Political parties in Canada have youth groups and internship programs to mentor young Canadians who want to pursue a political career. High schools educate for political awareness and involvement. Political Science courses and Women's Studies abound. All this is not good enough for feminist activists in Canada. Instead, they have managed to obtain a $1.2 million grant for 38 months, from Status of Women Canada, to develop their own special mentoring programs called “Experiences” for thousands of young girls. This program is to be operated by the feminist organization, “Equal Voice,” which already receives about $70,000 annual funding from Status of Women. This special project grant increases its annual funding from Status of Women six-fold.
The Board of Directors for “Equal Voice” includes the former Prime Minister (for a brief few months) Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, the Hon. Judy Erola (former Liberal Minister for the Status of Women), the Hon. Audrey McLaughlin, (former federal NDP leader) and Pat Carney, a feminist Progressive Conservative Senator, now retired. The “Experiences” project is supposedly non-partisan, but there is no doubt that it will be a virtual feminist party with existing feminist supporters within the political parties. “Equal Voice” claims (with taxpayer funding) that it is “poised to become the most active voice for Canadian women.” But as no one group can ever represent the views of all men, no one group or ideology, such as feminism, can ever speak for millions of educated, informed Canadian women. Such pompous self-congratulation, however, is not surprising for a feminist organization.
“Equal Voice” hosted a cocktail reception in Ottawa in February to launch the “Experiences” project, attended by several Conservative MPs, Helena Guergis (Simcoe-Grey) the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, Rona Ambrose (Edmonton Spruce Grove) Minister of Interprovincial Affairs, and newly-elected Conservative MP Lisa Raitt, (Halton – Ontario) Minister of Natural Resources. Conservative MP Sylvie Boucher (Beauport – Limoilou) calls the “Experiences” project an “exciting new partnership” (Hansard February 5, 2009, p. 442). For whom?
Ms. Boucher continued: “Our commitment to women's equality and their participation in our dynamic democracy is clear: we were the first government to appoint a female minister of state for the Status of Women, we have the highest percentage of female cabinet ministers in Canadian history, and we are working with women's groups.”(Hansard, February 5, 2009, p. 442). What women’s groups? Certainly not REAL Women.
Governor General Michaëlle Jean strongly supports this feminist project. At the request of “Equal Voice,” she held a youth dialogue on March 3 at Rideau Hall as part of International Women's Day events. Governor General Michaëlle Jean recently addressed a gathering, while she was visiting Liberia, to promote equal rights for women, stating:
I'm telling you: Give women the means to react and you will see less violence, you will see the end of sickness and illiteracy because women never forget that life is the most precious thing. Exclude women and you will fail.
Such simplistic naïve remarks only indicate Ms. Jean’s limited knowledge and understanding.
It is significant that at this year's meeting of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) International Women's Day event in Ottawa, on March 6, research field workers did make the comment that women can be just as corrupt as men in abusing government funding, that there was no moral superiority based on gender. Shocking information to give to the feminists!
Big Sister Gets More Federal Money
One would think that elected conservatives would be able to resist the feminist ideology, which is a very leftist, Marxist, anti-family movement (see “Feminism in Canada” on our web site.) With the emotional appeal of portraying women as perpetual victims, the sisterhood seems able to convert even Conservative MP's who were elected to combat the nanny state as embodied by Liberal and Socialist NDP enthusiasts. For example, on the occasion of International Women's Day, March 8, 2009, the Minister for Status of Women Helena Guergis (CPC) confirmed that “Our Government increased funding to Status of Women programs by 42%, bringing it to its highest ever level....”. In response to a question from radical feminist MP Irene Matthyssen (London-Fanshaw, NDP) Guergis stated “I think the member will be pleased to know that the number of organizations now receiving funding through Status of Women has increased 69% (Hansard, February 2, 2009, page 223). In her address to the 53rd Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, Minister Guergis stated, “I would like to commend the Secretary-General for his report and appreciate that he has recognized the multiple dimensions of the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, both in the home and outside of it.” What's the United Nations doing in the home?
Legislated or Voluntary Quotas are “Needed”, Feminists Claim
”Equal Voice” and proportional representation support groups are forever counting heads and using the tired feminist tactic of bemoaning that women are once again suffering from discrimination because Canadian elections have not resulted in 50% women in the House of Commons. They claim that women are not represented by male parliamentarians. Gullible women jump to the bait and demand affirmative action and quotas, to counter the democratic process which they believe is not functioning for Canadian women. But Canadian voters, men and women, do not base their vote on the candidate's anatomy but rather on his or her political platform. Feminists, on the other hand, regard a candidate's gender as crucial in their gender wars and the establishment of the femocracy.
”Equal Voice” Backed by International Feminists
”Equal Voice” has international support through IDEA (International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance) www.idea.int" www.idea.int, which tracks female quotas in parliaments around the globe, offers gender resources and updates “advancement” under “Getting the Numbers Right.” Originating in Sweden, IDEA praises legislated and voluntary quotas as necessary to get women in office at all levels of government and especially praises women’s quota successes, which are: Rwanda 56% women in Parliament, Angola 37%. Mozambique 36%, and Tanzania 40%. The 1995 United Nations Beijing Conference on the Status of Women set the target at 30%.
Canada is seen as backward, with 22% female MP's. IDEA lists the Liberal Party and the NDP as enforcing gender quotas, but not the Conservative Party. Red Tory Senator Hugh Segal is on IDEA's Board of Advisors, as was uber feminist Maureen O'Neill, former coordinator of the Status of Women under the Liberals and former head of IDRC (see March/April 2009 REALity, “More Feminist Nonsense Paid by the Taxpayers – IDRC”).
Thus, to meet leftist global demands, our taxes are diverted to the advancement of feminism via Status of Women, “Equal Voice” and “Experiences”, even when we elect a Conservative government. When REAL Women made inquiries to the Prime Minister's Office about this, we were told that the “Experiences” project is a “great idea”, it's a “good project” to help young women get involved in politics: the Prime Minister’s Office seems totally oblivious to the global thrust behind such projects to use feminism to advance leftist control of free democracies.
The Feminist Sisterhood
The ever-watchful sisterhood keeps close tabs on gender ratios. Parliamentary Cabinets are chosen with a keen eye to skin color and gender. Criticism of feminists is neutralized via a sympathetic feminized media. The sisterhood claims Canada is not living up to its United Nations commitments on equality for women. Canadians elected 143 Conservative MP's, 16.1% of whom are women. Yet enough women have managed to get catapulted into Cabinet to make up 28.9% of the present Cabinet, leaving behind many more experienced male MP's. The sisterhood's voracious appetite for power has seemingly been placated, for now. This is not what Canadians want, however. They expect positions of responsibility to be held by the most experienced and meritorious, whether male or female, not by those who satisfy the demands of extreme left, unelected, feminist activists dissatisfied that Canadians don't vote to suit the feminist agenda.
Even though Canadian female party organizers admit that they have difficulty getting women to run for office because of the devastation this causes to their families and their marital life, the sisterhood insists on determining the gender makeup of parliament, with generous dollops of tax dollars to assist them in this enterprise. Certainly there is no public demand for this sort of gender obsession.
Please write to the Prime Minister, The Right Hon. Stephen Harper, The Hon. Helen Guergis, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women and your own MP. Tell them to stop this funding and promotion of the feminist agenda that gives women preferential treatment in the election process or appointments to the Cabinet. This is not why a Conservative government was elected!
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
The Hon. Helena Guergis
Minister of State, Status of Women
733 Confederation Building
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
Fax: 613-992-2164
Your MP
House of Commons
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 |
