| NB Women's News - October 3, 2006 |
| Tuesday, 03 October 2006 00:00 |
|
NB Women's News - Oct. 3, 2006 (Défilez vers le bas pour la version française) STEPHEN HARPER - JANUARY 18, 2006: "Yes, I'm ready to support women's human rights and I agree that Canada has more to do to meet its international obligations to women's equality. If elected, I will take concrete and immediate measures, as recommended by the United Nations, to ensure that Canada fully upholds its commitments to women in Canada ." - Letter to the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action during federal election. WOMEN'S GROUPS' DECLARATION - OCTOBER 2, 2006 The cutting of $5 million from Status of Women Canada's meagre budget of $13 million (on Sept. 25) gives women's groups cause for deep concern about the Canadian government's commitments to equality. ... We worry that the dismantling of Status of Women Canada has begun - a dismantling of the very mechanism dedicated to the advancement of women's equality in Canada . Our concern has grown over recent months as the federal government made several decisions that risk a widening of inequalities faced by women. It abolished the brand new national child care program, announced it would not support the adoption of proactive pay equality legislation, and it abolished the Court Challenges Program. We demand that federal, provincial, and territorial Ministers of Status of Women, meeting in Saint John today: - intervene immediately at the federal level to insist the federal government reverse its decision to cut funding from Status of Women Canada ; - encourage the federal government to immediately implement the Expert Panel recommendations on improving the Women's Program and support for women's groups in Quebec and the rest of Canada; - ensure all levels of government respect their commitments to the Charter and to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. - sign an action plan affirming their commitment to pursue the aforementioned. - Excerpt of text read at a media conference Mon. 2 Oct. 06 in Saint John by presidents of National Association of Women and the Law, Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada, Fédération des femmes du Québec, Fédération des femmes acadiennes et francophones du N.-B. and representatives of l'Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne, the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action, Urban Core Support Network of Saint John, N.B. Coalition of Transition Houses, N.B. Coalition for Pay Equity and Femmes Équité Atlantique. ******* NB Women's News******* EVENTS, NOTICES Materials for Women's History Month (October) - 2006 theme: "Aboriginal Women: The Journey Forward". Order/ download poster, brochure: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; fax 613-957-3359 ; www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/dates/whm/index_e.html This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Also, under 'history" www.acswcccf.nb.ca/english/acsw3.asp#publications The Smartest Guys in the Room - Title of speech by Fortune magazine editor Bethany McLean - "her name became synonymous with the unravelling of Enron" -Delta Fredericton, 12 Oct 06. $50, UNB, Mazucca, Westminster Books. October 24 is Take Back Your Time Day - a major US/Canada initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork and time famine that threatens our health, families and communities. Cornell Univ. Center for Religion, Ethics & Social Policy, www.timeday.org/. Tools for Life - Nurturing Ourselves, 27-28 Oct 06, Fredericton Inn. Keynote: Margaret Trudeau and Soulange Tuyishime. UNB Nursing & College of Extended Learning. www.unbf.ca/nursing/nurturing ******* NB Women's News******* N.B. WOMEN DESERVE ACCESS TO ABORTION CARE The election is over and NB has a new governing party. ... All 3 parties were completely silent on the issue of reproductive choice for women. ... No candidate mentioned that the Medical Services Payment Act creates barriers for women to access reproductive health care and that the Act is in direct violation of the 1988 Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion. N.B.'s approach ... is not in keeping with standard medical practice and the rest of Canada. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, the National Abortion Federation and other health care organizations agree that abortions do not need to be provided by obstetrician gynecologists in hospital settings, and that the requirement of 2 doctors' approval is not medically necessary. Across Canada, provinces allow family doctors to provide funded abortion services. ... Nowhere else in Canada is there a requirement that two doctors must approve. ...In no other aspect of health care delivery in N.B. do politicians dictate the terms of the doctor-patient relationship. It is only with abortion that a provincial policy, in violation of the Canada Health Act, imposes medically unjustified restrictions on a health care procedure. - N.B. women deserve access to abortion care, Vicki Saporta, Times & Transcript, 27 Sept 06. Vicki Saporta, president and CEO of the National Abortion Federation, of Canada and the United States, spoke at the Sept 28 pro-choice evening in Fredericton, attended by over 80 people. ******* NB Women's News******* THE SCRAMBLE FOR WEALTH - AN EXERCISE Part 1 - Gather 15-25 young women. Tell 3 not to participate. Others stand in a circle. 100 coins representing world wealth are scattered in the middle. Give mittens to some to wear. Give 5 coins to 3 participants, and scoops or magnetic strips to a few others. Allow participants to gather as many coins as possible without touching each other. Record the wealth of each: 'Great Wealth and Power', 6+ coins; 'Some', 3-5; 'Little' for 2-. Participants can redistribute wealth if they wish Part 2 - Divide participants into groups according to wealth. The 3 participants on the sideline are randomly assigned. Groups devise a plan for fair distribution of wealth and present it showing why it's fair. Vote on which plan to enact (since wealth and decision-making power often go together, those with 6+ coins get 5 votes, those with 3-5 coins get 2 votes and those with 2 coins have half a vote.) Part 3 - Discuss the way in which coins were acquired and distributed. What determined whether people gave away coins? What about the 3 participants assigned to groups? Did the recommended plan for fair distribution reflect whether the group had more or fewer coins? Who are the "haves" and "have nots" in the world? What might "have-nots" do to improve their situation? What are actions that "have-nots" have taken around the globe and at home to address inequalities? Part 4 - Learn about global trade and the effects on women. Support fair trade products. Learn about lobbying. - Excerpts from Empowering Young Women to Lead Change, World YWCA manual by young women on leadership, economic justice, HIV/AIDS, human rights, peace, self esteem, reproductive health and violence. www.unfpa.org/upload/lib_pub_file/628_filename_empowering-young-women_eng.pdf ******* NB Women's News******* OCTOBER 2, 1958 Muriel Corkey Ryan, of Saint John, becomes the first woman to be named to Queen's Council in New Brunswick. ******* NB Women's News******* WOMEN THINK TOO HIGHLY OF NEEDED QUALIFICATIONS Women and men who are similarly situated professionally, educationally and politically are far different when the issue is expressing political ambition or assessing whether they could be a viable candidate. Because women are less likely than men to conclude that they are qualified to run for office, they are less likely to consider running. The gender gap in self-perceived qualifications serves as the most potent explanation we uncovered. ... Some women's self-doubts can be linked to their perceptions of a sexist political environment dominated by a masculinized culture. Other women's self-assessed qualifications are the product of an extremely stringent definition of 'qualified". ... In order to consider themselves qualified to run for office, women must overcome a series of complex perceptual differences and doubts that result form longstanding patterns of traditional gender socialization. - Excerpt, It Takes a Candidate - Why Women Don't Run, Jennifer Lawless and Richard Fox, 2006. ******* NB Women's News******* SPYWARE THAT STALKS "Technology is showing up in almost every domestic violence case," according to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, Washington, D.C. Some perpetrators are using specialized spyware ("keylogger") that records keystrokes and secretly sends every e-mail and website visited to whoever installed the spyware. Ads for this software, called "Spouse Software", are geared openly toward helping men spy on wives ("Remember: you have the right to know!" "Maybe you want to monitor your spouse or children and prevent their chatting with unwanted people or prevent their visiting illegal, possibly harmful, websites?") Recently, a case resulted in indictments of users and the creator of LoverSpy software, which installed itself on a computer via electronic greeting cards. If you suspect you're being spied upon, don't drop hints of your suspicions. Stop using your computer online. Go to a library or friend's. Contact an advocate or law-enforcement person. Perpetrators are dangerous when they think they've been discovered. Don't remove the spyware; you might destroy evidence. Now there's anti-spyware to protect computers against monitoring software. It finds and removes keyloggers etc. Advertised for when "You are suspecting your spouse is spying on your online activity. ..." - Internet and excerpts from Consumer Reports www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/online-protection-9-06/electronic-stalking/0609_online-prot_stalk.htm?resultPageIndex=1&resultIndex=1&searchTerm="Spyware%20that%20stalks ******* NB Women's News******* PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER ON CASUALTIES "This is the first time in some time that Canada's moved to the front lines of a peace-and-security operation, and I think it's really sinking into us all how difficult that is and what that really means. It's certainly engaged our military. It's making them a better military, notwithstanding, or maybe in some way because of, the casualties." A PM spokesperson said she thought the remarks were clear: The military gets stronger when casualties occur because it means more money is put into equipment and recruiting. - Prime Minister questioned over comments, Gloria Galloway, Globe & Mail, 20 Sept 06. ******* NB Women's News******* OCTOBER 6, 1784 The first murder reported in New Brunswick: John Mosley was killed with a pitchfork during a domestic dispute. His wife Nancy is found guilty and sentenced to branding in open court with the letter "M" on her thumbs. ******* NB Women's News******* AS THEY SAY The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life. - Boxer Muhammad Ali Forward this e-newsletter to a friend, inviting them to subscribe by emailing "SUBSCRIBE" to
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
. |