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REAL WOMEN HEAD EAST

By Kathie McGann
President
Parry Sound, Ontario Chapter

What has four legs, two wheels, and talks non-stop? It's the "Maritime Tour for REAL Women of Canada," of course!

This past summer, the National President, Jeannine Lebel, asked her daughter, Cheryl, and me to consider a speaking tour on behalf of REAL Women in the Maritimes in the fall. We both loved the idea, and Jeannine immediately started organizing. It was fortunate that she had several months to prepare, because it was a big job to organize a long-distance speaking tour from another province. As usual, Jeannine managed admirably!

Cheryl and I departed on Friday, October 13th for our first stop, which was in Montreal at the home of REAL Women member, Regina Farrell, on Sunday the 15th. In the afternoon, we spoke to a group of REAL Women enthusiasts at St. Kevin's Church in Côte-des-Neiges.

This latter meeting was organized by Theresa McConnon, our Quebec representative.

Cheryl and I were particularly glad to meet Professor Jeffery Asher there. He had been making recent headlines when he was fired from his university teaching position because of his politically incorrect views. I think everyone enjoyed the lively discussion afterwards. What a great way to start our trip!

In the evening, we spoke to a small group at the street mission church of Rev. Daniel Cormier. The pastor was very knowledgeable, and had long been a fan of REAL Women of Canada.

On Monday morning, we headed east and drove through the picturesque route of southern Quebec. The number of church steeples that dotted the landscape really impressed us. Unfortunately, we realized that declining church attendance is perhaps higher in Quebec than in any other province in Canada. C'est dommage!

We entered the province of New Brunswick, and couldn't resist stopping at the beautiful log cabin home of one of our supporters, Anne-Marie Boudreau. She was busy organizing a picket against the 'March of Women 2000' for the next night, and was glad to share her concerns over a cup of tea.

By nightfall, we arrived at Perth-Andover, NB. We stayed at Eva Skaarup's farmhouse that night, and met with members of the local pro-life group. It was a long night of political discussion, but fascinating to learn how the concerns of the country are shared by all.

On Tuesday morning, we headed south, along the scenic St. John River. There were potato farms everywhere! Again, we stopped for some tea, coffee, and conversation at the home of REAL Women supporters, Wilhemine Estabrook and Robert Nielsen.

In the afternoon, we arrived in Fredricton and met with Peter and Susie Ryan and their lovely daughters.

That Fredericton evening was organized by Dr. Carolyn Berry, who helped a great deal to organize our New Brunswick itinerary.

The talk we gave that evening was in a downtown church, and it was well attended. Many of the women present were involved in local issues, and there was a discussion about starting up a REAL Women chapter there. It was exciting to learn about Peter's new pro-life office, and the dedicated work of his pro-life crew in establishing a pregnancy distress centre.

On Wednesday, we headed east to Moncton, and were pleased to meet up with Ron and Pauline Leblanc. Our talk that night was held in the local library. Again, there was plenty of lively discussion after the talk and at Pauline's kitchen table for many more hours!

We headed west on Thursday, to St. John. What an interesting city! Linda Blanchard gave us a great city tour in the afternoon. We spoke at the library that night, and met many informed and concerned men and women.

On Friday, we drove to Halifax. It was encouraging to see the huge pro-life billboard as we entered the province! What an incredible sight it is to see the city of Halifax! We were pleased to meet our REAL Women organizers, Carol and Jim Christian, and to hear about their pro-family work. That night, Cheryl and I spoke at a meeting held in a local hotel. Again, we noted and were deeply grateful for the many people who were so actively involved in their community.

Exhausted, we headed back to Ontario on Saturday, October 21st. Both Cheryl and I have packed many memories into this one short week. We distributed a whole trunk-load of REAL Women of Canada information. The most lasting impression from our tour is the concerns that are universally shared by thoughtful and caring Canadians. We are also grateful for the high regard that people hold for the efforts of REAL Women of Canada. We were treated like royalty by our many hosts and we give our deepest thanks for this warm hospitality shown us and for their concerns and efforts to build a better society!

What an unforgettable week!

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