Ontario Feminist Blogs

Feminist organizations nationwide are protesting the latest in a series of attacks on Status of Women Canada (SWC).

by Anna Carastathis
Marching on Ottawa Hill on December 10 to protest Harper's cuts to SWC. Photo: CUPEDavid-James Fernandes

On October 11, the Dominion reported that the Conservative government imposed a 40 per cent reduction of SWC's operating budget over two years, as well as new restrictions on the agency's grant program. In what might be described as an effort to de-politicize SWC, the government has forbidden the agency from funding groups that undertake advocacy or lobbying for women's rights. It has also removed the word "equality" from the agency's mandate.

Following these cuts and restrictions, on November 28, Bev Oda, the minister responsible for SWC, announced the closure of 12 of 16 SWC regional offices, to take effect on March 31, 2007. Almost half of SWC's employees -- 61 of 131 -- will lose their jobs. The four remaining regional offices (in Edmonton, Montréal, Moncton and Ottawa) will be required to provide services to expanded -- critics say unmanageable -- jurisdictions. In the most extreme case, the Edmonton office will serve women and women's groups across British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, in addition to those based in Alberta. This is an area of over 4.7 million square kilometres, constituting almost half -- 47 per cent -- of the total territory occupied by Canada. Despite the foreseeable increased workload, there are no plans at present to hire additional personnel to staff the Edmonton office, according to a SWC official. The Moncton office will serve Atlantic Canada; the Montréal office will serve Québec and Nunavut; and the Ottawa office will serve Ontario and national feminist and women's organizations. Justifying this decision, Oda maintained that the regional office closures will help the SWC remain within its severely restricted operating budget, saving approximately $700,000 in rent and utility bills.

Implying that the SWC is a "special interest" agency, Oda told the CBC that "[we] don't need to separate the men from the women in this country." However, on January 18, 2006, during his campaign, Stephen Harper vowed, if elected, to "take concrete and immediate measures [...] to ensure that Canada fully upholds its commitments to women in Canada." Now, the Conservative government is claiming that downsizing SWC will actually better serve the goal of achieving women's equality. As quoted in the Ottawa Citizen, Oda suggested that running a separate agency devoted to researching and mobilizing to improve conditions facing women's issues actually "weakens the ability of the equality of women to be instilled throughout the government departments, agencies, and offices."

See the rest by visiting the link below at the Dominion.

Parents of a severely disabled girl in the US have revealed that they are keeping her child-sized in order to give her a better life.

The nine-year-old, named Ashley, has the mental ability of a three-month-old baby and cannot walk or talk.

Along with hormone doses to limit her growth, Ashley's parents also opted for surgery to block breast growth and had her uterus and appendix removed.

They say the treatment will help to improve her quality of life.

The parents apparently have a blog about their choices, but the story doesn't reveal where the blog is.

Disability issues are really hard to form opinion on. On one hand, it's easy to see and sympathize with the parents. Of course, if you're going to be taking care of your daughter for the rest of your life, it makes sense to try to make life easier for everyone.

At the same time, these medical procedures are not minor. Removing the uterus, breast buds -- those are big decisions. Major surgery. I guess we have to take them at their word that these are in the best interests of their child.

But it doesn't feel quite right.

2007, you're starting out good!

A child can legally have three parents, Ontario's highest court ruled in a landmark decision Tuesday.

In the so-called "two-mother" ruling, the Ontario Court of Appeal said the biological mother of a five-year-old boy and her same-sex partner can both be legally recognized as mothers of the child. The boy's biological father is still recognized as his dad. -CBC

The case also brought to light "gaps" in different custody laws in Ontario. For example, if the lesbian couple adopted the child, the biological father would be cut out.

Initially, the case went to the Ontario Superior Court, but was turned away because the judge said he didn't have jurisdiction over such a case. It was then appealed.

The appeal was amicable, with all three parents supporting it.

This man has been charged with murdering two women in Edmonton, Alberta. This photograph was taken after a hearing earlier in the year. His name is George Svekia.

The latest charge was over a 19-year-old prostitute named Rachel Quinney.

Since 1988, there have been at least 14 unsolved murders of women -- most of them prostitutes -- in the Greater Edmonton Area.

Most of the slain women have been discovered in rural fields and ditches east of Edmonton, and at least two were burned.-The Globe and Mail

Even if this man is innocent, who smiles like that? He is charged with murder. And with committing "indignities" to at least one of their corpses.

It doesn't really get worse than this.

I watched a lot of TV over the holidays. And perhaps I'm wrong about this, but it seemed to me that many of the hosts of TV (and radio) programs during this time were all non-white.

For example, on New Year's eve, CTV's 6:00 Toronto (the most multicultural city in Canada) news instead of anchors Christine Bentley (white)and Ken Shaw (white); sports reporter Lance Brown (white) and weather man Dave Devall (white); we saw Andria Case (Black) as anchor, Suneel Joshi on sports (East Indian), and someone on weather who was (again) not white, but I can't locate his name online.

Certainly, this is not a concerted effort by the networks to only give white people holidays off (though Sandie Rinaldo and Lloyd Robertson, both national anchors who are white haven't been on-air for a week). Rather, it is more likely that it signals where people of different origins stand on the hierarchy at the networks in general.

Who chooses the anchors? Why are they always white?

You can also judge how prestigious a position is by what colour the person is who occupies it. National late-night news? Highly prestigious: Lloyd and Sandie.

But local late-night news, less so. Pauline Chan (Asian) and Bill Hutchinson host that one. Subsequently, that news program is advertised far less than the 6:00 all-white line-up with Christine and Ken.

Do you think that in 10 years everything will even out and those minorities will capture the top spots?

When I'm in my 40s, will the national news anchor be a woman from Botswana?

I hope so, but I'm skeptical.