Major Federal Government Cuts Impacting Women in Canada Since 2006

** Have an item to add? Please email cfuwadvocacy@rogers.com

Items in bold are the result of 2012 Budget cuts.

Major Cuts and Changes to Federal Government Ministries and Departments Impacting Women in Canada since 2006

• Funding for Status of Women Canada was cut significantly in 2006, resulting in the closure of 12 of 16 offices across the country. The mandate of SWC was also changed at that time to exclude “gender equality and political justice” and to ban all advocacy, policy research and lobbying. The Women’s Program of SWC used to fund women’s groups to undertake research and advocacy as a means of promoting women’s active participation in policy development and systemic change, however now the program is primarily focused on training oriented projects, and does not fund any advocacy or research. The cuts and change in focus of SWC have meant that many women’s organizations that once received funding through the Women’s Program either had their funding cut or eliminated completely (see the list of organizations below).
• Cancelled the introduction of a National Child Care Program in 2006 in favour of the National Child Care Benefit
• Ended the Court Challenges Program in 2006, which provided an essential source of financial assistance for important court cases that advance equality rights guaranteed under Canada’s Constitution.
• Statistic Canada has been forced to end the Mandatory Long Form Census, which provided a vital source of data about unpaid work, among other data that was used for social policy development
• Elimination of the Long Gun Registry in 2012 through Bill C-19
• Assisted Human Reproduction Canada (Eliminated with 2012 Budget)
• Federal Contractors Program (2012 Budget will eliminate the Minister’s responsibility to ensure that Employment Equity programs for federal contractors are comparable to those enacted in the federal public service. The outcome is still unclear, but it may also mean that Compliance Reviews for federal contractors will be eliminated)
• The National Council on Welfare (NWC) has had its funding eliminated in the 2012 Budget.
• Public service job cuts announced in 2012 budget will disproportionately affect women
• Statistics Canada has just announced in 2012 that it will discontinue the University and College Academic Staff System (UCASS) from which useful data is gleaned to negotiate salaries and track the progress towards gender equality among faculty and staff in Canadian Universities and Colleges.
• Women’s Health Contribution Program (WHCP), which provided funding to 6 research programs  (Health Canada has eliminated the program following the 2012 Budget cuts).

 

List of Women’s Organizations and Programs whose funding has been cut or ended by the Government of Canada since 2006

• Aboriginal Healing Foundation (cuts affected several healing centres that focused on providing support to abused women, such as the Native Women’s Shelter of Montreal)
• Action travail des femmes
• Alberta Network of Immigrant Women
• Association féminine d’éducation et d’action sociale (AFEAS)
• Atlantic Centre of  Excellence for Women’s Health (ACEWH) (WHCP cut with budget 2012)
• British Columbia Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health (BCCEWH) (WHCP cut with 2012 Budget)
• Canadian Child Care Federation
• Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW)
• Canadian Women’s Health Network (Funding cut as a result of 2012 Budget and end of Women’s Health Contribution Program)
• Centre de documentation sur l’éducation des adultes et la condition féminine
• Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada
• ChildCare Resource and Research Unit
• SpeciaLink the National Centre for Child Care Inclusion
• Conseil d’intervention pour l’accès des femmes au travail (CIAFT)
• Elspeth Heyworth Centre for Women Toronto  (funding cut by CIC in December 2010)
• Feminists for Just and Equitable Public Policy (FemJEPP) in Nova Scotia
• First Nations Child and Family Caring Society
• International Planned Parenthood Federation  •   Kelowna Women’s Resource Centre (KWRC)
• Marie Stopes International,  a maternal health agency, has received only a promise of “conditional” funding IF it avoids any & all connection with abortion
• MATCH International
• National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL)
• National Network on Environments and Women’s Health (2012 Budget cuts)
• Native Women’s Association of Canada (Health funding cut as a result of 2012 Budget)
• New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity (lost funding for advocacy and research)
• Older Women’s Network
• Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH)
• Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
• Pauktuutit, Intuit Women of Canada (Health funding cut as a result of 2012 Budget)
• Prairie Women’s Health Centre of Excellence (WHCP cut with 2012 budget)
• Réseau action femmes
• Réseau des Tables régionales de groupes de femmes du Québec
• Le Réseau québécois d’action pour la santé des femmes (RQASF) (WHCP cut with 2012 budget)
• Riverdale Immigrant Women’s Centre, Toronto
• Sisters in Spirit
• South Asian Women’s Centre
• Tri-Country Women’s Centre Society
• Womanspace Resource Centre (Lethbridge, Alberta)
• Women and Health Protection
• Women for Community Economic Development in Southwest Nova Scotia (WCEDSN)
• Women’s Innovative Justice Initiative – Nova Scotia
• Workplace Equity/Employment Equity Program

Committee Against Torture (CAT) hears from Canada and CFUW

Officials from the Government of Canada gave a scheduled report to the “Committee Against Torture” (CAT) in Geneva the week of May 18 – 20, 2012. The report outlined the measures that the Canadian Government has taken to implement provisions of the Convention Against Torture, but also asked that the Committee refrain from considering acts of domestic violence under the Convention.

In response, CLAUDIO GROSSMAN, Committee Chairperson, said that the Committee could not discount acts of domestic violence because discriminatory treatment for women or men that could constitute torture is clearly listed in Article 16 of the Convention.

Grossman went on to state that while there are other UN committees dealing with issues of domestic violence under the Conventions on the Rights of the Child, the Prevention of Discrimination Against Women, Racial Discrimination and so on, for the CAT to ignore acts of violence that could constitute torture occurring in the private and domestic spheres would mean that the CAT would end up only considering acts of torture committed against white males.

CFUW’s position paper on Non-State Torture (NST) and on the Convention Against Torture[1] also came before the Committee Against Torture this week. CFUW, represented by Jeanne Sarson and Linda MacDonald, appeared as “expert witnesses.”  They raised the issues of assault towards children and violence against women as forms of torture committed in the private sphere by non-State actors. They stated that this form of torture is not always taken as seriously as it should be.

They stated that NST could include severe violence against women and children such as female genital mutilation, burning, cutting, imprisonment by families, whipping and severe sexual and psychological violence performed in the private or domestic spheres. These crimes share aspects of the definition of torture, as well as the discriminatory effect of torture.   Investigation, protection, prevention and redress are very important. There is a need to raise awareness of torture by non-State actors, as torture does not just happen to one gender – it happens to women and children too.

One of the Committee experts said that the CFUW report will be very important as a legal reference.

A link to the report can be found on the Committee against Torture’s website at http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/cats48.htm under Canada and then the Canadian Federation of University Women.

Access the UN news piece here:
http://www.unog.ch/unog/website/news_media.nsf/(httpNewsByYear_en)/9B973CA427BFA0A8C1257A060033219D

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[1] Jeanne Sarson, Linda MacDonald, Susan Russell, Brenda Wallace

Stop the Sweeping Changes to Environmental Protections Hidden in the Federal Budget: Act Now!

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The Budget Implementation Act amends more than 70 Acts from a wide range of government portfolios.  In the 425-page document, some 150 pages are dedicated to changes related to the environment.  The bill “streamlines” and limits oversight and participation in the Environmental Review of new projects.  It repeals the Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act, and weakens several other environmental laws, including laws protecting species at risk and laws protecting water.  The bill also gives the federal cabinet the authority to approve new pipeline projects and overrule the National Energy Board.

By placing so many major environmental changes into a single budget bill, the government is circumventing necessary Parliamentary oversight.  Because they are contained in a  Budget Bill, they will be discussed solely by the Finance Committee – so that changes to Environmental laws will be decided by those who do not have the necessary expertise when it comes to studying complex environmental regulations.

The government has also limited debate on this 425 page bill to seven days.  The vote will be taken on Monday May 14th, so you must act now!

If you are concerned about these changes and the process, you should immediately contact your local Member of Parliament, the Rt. Honourable Stephen Harper at stephen.harper@parl.gc.ca or 613-992-4211, and the Hon Jim Flaherty at jim.flaherty@parl.gc.ca or 613-993-6344 to demand that the Government of Canada remove the proposed changes to various environmental laws found in the Budget Implementation Act, so that they can be presented separately and be properly examined and debated by Parliament.

You can find the email addresses and phone numbers of your MP through Parliaments website by entering your postal code: http://www.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC

There is also a “Lead Now” website set up to allow people to quickly email your Member of Parliament, and Party leaders.  If you choose to use this method, please remember to reword your response in your own words:   http://www.leadnow.ca/stop-the-sell-out

WHAT’S INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION ACT?

In a press release issued today by Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party, she outlines some of the changes to environmental protections including in the Budget:

• Canadian Environmental Assessment Act – “Environmental effects” under the new CEAA will be limited to effects on fish, aquatic species under the Species at Risk Act, migratory birds.  A broader view of impacts is limited to:  federal lands, Aboriginal peoples, and changes to the environment “directly linked or necessarily incidental” to federal approval.

• Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency – The Agency will have 45 days after receiving an application to decide if an assessment is required.  Environmental Assessments are no longer required for projects involving federal money.  The Minister is given wide discretion to decide.  New “substitution” rules allow Ottawa to download EAs to the provinces; “comprehensive” studies are eliminated.  Cabinet will be able to over-rule decisions.  A retroactive section sets the clock at July 2010 for existing projects.

• Canadian Environmental Protection Act – The present one-year limit to permits for disposing waste at sea can now be renewed four times.   The 3 and 5 year time limits protecting Species at Risk from industrial harm will now be open-ended.

• Kyoto Protocol Implementation Act – This legislation, which required government accountability and results reporting on climate change policies, is being repealed.

• Fisheries Act – Fish habitat provisions will be changed to protect only fish of “commercial, Aboriginal, and recreational” value and even those habitat protections are weakened.  The new provisions create an incentive to drain a lake and kill all the fish, if not in a fishery, in order to fill a dry hole with mining tailings.

•  Navigable Waters Protection Act – Pipelines and power lines will be exempt from the provisions of this Act.  Also, the National Energy Board absorbs the Navigable Waters Protection Act (NWPA) whenever a pipeline crosses navigable waters.  The NWPA is amended to say a pipeline is not a “work” within that Act.

• National Energy Board Act – NEB reviews will be limited to two years – and then its decisions can be reversed by the Cabinet, including the present Northern Gateway Pipeline review.

• Species at Risk Act – This is being amended to exempt the National Energy Board from having to impose conditions to protect critical habitat on projects it approves.  Also, companies won’t have to renew permits on projects threatening critical habitat.

• Parks Canada Agency Act – Reporting requirements are being reduced, including the annual report.  638 of the nearly 3000 Parks Canada workers will be cut.  Environmental monitoring and ecological restoration in the Gulf Islands National Park are being cut.

• Canadian Oil and Gas Operations Act – This will be changed to exempt pipelines from the Navigational Waters Act.

• Coasting Trade Act – This will be changed to promote seismic testing allowing increased off-shore drilling.

• Nuclear Safety Control Act – Environmental Assessments will be moved to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, which is a licensing body not an assessing body – so there is a built-in conflict.

• Canada Seeds Act – This is being revamped so the job of inspecting seed crops is transferred from Canadian Food Inspection Agency inspectors to “authorized service providers” the private sector.

• Agriculture Affected – Under the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Act, publicly owned grasslands have acted as community pastures under federal management, leasing grazing rights to farmers so they could devote their good land to crops, not livestock.  This will end.  Also, the Centre for Plant Health in Sidney, BC, an important site for quarantine and virus-testing on plant stock strategically located across the Salish Sea to protect BC’s primary agricultural regions, will be moved to the heart of BC’s fruit and wine industries.

• National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy – The NRTEE brought industry leaders, environmentalists, First Nations, labour, and policy makers together to provide non-partisan research and advice on federal policies.  Its demise will leave a policy vacuum in relation to Canada`s economic development.

• More Attacks on Environmental Groups – The charities sections now preclude gifts which may result in political activity.  The $8 million new money to harass charities is unjustified.

• Water Programs – Environment Canada is cutting several water-related programs and others will be cut severely, including some aimed at promoting or monitoring water-use efficiency.

• Wastewater Survey – The Municipal Water and Wastewater Survey, the only national study of water consumption habits, is being cut after being in place since 1983.

• Monitoring Effluent – Environment Canada’s Environmental Effects Monitoring Program, a systematic method for measuring the quality of effluent discharge, including from mines and pulp mills, will be cut by 20 percent.

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Launch of International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict

We are excited to share news with you about the launch of the International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict with a Week of Action May 6-13. We at CFUW are thrilled to be a member of the first ever collaboration between Nobel Peace Laureates, international advocacy organizations, and groups working at the regional and community levels in conflict areas to stop rape.

As you may already know, challenges to collecting data on rape in conflict persist, but the numbers are alarming. From Congo and Kenya to Burma and Colombia, everyday rape is used as a weapon to humiliate people and tear apart communities.

The International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict unites us—organizations and individuals—into a powerful and coordinated effort for change. We will demand urgent and bold political leadership to prevent rape in conflict, to protect civilians and rape survivors, and call for justice for all—including effective prosecution of those responsible.

Take the personal pledge today to support the Campaign at www.stoprapeinconflict.org or http://nobelwomensinitiative.org/international-campaign-to-stop-rape-and-gender-violence-in-conflict/join-or-endorse-the-international-campaign-to-stop-rape-gender-violence-in-conflict/

Please help us spread the word : Make sure to connect with the Campaign online during the Week of Action May 6-13.

Visit the website: www.stoprapeinconflict.org

Find the Campaign on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/stoprapecmpgn. Always use the hashtag #IPLEDGE to show your support for the Campaign and share the action you will undertake for the Campaign.

Find the Campaign on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StopRapeInConflict

Thank you for your support !

Together & united,

Canadian Federation of University Women

This Mother’s Day Support Child and Maternal Health: Raise Funds for CARE

For the past few months, local CFUW clubs have been raising funds for CARE Canada’s child and maternal health projects in developing countries as part of our annual “International Women’s Day fundraising project”.

So far approximately $3000 have been raised, which is about one third of the way to our $10,000 goal.  For each dollar donated, the Government of Canada (through the Muskoka Initiative) will match it with three additional dollars. That means that if we are collectively able to raise $10,000 it will become $40,000 for CARE’s maternal health programs!

With only a month left before the end of our fundraising efforts, we’re asking club presidents to challenge each CFUW member to donate $2 for Mother’s Day to support child and maternal health in developing countries.

Let’s be a part of reaching Millennium Development Goal No.5 by helping improve maternal health through CARE’s projects.

Please address club cheques to CFUW National indicating that the funds are for the International Women’s Day Project 2012 in the memo. Send to our National Office by May 25, 2012:

The Canadian Federation of University Women

331 Cooper Street, Suite 502

K2P 0G5

Tax receipts will not be issued by CFUW or CARE Canada.

CFUW Demonstrates Solidarity with Radical Handmaids in Effort to Protect Reproductive Rights

Tomorrow (April 26th) the House of Commons is set to debate Motion 312, which seeks to set up a special parliamentary committee to determine if human rights should be extended to fetuses. While on the surface this may sound relatively harmless, it is in fact a backhanded attempt at reopening the debate on abortion, and could result in criminalizing some activities of women during pregnancy.

A group called the Radical Handmaids organized a rally on Parliament Hill to oppose the motion. Pictured above is Niki Ashton, newly appointed Status of Women Critic for the NDP, alongside the Radical Handmaids. Ashton gave an impassioned speech stating her intention to stand up for women’s right to choose. Also pictured, is a Radical Handmaid holding a sign with the image of a coat hanger along with the message “NEVER AGAIN”. Prior to the decriminalization of abortion in Canada, women used to resort to using coat hangers to deal with unwanted pregnancies. This serves as a warning to politicians about some of the risks associated with turning back the clock on women’s rights.

CFUW attend the rally to demonstrate our solidarity in opposition to this motion. Our President, Brenda Wallace, has also sent letters to the Party Leaders asking them and their caucuses to oppose it. For example, here is the letter that was sent to Prime Minister Stephen Harper on April 5th:

The Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
House of Commons
K1A 0A6

Dear Mr. Harper,

Re: Oppose Motion 312

I am writing you today on behalf of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) to ask that the Government of Canada oppose MP Stephen Woodworth’s motion M-312, which is scheduled for debate on April 26, 2012.

The motion calls for a special parliamentary committee to examine whether the Criminal Code’s definition of when a child becomes a human being should be changed to extend legal personhood to fetuses. If this were to happen, it would ironically remove women’s rights as full human beings, and possibly even criminalize their decision-making during pregnancy.

This motion appears to be an attempt on the part of Mr. Woodworth to reopen the debate on criminalizing abortion. There is no other reason that Mr. Woodworth would want to discuss the extension of human rights to fetuses, independent of women, other than to seek assurances over their “right to life, liberty and security of the person” under section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The law has always treated a pregnant woman and her fetus as one person. The courts have stated that the intimate connection between a woman and her fetus cannot be considered in isolation, and that giving rights to fetuses would impose a duty of care on a pregnant woman that would result in extensive and unacceptable intrusions into her bodily integrity, privacy, and autonomy.

Not only would fetal personhood seriously undermine the constitutional rights of women who need abortions, but also the rights of any pregnant woman. This is because it would invite the prosecution of pregnant women for any perceived harm to fetuses by creating confusion around how child welfare laws and policies apply to fetuses as legal persons. In the United States, hundreds of women have been prosecuted because of so-called fetal homicide laws and thousands more have been subjected to punitive and counterproductive child welfare interventions that treat what women do or experience during pregnancy as evidence of child neglect or abuse.

The issues raised in this motion have already been addressed by Canada’s Supreme Court (including in Tremblay v. Daigle, Dobson v. Dobson, Winnipeg Child & Family Services v. Ms.G.D.F., Borowski v. Attorney General of Canada, and R. v. Morgentaler). Please do not let Canada start down the same road as the United States. CFUW urges the Government of Canada to oppose this dangerous motion.

CFUW is a non-partisan, voluntary, self-funded organization of close to 10,000 women university graduates, students and Associate Members in 112 Clubs across Canada that works to improve the status of women and human rights, education, social justice, and peace. CFUW holds special consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC) and belongs to the Education committee of the Canadian Sub-Commission to UNESCO. CFUW is the largest of the 61 affiliates of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW).

Sincerely,

 

Brenda Wallace
National President, Canadian Federation of University Women

Cc.
The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister responsible for the Status of Women
The Honourable Robert Nicholson, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Mr. Stephen Woodworth

You can visit the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada’s website for petitions and template letters you can send to your own Member of Parliament: http://www.arcc-cdac.ca/m312.html

CFUW Launches Campaign to Ban the Mining, Use and Export of Asbestos

At the Canadian Federation University Women’s 2010 AGM we adopted a policy resolution calling on the Government of Canada to ban the mining, use and export of chrysotile asbestos. Despite several attempts on the part of CFUW National, and many leading health associations, the Government of Canada has not yet been persuaded to ban asbestos. With more information available about the dangers of chrysotile asbestos we need to expand our efforts by placing pressure on individual Members of Parliament belonging to the governing party (i.e Conservatives) and the Bloc Quebecois. Members of the NDP, Liberals and Green Party have already demonstrated that they support instituting a ban, as was evidenced on November 1, 2012,  with a 152-123 vote on a motion to ban the use and export of asbestos.

Members of Parliament respond to contact from their constituents. We encourage Presidents of CFUW Clubs across Canada to contact their MPs by  letter, email, telephone, personal visit or social media to enlist their support. Individuals can contact their MPs without speaking for CFUW, and invite their friends to do so as well. Contact information for MPs can be found at http://canada.gc.ca/home.html. Click on ‘Members of Parliament’ and enter ‘members by postal code’ as a search.

Below are a number of resources you can use to inform yourself, your club, your community and your MP about why Canada must ban asbestos now:

• Full Campaign Package in .doc and pdf formats (Includes background information and instructions on how to use  the handout, template letters for clubs and individuals, and template press release)
• Background Information in doc.  and in pdf
• Handout for MPs and Public
• Template Letter for Club Presidents
• Template Letter for Individuals
• Template Press Release

CFUW Celebrates 30th Anniversary of Charter of Rights and Freedoms

For Immediate Release:

(OTTAWA, April 17, 2012) -  Today, the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This momentous occasion is close to the hearts of many of our members, some of which were involved in the push 30 years ago to have equality rights recognized in the Constitution.

While the Charter of Rights and Freedoms became part of the Constitution on April 17th 1982, it was not until 3 years later that section 15, recognizing equality rights, came into effect.

“The impact that the Charter, and section 15 in particular, has had for women in Canada over the last three decades, cannot be understated,” said Brenda Wallace, CFUW National President. “It has given women a vehicle to challenge and overturn laws and policies that discriminate against them, such as certain provisions in marital laws and the Indian Act, the criminalization of abortion, unequal pay, among others.”

While there have been many success, there are still several cases that have been brought forward to the courts for the purposes of advancing gender equality that have been unsuccessful. And today we are seeing many more cases being brought forward.

Prior to 2006 equality seeking groups, including women, were given assistance through the Court Challenges Program to bring forward important equality rights cases. Since the Government of Canada withdrew all funding for the program, there are very few supports left. Now there are only a handful of organizations like the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), and some pro-bono lawyers who are willing to take on cases, but the costs can still be astronomical. Time and resources are limited.

“CFUW would very much like to see Government support for the Court Challenges Program reinstated”, said Wallace. “Participation in processes such as Charter challenges should be considered as much a cornerstone of our democracy as voting. These cases serve a crucial oversight function by ensuring that political powers to do not overstep their bounds.”

The Charter of Rights and Freedoms has certainly been a huge step forward for women’s equality in Canada, however it is also important to recognize that there are many other issues that go beyond the scope of formal legal equality, such as universal access to affordable child care, the feminization of poverty, and bringing an end to gender based violence, to name a few, that must be addressed in order for women to be truly equal.

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For more information contact: Robin Jackson, CFUW Executive Director, 613-234-8353 ext.102 or executivedirector@cfuw.org

CFUW is a non-partisan, voluntary, self-funded organization of close to 10,000 women university graduates, students and Associate Members in 112 Clubs across Canada that works to improve the status of women and human rights, education, social justice, and peace. CFUW holds special consultative status with the United Nations (ECOSOC) and belongs to the Education committee of the Canadian Sub-Commission to UNESCO. CFUW is the largest of the 61 affiliates of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW).

Media Release: Senate Study of Long-Gun Registry Bill Excludes Services for Abused Women – No analysis of Bill C-19’s gender impact, say women’s organizations

OTTAWA (April 2, 2012) – The potential impacts of Bill C-19 on women facing violence will not be reviewed by the Senate before it votes on the bill to dismantle the long-gun registry. Service providers supporting abused women and women’s organizations from across Canada, including the BC Society of Transition Houses, the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, Manitoba Association of Women’s Shelters, the Ontario Association of Interval & Transition Houses (OAITH), Fédération de ressources d’hébergement pour femmes violentées et en difficulté du Québec, Transition House Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI Family Violence Prevention Services, the Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale, the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia, the Ottawa Coalition To End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW), and the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) reacted with shock at the Senate’s decision to close their study of Bill C-19 – Ending the Long Gun Registry Act without hearing from professionals working with women facing violence. Despite requests to appear from a number of violence against women (VAW) service providers, the Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs did not include a single one among 30 witnesses they invited to appear.

“This blatant exclusion is extremely troubling” said Brenda Wallace, CFUW National President. “During the House of Commons study, women’s organizations were given only limited opportunities to provide input, and even then, our recommendations were completely disregarded. At a UN meeting in February, Status of Women Minister Rona Ambrose admitted that no gender based analysis of the Bill had been done. Now it seems as if the Senate is trying to silence women’s concerns all together. We need to be heard.”

The Committee heard testimony from witnesses over four days. On the final day of presentations, March 29th, three panels had originally been scheduled; however this was changed to two panels at the last minute, indicating time was available in the schedule for additional witnesses.
Shelters, transition houses and other groups working to end violence against women are deeply concerned about unexpected provisions in Bill C-19, which, will not only dismantle the long gun registry, but remove mandatory verification of a buyer’s licence when purchasing a gun, and end requirements for firearms dealers to maintain records of sale.

“Many people are unaware that these changes are in the bill, and that they could have severe ramifications for the safety of women and children” said Stefanie Lomatski, Executive Director of OCTEVAW.

Amendments to close these dangerous loopholes in Bill C-19 were rejected at Committee in spite of witnesses repeatedly stressing the added risk to public safety.

“This bill seriously weakens the ability of police to remove weapons from men who pose a threat to their families, and makes it much easier for them to purchase long guns with fake or invalid licences. This is a very dangerous change for the women we serve,” said YWCA Canada CEO Paulette Senior.

A prime example of the danger this poses is the 1998 Arlene May murder case. Arlene May was shot to death with a long gun her ex-boyfriend procured with a revoked license that was never removed from his possession. The Coroner’s Inquest identified the lack of mandatory licence validation as a major loophole in the system at the time.

“Too many women like Arlene May have already died at the end of a long gun. Taking away protection provided by licence checks means there are sure to be many more,” said Eileen Morrow, Coordinator of the OAITH.

“Advocates of Bill C-19 have contended that our position is purely based on emotion. As I stated during the SECU committee hearings on this piece of legislation this past November, such a statement is inappropriate because it challenges the word of those most intimately affected by gun violence, the victims themselves,” said Manon Monastesse, Provincial Director of the Fédération de ressources d’hébergement pour femmes violentées et en difficulté du Québec. “The Quebec Government has developed a policy on domestic violence, of which one of the guiding principles is to ensure the safety of victims of domestic violence. It also implemented three action plans, which contain specific measures for law enforcement and the family law system. Among these provisions, in the Manual of Police Practices, there is a requirement for the police to confiscate firearms. Clearly, emotion is no longer a factor, as our position has become official government policy.”

Tony Bernardo, Executive Director of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association (CSSA) and a member of the Public Safety Minister’s Firearms Advisory Committee, used his testimony to the Senate Committee to push for more reductions in safety measures by opposing the spousal notification system that is part of the process to obtain a gun licence. Spousal notification is a critical component of the licensing system to help protect vulnerable women.

“Eliminating the notification would have very obvious and serious implications for women’s safety. We are all left wondering why the CSSA is able to have such a prominent voice in this process, while women’s services providers who deal with these issues every day are excluded completely,” said Carolyn Goard of the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters.

The Senate should exercise due diligence by ensuring that the gendered impacts of the legislation are properly understood and addressed. This requires listening to the organizations that work with and represent women experiencing violence.

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For more information or interviews contact Tara Fischer, Canadian Federation of University Women, 613-234-8252 ext: 106.

CFUW shares Bachelet’s disappointment over UNCSW’s failure to adopt Agreed Conclusions

After two weeks of negotiations and stalemate, the 56^th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) has ended without adopting the Agreed Conclusions. While the theme of Rural Women was of great importance to women around the world, divergent views on gender and religious and cultural rights appear to have been a major stumbling block.

Rural areas have the greatest unmet needs in terms of education, security, mitigation of climate change, reproductive health rights and services, land ownership and rights, economic stability and inclusion in post conflict resolution. Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Women, has expressed her deep regret in UNCSW’s inability to reach agreement over these important issues. The Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) shares her disappointment. CFUW was particularly upset by the withdrawl of the HIV/AIDS resolution due to lack of consensus. This was a very important resolution because it was intended to mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS  and re-affirm commitment to the Millennium Development Goals.

The UN Economic and Social Council issued the following press release today from the 19th meeting of the 56th session of the UNCSW:

Link: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/wom1905.doc.htm

HEAD OF UN GENDER ENTITY EXPRESSES ‘DEEP REGRET’ AS COMMISSION ON STATUS

OF WOMEN CONCLUDES WITHOUT ADOPTING AGREED CONCLUSIONS

‘I Will Not Hide My Great Disappointment’, Says Chair,

As Delegations Question Each Other’s Good Faith over Collapsed Negotiations

Expressing “deep regret” that the Commission on the Status of Women had failed to adopt the agreed conclusions that traditionally mark the conclusion of its annual sessions, the head of UN-Women today urged delegations to move past that setback and press ahead with efforts to ensure that rural women — the focus of the current session – would be fully empowered to reach their potential.

“I sincerely hope that this does not mean Member States are not ready to do what still needs to be done,” said Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for General Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women).  She added that, irrespective of its disappointing conclusion, the Commission’s fifty-sixth session had “witnessed passionate and dynamic discussions” on the empowerment of rural women and strengthening their role in achieving sustainable development for all.

The session, which opened at Headquarters on 27 February, was scheduled to have concluded on 9 March, but protracted negotiations on the agreed conclusions forced the Commission to extend its work by one week.  Delegations were unable to overcome “a disappointing inability to reach consensus”, in Ms. Bachelet’s words, and the session closed today without a final document (see Press Release WOM/1904 for more information).  However, the Commission did adopt its draft final report.

While underscoring the disappointment that rural women around the world certainly felt due to the Commission’s inability to come up with solid recommendations, she said the fifty-sixth session had nonetheless been impressive.  The high level of participation in the session’s formal meetings and side events by Government representatives and civil society actors had rekindled the hope that stakeholders were ready to pay due attention — and provide the necessary resources — to advancing the situation of rural women and girls, and to broader gender equality, including on issues of sexual and reproductive health and technology.

Many good practices had been shared, and fresh and creative ideas had been presented on how national policies, legal reforms and services could change the lives of rural women and girls, she said.  Looking ahead to next year, when the Commission would focus on the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls, Ms. Bachelet said there could be no lasting or sustainable development unless such violence was eradicated.  Hopefully, all delegations would take full advantage of the months ahead to pave the way for a productive, ground-breaking and successful 2013 session.

Echoing Ms. Bachelet’s sentiments, Commission Chair Marjon V. Kamara ( Liberia ) said:  “I will not hide my great disappointment that we have found ourselves in this position.  If we really want to tell the truth about it, I’m not sure that we all came with a spirit of compromise.”  Since the negotiations among Member States had failed to generate a consensus outcome, she said she would prepare a “Chair’s Summary” reflecting the important discussions and themes that had emerged during the just-concluded session.  That summary would be posted on the Commission’s website and reflected in its final report.

She thanked all participants in the session, especially the rural women, “who had hoped we would do something concrete for them”.  The session’s priority theme had been crucial for rural women, who made up one quarter of the world, she said, adding that they were vital economic agents who, if empowered, could unleash improvements to reduce poverty and boost food security.  Rural women and girls played a vital social role, and their contributions, while often overlooked, were essential to broader socio-economic development.  As such, they must be able to participate actively and effectively in decisions that affected them, especially regarding land use and ownership.  Indeed, their voices must be heard “from the village, to the national and global levels”, she emphasized.

Ms. Kamara said that, because of the important leadership and decision-making roles that rural women played, she was “especially disappointed” that divergent views on the Commission had not been bridged.  There had been sufficient agreement on a critical mass of issues so that Governments could have taken action in some areas, she noted, adding that she counted on UN-Women to take forward the Organization’s work on behalf of rural women and girls.

Before those remarks, nearly 20 delegations took the floor to express their regret that the Commission had been forced to end its work without adopting agreed conclusions.  Jamaica ’s representative, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that regrettable failure would send a “resounding negative message” to the world’s rural women and girls, even though that message did not reflect the commitment of the majority of Commission members.

Iran’s representative said the “tender bridge” that was being built to draw delegations closer had collapsed at around 1 a.m. today, not because of the Commission’s Bureau, and not because of diverging opinion, but because of the “hardball” played “by one side of the room” over issues that were not even germane to the final text.  Indeed, a few members had participated in the negotiations with the notion that they would get “all they wanted and nothing less”, he said.  That had been very disappointing since negotiations were, by definition, “a two-way street”.

Also lamenting the collapse of the negotiations, Zimbabwe ’s representative said on behalf of the African Group that her delegation had even agreed to the deletion of some key paragraphs — including on technology transfer — for the sake of consensus.  Yet, regardless of good-faith discussions, one delegation’s opposition had caused the process to falter, she said.  Emphasizing that the United Nations Charter affirmed the sovereignty of States and their right to maintain their own systems of governance, she said it was the African Group’s understanding that the term “gender” referred to “male” and female”, as outlined in the Beijing Declaration.  The African Group also reaffirmed that sex education should be age-appropriate and provided under the guidance of adults or other appropriate authorities.

Norway’s representative explained that the term “moral hazard” was used to describe a situation whereby one party took a risky decision in the knowledge that it could hurt another party if, for some reason, things went wrong.  That term was appropriate to describe the Committee’s work during the final hours of the session, she said.  While Norway respected the traditions of all States, it could not accept the use of religious, cultural and moral concerns to block negotiations on documents that would protect women’s rights and, in some cases, save thousands of lives every year.  “With all we know in 2012, with all the information we have at our disposal, [it is clear] that certain perspectives and practices are harmful to women,” he stressed.  “This means that we have to make compromises.”

Also speaking were representatives of Denmark (on behalf of the European Union), Peru , United States , Pakistan , Cuba , Nicaragua , Iceland , Switzerland , Mexico , Russian Federation , Canada , Turkey , Japan and Australia .

The Commission on the Status of Women will reconvene at a date and time to be announced.