This International Wwomen’s Dday, Equal Voice will convene a powerhouse luncheon in downtown Toronto to celebrate two political game-changers:, Ontario’s PC MPP Lisa MacLeod and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Equal Voice, Canada’s only national multi-partisan organization dedicated to the election of more women, will host a lunchen in honour of Ms. MacLeod and Prime Minister Trudeau on Thursday, March 8, at the Arcadian Court, 401 Bay Street, in Toronto. Both honourees will be in attendance.
Both are recipients of its 2018 National Awards: Lisa Macleod will receive Equal Voice’s 2018 National EVE Award, conferred annually, while the Prime Minister will receive its Catalyst for Change Award. This Award, conferred less frequently, is reserved
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for male leaders who have made significant strides in elevating the role of women in public office. “The respective leadership by Ms.
Macleod and Prime Minister Trudeau within and across parties at two levels of government have created profound cultural change for the political institutions in which they serve,” says Nancy Peckford, Executive Director.
“Change doesn’t happen without clear commitments and concerted action. In the case of both Lisa MacLeod and Prime Minister Trudeau, their efforts to engage many more women in the political process have had incredibly positive results in Ontario and throughout the country.”
Early in her tenure as an Opposition MPP, Ms. Macleod successfully petitioned her peers at Queen’s Park to change the sitting hours to reflect a more contemporary workplace. Since 2007, the legislature now regularly convenes at 9 a.m. and midnight sittings are a rarity. For Ms. MacLeod, as the youngest woman elected in 2006, and the mother of a 1 year old, it was particularly important to create a more inclusive Queen’s Park.
In 2015, Prime Minister Trudeau’s appointment of Canada’s first ever gender balance federal cabinet made history in Canada, making headlines around the globe. While Premiers Charest and Notley had previously appointed gender balanced cabinets, Mr. Trudeau broke new ground
federally. The move prompted many sitting Premiers in Canada to re-consider the configuration of their cabinets, and new leaders to aim for better gender balance. Currently, two provinces have at least 50 percent women in their cabinet, Alberta and British Columbia, and another four provinces have cabinets with at least 40 percent women (CONFIRM). Worldwide, France, Chile and xxx (CONFIRM) have also followed in Trudeau’s footsteps. “Women really need to see the difference one can make in politics – particularly as a female elected official. Having so many talented and diverse female Ministers in the current federal cabinet, and cabinets throughout the country, is huge step in the right direction. It underscores for women in Canada that politics presents enormous opportunities to make meaningful change,” emphasizes Equal Voice National Chair Nicole Foster. “Further, Prime Minister Trudeau’s leadership in championing women within government and beyond has had the powerful effect of setting the bar so much higher for any government to come,” Foster added. PAST EQUAL VOICE AWARD RECIPIENTS Past Recipients of the National EVE Award include the Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell, deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan, federal cabinet Ministers Flora MacDonald, Carolyn Bennett, and Leono Aglukkaq, Premiers Kathleen Wynne, Rachel Notley and Eva Aariak as well as leaders Andrea Horwath and Elizabeth May. Only four men have been recipients of the Award designated for male leaders, including Mr. Trudeau. They are the Rt. Hon. Brian Mulroney for his bold appointment of women to unconventional cabinet posts during his tenure, the Rt. Hon. Jean Chretien for his strong commitment to elevating women in senior roles, including federal appointments, and NDP Leader Jack Layton who ran the highest percent of women in any federal election in 2008 (CONFIRM).
In Canada, women make up slightly more than half of the population. However, throughout Canadian history and modern day, women are needing to stand up for themselves and other women to bring about change. Canadian women are strong and have the power to work together and bring about change. Jennie Trout stood up for Canadian women that wanted to be in the medical field, women during WWI made a difference in their lives by entering the workplace and standing for their right to work, Nellie McClung was a leader for women’s suffrage, and The Famous Five campaigned and won The “Persons” Case allowing women to be considered persons under the Canadian Constitution. These women were instigators of change. Change for women only occurs when ambitious and courageous women stand up for a difference that they deserve.
“Just watch me.”Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau said in 1970. He meant it as he fought to keep Quebec a part of Canada. Not only did he do that, he managed to be prime minister for 16 years, as well as being Canada’s youngest leader at the time. He brought greater civil rights to Canadians, Quebec citizens mainly. His charismatic personality matched his innovative ideas, that enhanced Canada for the better. For his entire political career, not only did Canada watch him, the whole world watched him change the country for the better. He made a radical change to Canada by championing the idea of officially implementing bilingualism. Trudeau was a trailblazer from the moment he was elected.
Pierre Elliot Trudeau was arguably one of the most vivacious and charismatic Prime Ministers Canada has ever seen. He wore capes, dated celebrities and always wore a red rose boutonniere. He looked like a superhero, and often acted like one too. Some of the landmark occurrences in Canadian history all happened during the Trudeau era, such as patriating the constitution, creating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the 1980 Quebec Referendum. However, it is Trudeau’s 1969 “white paper” and the Calder legal challenge which many consider to be one of his most influential contributions to Canadian history.
Men and women should always be considered equal, and one gender should never feel inferior to another. During the early twentieth century, there were three women who conveyed this message all throughout Canada. Emily Murphy played a significant role to promote the equality between men and women. Similarly, Nellie McClung also took responsibility for encouraging gender equality. Furthermore, Agnes Macphail also acted as a role model and had an important task of demolishing this gender wall. Women were able to reach an aspect of greater equality during the twentieth century, with the help of Emily Murhpy, Nellie McClung and Agnes Macphail.
Leeson, H. A., & University of Regina (2009). Saskatchewan politics: Crowding the centre. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina.
Burke, Marie. "Seven aboriginal senators: 40 years (looking back on the Senate's Aboriginal representatives)." Windspeaker Dec. 1998: 9. Canada in Context. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
...n of their cabinet, while others may choose to create a new political path without consulting the views of their party. Mellon thinks that the Canadian government is under dictatorial scrutiny, whereas Barker contradicts this belief. The idea of a prime-ministerial government is certainly an over exaggeration of the current state of Canada. There are too many outside and inside forces that can control the powers the Prime Minister of Canada. Furthermore, there are several outside sources that indicate a good government in Canada. The United Nations annually places Canada at the top, or near the top of the list of the world’s best countries in which to live. These outcomes are not consistent with the idea of a one ruler power. Canada is not ruled by one person’s ideas, suggestions, and decisions, but by government approved and provincially manipulated decisions.
...eginning of the idea that women are equal to men. And they proved themselves through helping Canada’s economy, taking part in a greater part in society and earning their political power for the first time. The role of women changed economically, socially and politically, giving women rights and independence.
Stevenson, Garth. "Canadian Federalism: The Myth of the Status Quo." Reinventing Canada: Politics of the 21st Century. Ed. M. Janine Brodie and Linda Trimble. Toronto: Prentice Hall, 2003. 204-14. Print.
Newman, Garfield et al. Canada A Nation Unfolding. Toronto: Mc Graw – Hill Ryerson Limited, 2000.
Shaw, Susan M., and Janet Lee. Women's voices, feminist visions: classic and contemporary readings. 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print.
“Honey, you’re not a person, now get back in the kitchen and make me a sandwich!” If a husband were to say these words to his wife today, he would likely receive a well-deserved smack to the face. It is not until recently that Canadian women have received their status as people and obtained equal rights as men. Women were excluded from an academic education and received a lesser pay than their male counter parts. With the many hardships women had to face, women were considered the “slave of slaves” (Women’s Rights). In the past century, women have fought for their rights, transitioning women from the point of being a piece of property to “holding twenty-five percent of senior positions in Canada” (More women in top senior positions: Report). The Married Women’s Property Act, World War I, The Person’s Case, and Canadian Human Rights Act have gained Canadian women their rights.
May, E. (2009). Losing Confidence: Power, politics, and the crisis in Canadian democracy. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart.
Sometimes, in order to have justice in this world, violent actions need to be taken to be able to get a point across and fight for what is fundamentally right. In today’s society, feminism is viewed as a non-violent way of having the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes. However, it was not always like that. In order to have the level of equality modern societies have today, daring and sometimes violent things took place. A case in point being the Suffragette movement in the early 20th century. Over the years, the Suffragettes faced many challenges and winning feats such as being granted their right to vote federally, but their actions and the actions taken by one of their most successful groundbreakers, Thérèse Casgrain, are the reason why women can now be treated equally in Canadian society.
For 117 years, Women’s Institute (WI) Members have actively worked together for family, home, community and country (www.fwic.ca). The WI is a not-for-profit charitable organization with affiliations around the world, working with and for women in rural and small towns (www.fwic.ca). Through education and support programs and services, the WI’s purpose is to include personal growth opportunities, government lobbying and health and community wellness projects (www.fwic.ca). And as a result, each year thousands of individuals become more knowledgeable on various social, health, domestic and environmental matters (www.fwic.ca). The WI offers educational programming and community support; advocate for social, environmental and economic change, and work towards the personal growth of all women, for home and country (www.fwic.ca). Members belong to a network that connects Branches to Districts and Areas, as well as to the provincial (FWIO), national (FWIC – Federated Women’s Institutes of Canada), and international (ACWW – Associated Country Women of the World) levels of the organization (www.fwic.ca). Membership offers a wide range of opportunities, including monthly meetings, a variety of activities, WI’s Home & Country ROSE Garden newsletter, the FWIO Facebook Group, and the o...