Foreign-aid policy review launches, outcome expected in fall
“Women, women, women.” International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau (Compton-Stanstead, Que.) has declared the focus of her portfolio loud and clear. It will be a highlight of the foreign aid policy review she’s undertaking over the next two months, which, after months of anticipation, was finally officially launched on May 18. It’s the first policy review to happen […]
High schools should teach financial literacy: Chagger
Canada’s small business and tourism minister wants to see more high schools in Canada teaching financial literacy. Minister of Small Business and Tourism Bardish Chagger (Waterloo, Ont.) told a May 10 Ottawa panel that she has been crisscrossing the country “encouraging women to take the leap into business.” She said the issue of women’s lack […]
Progress made in fight against sexism on Hill, but more must be done, say female MPs
When it comes to sexism and sexual harassment on Parliament Hill, female MPs say there has been some progress in recent years, but sexist attitudes and behaviour remain—as in society in general—and it will take efforts from all male and female MPs to change that. “Not just in Parliament, but women continue to face sexism and […]
Rempel shines light in dirty, dark corners of sexism
OTTAWA—Conservative Member of Parliament Michelle Rempel’s op-ed piece last week garnered plenty of attention. And that is a good thing. Any light shone in the dirty dark corners of sexism and harassment encourages change. But there is a conundrum in the assumption that all sexism is individual. Sexism thrives in an atmosphere of gender inequality. […]
Clever, Tenacious and Diplomatic Women
Political leader and activist Monique Bégin is among five outstanding Canadian women who will receive the 2015 Governor General’s Person Case Award this month, one of Canada’s highest awards for women. Madame Bégin will be joined April 21, 2016 by Montreal academic and advocate Marie-Thérèse Chicha; Vancouver family physician and community leader Ruth Elwood Martin; […]
Insurance industry warns of price hikes as genetic discrimination bill passes Senate
Canada’s insurance industry is warning of price hikes for consumers if a senator’s bill banning unsanctioned access to personal genetic test results is passed. The Senate public bill (the upper chamber’s equivalent of a private member’s bill) won Senate approval last week with bi-partisan support and is on its way to the House of Commons. […]
Disagree with Peckford’s take on proportional representation
Re: “Canada can do better to get more women elected, right now we’re 60th place in world,” (The Hill Times, April 11, p. 11). Equal Voice’s Nancy Peckford claims “proportional representation is neither necessary nor sufficient to ensure women’s equal representation.” It is difficult to maintain the “necessary” in the face of the easily verifiable […]
Proportional representation ‘absolutely’ necessary for women to achieve higher levels of representation
Re: “Canada can do better to get more women elected, right now we’re 60th place in world,” (The Hill Times, April 11, p. 11). Nancy Peckford’s article seems somewhat confused about the role electoral systems play in balancing representation. Moreover, she doesn’t seem to know that the alternative vote (AV) system is not proportional. If she (and her […]
Canada can do better on getting more women elected, 60th place in world right now
OTTAWA—A special all-party committee is due to be struck in Parliament any day now, as per the commitment of the Trudeau government during the campaign—and as articulated in the recent federal budget—to explore electoral reform options. The committee is expected to conduct cross-country consultations with the public on a variety of options. Many organizations in […]
Meet Jody Thomas, first woman to head the Canadian Coast Guard
OTTAWA—It’s a typical, quiet Friday morning for Canadian Coast Guard Commissioner Jody Thomas. She is getting her daily operations briefing on the status of all coast guard vessels in the country, the weather conditions, and updates on all projects and deadlines. She sits at the front of the large conference table wearing a leather jacket and […]
