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THE FEMINIST SHELL GAME
300 women claiming to represent all Canadian
women met on Parliament Hill in February to supposedly celebrate
their work 25 years ago, which resulted in the inclusion of
S.28 in the Charter of Rights. Section 28 guarantees that
the Charter's provisions apply equally to male and female
persons. Ironically, Section 28 of the Charter has turned
out to be unused, unproven and without effect, according to
the decisions brought down by the Supreme Court of Canada
on the Charter.
This feminist meeting in Ottawa, true to form, was funded
by the Status of Women and other government departments such
as the Department of Justice, and government tax-supported
agencies such as the National Film Board, Law Commission of
Canada, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and
International Development Research Centre (IRDC).
The conference was an all-party project, Liberals,
NDP and red Tories, celebrating together. Former Liberal Minister
of State for Public Health, Carolyn Bennett, booked Parliament's
ballroom for this grand occasion. All the old-time feminist
agitators were there. Doris Anderson, former editor of Chatelaine
magazine when it was in its feminist prime, Beverley Baines
from Queen's University who was involved with the feminist
constitutional committee meetings 25 years ago, and who currently
is one of the lesbian authors of the Status of Women\Justice
funded paper which recommended that polygamy cease to be a
criminal offense. Lesbian Senator Nancy Ruth [Jackman], generous
funder of all things feminist such as the legal arm of the
feminist movement LEAF [Women's Legal Educational Action Fund],
feminist journalist Michele Landsberg and wife of UN gadabout,
Stephen Lewis, and Flora MacDonald who recalled that it was
Joe Clark who moved the inclusion of Section 28 in the Charter
of Rights which motion she seconded. Flora MacDonald was
the inspiration of the political phenomenon known as the "Flora
Factor" whereby delegates in a leadership campaign pledge
support for a candidate but which does not translate into
votes for the candidate. At the 1976 Tory leadership race,
in which Flora MacDonald was a candidate, she made the phenomenal
blunder of requesting that every Canadian woman send in $5
to support her campaign. Probably she doesn't even understand
today, blinded by her feminist blinkers, that women (and men)
do not vote on the basis of anatomy. By this request, Ms.
McDonald offended the majority of thoughtful, intelligent
women across the country by the implication that she should
be supported simply because she was female. She equally offended
men for the same reason - all of which easily explains the
"Flora Factor". Others in attendance at this feminist
fest were former Liberal Cabinet Ministers Elinor Caplan,
Sheila Finestone, Hedy Fry and Senator Lillian Dyck. Current
members of Parliament included Liberal Parliamentary Leader
Bill Graham (Rosedale) and Liberal MP's Anita Neville (Winnipeg
South Centre, Manitoba) who is the former chairwoman of the
House of Commons feminist Standing Committee on the Status
of Woman [FEWO]. (See Reality Jan/Feb 2006), Bonnie Brown
(Oakville, Ontario) and NDP leader Jack Layton (Toronto-Danforth,
Ontario) and his wife, Olivia Chow (Trinity-Spadina, Ontario),
former NDP leader and MP Alexa McDonough (Halifax, Nova Scotia),
former NDP MP Margaret Mitchell and former president of the
National Action Committee on the Status of Women and former
MP Lyn MacDonald.
The new Tory "girls" on the block
present at the conference were recently elected Joseé
Verner, (Louis-Saint-Laurent, Quebec) the current Minister
of International Cooperation and La Francophonie and Official
Languages, Bev Oda (Durham, Ontario), (Minister of Canadian
Heritage and Status of Women) and MP Lynn Yelich (Blackstrap,
Saskatchewan) a member of the previous House of Commons Standing
Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO).
The conference was advertised widely, but
approximately only 300 women mustered the energy to attend
when the feminists had expected well over 1000 participants.
These meager numbers were directed to sit in the front rows,
"we want this to look as packed as possible", as
CPAC (Canadian Parliamentary Channel) was taping the proceedings
to be run over and over again in the coming months - just
as though this feminist gathering had significance.
All in all the old gang of feminists were
there for three main purposes:
- push for national day care;
- push for a proportional representation electoral system
with quotas for females; and
- revive the dead, or at least, dying feminist movement
in Canada.
The feminists had issued a clarion call for
women to attend their conference funded mainly by several
departments and agencies referred to above, administrated
under the former Liberal Government, but also it was financially
supported by the three major political parties, Liberal, Conservative
and NDP, the Canadian Medical Association Public Policy Forum,
BMO Financial Group, and the Ontario Elementary Teachers Federation
among others.
Quotas for Female Politicians
In May, 2001, the feminists formed an organization
called "Equal Voice" to try to get more women elected
to Parliament by way of a quota system which they plan to
have integrated in the proportional representation electoral
system (See Reality Jan/Feb 2005). They propose to do this
in two steps (so as not to alarm the natives!) The first step
is to build consensus for a referendum on changing the electoral
system from first past the post to proportional representation,
and then to ensure that such a system includes a quota for
females. The Advisory Board of Equal Voice includes,
former MP's Kim Campbell, Sheila Copps, Marion Dewar, Judy
Erola, as well as Barbara Hall (former mayor of Toronto and
now Chairwoman of the Ontario Human Rights Commission), former
NDP leaders Audrey McLaughlin, Alexa McDonough, Lyn MacLeod
(former Ontario Liberal leader), Flora MacDonald, MP Anita
Neville and Senator Lucie Pepin.
Doris Anderson lamented the lack of female
MP's at the conference. She said, "It's got to be changed!
… It's worse than ever. We were 43rd in the world and
now we're 45th and going down fast. It's a priority of this
conference along with day care!" Bonnie Diamond, Governor
General's Persons Award winner, past executive director of
National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL), now executive
director of MATCH International, warned that we are living
in "urgent political times." We are facing global
fundamental forces such as the "US, Vatican, Islamist
agenda" and there's also "Focus on the Family, well
funded, living in Ottawa and circling Parliament Hill."
Demonstrating the hypocrisy of feminist support for equality,
she stated, "I disagree that we need more women regardless
of the belief system of women. We need women in all parties
but only women who steadfastly commit to uphold women's
equality. We don't need women who will go forward and
speak publicly against the gains that women have already made."
To loud applause she declared "I urge women who have
power to form a sisterhood in all the legislatures to help
offset the male bias until we hit that critical mass."
Jean Crowder, NDP MP (Nanaimo-Cowichan, British
Columbia) stated that "without incentives like quotas
the system doesn't significantly change." Judy Erola
stated that political parties are outdated, "we have
to change the way the parties function." While Conservative
MP Lynn Yelich suggested that the job has to be number one
when you are a member of parliament, others pressed for a
global quota strategy at all levels, a quota for every position
in the party structure. Some wanted quotas to include not
only gender but disability, sex diversity, First Nations and
other disadvantaged groups, and female quotas at the Cabinet
level.
Equal Voice recommends a massive effort
at "education" at the Federal, Provincial and Municipal
levels as well as outreach into schools from the elementary
to secondary level. Michele Landsberg recommended a course
in "Women's Studies" be mandated in every high school
in Canada.
Feminist Entertainment
A feminist gathering is not complete without
a hootenanny.
A 1960's style sing song was popular, complete
with feminist irreverence as Linda Palmer Nye quoted anarcho-communist
Emma Goldman "If I can't dance I don't want to be a part
of your revolution." She sang the following to the tune
of Faith of our Fathers:
Faith in first ministers, living still
Trading our rights against our will
O would we could but abort them all
Guilty they'd be of such chauvinist gall
Faith of our rights and equality
First ministers, a blight on thee. Oh men.
Hoots of laughter and cheers emanated from
former and sitting parliamentarians in the audience. There
was derision of "our Harper Valley Parliament Hill"
(peals of laughter), loud applause for NDP luminaries, and
annoyance with cutting the deficit which was labeled "economic
fundamentalism"- another new form of patriarchy
And the Conservative party supported this
conference?
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