HIV/AIDS—in Africa, in Asia, in Latin America, in Eastern Europe, and in Canada and the United States — we must do two things: ... Read more

Colleagues: Empowering Women on the Ground
IWHC's colleagues worldwide are providing young people with the information, skills, and strategies to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS, and advocating for policies that mandate the gender-sensitive comprehensive sexuality education that will enable future generations to reach adulthood in good health. They are also working to erode the gender inequalities that fuel the epidemic's spread by advocating for women's sexual and reproductive rights and focusing attention on the realities of women's lives. For example: ... Read more

July 28, 2006
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The stigma surrounding abortion continues in New Brunswick - Open Letter from Dr. Henry Morgentaler
The New Brunswick government continues to deny women access to publicly funded abortions. Under the current Medical Services Payment Act, to have an abortion covered by Medicare, women are obliged to have the approval of two doctors in writing and the abortion must be performed in a hospital by a gynecologist. This leaves women with no family doctor or an anti-choice doctor no option other than the Morgentaler Clinic in Fredericton. This discriminatory practice must stop. Read More

July 27, 2006
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Louise Bennett-Coverley, 'Ms Lou' : 1919 - 2006
The renowned folklorist, the Rt. Honorable Louise Bennett-Coverley, “Ms Lou” passed away July 26, 2006

To send condolences to the family please send emails to regrets@louisebennett.com
Read More

July 25, 2006
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Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC): The Silent Killer
Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) is an advanced and accelerated form of breast cancer usually not detected by mammograms or ultrasounds. Inflammatory breast cancer requires immediate aggressive treatment with chemotherapy prior to surgery and is treated differently than more common types of breast cancer. African Americans have a higher incidence of IBC than do Caucasians and other ethnic groups (10.1%, 6.2%, and 5.1%, respectively)." Source

Watch the KOMO TV 4 video: The Silent Killer: Inflammatory Breast Cancer (6:00)
Read the KOMO 4 News Special Report dd May 7, 2006: Inflammatory Breast Cancer
Read More

Shame On You, Mr. Harper
Video: Abby Lippman and Jihad Bahlis Interviewed by Caroline Van Vlaardingen, CTV Montreal

Voices of Dissent on CTV's Broadband network:
http://tinyurl.com/mm7fj (2:15) -- Mon. July 24, 2006

July 24, 2006
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Guaranteed Livable Income a universal idea
Cindy L'Hirondelle, Women's Economic Justice Project Coordinator responds to Vancouver Sun column
In Daphne Bramham's July 22 (Vancouver Sun) column "Oh, wouldn't it be lover-ly?" she launches a none to subtle attack on the Women's Economic Justice Report on Guaranteed Livable Income and me personally.

She hopes the ideas in the report are a joke, calls the report "sloppy", "sentimentalist", "Rousseau-ian", "sprinkled with neo-Luddite thinking", "buttressed with Marxist-socialist cant"; that I am "channeling the founders of the Social Credit party", making the guaranteed annual income idea seem "ridiculous", doing a "huge disservice" to the women interviewed, that I "trivialized the desperate needs of the poor", made a "nonsensical lament about how [low income women] can't buy organic", put feminism in disrepute and made the rest of Canada see us as "wigged-out West Coasters." I'm surprised she didn't call me a blood-drinking vampire as well, but then she wonders if I'm vegan. If she had contacted me, I would have told her: that's right, I only drink the blood of organic carrots. Read More

July 23, 2006
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A shameful silence on women's rights
Paul Sheehan asks why Western feminists are mute on the plight of their Islamic sisters
Excerpt: "... In this cultural clash, the treatment of women is the most hotly contested terrain. Not just the treatment of non-Muslim women by Muslim men, but the treatment of Muslim women within Western culture. Many Muslim women live under constraints that are unacceptable to wider society. For years, a symptom of this tension, which is largely submerged, has been the distraught young women turning up at the Australian embassy in Beirut to escape forced marriages.

In the midst of this cultural and moral struggle one element has been conspicuously missing - the feminists - the authors, academics and commentators who rose to prominence as advocates of women's rights. In Australia and Europe, their response to the growing levels of sexual intimidation, harassment or suppression of women by Muslim men has either been a deafening chorus of silence, or denial and blame-shifting. Read the Full Article

Vancouver Sun, columnist Daphne Bramham slams the Women's Economic Justice Report on Guaranteed Livable Income
In the July 22, 2006 Vancouver Sun, columnist Daphne Bramham slams the Women's Economic Justice Report on Guaranteed Livable Income. (page C4) See article here: http://tinyurl.com/fs3kj

July 20, 2006
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R.E.A.L. Women file complaint against Ontario Chief Justice
The R.E.A.L. Women clan are at it again ... Now they've filed a formal complaint against Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry with the Canadian Judicial Council, alleging judicial misconduct.

Excerpt:

Judge Who Gave Canada Homosexual "Marriage" Had Conflict of Interest Says Women's Rights Group

TORONTO, July 19, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The women’s rights organization, REAL Women of Canada, has filed a formal complaint against Ontario Chief Justice Roy McMurtry with the Canadian Judicial Council, alleging judicial misconduct. McMurtry was the judge who issued a ruling in 2003 on the Halpern case that effectively ended the traditional definition of marriage in Canada.

McMurtry’s son, James, revealed in a letter to the editor of a BC newspaper that his sister is a lesbian in a live-in relationship with another woman. This, says REAL Women, creates a serious concern that “McMurtry had a personal and familial interest” in the Halpern case, “which seriously impaired his objectivity and his ability to adjudicate the case.”

** sniped **

REAL Women’s letter alleges that McMurtry’s personal interest biased the entire process and violated the “fundamental judicial obligations of office.” REAL Women says that in addition, Justice McMurtry deliberately chose and selected judges sympathetic to same-sex "marriage" to hear the case. Read the Full Article

July 19, 2006
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Submission to the Standing Committee on Justice Policy on Bill 107, The Proposed Ontario Human Rights Code Amendment Act
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance - Draft Only - July 15, 2006
Overview of this Brief's Contents: This brief is divided into two parts. In Part I (the shorter part), we summarize our position on Bill 107 and how it should be amended. For those interested in our position, but not wanting to get into all the background and detail, Part I provides all the information needed. It:

• summarizes what Bill 107 does.
• summarizes the key problems with Bill 107.
• explains the problems with the Government's process for developing Bill 107.
• summarizes how to improve Bill 107, and

for those interested in far more detailed information, Part II, the longer part, gives an extensive explanation of each of the 49 amendments we propose. Accompanying this brief are appendices with important background materials to support our proposals. These include:
1. A list of the AODA Alliance's 49 recommendations for amending Bill 107
2. The AODA Alliance's "Fact Check" on Official Statements about Bill 107
3. The AODA Alliances April 3, 2006 Discussion Paper on Options for Reforming the Ontario Human Rights Code.
Read More

July 15, 2006
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Behind Batwoman's Gayness
Today's women are pigeonholed as either girly girls or lesbians
Op-Ed in today's LA Times
Excerpt ... Whatever the reason, it appears that there are only two ways to go about being female these days: You are either a midriff-bearing, gum-snapping, engagement ring-chasing girly girl or you are a probable lesbian.

We used to think of this dichotomy in terms of "separating the women from the girls." Perhaps you remember how this went. Teenagers and early twentysomethings wore nameplate necklaces and waited for the phone to ring, and adult women owned condos and knew how to unclog a toilet without losing their sex appeal.

But in a culture that's as allergic to subtlety as it is obsessed with youth, acceptable versions of womanhood seem to be melting away with the polar ice cap. You either get the Botox, the boob job, the bikini wax and baby doll dresses, or you take the radical step of looking and acting like a fully formed, grown-up female. Read More

July 13, 2006
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Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2006
Victims Rarely Report Abuse: StatsCan Report
Victimization surveys have shown that spousal violence frequently involves multiple incidents. However, a new study examining 10 years of police-reported data shows that most spousal violence is reported to police on only a single occasion.

The study, which analyzed spousal violence offenders and their contact with police using a 10-year data file for 1995 to 2004, was published today in the 2006 edition of Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile. It found that 8 out of every 10 spousal offenders were reported to police on only one occasion during the 10-year time frame. Persons accused of repeated spousal violence (those with two to four police-reported incidents of spousal violence) accounted for 18% of the total. Only 1% were considered chronic abusers, that is they were involved in five or more reported incidents.

These results may be partially explained by the 2004 General Social Survey (GSS) on victimization that found that only 28% of victims of spousal violence turned to police for help. Incidents that are reported tend to depend on the severity and frequency of the violence, and on whether children were witnesses. Other factors include whether the victim was female, young, Aboriginal or turned to others for support. Read More

July 12, 2006
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Lung Cancer Risk Higher in Women Smokers but Survival Better
* The risk of lung cancer is significantly greater for women than for men.
* Lung cancer now accounts for more deaths in women than any other cancer including breast cancer and colon cancer combined. Read the Review

Kirby report (2) turns a blind eye to women
Despite the mounting evidence — as well as Canada's many commitments to using Gender-Based Analysis in policy and program development — federal health studies somehow remain gender-blind.
by Laila Malik, CWHN
Almost 20 years ago, the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) issued an in-depth report calling for action to address mental health concerns facing women in Canada. Women and Mental Health in Canada: Strategies for Change warned of the dire mental health effects of the feminization of poverty and violence against women and drew attention to the disproportionate number of women assigned with the diagnostic categories of depression and anxiety. It outlined 25 recommendations for improvement, including the development of affordable, high quality child-care services, the establishment of pay equity policies, recognition of unpaid caregiving, and the creation of a national clearinghouse of research and programs on women's mental health. The report was promptly buried, its recommendations consigned to oblivion. Read More

July 10, 2006
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Right of Choice: It's In Our Hands: Stop Violence Against Women
Amnesty International Report 2006
From birth to death, in times of peace as well as war, women face discrimination and violence at the hands of the state, the community and the family. Female infanticide deprives countless women of life itself. Every year, millions of women are raped by partners, relatives, friends and strangers, by employers and colleagues, security officials and soldiers. Women, children and men suffer from violence inflicted in the home, but the overwhelming majority of victims are women and girls. During armed conflicts, violence against women is often used as a weapon of war, in order to dehumanize the women themselves, or to persecute the community to which they belong.

Violence against women is not confined to any particular political or economic system, but is prevalent in every society in the world. It cuts across boundaries of wealth, race and culture. The power structures within society which perpetuate violence against women are deep-rooted and intransigent. The experience or threat of violence inhibits women everywhere from fully exercising and enjoying their human rights. Read More

July 7, 2006
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Aboriginal Issues - Glossary of Terms
The following is a guide to various terms associated with First Nations people, issues and treaties. Please note that individual preferences may vary and should be respected when known. When unsure, it is polite and appropriate to ask how a person, band or council wishes to be addressed.

Uncertain Futures: Gaining access to publicly funded abortions is not easy in New Brunswick
by Chris Arsenault
[The only hospital in New Brunswick that was providing publicly funded abortions stopped performing the procedure at the end of June.] The decision to have an abortion is rarely easy, but after the Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital in Fredericton stopped performing the procedure at the end of June, and with pro-life groups rallying to prevent Moncton's George Dumont Hospital from picking up the slack, many New Brunswickers are wondering about the procedure's future in the province. Read the Full Article here

Abortion: Ensuring Access
Sanda Rodgers and Jocelyn Downie, Guest Editorial in the CMAJ, July 4, 2006
Access to reproductive health care is essential to women's health, and for some women, abortion is a key component of that care. But not all women in Canada have adequate, or in some cases any, access to abortion.1 It is important for Canadian physicians to know the facts about access to abortion so that they can better protect and promote the health of their female patients.

Many of us assume that, in contrast to the United States, women's access to abortion in Canada is enshrined in law and guaranteed by our health care system. This is not always true. A brief review of history is needed here. Read the Full Article here

2006 Report Card on the Status of Women in New Brunswick
A Statistical Profile by the New Brunswick Advisory Council on the Status of Women

Read the Factsheets:

• Aboriginal Women
  
• Health