| Now that Stephen Harper is prime minister, a conservative women’s group is hoping its campaign for an end to all federal grants for feminist organizations and for the disbanding of the federal Status of Women department will receive more support.
The campaign against such organizations has concerned local feminists, who say Status of Women Canada and feminist organizations are doing important work.
In its May-June newsletter, REAL Women of Canada (RWC) asks its members to send letters to Harper and Bev Oda, minister responsible for Status of Women Canada, to protest against "anti-family, anti-life feminist groups" receiving federal funding.
"The feminist ideology does not now, and never has had the support of the vast majority of Canadian women. Thus, this funding of the special interest group of feminists by the Status of Women is highly biased and discriminatory," says the newsletter.
RWC includes women’s shelters, lesbian organizations and child care advocacy groups under its list of feminist organizations that it argues should no longer receive federal funding.
Laurie Geschke, president of RWC, explains that the organization is concerned about women’s shelters receiving federal funding because "most of them are enclaves for radical feminism" and they don’t offer services to men who suffer from abuse. She adds that provincial governments should be funding women’s shelters that are doing "bonafied" work because it’s their jurisdiction.
"(The federal government) are overstepping their boundaries and that makes for big government and more taxes. This is a provincial responsibility. The provinces should look after it," she says.
Jan Reimer, provincial co-ordinator for the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters, says women’s shelters in Alberta aren’t "enclaves" for radical feminists, pointing out that some shelters in the province have men as executive directors and others have male employees.
"What women’s shelters do is provide safety to women who are in significant danger," she says.
The RWC also has its sights set on the Canadian Child Care Federation and the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada, which advocate for day care services across the country.
Geschke says it’s unfair that organizations that fight for improved daycare should get funding when groups fighting for support for stay-at-home parents don’t.
"The vast majority of Canadians… don’t believe that large day care centres are the best place to raise children," she says.
She adds that RWC gets its funding from membership dues and donations, and feminist organizations should have to do the same.
"We’re just seeking justice and equality for all women in Canada," she says.
Susan Gillies, co-ordinator of the Women’s Centre of Calgary, questions how eliminating federal funding for feminist organizations and Status of Women Canada would achieve that.
"I believe groups seeking and promoting equality in our society are an extremely important part of civil society and, if anything, they should be receiving more government support and funding," she says.
Melanie Anderson, chair of the Calgary Local Council of Women, says now that the Conservatives are in power federally, "we’re a bit concerned about them having some sympathy for what (RWC) are saying. In our view it would be a grave, grave mistake if they cut funding to Status of Women because that’s our only real voice for change and there’s still lots of issues that demand government attention in order to achieve gender equality," she says.
Geschke argues that Status of Women Canada needs to be disbanded because "they don’t provide fair and equitable funding."
She says, for example, that Status of Women Canada regularly hands out grants to the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, an umbrella group representing feminist organizations, but it has only given minimal project funding support to RWC.
"To say that one organization, the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, or one viewpoint, radical feminism, is the viewpoint of all Canadian women is like saying all men love the B.C. Lions and want them to win every time they play," she says.
Francis Wright, founder of the Famous 5 Foundation, an organization that promotes female leadership and achievement, questions how working towards women’s rights equals radical feminism.
"Are (RWC) against pay equity? Do they want women to earn less than men forever and ever? Are they against eliminating domestic violence? Are they against eliminating harassment and stalking? These are the types of issues that the Status of Women are addressing straight on," says Wright. "Status of Women is also part of an international group to curtail the trafficking of women. Are the (RWC) against these type of progressive steps?" |
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