Message from CRIAW s President Judy White

Transcription

1 CRIAW Newsletter, Vol. 30, No. 1 May 2010 Message from CRIAW s President Judy White I found it extremely difficult to find a theme on which to focus this message because of the wide range of issues that continue to emerge: issues that intersect and create challenges and unique experiences for women of diverse backgrounds and situations. And issues that all relate to the impact of globalization on women s lives. Sometimes I feel that we have been sucked into this thing (which isn t always good for women) and we need stronger voices and energy to rise out of it. Most often, however, I have this sense that there exists a world of allies who are committed to a different vision, and we need to find spaces to pull these voices together, educate one another, and move forward together. My belief is that CRIAW, in partnership with other organizations and peoples, can continue to play a key role in this journey. I am hopeful the current research project FemNorthNet will provide opportunity for us to bring together the voices of women from the north to learn about the impact of economic restructuring on women s lives in the north. CRIAW wants to build on existing research. Examples of the research that has already been done include the work of the Native Women s Association of Canada (NWAC) 1 (2005) that argues in favour of an Aboriginal women s perspective to claims issues. NWAC believes that this will result in a holistic analysis that considers all dimensions including social, economic, cultural, and environmental ones. NWAC s work also reaffirms a belief in self reliance and the cultural and social well-being of Inuit (Native Women s Association of Canada, 2005). In another study Findlay and Wutenee (2007) 2 demonstrate that Aboriginal women can participate in community economic development activities without sacrificing living their respect for Aboriginal cultures and values. As I continue to think about the impact of globalization on the lives of women, I believe that CRIAW has a role to play in demonstrating how issues intersect, and how the lives of people interconnect. Therefore, when we look at the experiences of women in the north, I am expecting that we will learn about the unique experiences of diverse groups of women, how their experiences intersect, and how these relate to experiences of women in the south, and women elsewhere in the world. Our hope is to continue to work with women and their communities to create the kind of research that reflects their voices and strengths, that is innovative, and that will help build sustainable and healthy communities. Having spent the past ten months of my sabbatical in the Caribbean, I have a particularly keen interest in looking at how the experiences of women in Canada intersect with those of women in other countries. I have been reminded about the many disparities and challenges women in the Caribbean continue to face, even as they have made amazing strides in many aspects of Caribbean society. When I was asked to say a few words at our AGM, one of the things I said was that I was one of those 1 NWAC Background document on Aboriginal women and negotiations for the Canada-Aboriginal peoples followup roundtable sectoral followup session on negotiations, January Findlay, I. M. & Wuttunee, W. (2007) Aboriginal women s community economic development IRPP Choices 13(4). Page 1

2 individuals who benefited from the research that CRIAW has produced over the years. I have benefited as a woman, a student, and an academic. I came to Canada as an immigrant, and CRIAW s work was certainly one of the elements that helped ease my transition into Canadian society. I had been part of the feminist movement in Trinidad and so this organization helped to connect me with academics and writers who shared their knowledge, and who taught me about the similarities and parallels that existed across geographic and cultural boundaries. CRIAW helped me to remain committed to a movement and connected with other allies. I think we can still continue to play this role. Our research, driven by intersectional feminist frameworks, provides wonderful opportunity for diverse groups of women to come together to challenge one another, learn about our unique experiences, and build a strong network of allies. I want to encourage all of us to invite our friends to join CRIAW so that we can continue to build a strong voice and continue this very valuable work. Funding Denied by SWC By Judy White CRIAW Board members and allies are still reeling from news that CRIAW was not successful in the organization s application for funding from the Status of Women Canada. And we have been particularly troubled by the realization that this denial, along with funding denials experienced by other equality seeking agencies, seem to reflect a strategy to shut down any voices that challenge the status quo, and any voices that present alternative policy visions. Having said all this, the recent denial of funding by the Status of Women office is also shocking because the decision does not appear to be logical. When organizations make decisions to submit applications to the Status of Women Canada, one of the very first things they do is make contact with a program officer who acts somewhat as a consultant. The agency puts forward the proposal, discusses the ideas, and the program officer works with the agency to ensure that Status of Women funding criteria are met. That is, the program officer makes every effort to ensure that the proposal is a strong one. We commend the work of our program officer. The proposal we submitted recognizes that transition houses are providing services to an increasing diverse population of women. Our goal has been to engage with these agencies to ensure that all women are able to access shelters when they need refuge from oppressive and violent relationships. We know that this is a worthwhile, critical project. We believe that the proposal was a strong one that merits funding. We have been in existence for over 30 years and this is the first time we have been denied project funding by the Status of Women Canada. As we look around and continue to network with other agencies, we see a trend. We are not the only ones being denied funding. We are not the only ones experiencing shock. When we look around at the allies and agencies that have equally strong reputations and do extremely credible work, we can only conclude that the strategy is to silence. Silencing as a government strategy is not new to this country. But it is short sighted because critical analysis, strong policy work, and the inclusion of diverse voices can only strengthen government policy work and make the kinds of contributions that are needed within a country like Canada that is committed to multiculturalism, diversity, and social inclusion. CRIAW Launches exciting new 5-year research project: FemNorthNet By Jane Stinson CRIAW launches an exciting new 5-year research project called FemNorthNet to understand the effects of economic transformations on women s lives in Canada s North in an increasingly globalized economy. FemNorthNet stands for Feminist Northern Network, a community-university research alliance. The network includes 2 municipal officials, 6 communitybased organizations, 3 national organizations, and 9 researchers from 6 universities. Page 2

3 Key Elements Community Case Studies and Analyzing Key Themes Two central and inter-related elements - of community case studies and thematic analysis - will be developed over the next five years of this project. Three community case studies will look at women s experiences of community changes as a result of economic restructuring using participatory action research methods. Four research teams will analyze key cross-cutting themes, drawing on the community experiences. All research teams are coled by a university and a community partner. Community Case Studies La Loche, SK, Thompson, MB and Happy Valley- Goose Bay, NL are where the community case studies occur, involving key community partners and university-based researchers with links to that community. Four major research questions provide a starting point for the community case studies: 1. What are women s experiences of economic restructuring and related community transformations in the North? 2. How do economic development plans and programs for the community address these experiences? 3. What can women do collectively to address their experiences and any gaps in community or economic development initiatives? 4. What do women s experiences and responses teach Canadians about how to address economic restructuring and related community transformations? Cross-cutting Themes Research team of academic and community partners will analyze four cross-cutting themes arising from the changes and issues identified at a community level: Specifically thematic teams will: facilitate the exchange of knowledge within the network; analyze projects and reports from the communities and other sources in the context of the theme; identify opportunities to broaden stakeholder engagement and influence policy and decision-making by identifying and inviting relevant stakeholders to selected presentations, webinars and discussions; and connect research to the needs of community partners and stakeholders. FemNorthNet Activities We are gearing up for the first meeting of the research network June 6-11 in Thompson, MB. Participants in the research network will meet in a 5- day training and agenda setting session to explore and develop a shared understanding of Canada s north, what we mean by economic restructuring, intersectional gendered analysis, participatory action research, how to map communities, community and social infrastructure and how to move between research and action during this project. Students can participate in the June session as a Summer Institute course offered through Disability Studies at the University of Manitoba on Women and Economic Restructuring in Canada. During the first year we will produce a tool kit for community-based research and engagement arising from this training session that will be used and developed further over the course of the project. CRIAW appreciates the funding received from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) under its Special Northern Call CURA Program (Community-University Research Alliance) for this project called FemNorthNet: learning from women's experiences of community transformations as a result of economic restructuring. For more information on the FemNorthNet project, check the CRIAW website at community infrastructure and economic development; community engagement and governance; community inclusions and exclusions; and migration, immigration and mobility. Page 3

4 Beijing +15: What was it all about and how did it reinforce the relevance of CRIAW? By Nayyar S. Javed, a member and one of the many past-presidents of wonderful CRIAW The Beijing +15 was intended to review the global implementation of the Beijing Declaration, Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA) and the outcome of the 23 rd Special Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. The review also included an overview of the linkage between the implementation of these internally agreed commitments made by the UN members with the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Since the 10 th Anniversary of the Millennium Development Goals is scheduled in September, 2010, this linkage was included in the Beijing +15 review process. The reason for doing this is a realization that these Goals cannot be achieved without gender-based equality and empowerment of women. This realization has emerged in various international conferences and research by credible individuals. The official session of the Commission on the Status of Women started on March 1 st and ended on March 12 th, This session included closed door negotiations and parallel events consisting of high level interactive round table discussions and plenary meetings covering a broad range of topics related to the implementation of the BPFA and other abovementioned agreements. In most of these parallel events, the experts, feminists and others consistently referred to the significance of high quality research with desegregated data in assessing the implementation process. The intersection framework for data analysis was highly emphasized. The Secretary General s Report of this session frequently refers to targeted actions for advancing equality of all women particularly those who are marginalized on the basis of the intersection of gender with other oppressive factors. I have been attending the CSW s sessions since 1998 and have seldom observed this awareness about the intersection at the official level. I hope that our Canadian government was able to listen to the references to the significance of the intersectional framework and data collection and analysis the experts were making in the sessions. It may help in changing its mind about the relevance of CRIAW. Despite the powerfully incisive approach taken by the participants of the high level plenary meetings and interactive round table dialogues, there were many flaws in other areas of the official process. This engendered disappointment in the NGO community. The process excluded NGO s input in the formal negotiations because the Declaration which was supposed to be the outcome document of this session, was prepared in advance. The level of frustration in the NGO community escalated for many reasons. Many NGO s from all across the globe came up with a statement expressing these concerns to the Chair of the Commission on the Status of Women to protest the exclusion of the NGOs. They expressed concern about the deliberate reduction of the space for influencing decision making by the civil society. As the declaration coming out of this session was written and adopted in advance. This was unprecedented as most of the outcome documents go through a process of debate by the UN members during a specific session. Even though, historically, the negotiations in key areas take place behind closed doors, the civil society organizations still manage to influence the negotiations strategically finding spaces for lobbying. The Beijing +15 process did not allow any room for it. The NGO s statement sees the declaration coming out of this exclusionary process as a backward step failing to strongly reaffirm and make commitment to implement Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA). The other observations made in this statement include overstating the progress made and the slow and partial implementation of BPFA. A deep concern was expressed for not paying attention to the gender impact of the multiple crises such as food, energy, natural disasters, climate and global financial crisis. Our Minister bragged about the Page 4

5 current government s efforts for advancing women s equality in Canada. The fact that Beijing +15 has made no reference to the impact of feminization of poverty and internationalization of conflict reflects gross neglect of the issues concerning women s equality. The statement express disappointment because of the poor logistics causing great deal of inconvenience and blocking NGOs from attending desired sessions. More than 4,000 women came from all over the world traveling long distances. They had to wait for hours for the registration. They were exhausted but would wait patiently. Besides, waiting for registration, they had to get tickets to attend the sessions of all the UN entities. However, most of those tickets would disappear before 9:00 a.m. making it impossible to attend the sessions. These inconveniences are faced by NGOs in most of the UN sessions, but this year they were escalated in unprecedented way. Despite these challenging circumstances, women s community kept up the momentum of their work which reflected the power of our movement inspiring women, particularly young women, to maintain their interest in their cause and NGOs initiative. The NGO forum, prior to the opening of the official session, set the tone for showcasing the power of our movement. The two days sessions consisted of inspiring presentations stimulating discussions, empowering interactions and spectacular celebrations. The presence of women who had organized the Fourth World Conference in Beijing added significantly to this event. We were energized and inspired to move on in the two weeks which ensued this event. Women from all across the globe organized hundreds of events to share stories of struggle and powerful strategies they have creatively developed to move forward despite daunting challenges on their journeys to freedom from tyranny of patriarchy. There were about a hundred women from various Canadian women s organizations. With the exception of women from the Canadian Labour Movement, we were a bit invisible. Since the Canadian women s NGOs did not participate in the regional preparatory meeting in the fall of 09, our issues were not included in the NGOs regional report. However, our official delegation made concerted efforts to meet with us every day. These meetings were extremely helpful. As well, all of us did what we could do to participate in the NGO s activities. Being the lone delegate from CRIAW, I could not do very much other than being a part of WICEJ and Methodist women s workshop on the Intersectionality of gender, race, natural disasters, climatic change and financial crisis. This workshop was based on participatory popular education model and generated a powerful discussion and brilliant ideas. At personal level, 54 th session was a reminder of the role CRIAW has played in facilitating Canadian women s participation in the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing in 1995 and also Beijing follow up process at the national level. FAFIA is an outcome of this process. This work of CRIAW is a part of wonderful history of CRIAW s engagement in women s equality work at national and international levels. Besides Beijing, we have organized many international fora (forums) including the conference on linking Feminism and Anti-racism conference in 1992, Participatory Action Research 2000, and International Women s Health conference in We also started the virtual network of feminist NGO research organizations which died off prematurely. Today, such networks are flourishing globally, however, there is none like the one CRIAW conceived maybe the time for such a network has now arrived. At the end, I express my heartfelt gratitude to CRIAW for the opportunity to represent it in the CSW since It has been a special privilege that I appreciate. Page 5

6 Women s Worlds 2011 Call for Participation Women s Worlds is an international interdisciplinary conference about women held every 3 years. The next conference will be held in Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada, from July 3 7, 2011 and will be co-hosted by the 4 universities in the National Capital Region (University of Ottawa, Carleton University, St. Paul s University and Université du Québec en Outaouais). The theme of Women s Worlds 2011 is Inclusions, exclusions, and seclusions: Living in a globalized world. Why? Where globalization and women are concerned, provocative questions abound: Does globalization include, exclude, and/or seclude women? As global hierarchies realign, how are gender roles and identities evolving? How are social identifications like power, privilege, citizenship, and nation affected? Ours is an increasingly integrated world one where boundaries are shifting under growing flows of capital, goods, power and people. Who and where we are as individuals and communities becomes less clear within this contemporary, globalized context. Around the world, women are grappling with changing political, cultural, economic, social, and environmental realities. And the effects of numerous crises be they economic, ecological, or healthrelated intensify obstacles to women s equality. Globalization has contributed to the destabilization and marginalization of women and communities. Yet certain consequences have yielded positive results for women. Globalization has meant enhanced communications and organizing trans-national connectivity that must be deepened as women s organizations and networks struggle to sustain themselves and maintain resilience in the face of forces that oppose women's equality. Women s Worlds 2011 will be a place for the exploration of these complex matters through reflection, learning, and sharing a variety of ideas and experiences especially those of women most deeply affected. Call for Participation This is a deliberate Call for Participation, more than a call for papers. Why? Because WW 2011 is as much about grassroots activism as it is about academic achievement. We know that important insights come from various communities that s why we are striving to make WW 2011 a space for all kinds of conversations and connections between diverse people. Proposals for presentations can come from individuals, groups, coalitions, networks, teams everything will be considered. You are committed to women s rights and equality. You are academics, activists, researchers, policymakers, advocates, artists. You are from all corners of the world. You are elders and youth and anywhere in between. You are people with (dis)abilities. You are Inuit and Indigenous, Mestizo and Métis, Aboriginal and Aborigine. You are part of ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and poor communities. You are LGBT and two-spirited. You are beautifully uncategorizable. You want to share your ideas, findings, and stories at WW You have in mind a presentation that follows a classic format or you want to present through multimedia, performance art, exhibits, cultural events When it comes to your submission: be creative. Be as traditional or non-traditional as you want to be. Be daring, even. To be considered as a presenter at WW 2011, please complete the submission form online at by September 15, Page 6

7 Two CRIAW Board members receive Femmy Award CRIAW is proud to announce that two of our Board members, Awatef Rasheed and Jane Stinson, were awarded a Femmy Award for outstanding feminist achievement. The Femmy Awards are intended to honour women located in the National Capital Region who have made outstanding contributions to the struggle for women's equality. This year, the Femmy Awards were celebrated at the International Women s Day event I m Still not a Feminist, but... on March 8, 2010 at the National Archives in Ottawa. New Factsheet on Women and Restructuring by Deborah Stienstra In a new Factsheet on Women and Restructuring, CRIAW asks which women are affected most by the changes to the Canadian economy and society over the past decades, and which are most likely to be affected by the changes as a result of the recent economic downturn. Not surprisingly we find that single parent mothers, women with disabilities, racialized women, recent immigrants and poor women face increased intensified negative effects from both ongoing restructuring and the recent down turn. We look specifically at three areas of restructuring and the effects on women: changing labour markets; restructuring government programs; and inclusion and exclusion from Canadian society. We ask: Where are the women? What are the effects of restructuring and the recession on women? Which women are most affected? In 2008, with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, CRIAW hosted a workshop on women and economic restructuring bringing together key community leaders and researchers to identify key issues and ways to understand and address these issues. This Factsheet draws from and extends the results of that workshop. CRIAW Launches New Website June 2010 CRIAW is pleased to announce that we will be launching a new website in June Please visit to find updated information on CRIAW, current work we are doing, upcoming events, FemNorthNet project details and much more. We hope that you will find our new website useful and we encourage you to send us feedback at info@criaw-icref.ca. Page 7

8 How to make a donation to CRIAW If you are in a position to do so and wish to make a contribution in addition to your existing membership, you can make a secure tax-deductible donation online at or by cheque at the following address: CRIAW-ICREF 151 Slater Street, Suite 408 Ottawa, ON K1P 5H3 Or, if you know someone who wishes to make a donation to help keep CRIAW strong and alive, please send them the above-mentioned link or our mailing address. We are extremely grateful for everyone s support and commitment to advancing women s substantive equality through research, action and social change. Page 8