BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEMINISTS EXPOSE THEIR VALUES

National feminist umbrella group, the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC), has always exhibited a marked distaste for the US and has staunchly been in support of extreme socialist and Marxist policies. Not surprisingly, many of its leaders have, over the years, been Marxists and active in the Communist Party of Canada (See Reality, September/October 1992, p. 1 and Reality, November/December 1992, p. 15). According to the 1987 Marxist Review, the Communist Party of Canada, which is a NAC affiliate, has been highly successful in promoting its policies, such as opposition to NATO, through NAC.

Recently, the Status of Women gave an $80,000 grant to the feminist organization, the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies and the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres, to hold a three-day conference in early October on "Women's Resistance: From Victimization to Criminalization." At this conference, attended mainly by feminist academics and activists, union members, and women's center workers, former President of NAC, Sunera Thobani, to the wild cheers of the nearly 500 participants, launched into an attack on the US, claiming its foreign policies are "soaked in blood," claiming that only a fool would fail to examine the power of the US in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York. She stated:

… the United States is 'the most dangerous and powerful global force unleashing horrific levels of violence.'

'From Chile to El Salvador to Nicaragua to Iran, the path of US foreign policy is soaked in blood.' ….

'US foreign policy is soaked in blood. And other countries of the West - including, shamefully, Canada - cannot line up fast enough behind it.

'But the people, the American nation that Bush is invoking, is a people which is bloodthirsty, vengeful and calling for blood. They don't care whose blood it is, they want blood. And that has to be confronted.'

Sitting on the podium was Hedy Fry, federal Secretary of State for the Status of Women and Senator Landon Pearson, whose father-in-law was former Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Lester B. Pearson. Neither woman denounced the speech, however, neither applauded or stood up when Ms. Thobani received a standing ovation. Later that day, under attack in the House of Commons by the Opposition, Ms. Fry stated:

People in this country are allowed to say what they want. I did not support it. I did not applaud it. I got up and left immediately following. I stand in the House right now and say that I condemn the speech.

Ms. Fry, who went on to the UN Racism Conference in Durban, South Africa, in September (See "Canada Participates in an Orgy of Hate at UN Conference," page 5) should have stayed home to work on stamping out the hatred and racism exhibited by her sister feminists at their own government-funded conferences. Ms. Thobani's destructive remarks are not acceptable - except, in feminist circles.

In this regard, it should be pointed out that Ms. Thobani's remarks are not isolated ones among the feminist sisterhood. The Vice-President of NAC, Denise Andrea Campbell, was quoted in the Globe and Mail (October 5, 2001) as follows:

… We are fiercely opposed to the vengeful and warmongering response [of] President [George W.} Bush because it will inescapably cause the death of even more innocent victims.

André Coté of the federal Status of Women funded National Association of Women and the Law stated (Globe and Mail, October 5, 2001):

… This is one of the reasons we are opposing war. It creates a climate of intolerance. It creates a climate where basic civil liberties can be violated and basic freedom of expression is put in jeopardy. …

In all, twenty-four Canadian feminist groups have formed a coalition to lobby against any military action on terrorism. This coalition is lobbying Ottawa to urge the United Nations to stop military involvement in Afghanistan.

It is interesting to note that this coalition of feminist groups calls itself the World March of Women. It can be none other than the controversial group which caused such grief to Canadian Catholics last year. (See Reality, March/April 2001,p. 13, "Canadian Catholics Withdraw from World March of Women.")

These feminist organizations would not exist without the funding they receive from the generous coffers administered by Hedy Fry. This funding is a travesty of justice and common sense.

Please write to:

The Right Hon. Jean Chrétien
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington St., 2nd Floor
Ottawa ON K1A 0A2
Tel: 613-992-4211
Fax: 613-941-6900

The Hon. Paul Martin
Minister of Finance
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
Tel: 613-992-4284
Fax: 613-992-4291

The Hon. Hedy Fry
Secretary of State
(Multiculturalism)
(Status of Women)
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
Tel: 613-992-3213
Fax: 613-995-0056

Your MP
House of Commons
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6

to strenuously object to the funding of special interest groups from taxpayers' money.

BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS