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GOVERNOR GENERAL'S PERSONS AWARDS - A FEMINIST'S DAY TO SHINE

The Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case were presented on November 15 at Rideau Hall. Since 1979, five awards, plus a youth award, have been given every year to Canadian women who are recognized as promoters of equality. The recipients are chosen by Status of Women Canada and rewarded for continuing in the tradition of the "Famous Five" feminists who brought the legal case to the Privy Council, arguing that women should be eligible to be appointed to the Senate.

Eugenics Movement

While some praise the Famous Five as feminist pioneers who established women's rights in Canada, others consider them the Infamous Five for their involvement in the eugenics movement of the early 20th century. The Hon. Irene Parlby advocated forced sterilization as the "great and only solution to the problem" of the propagation of the "simple minded". Liberal MLA and suffragette Nellie McClung promoted the benefits of sterilization for "young simple-minded girls". Emily Murphy proclaimed "Insane people are not entitled to progeny". She was also a racist who wrote scurrilous attacks on immigrants who she claimed had weak morals.

Deliberate Subversion of Parliamentary Rules

The process used by former Liberal MP Jean Augustine to obtain parliamentary consent to erect the Famous Five statue on Parliament Hill was labeled a "deliberate subversion of parliamentary rules" by the Ottawa Citizen (See Reality Jan/Feb 1998, Jan/Feb 2001). An attempt by the supporters of the recognition of the "Famous Five" to change the national anthem to suit feminist prejudices against male pronouns, mercifully failed (see REALity Sept/Oct 2001).

Award Winners

Yet Canadian feminism marches on at taxpayers' expense, as feminists give each other Persons Awards every year with great fanfare at Rideau Hall. In 2002 a Persons Award was given to pro-abortionist, pro-homosexual lesbian, Nancy Riche of the Canadian Labour Congress, who has appeared before Parliamentary Committees on the same panel as REAL Women. CLC advocated the inclusion of "sexual orientation" in the Canadian Human Rights Act. A 2000 Persons Award recipient was Cherry Kingsley of the Canadian National Coalition of Experiential Women (prostitutes), who appeared on the same panel as REAL Women before the House of Commons Sub-Committee on Solicitation (prostitution) Laws. Ms Kingsley advocated the full legalization of prostitution and empowerment for "sex workers." In 2004, lesbian Allison Brewer was awarded for 30 years of gay rights activism (Capital Xtra Sept 9, 2004). Persons Award recipients are a who's who of feminist lesbian socialist and abortion advocacy in Canada.

Governor General Michaelle Jean Presents Awards

Every year, REAL Women has received an invitation to this feminist love-in at Rideau Hall on "Person's Day". We have never bothered to attend as we believe we have more important work to do. This year however, we decided to attend in order to gain some insight into the thinking of the new Governor General, Michaelle Jean, who was appointed by former Liberal Prime Minister Paul Martin. She stated in her speech, prior to making the awards, that "denying more than half the world's population the most basic human rights is one of the biggest scandals of our time". In the opulent Ballroom at Rideau Hall, she painted a rather grim picture of women for the affluent audience. Recalling the 1995 World March of Women, she stated that as a journalist she had wanted to ensure that the voice of women was heard: their fear of violence, rape, murder, poverty, starvation, being sold as commodities, their solitude and despair. The Governor General echoed the inaccurate feminist accusation that, "In Canada, women are still paid less than men for equal work, even when they have higher levels of education". This is patently untrue. "It is women who still work more unpaid hours" she said. "It is women who are still at greatest risk of being attacked in the street or at home, or disappearing", ignoring the higher rates of violence against men and male injury in the workplace. She spoke of an "epidemic" of family violence and the need to eradicate the "discrimination and misogyny that are still felt all too often". She noted that "more and more women are daring to rise up and put a human face on humanity". Non-feminists, such as REAL Women, who appreciate the great contribution that the majority of husbands, fathers, brothers and sons make to the well-being and fulfillment of Canadian women, and women around the world, could not help but question this lopsided vision. The expensively dressed, coiffed and bejeweled feminist audience did not appear oppressed in the least.

More Inaccuracies Abounded

Senator Shirley Maheu stated that before the Persons Case "only a man could be legally interpreted a person". This is erroneous since women could own property, obtain an education, vote, engage in business transactions and accumulate wealth just like men before the "persons" case was ever decided. The persons case only dealt with women being appointed to the Senate. Nothing more.

Award Recipients Grateful

The 2005 Persons Award recipients were grateful for the honours. They thanked their husbands for being understanding when they weren't home on time to join them for dinner because they were "busy helping other women". They thanked their children for accepting that they were "always away". They thanked the government for funding their causes and hoped more financial support would be forthcoming. They thanked their husbands for being feminists too. Poverty is a form of violence, we were told. Genital mutilation occurs in this land of liberty and Canadian girls must be protected, one of the recipients said, as she called for more funding. In reference to 500 missing women, one recipient announced "our women are dying in this country of violence and indifference". In fact, Canadians have long lived under the rule of law where murder is illegal and murderers are prosecuted.

On the brighter side, the aboriginal recipient of the Youth Award, speaking with a lovely Irish-Newfoundland accent, thanked her mother and her belief in God. A recipient of Philippine origin thanked her parents for being "ordinary God-fearing people".

After the awards were presented, refreshments were served in the grand Reception Room where Canada's hard-core feminists and friends gathered to munch on canapes of caviar, smoked salmon, buffalo terrine and wild duck pate.

Among the guests were the feminist Senators Shirley Maheu, Joyce Fairbairn, Lucie Pepin and Lorna Milne; Liberal feminist MP's Anita Neville and Paddy Torsney (defeated in the recent election); "Sex with Sue" broadcaster, Sue McGarvie; and David MacDonald, former Conservative Cabinet Minister responsible for the Status of Women under Joe Clark and a former NDP candidate, and now, partner of NDP MP Alexa McDonough.

After the reception, guests went home, content that equality for all (sic) had been celebrated and that the myth of female victimhood had once again been duly brought to the fore at the expense of the Canadian taxpayer.

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