• BPW Canada are "Women of Distinction." BPW Canada president Sue Calhoun (centre) and BPW-New Brunswick Immediate Past President Wilma Evans (right) were named the YWCA's "Women of Distinction" at a ceremony in Moncton in June. Sue won the award in the Public and Community Service category; Wilma in the Women in Work category. With them is Kim Murphy, President of the Club des femmes de carrières du Sud-est du N.-B. (BPW Southeast NB).
  
  

  Kim Murphy, Sue Calhoun, Wilma Evans

  
  
• BPW Canada was invited to make a presentation to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women in late March 2009 in Ottawa. This all-party committee is studying the issue of Employment Insurance, and how the legislation impacts women in particular. In the photo on left, Joan Macklin, VP, BPW Canada; Niki Ashton, MP Churchill, member of the Committee and member of BPW Thompson MB; and Sue Calhoun, President, BPW Canada. Photo on right, Mme Nicole Demers, MP Laval Québec and member of the Committee with Joan and Sue.
  
  
  Click to read the transcipt of the session.
  
  
• In February 2009, BPW Canada President Sue Calhoun and Vice-president Joan Macklin were in Ottawa to meet with Anita Neville (photo left), Liberal Critic for the Status of Women and Irene Mathyssen, NDP Critic for the Status of Women. Sue and Joan presented both women with BPW Canada’s 2008 brief.

• In May 2008, President Fran Donaldson, 1st Vice-president Sue Calhoun and Public Affairs Chair Joan Macklin were invited to Ottawa to meet with Mme Sylvie Boucher, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister for the Status of Women, and MP for Beauport-Limoilou. President Donaldson presented Mme Boucher with BPW Canada’s 2006 and 2007 briefs, and raised some BPW concerns such as the lack of an adequate and affordable national childcare program that meets the needs of Canadian families and the lack of access to EI maternity/parental benefits for business-owning and self-employed women. The BPW leaders took the opportunity, while in Ottawa, to meet with other politicians such as Irene Mathyssen, NDP Critic for the Status of Women and MP for London-Fanshawe.

• BPW Canada was part of the NGO delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations in New York in late February 2008. While the Canadian government was giving its progress report to the UNCSW, the federal budget was being released at home. Canadian women’s groups present at the UN issued a joint media release to say that overall, the federal budget released on February 26 was a disaster for women, given its focus on the wealthy. Read more All Words, Little Action, No Money for Women (pdf).
  
  
  
• Canada's Auditor General has decided to do a performance audit of the federal government's implementation of gender-based analysis between 2000 and 2008, taking into account the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and Optional Protocol and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom. The Auditor General will reportedly study the government's action plan for advancing equality for women, see whether there are clear responsibilities, resources allocated, and will evaluate the management, activities and performance indicators. After an AG audit, the departments usually produce an action plan to address the recommendations, and the public accounts committee ensures the action plans are specific; then, the AG does a follow-up audit. The AG’s audit will be completed in April 2009.
  For more, visit http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/oag-bvg_e_29401.html
  
  
• Changes to the budget and mandate of Status of Women Canada (SWC) made headlines throughout the fall of 2006 and early 2007. The budget was slashed by $5 million (40%), and 12 of 16 regional offices were slated to close on April 1st. The word equality was removed from the SWC mission, and groups doing advocacy and research became no longer eligible for funding.

Equality-seeking women’s groups, including BPW Canada, have actively lobbied against such changes:

• In December of 2006, BPW Canada sent a Brief to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women (pdf) to oppose these changes.
• BPW Canada joined the Ad Hoc Coalition for Women’s Equality and Human Rights Put Equality Back on Track campaign. http://womensequality.ca/index.html
• BPW Canada issued new releases:
  BPW Canada shocked at closing of SWC offices 2006-12-3
  • BPW Canada urged members to write Minister Oda and their MPs.
  • BPW Canada approved emergency resolutions from BPW North and East Toronto and BPW London, calling on the Harper government to reverse the changes:
  • Urgent resolution Status of Women Canada BPW London (pdf)
  • Urgent resolution Status of Women Canada BPW North & East Toronto (pdf)

Because of the backlash from equality-seeking women’s groups, Minister Oda reinstated the $5 million, although not to the administration budget. Twelve of 16 offices were closed on April 1, 2007, and staff cut by half. Groups doing advocacy and research are still no longer eligible for funding. BPW Canada, along with other equality-seeking groups, continues to monitor this situation.