President's Message

Time to say Farewell

It is with mixed feelings that I write this as it will be my final message to you as President. I informed the National Board at its annual meeting last May that it would be my last term. I felt five years as President was long enough, perhaps even too long. New blood and new ideas are useful and necessary. In addition, I want to be more involved at the provincial chapter level. However, I will remain the Saskatchewan rep on the national Board and will continue to work on certain projects.

Status of Women Canada

The 1998 federal budget and its impact on women was the topic for the yearly post-budget teleconference call with the Secretary of State for the Status of Women, Dr Hedy Fry, and 22 national women's organizations on February 26, 1998. I was pleased to, once again, speak for REAL Women of Canada. With only two minutes allotted to each spokesperson, I had to carefully plan my every word.

REAL Women of Canada applauds a balanced budget, but we do not applaud the way this budget was balanced. There is too much spending and not enough tax relief or debt reduction.

REAL Women is very upset by the discriminatory provisions in the budget. It gives increased tax deductions for families who employ a day care facility, a nanny, or a babysitter tor child care. It gives a well-deserved tax deduction to those families who look after an elderly parent or disabled child at home. BUT, it gives nothing to the families who provide their own child care. This is clear-cut discrimination.

Instead of increasing the child care deductions for some parents, the budget should have extended the child care deductions to all parents, including those who care for their children at home. Equality for women requires that public policy treat the woman at home equally with the woman at work. At the very least, government policies should be neutral on the issue of career choice for women.

My question for Ms Fry: When are the Liberals going to practice the equality for women that they preach? When is the government going to be fair and even-handed to all women?

Ms Fry replied that the government tries to be fair and that the budget targets low and middle income earners first. She also said, "that earning income is a job issue and that they (women who work outside the home) pay taxes and contribute in a real way to the economy". Fry said the federal government recognizes caregivers and that it is a start.

The unspoken message appears to be that homemakers and our contribution to society are not recognized by the federal government. Perhaps, a few of us homemakers should write a letter to Ms Fry to remind her of the great contribution full-time homemakers make to society, and to ask the Liberal government to treat all women and all children equally in our country's tax laws. Her address is: The Hon. Ms. Hedy Fry, Secretary of State, Status of Women, 360 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON K1A 1C3

Please send a copy of your letter to The Honourable Paul Martin, Minister of Finance, Room 515, Centre Block, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6. Please also send a copy to Mr. Eric Lowther, MP, Reform Party Family Caucus Chairman, Room 254 Wellington Building, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6.

Canadian Complaint to UN

I feel it is necessary to inform our members that REAL Women does not support the 11-point complaint against the Canadian government filed by Beverly Smith of Calgary to the UN Commission on Status of Women. The basis of her complaint is that the federal government discriminates against homemakers, especially in the tax laws.

From our very beginning days in the fall of 1983, REAL Women has addressed the inequities and discrimination in the tax and social policies of our government against homemakers and against the single income family. However, we do NOT accept the notion that the United Nations or any of its agencies should interfere with the internal matters of a sovereign nation state.

In addition, since 1994 REAL Women has been working with a world-wide coalition of pro-life, pro-family groups to promote and defend the basic rights and responsibilities of the traditional family. We have been working diligently to oppose UN jurisdiction, plans and programs that take-over, monitor or control the rights and responsibilities of the family or the nation state. We do not support the UN telling a country that it must implement gender equality, population control or abortion services. Nor do we support the UN telling a country how to tax its citizens.

Do the Best you Can

I do have one last request. Please don't forget to occasionally write, call, visit or fax your own MP. Say thanks when he/she says or does something with which you agree. They need our support and encouragement along with our questions and our disapproving comments. It is important to cultivate a relationship with your MP and your MLA as well.

In closing, I want to thank all our members of REAL Women for all their support over the years I have been President. It was a honour and a pleasure to represent you provincially, nationally and internationally on all the issues which are so dear to our hearts.

Please know that I intend to remain an integral part of our organization. I also want to wish our new President well. She will be chosen by the Board at our 1998 Annual Conference in Calgary at the end of March.

May God bless you all.

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