Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

On March 8, International Women’s Day, the Canadian Labour Congress is launching a women’s economic equality campaign – “Equality! Once and For All!” An exciting year-long campaign, the CLC will use every opportunity to raise awareness about the lack of attention paid by politicians, employers and the media to the growing economic inequality of women, through the use of creative and innovative tactics.

The PSAC is part of this campaign …

• The PSAC asks: Where is the federal plan for women’s equality?.
• Read Robyn Benson’s letter re: March 8th launch of the Women’s Economic Equality Campaign (pdf)
  

By mobilizing union women to talk with their union sisters and brothers, with their families, the public, media, and politicians at all levels of government, this campaign will focus on important solutions; solutions like belonging to a union, creating an accessible, affordable, public child care system, minimum wage reform, pay equity, improving Employment Insurance, CPP, OAS and GIS. We know that these solutions are key to closing the wage gap between working men and women.

After twenty-five years of progress, the gap between the average wages of Canadian men and women have stopped narrowing and is now growing. Women workers of colour, Aboriginal women and women with disabilities face even greater economic disadvantages.

Contact the CLC’s Women’s Economic Equality campaign coordinators at 613-526-7424 or by email at equalityonceandforall@clc-ctc.ca for ways in which you contribute to the success of this campaign, and continue to check the PSAC regional and national websites for updates on the campaign.

International Women’s Day events in BC

Here is a list of IWD events coming up in the Province. Is there an IWD event happening in your community? Email Patrick and we’ll add it to the calendar.

• March 7, 7:30 AM, Vancouver, BC Federation of Labour annual breakfast | details @ calendar
• March 7, 6PM, Vancouver, India Mahila Association IWD Event | details @ calendar
• March 8, 11AM, Victoria & Nanaimo, CLC Teach-in Events | details @ calendar
• March 8, 1:30PM, Vancouver, IWD Book Launch - Burmese Women’s Union Report about migrant women and girl workers | details @ calendar
• March 8, 4PM, Vancouver, Grassroots Women IWD rally, march & dinner | details @ calendar
• March 8, 7PM, Vancouver, IWD dinner & fundraiser in honour of Aboriginal women | details @ calendar

Come out and support representatives from women’s groups who will be meeting with (Conservative Minister) Bev Oda. Meet at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 3rd for a demo outside of the Sheraton Wall Centre at Burrard and Nelson. Women will be calling for the reversal of the cuts to Status of Women Canada, child care, the Court Challenges Program etc. etc. and calling for the Conservative Government to support and fund a women’s equality agenda instead of attacking women’s rights.

The IWD “Strengthen Women’s Resistance” March and Rally - Vancouver - Thursday, March 8th at 5:30 p.m. Meet at the Chinatown Memorial Square (NE corner of Keefer and Columbia Streets.) Sponsored by Grassroots Women (604) 682-4451

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Please join Grassroots Women for an evening of film and discussion on the theme of Women Assert Our Basic Human Rights. A discussion will follow a screening of two films portraying women who show us that rights will not be “granted” but rather must be asserted and defended when under attack.

• Thursday March 1st, 2007
• 7:00 pm Rhizome Café, 317 East Broadway

Films:

My Name is Kahentiiosta profiles a Kahnawake Mohawk woman who participated in the armed standoff at Kanehsatake, detailing her experience of and perspective on the 1990 Oka Crisis, including her subsequent arrest and detention (which was prolonged by four days because she would give only her Mohawk name). Directed by Alanis Obomsawin, 1995.

Women in Struggle is about Palestinian women who are ex-political detainees demonstrating their struggle during their years of imprisonment in Israeli jails, exploring the effects on their present life and their future outlook. The focus is on the lives of four women who came out of their regular roles as sisters, mothers, wives, and took on a different role being involved in the Palestinian national struggle for independence. Directed by Buthina Canaan Khoury, 2004.

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International Women’s Day 2007

Since its inception, International Women’s Day (IWD), March 8th, has been a day of revolutionary struggle for the rights and freedom of oppressed and exploited women in the context of world-wide struggle against imperialism and war. Every year since our founding in 1995, Grassroots Women has mobilized on March 8th. By doing so, we connect with the tradition of working class women who have mobilized on this day for nearly 100 years, from the garment workers of New York City at the turn of the century, to the wives, daughters, and mothers of soldiers and armament workers in Russia who helped spark the Russian Revolution, to the women of movements for national and social liberation in the Third World.

In 2007, Grassroots Women will mark IWD by holding events under the following theme:

• Strengthen Women’s Resistance
• Oppose Imperialism’s Intensifying Attacks!
• Assert Women’s Basic Human Rights!

Please join us for a march and rally on Thursday, March 8th 2007, beginning at 5:30 pm at Chinatown Memorial Square (NE corner of Keefer and Columbia) and ending with refreshments at the Grassroots Women office.

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One of our new Prime Minister’s first acts was to strongly advise another newly-elected government to honour the agreements negotiated and signed by its predecessor.

Yet, that’s what his new government wants to do. It wants to scrap the child care agreements signed last fall by the federal government and each province. Five-year funding deals will be terminated in March 2007, over the strong objections of provincial governments who made plans to better serve young families and their children.

Why do this? What makes the Prime Minister’s own vision of child care so compelling that it should override and cancel the vision each and every premier signed onto in their contract with Ottawa? Why take away badly-needed child care spaces – like the 6000 spaces that would have been created for working families in Toronto alone.

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It’s time to rise again – we all need a universal child care program

International Women’s Day represents nearly a century of struggle for the equality of women world-wide.

This March 8th women in the PSAC are not only celebrating the gains we have achieved over the last century, we are also actively participating in a campaign to ensure that child care is publicly (and not for profit) delivered, universal and affordable.

Given the election of the Conservative government, the challenges facing working women and their families are greater than ever. In fact, the threats to the rights we have won at are stake and PSAC women will not stand by and allow those rights to be eroded.

That is why the PSAC has made CHILD CARE one of our main priorities this year. We know that the number of women in the labour force is high and growing. At the same time, the overwhelming responsibility for the care of children remains with women and the lack of affordable child care spaces in quality public and not for profit centres remains a major obstacle to women’s full equality.

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Remembering our Sisters

This event will highlight photos of some of the sixty-five commemorative quilts produced by women of the Downtown Eastside. Poetry and music will be featured at an event taking place at 119 West Pender Street, on March 8, 2006 from 4:00pmm. til 7:00 p.m. International Women’s Day. A special guest, poet and Guatemalan woman’s activist Sandra Moran will perform and bring greetings from the women of a country also devastated by hundreds of cases of missing and murdered women. Teenage girls from North Vancouver will perfom a touching piece of music they wrote in commemoration of women from the Downtown Eastside.Remembering Our Sisters uses the celebratory occasion of International Women’s Day to both commemorate the more than sixty-five women who have disappeared from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and to celebrate the art and political activism of those who continue the struggle for equality and survival among some of Vancouver’s most marginalized women.

The organizations Wish Drop-In Centre, PEERS and PACE, groups that provide counselling services for current and exiting sex-trade workers, are hosting the celebration, art and performances with broad community support from women in BC’s Labour Movement and others.

Hadani Ditmars, an internationally known journalist based in Canada, will be speaking in Prince George at the College of New Caledonia on Wed., March 8th/06 at 7:00pm. (International Women’s Day)

The meeting is organized by the Northern Women’s Forum and the Active Voice Coalition. Everyone is invited to participate in this event and meet Ms. Ditmars.

Sponsored by: Status of Women Committee - Faculty Association of College of New Caledonia.

Unfortunately, the March 4/06 IWD breakfast hosted by the Local Labour Council is now sold out. A dozen sisters from PSAC will be in attendance.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2006 - March and Rally Saturday March 4th

• Gather at the Broadway Skytrain @ 11am
• March to Grandview Park (Commercial & Charles) @ 11:30 am Rally starts at Noon - 1 pm
• To volunteer or for more information call 604-708-0447
• Wheelchair accessible, ASL Interpretation provided

Join us in celebration of International Women’s Day!

Raising our voices for Equality, Solidarity & Justice.

March 8th, 2006 8AM
Hilton Vancouver Metrotown
6083 McKay Ave, Burnaby

Guest speaker: Carole James - Leader, BC NDP

There is no charge for this event, but those wishing to attend must RSVP no later than March 3, 2006 to the BC Federation of Labour switchboard at 604-430-1421.

Vancouver & District Labour Council Women’s Committee presents …

3rd Annual Celebration of International Women’s Day: Fighting for Our Jobs, Our Public Services, and Our Future

What the Night will hold … Presentation of Outstanding Women in Our Community Award, Silent Auction, Dinner & Dancing

Where: Fraserveiw Hall, 8240 Fraser Street (at Marine Drive)

When: Wednesday, March 8 - Doors 5:30 pm, Program 6:00 pm

Guest Speakers: Judy Darcy, HEU and Libby Davies, MP Vancouver East

Entertainment: Solidarity Sisters and DJ Moraswi

Tickets: $10 to $40, Sliding Scale - $320 for table of 8. Contact Keziah at the VDLC for tickets 604-254-0703 or office@vdlc.ca

A Women’s Only Event, Partial proceeds to benefit the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre. Download the VDLC IWD celebration poster

Please join us for International Women’s Day 2006 - Building Anti-imperialist Solidarity: Towards a Just and Lasting Peace

Sunday March 5th, 10am-4pm, a Conference focusing on the current issues facing working class and marginalized women internationally:

• Women and war, occupation, and intervention
• Exploitation of women’s labour
• Forced migration, immigration and trafficking of women
• Privatization of women’s basic needs (health, childcare, education, transportation)

Venue to be announced.

Wednesday, March 8th, 5:30 pm, a Rally and March - Meet at the Vancouver Public Library

For more information or to volunteer, contact Grassroots Women