Ottawa RebELLEs

2011-12-28T16:39:00.005-05:00

A feminist reflection on Solstice

On December 21st of this year was the longest night of the year, and many cultures around the world celebrate this time by gathering and telling stories, honouring the dark and cold space that allows us to go within ourselves and welcome the light as the the Earth begins to spin closer to the Sun, stretching the days out longer once more.

As a feminist scholar, Solstice is a time when I contemplate the intersections between feminism and spirituality. While many feminist schools of thought oppose religion as the strong arm of patriarchal power that has historically oppressed people and in particular reinforced gender binary systems that have positioned womyn as subordinate.

Still, I do see both a revolutionary and emancipatory power in having a spiritual life, which for myself takes place outside of organized religion. This path of spiritual growth has in many ways been a lifeline for me as a grad student in some of my darkest moments of discouragement and despair.

Since becoming a graduate student in September 2009, I’ve also had the pleasure to meet my spiritual teacher and connect with a variety of feminist allies who have supported me on a spiritual path and in turn, sustained me through my studies. Graduate studies can sometimes be a very dark and isolated place where you are alone with your work. Solstice night reminds me of the long and dark stretches of time where I sit facing my computer, waiting for the light of inspiration to dawn on me and bring me the energy to write about this work I am so passionate about.

I had a conversation with a friend who recently defended her thesis and confided how inspiring and humbling it was to see her complete her work. She had always seemed so disciplined to me, which positioned her as a role model for me. When I confided in her how impressed I was with her completing her work the conversation evolved into a discussion on how grad school is sometimes beyond a question of capacity and ability to do the work. Indeed, we both agreed that we had never doubted our own capacity, passion or commitment to the work. But what comes to the surface in the isolation of writing a dissertation is the struggle with your own inner demons.

Solstice night reminds me so poignantly of how these demons can obscure the spark of inspiration and sometimes make you believe that you will never see the end of your project. But even the longest night does come to an end, and as the days begin to get longer from our limited perspective on this planet, I know that with patience, dedication and belief in myself I will be able to complete my degree.

As a feminist, I have found tremendous empowerment and inspiration in turning to the immutable laws of the Universe to remind me of my place in the greater scheme of things. Ultimately, this paradox requires both that I believe in my capacity and also surrender myself to a higher purpose. In other words, while these long hauls in isolation facing the inner demons challenge me on my path as a graduate student, I know that once I complete this process I can make important contributions to social justice, inspire those I meet along the way to do the same, and do my small part to making the world a better place, hopefully sharing a bit of light and joy along the way.

Happy Solstice.

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http://decouvrezuottawa.ca/en/

Ottawa Rebelles reaction to silencing of sex workers at Women's Worlds 2011

2011-10-24T13:24:00.003-04:00

The Ottawa RebELLEs would like to stand in support of sex workers who attended Women’s Worlds 2011 and denounce the hostile experiences that occurred during the event. While we understand that this conference was intended as a space to “connect and converse” and that the organizers of the conference worked towards creating safer spaces for this to happen, it is our position that some of the events that took transpired during the conference contributed to creating an unsafe and hostile climate for sex workers to participate in feminist discussions as equal members.

As young feminists, as allies of sex workers, and for some of us, as sex workers ourselves, we understand choice, bodily autonomy, respect for experiential knowledge and diversity of experiences as core feminist principles. For us, this includes supporting sex workers, acknowledging sex work as labour, respecting the choice to engage in or transition out of the industry, and fighting for the decriminalization of prostitution, which we maintain would increase sex workers’ safety and autonomy, and allow for improved occupational health and safety, and labour organizing. This involves listening to sex workers, respecting the diversity of our experiences, and not assuming we are all victims. Our position is that sex workers are members of the community, and more specifically, of feminist movement(s), that deserve the same respect and entitlements as our neighbours.

While we have observed that anti-sex work feminists (who self-identify as abolitionists but who we will refer to as prohibitionists because we do not believe that sex work is slavery) have taught us to expect a cold welcome at best at pan-feminist gatherings. However, we are deeply saddened by some of the experiences that sex workers have experienced during the Women’s Worlds conference. In two of three sex worker rights events, prohibitionists loudly and aggressively interrupted, drowned out, and humiliated presenters (some of whom were current or former sex workers), accusing them of being complicit in capitalism and the exploitation of women, but most importantly, of not being feminists.

Sex workers found their experiential knowledge being discredited, and were offended at the content of many events at the conference, which appeared to award greater space to anti-sex work positions, notably the Fleshmapping exhibit that took place in the University Centre throughout the conference. Sex workers who desired to make an alternative reading of sex work more visible in this space decided to silently occupy the adjoining hallways, making resource and other materials available publicly. We were subsequently verbally abused by a large group of prohibitionists.

The Ottawa RebELLEs stood in solidarity with this group and our members witnessed these events as attacks that reduced some sex workers to tears during the conference. It is our stance that these actions undermine the space set out for dialogue and constitute a direct attack not only on sex workers themselves but on democratic and feminist processes for dialogue.

As young feminists, we acknowledge the importance of this issue and feel that the polarization of this debate is harmful to sex workers, allies, activists and all interested parties. We advocate for an open dialogue from a peace-building perspective, which requires moderated and facilitated spaces for exchange. Large international feminist gatherings such as Women’s Worlds 2011 are ideal spaces to open dialogue on these critical issues and we feel that these discussions should include the participation of sex workers themselves.

We recommend that future Women’s Worlds conferences consider this feedback in working towards providing the opportunity for participation, meaningful dialogue, and safe spaces for everyone, including sex workers. We also recommend that any feminist gathering or event should do the same, and look forward to continuing discussions that include sex workers and provide spaces for exchange that hinge of peaceful dialogue and the inclusion of voices that speak from experiential knowledge.

In solidarity,

The Ottawa RebELLEs

This contribution was prepared by Maria-Hélèna Pacelli and is inspired by and adapted from a letter prepared by Tulia Law and Celine Couchesne of the Students for Sex Workers Rights, University of Ottawa, addressed to Women’s Worlds 2011. It stands as part of the Ottawa RebELLEs ongoing work to supporting sex workers rights, but does not claim to represent all members of the RebELLEs movements.

You're not a feminist are you?

2011-10-20T17:02:00.002-04:00

You're not a feminist are you?

If you're going to be reading my blog, you should know right off the bat that I am a feminist. This will at times seep into my analysis of a situation, and at other times be blatantly obvious in the content matter. So I hope you're comfortable with, or interested in learning more about, feminisms. Yes, it's plural here because feminism is not by any means monolothic in my view and its plurality here highlights the diversity of practices, tactics and positions that feminist movements can embody. I take a post-structuralist position when it comes to knowledge and cannot claim I know everything about feminisms, but my years as a community organizer and activist have informed my practice and allowed me to (un)learn so much - and I've only just begun.

I haven't always strictly identified as a "woman" nor been properly gendered, though I generally pass as a woman and identify myself as such in public settings. I've been called "tomboy", "mistaken" for a boy, called "masculine", at times androgynous, or at least not the most generic brand of constructed femininity and sometimes left people wondering. Lately I've been more feminine, or femme, exploring aspects of femininity I had previously ignored within myself, and reclaiming the identity of "woman" as part of my social location. The first time I had heard about Women's studies I sensed it was something that would peg me into an artificial femininity, that I had to more fully identify as a woman to be included in this space, and dismissed an entire wealth of activism and scholarship that later helped me unpack and understand my complex relationship to sex and gender.

After completing a Fine arts degree at Concordia University, I navigated towards the University of Ottawa where I am currently completing my Master's in Women's Studies. I began realizing some of the discrepancies between academic feminism and street/activist feminism while simultaneously being confronted by some of the oppressive structures of academia that are being challenged and upheld simultaneous by feminisms inside and outside academia.

One of the spaces that has been instrumental in supporting my journey through academia and where I can put into practice the theories I learn in the classroom - while also learning and unlearning so much that informs how I read what I am exposed to in that same classroom - is the Ottawa RebELLEs collective. This local feminist collective is an offshoot of the pan-canadian (this word irks me with its colonial implications, but I won't get into that here) decentralized young feminist movement Toujours RebELLEs. While not being strictly a campus group, this collective is a UOttawa OPIRG action group and has already been active on UOttawa campus, marking the start of the semester with a presence at ALT-101's social justice fair on September 9, 2011.

Our most recent event took place on UOttawa campus Thursday October 6th, 2011 entitled . Partly inspired by bell hook's book titled "feminism is for everybody", this public event "You're not a feminist are you? (...but feminism is for everybody)" invites participants to a discussion on what feminism means to them, what feminist issues play out in their lives, and how feminism is still totally relevant for everybody.

We booked Café Alt for this event before the Occupy Mouvement insipaded the city and Occupy Ottawa usurped, it seems, campus activist energy for that day. We had a number of attendees present at our event and cut our discussions short so that people could join in on the Occupation. This raises some important implications for campus activism and feminist oganizing alike. The haste to ditch existing discussions on the continuining relevance of feminism is not only reflected in some of the sexist, racist and colonialist (to name a few) implications of the Occupy Movement, but it it supposes that feminist discussions should be set aside rather than included as a part of broader anti-capitalist struggles like Occupy Movement.

Meanwhile, as campus radicalism joins beautifully into a community-writhing mosaic of working towards a better world by making it happen right now, some of the principles that underlie this movement fall short. The analysis of Occupy Together forgets the political constituency of 51% of the 99% that it stands for.

In solidarity,
MH

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http://decouvrezuottawa.ca/en/

Ouuh lala!

2011-09-29T10:44:00.005-04:00

Hey all!

We've been up to a car load of fun this summer/spring! Winnipeg rebELLEs conference, demystifying sex work workshop, tabling at multiple awesome events, rad craftivism events, Women's World, participating in actions like Take Back the Night, forming a radical cheerleading squad and soooo much more!

In that same light, we've shaped our meetings so that we have a discussion group every first Thursday of the month, open to everyone! Our first one is axed on what is feminism! Check out our facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158366514251295

We'll have delicious free food! It'll be on Oct 6th, at 6:30pm at Cafe Alt, on the U Ottawa campus. If you need help finding where Café Alt is, there will be arrows around the campus to direct you!

Also, for anyone interested in our radical cheerleading, we have a facebook group that we post our meetings (that are very sporadic) on! -- https://www.facebook.com/groups/140285949393969/ For folks who are not on facebook, send an email our way at ottawarebelles@gmail.com and we'll add you to our list!

Anddddd last but not least, if you want to have more updates regularly of what our group does, join our offical ottawa collective group at: https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=290083580483!

In solidarity,
xx
Joe (The tall loud girl the the megaphone at Take Back The Night!)

RebELLEs: A revolution within our movement | rabble.ca

2011-06-13T20:13:00.000-04:00

RebELLEs: A revolution within our movement | rabble.ca

Our revolution is now! Over 350 young feminists from across Canada and Quebec assembled at the University of Winnipeg over the 2011 May long weekend for the second Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering. This four-day, grassroots and participatory event was packed with action, dialogue, anger, tears, discussion, networking and a lot of laughter and celebrating as we tackled core issues that are at the heart of feminism today.

Entitled Notre Révolution Féministe, Our Revolution is Now, this second gathering built upon the foundation laid at the first pan-Canadian gathering held in Montréal in 2008. This gathering marked the beginning of theRebELLEs movement -- where young feminists gathered together to fight the rise of the right, defend women's rights and continue to improve the lives of girls and women in our home communities and worldwide.

Using a collective process, participants created and adopted the RebELLEs Manifesto, the political basis of unity for our movement. Since the first gathering in Montréal, we have been mobilizing across Canada and Quebec, with RebELLEs groups holding creative actions in communities including Whitehorse, Ottawa, Saguenay, Montreal and many others. We have been marching, mobilizing, protesting and holding other political actions to make change in our communities.

The organizing process for the 2011 RebELLEs Gathering was decentralized, consensus-based and intentionally planned by and for young feminists. As the on-the-ground organizers, FemRev -- a grassroots feminist collective in Winnipeg -- worked to cultivate a non-hierarchical environment that would foster the learning and sharing of young feminists' knowledge, skills, analysis and strategies for action to make change in our home and wider communities.

A decentralized, pan-Canadian consultation process was developed in order to ensure the inclusion of voices and priorities of young feminists from all corners of the country. Throughout these pan-Canadian consultation meetings, RebELLEs identified five action areas which we felt were most relevant to the current feminist movement and most urgent to address in our current political climate. These action areas are violence against women, peace and demilitarization, anti-racism and decolonization, environmental justice and poverty as well as anti-capitalism. Throughout the gathering, workshops were facilitated with the goal of creating a set of resistance actions, alternatives and demands for each of these action areas, which would then be taken to the larger group and collectively adopted as one document to guide the RebELLEs movement's political actions.

The weekend held many formal and informal activities, workshops and events which gave space and voices to young feminists for developing and deepening our feminist analysis -- these included creative and thematic workshops, discussions within the five action areas, a community march and feast, identity group caucusing, interactive and participatory plenary sessions, panel presentations, a game of feminist jeopardy and a cabaret and dance party to celebrate our movement.

No matter the love, care and analysis that goes into planning an event of this scale, oppressions can and are often reproduced within activist communities. Some participants of the RebELLEs Gathering reported experiences of racism, homophobia and ableism, among others, within the weekend's activities. As disheartening as this is, it is also a reminder of how strong the oppressive patriarchal and racist ideologies are within our culture and even within our work. Though we have good intentions and values, our actions and interactions are still influenced by these negative forces and at times reproduce the same power imbalances that we are fighting against.

In a truly grassroots and participatory event, with feminists who hold a variety of backgrounds and experiences, these ingrained systems of oppression were revealed within our own movement. Upon discovering what was occurring within the smaller workshops, with an intense conversation and discussion, the organizing committee recognized the opportunity which was being introduced at this gathering for us to truly put our analysis and knowledge into action, and to bring light to the injustices which were occurring within our own community.

The organizing committee took the brave step of deciding to respond to the feedback they were given by the gathering's participants. Monday morning, originally scheduled to adopting the resistance, actions, alternatives and demands document, was altered and rescheduled to provide a space for the voices of those experiencing oppression within our movement to be heard and shared. After hearing from a number of groups, participants were invited to organize autonomously to discuss and explore how we, as young feminists, are building our movement -- what we should keep doing, and what needs to change.

Each group was invited after the consultations to share and speak their voices to all participants. It was difficult to hear how patterns of oppression were being modelled within our movement, but it was also a revolutionary step for RebELLEs to actively stop, respond and create space for all of our participants to listen and share with each other. Though we did not collectively edit and adopt our set of priorities for action, we did come out of the weekend with a much stronger sense of who we are, who we want to be and our commitment and priorities for how we will continue to work together as a pan-Canadian young feminist movement.

It has now been almost three weeks since the gathering took place. What now? Where do we go from here? Ending the gathering on a challenging note, after a weekend of little sleep and intense, important discussion, many of us are feeling frustrated, tired and not sure how to proceed. It is in these difficult moments that it is crucial to remember that we are constantly evolving; not only as individuals but also as a movement of young feminists.

We all hope for a movement where every woman feels safe and represented at all times, but as feminists we know that this is not always attainable. While we continue to strive for this, we also recognize the beauty inherent in this struggle; in the relationships and trust we form as young feminists trying to understand and unravel the complexities of oppression. We remember to proceed boldly but carefully, mindful of the limitations that exist in a non-funded, decentralized, volunteer-run grassroots movement.

While we remember that process is essential, we need to remember not to let process impede action. As imperfect as our movement may be, it is still important to take action on issues which we can all agree on. Action and process need to co-exist, and should happen simultaneously. RebELLEs will continue to speak out against the injustices we see, within ourselves and also within the oppressive structures around us. While we strive to live justly and struggle with our internal challenges, we will not lose our momentum for action. We will use these new fires, new friendships and new level of trust to propel us forward as agents of change. This growing process is a struggle, and it is also a joy, as we continue to fight against oppression of women everywhere.

Winnipeg Gathering: Coming Soon! ~ Rassemblement pancanadien des jeunes féministes: très bientôt!

2011-04-04T11:28:00.010-04:00

The time has come for …

the 2nd RebELLEs Pan-Canadian

Young Feminist Gathering !

May 20-23, 2011, Winnipeg Manitoba

We invite you to be part of the

RebELLEs feminist movement!

FEMINISTS, UNITE!

This is an invitation to all young women*, between 14 and 35 years of age with diverse political views and identities, from all regions, cultures and languages, with an interest in feminist issues and struggles.

Check out the

Gathering promotional video!

Find out all about the gathering here, including: Registration, travel subsidies, and ways to be involved in the conference.

Feel free to contact the Ottawa RebELLEs if you have any questions or if you'd like to come to the Gathering with us!

In Solidarity,

Ottawa RebELLEs

LeMouvement RebELLEs vous invite au

2e Rassemblement pancanadien des jeunes féministes

du 20 au 23 mai 2011 à Winnipeg, Manitoba

Nous vous invitons à vous joindre au Mouvement RebELLEs!!!

Féministes, unissons-nous !

Nous invitons toutes les jeunes femmes* de 14 à 35 ans intéressées aux enjeux et aux luttes féministes à participer au rassemblement. Quelles que soient vos origines culturelles, votre langue, vos opinions politiques et la façon dont vous vous définissez, vous êtes invitée à participer au 2e rassemblement pancanadien des jeunes féministes!

Visionnez le vidéo promotionnel pour le Rassemblement!

Tout ce que vous voulez savoir à propos du rassemblement ce trouve ici, incluant: Info d'inscription, subventions sur frais de déplacement et possibilités de vous impliquer dans la conférence.

N'hésitez pas à nous contacter si vous avez des questions ou si vous voulez vous joindre à nous pour aller au Rassemblement.

Solidairement,

Ottawa RebELLEs

*The Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering's women-only space will be open to all persons under the age of 35 who currently identify and/or live as women, which includes transwomen, intersex individuals who identify as women, as well as those who were born female who claim no particular gender identification, who are two-spirit or genderqueer.

*Le Rassemblement pancanadien des jeunes féministes est un espace non-mixte qui accueillera toutes les personnes âgées de 35 ans ou moins qui s’identifient et vivent en tant que femmes, incluant les personnes intersexes, transsexuelles et trans s'identifiant comme femmes, ainsi que les personnes qui, étant nées de sexe féminin, ne se réclament d’aucun genre, ou se disent bispirituelles ou genderqueer.

Buttonmaking + Activism = Wicked!

2011-04-04T10:14:00.015-04:00

Buttons!!! O_O

So after our pretty successful Meet’n Greet, that was held at Avant Garde Bar a couple weeks back we had our first activity/social function open to new interested parties. It was BUTTON MAKING!

If I sound a little bit too excited about it, IT'S because I am. I first volunteered to make RebELLEs Buttons for us to sell to fund raise for our little adventure to Winnipeg for the pan-Canadian conference. The first time around I made the buttons all wrong and It was kinda a sucky experince.I wasn’t a happy ReBELLE. After that I Encouraged our whole group (read: whined too much) to get involved and I can’t remember having a better Saturday afternoon. I was doing the button making all wrong. Crafting is about creating something new, wild and amazing.

Crafting has long been recognized (or so I’ve been told as I am not really the crafty type but more like the bull-in-the-china-shop type who isn’t really “allowed” around crafting) as a wonderful social activity. And it was, we sat around, creating beautiful deep/silly/sexual/political/thoughtful/radical/heart-felt/random buttons all the while (as we would say in Alberta) shooting the shyt feminist style (okay they don’t really say Feminist style all that often). You know..talking about life, the things that really matter to us and our world and what WE'RE gonna do to learn more, act out more and in general kick ass(es) as our manifesto lays out. (If you haven’t read IT you should check it!)**http://www.rebelles.org/en/manifesto

Which is exactly why I GOT so darn excited HAVING button making as an event for people interested in getting more involved in the rebELLEs.

Activism, feminism and politics are complicated to say the least but whatI like about all of them are the ideas, the beautiful people, the criticalreflection, a space to challenge yourself (on ideas, your own privilege)and arena to work together. Does button making do that? Well IT DOES when you have a room full of beautiful FEMINISTS, creative children,thought provoking magazines to tear down and build back up into buttons.

Lots of activist-y things and groups are about meeting and organizing(which is pretty important) but sometimes people just need to come together to make buttons and to shoot the shyt feminist style.

I had a really great time at this event getting to know people, felt some new crafty-satisfaction in creating counter-cultural radical art in the form of buttons. I hope others did too and will stick around to help the young feminist movement/ideas grow!

And last but not least the Ottawa rebELLES also want to thank the

University of Ottawa OPIRG for letting us use their space and buttonmaking machiney thingy.

-The Trish-Monster

IWD: a success! Quel succès!

2011-03-13T11:25:00.012-04:00

The Ottawa RebELLEs were involved in the organizing of 2 international women's day events in Ottawa last week. It gave us a great opportunity to network with like-minded organizations, recruit members for our upcoming events, and fundraise for our upcoming pan-Canadian young feminist gathering in Winnipeg.

Les évènements de la journée internationale de la femme nous ont donné l'occasion de tisser des liens avec d'autres organismes du même avis, recruter des gens pour nos prochains évènements, et lever des fonds pour le Rassemblement de jeunes féministes à Winnipeg.

Join us at our upcoming Meet and Greet on March 24th @ 7pm at Avant-Garde pub: 135 ½ Besserer St. (between Dalhousie and Waller, near the Rideau Centre)!

We'll be talking a little about what we do and let you know how you can become involved. but we'd also like to get to know you: feminists/activists/interested and fabulous people and find out what you think about our activities.

Joignez-nous à notre Rencontre le 24 mars@ 19 hrs au bar Avant-Garde. On discutera à propos de nos activités et comment vous pouvez vous impliquer. Mais on aimerais aussi mieux vous connaître et savoir qu'est ce que vous en pensez de nos activités!

International Women’s Day! la journée internationale de la femme!

2011-02-23T17:24:00.004-05:00

Join us to celebrate International Women’s Day!

Tuesday, March 8
7-10 pm (doors at 6pm)
National Archives

The evening includes:
★ Canada’s Next Top Feminist
★ The Femmys (the National Capital Region Feminist Awards)
★ A short (and hilarious) film
★ Presentations by youth art contest winners
★DJ CPI (thetastates.com)
★ Mingling, networking, and info on women’s organizations in the
Ottawa region
★ Nibbles and a cash bar
★ Fun!!

Event is FREE & bilingual, donations accepted.
Childcare available! Contact: svaw@amnesty.ca

This event is proudly brought to you by:
Ad Hoc Coalition for Women’s Equality and Human Rights • Amnesty
International Canada • Feminist Alliance for International Action
(FAFIA) • Inter Pares • Nobel Women's Initiative • OCTEVAW • Ottawa
RebELLEs • Oxfam Canada • PACT Ottawa • Planned Parenthood Ottawa •
Women's Event Network Ottawa • Women's Worlds 2011

Spread the word!

· RSVP to the Facebook event “I MIGHT Be a Feminist But . . . “
and invite your own networks:http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?
eid=128195750581243

· Forward this e-invite to your friends, family, and co-workers

· Display the poster in your community, school, or workplace

For other International Women's Day celebrations and events happening
in the National Capital Region, go to:www.octevaw-cocvff.ca ("events")

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nous vous invitons à célébrer la
journée internationale de la femme

Le mardi, 8 mars 2010

19:00h-22:00h (portes ouvertes à 18:00h)
Archives nationales (395, rue Wellington)

La soirée comprendra:
★Top féministe canadienne
★ Les Femmys (remise de prix pour distinctions féministes de la région
de la capitale nationale)
★ Un court-métrage rigolo
★ Des presentations par les gagnants d’un concours de création
jeunesse
★DJ CPI (thetastates.com)
★ Opportunités de recontrer des gens divers et de recevoir de l’info à
propos d’organisations de femmes dans la région d’Ottawa
★ Grignotines et bar payant
★ Amusement!!

Regardez l’affiche ici<http://www.amnesty.ca/files/IWD%20Ottawa
%202011%20French%20Poster.pdf>!
C’est un événement GRATUIT et bilingue. Les dons sont bienvenus.
Une garderie est disponible! Veuillez contacter: svaw@amnesty.ca

Cet événement à été fièrement commandité par :
Ad Hoc Coalition for Women’s Equality and Human Rights • Amnesty
International Canada • Feminist Alliance for International Action
(FAFIA) • Inter Pares • Nobel Women's Initiative • OCTEVAW • Ottawa
RebELLEs • Oxfam Canada • PACT Ottawa • Planned Parenthood Ottawa •
Women's Event Network Ottawa • Women's Worlds 2011

Propagez la nouvelle!
· R.S.V.P. à l’événement Facebook : « Je suis peut-être une
féministe, mais…» et invitez vos propres réseaux sociaux au :http://
www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=128195750581243
· Transférez cette invitation par courriel à vos ami(e)s,
membres de famille, et collègues de travail.
· Exhibez l’affiche dans vos communautés, campus, ou lieux de
travail.

Pour les autres événements de la journée internationale de la femme
passent dans la région d'Ottawa, allez à:www.octevaw-cocvff.ca ("events")

Ottawa RebELLEs Newsletter / Infolettre

2011-02-03T16:26:00.003-05:00

Hi wonderful feminists,

Here is some information on upcoming International Women's Day events and our upcoming RebELLEs panCanadian gathering in Winnipeg in May. You'll also have some opportunities to contribute to the events, so read on!

In Solidarity,

Milena

Ottawa RebELLES

Bonjour féministes!

Voici de l'info concernant des évènements pour la Journée intérnationale des femmes (JIF) et notre prochain Rassemblement canadien des rebELLEs à Winnipeg en mai. Vous auriez des opportunités à vous impliquer!

Solidairement,

Milena

RebELLEs d'Ottawa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. International Women's Day Event 1: I Might Be a Feminist, But... // 1er évènement journée intérnationale des femmes: Je suis peut-être féministe, mais...

Mardi/Tuesday, 8 Mars/March 8 · 6:00pm - 10:00, National Archives Canada, 395 Wellington

GET INVOLVED // IMPLIQUEZ-VOUS

1a-Nominate a feminist friend for the Femmy's before the 18th of February/ Présentez des candidatures pour les prix annuels des Femmy's avant le 18 février

1b-Enter the Art Contest before the 15th of February/ Concours de création pour la Journée intérnationale des femmes avant le 15 février

1c-Be part of a short feminist film! / Faites partie d'un court film féministe!

*When: *February 15th, any time between 10am -4pm
*Where: *151 Slater Street, Suite 704 [offices of the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action]
*What: *We are making a short film about feminism, that will be shown at
the March 8th, 2011, “I might be a feminist, but...” event in Ottawa.
This year we’ll be filming your feet – so wear your best shoes—we’re going
to ask them how they feel about the recent debate on second wave vs. third
wave feminism.

1d-Volunteer at the event! contact milena.jlf.gioia@gmail.com // Devenez Bénévole! contactez milena.jlf.gioia@gmail.com

2. International Women's Day Event 2: Women's Event Network Presents: 100th Anniversary Celebration of International Women's Day

Sunday March 6, 12noon - 4pm; Bronson Center Mac Hall

featuring:

-Celebrating 100 years of IWD; 1911-2011: How much has changed?

-Women's Marketplace

GET INVOLVED // IMPLIQUEZ-VOUS

2a-Volunteer at the event! contact communityevents@wiseottawa.ca // Devenez Bénévole! contactez communityevents@wiseottawa.ca

2b- Send your nomination for the 'everyday woman' who inspires you by February 22 // Présentez des candidatures pour une femme 'de tous les jours' qui vous inspire avant le 22 février

2c- Have something to sell, trade, or give away? Dig up those things that you don't use anymore and make them available to someone who needs them. Or bring your crafts or baked goods to sell.

3. The time has come for …

the 2nd RebELLEs Pan-Canadian

Young Feminist Gathering !

May 20-23, 2011, Winnipeg Manitoba

We invite you to be part of the

RebELLEs feminist movement!

FEMINISTS, UNITE!

This is an invitation to all young women, between 14 and 35 years of age with diverse political views and identities, from all regions, cultures and languages, with an interest in feminist issues and struggles.

Discounts on travel to the gathering (WestJet) and affordable lodging are available.

GET INVOLVED
3a- To raise money for this event, we’ll meet Wednesday Feb.9 @ 6 @ the Earl of Sussex (St.Patrick) to discuss the design of the shirts and buttons we'll sell at the IWD events.

Check out this site: for tshirt inspiration:

3b- we're also planning an inter-generational feminist dinner fundraiser, to come in april. We could use your help!

Le
Mouvement RebELLEs vous invite au

2e Rassemblement pancanadien des jeunes féministes

du 20 au 23 mai 2011 à Winnipeg, Manitoba

Nous

vous invitons à vous joindre au

Mouvement RebELLEs!!!

Féministes,

unissons-nous !

Nous invitons toutes les jeunes femmes de 14 à 35 ans intéressées

aux enjeux et aux luttes féministes à participer au

rassemblement. Quelles que soient vos origines culturelles, votre

langue, vos opinions politiques et la façon dont vous vous

définissez, vous êtes invitée à participer

au 2e rassemblement pancanadien des jeunes féministes!

Rabais pour le transport vers le rassemblement (westjet, viarail) et hébergement pas cher, disponibles ici .

IMPLIQUEZ-VOUS

3a- Pour collecter des fonds pour le rassemblement, on va se réunir le mercredi 9 février à 18h au Earl of Sussex (St.Patrick) pour discuter à propos du design des tshirts et boutons qu'on va vendre aux évènements JIF.
Pour des idées de tshirt visitez ce site.

3b- On planifie aussi un souper-causerie féministe inter-générationnel en avril. Aidez-nous!

RebELLEs: Notre Révolution Féministe, Our Revolution is Now

2011-02-03T12:49:00.002-05:00

2nd RebELLEs Gathering!

The time has come for …
the 2nd RebELLEs Pan-Canadian
Young Feminist Gathering!

May 20-23, 2011, Winnipeg Manitoba

We invite you to be part of the
RebELLEs feminist movement!

FEMINISTS, UNITE!

You are invited to participate in the
2nd Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering

The 1st gathering, “Toujours RebELLEs, Waves of Resistance” hosted over 500 young feminists in Montréal in October of 2008. For three days, young feminists gathered to share experiences, stories and analysis. We engaged in creative resistance actions in the streets, learned from and with one another, shared our feminist talents, and danced up a storm. We returned to our regions with a strong foundation for a young feminist movement in place, one that RebELLEs all across the country have been building upon for the past two years.

This is a call to all young women, activists, students, workers, un(der)employed women, artists, researchers, mothers, feminists of all tendencies and of all types, and of course emerging feminists, to get involved!

For more information:

Ottawa RebELLEs

OttawaRebelles@gmail.com

2011 Organization Committee based in Winnipeg:

rebelles@femrev.org

Pan-Canadian Secretariat based in Montreal:

info@rebelles.org

In May of 2011, head to Winnipeg to:

* Learn about feminism and what it means to other young women

* Share your reflections and analysis of different issues that affect us as young women from diverse backgrounds

* Learn about and discuss our priorities for action as young feminists

* Share our struggles and discuss strategies to resist and combat patriarchy and other forms of oppression

* Create solidarity and reinforce the RebELLEs young feminist movement in Canada

*Celebrate our struggles and solidarity… Who said feminists don’t know how to party!?

Nominations Open for an NCR Femmy

2011-02-01T08:23:00.006-05:00

“I Might Be A Feminist, But…” invites your nomination submissions for the "Femmy” Awards for Outstanding Feminist Achievement in the National Capital Region. Send to femmyawards@gmail.com no later than February 18th, 2011.

«Je suis peut-être une féministe, mais...» vous invite à présenter des candidatures pour le prix annuels «Femmys», pour les réalisations exceptionnelles de féministes de la région de la capitale nationale. Nous le faire parvenir par courriel à femmyawards@gmail.com au plus tard le 18 février 2011.

Thank you! Merci!

____________________

I Might Be A Feminist, But…
Invites your nomination submissions for the
"Femmy” Awards for Outstanding Feminist Achievement in the National Capital Region
To nominate a woman for this award, please see criteria and form below.

CRITERIA FOR THE FEMMY AWARDS

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.
In order to be considered for the award, a nominee must:

Identify as a woman
Identify as a feminist

(We realize that some wonderful women and equality activists do not identify as feminists. However, we maintain the "F-word" has a proud history and we'd like to keep using the word "feminism" to describe the struggle for women's equality for now.)

Be located in the National Capital Region

(We'd love to honour women located elsewhere, but it is just not possible for us logistically. So we challenge other groups celebrating International Women's Day to host their own Femmy Awards and honour their own feminists across the country! For any inquiries or assistance with this, please feel free to contact us.)

Have made significant contributions to the struggle for women's equality

(We welcome your detailed ideas about what these contributions might be on the nomination form.)

NOMINATION FORM FOR A FEMMY

Please cut and paste the following and fill in the blanks as directed in your email. Send to femmyawards@gmail.com no later than February 18th, 2011.

I, ________, hereby nominate ________ of (organization, if applicable) for a Femmy Award. She has made a significant contribution to the struggle for women's equality as follows:
(Description - no longer than 1000 words)

Contact Information for Person Making the Nomination (email or mailing address, daytime phone number):
_________________________________________

Contact Information for Nominee (we will notify your nominee that she has been nominated):
______________________________________________

Je suis peut-être une féministe, mais...
Vous invite à présenter des candidatures pour

le prix annuels «Femmys», pour les réalisations exceptionnelles de féministes de la région de la capitale nationale
Vous trouverez ci-dessous les critères de sélection et le formulaire de mise en candidature pour présenter une candidate.

CRITÈRES DE SÉLECTION POUR LES FEMMYS

Ce prix a pour objet de reconnaître des femmes de la région de la capitale nationale qui ont contribué de manière exceptionnelle à la lutte des femmes pour l'égalité. Pour être admissible à un Femmy, une candidate doit:

S'identifier comme femme
S'identifier comme féministe

(Nous savons que des femmes et des militantes pour l'égalité extraordinaires ne se définissent pas comme féministes. Nous maintenons cependant que le «mot en F» a de quoi être fier de ses antécédents et pour l'instant, nous souhaitons continuer à décrire les luttes des femmes pour l'égalité en utilisant le mot «féminisme».)

Être active dans la région de la capitale nationale

(Nous serions ravies d'honorer des femmes qui militent dans d'autres régions, mais des difficultés logistiques nous en empêchent. Nous lançons donc à d'autres groupes qui célèbrent la Journée internationale des femmes le défi de tenir leur propre remise de prix et d'honorer leurs propres féministes dans tout le pays! Pour toute question ou demande d'aide, n'hésitez surtout pas à nous contacter.)

Avoir contribué de manière significative à la lutte des femmes pour l'égalité

(Faites-nous parvenir vos suggestions sur le formulaire de mise en candidature quant aux formes possibles de contribution.)

FORMULAIRE DE MISE EN CANDIDATURE POUR UN FEMMY

Veuillez copier, coller et compléter le formulaire. Nous le faire parvenir par courriel à femmyawards@gmail.com au plus tard le 18 février 2011.

Je, __________________________, présente la candidature de _________________________ de (organisation, le cas échéant) pour un prix Femmy. Cette femme a contribué de manière significative à la lutte des femmes pour l'égalité en:
(Description des réalisations - maximum de 1000 mots)

Coordonnées de la personne qui soumet une nomination (courriel ou adresse postale ainsi qu'un numéro de téléphone ou nous pouvons vous rejoindre le jour) :
___________________________________________________

Coordonnées de la personne nominée (nous allons communiquer avec la personne en nomination) ____________________________________________

Sharon McIvor will file complaint against Canada at the United Nations

2011-01-28T09:39:00.006-05:00

From FAFIA (Feminist Alliance for International Action) via AWID (Association for Women's Rights in Development):

"Canadian Aboriginal woman lawyer, leader and advocate, Sharon McIvor announced today [December 22, 2010] that she will file a complaint against Canada at the United Nations. 'Canada continues to discriminate against Aboriginal women and their descendants in the determination of eligibility for registration as an Indian. Versions of the Indian Act, going back to the
19th century, have given preference to male Indians as transmitters of status, and to descendants of male Indians. Despite amendments made to the Indian Act when the Charter came into effect in 1985, Aboriginal women are still not treated equally as transmitters of status, and many thousands of descendants of Aboriginal women are denied status as a result.'

McIvor said: “I contested this discrimination under the Charter. It took twenty years in Canadian courts, and I achieved only partial success. Now I will seek full justice for Aboriginal women under international human rights law. Canada needs to be held to account for its intransigence in refusing to completely eliminate sex discrimination from the Indian Act and for decades of delay.”

In 1994, Sharon McIvor brought a constitutional challenge to the sex discrimination in the registration provisions of the Indian Act. The B.C. Supreme Court ruled that section 6 of the Indian Act violated s. 15 of the Charter. However, when Canada appealed, the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled that although the Indian Act was discriminatory, the bulk of the discrimination
was justified because the Government’s purpose was to preserve the existing rights of the Aboriginal men and their descendants who had been given preferred status.

Parliament is now poised to pass a new amendment to the Indian Act, Bill C-3, in response to the Court of Appeal decision. But Bill C-3, if passed, will provide only a partial and inadequate solution to the sex discrimination. Bill C-3 will make some female line descendants newly
eligible for status, but they will still have a lesser ability to transmit status than their male line counterparts. In addition, Bill C-3 will still exclude many descendants of Indian women who were unmarried. As long as these Aboriginal women and their descendants continue to be ineligible for registration as Indians, sex discrimination will remain an entrenched characteristic of the Indian Act.

McIvor said: “Because neither Canadian courts nor Parliament have yet granted an adequate and effective remedy for the sex discrimination which has been a hallmark of the Indian Act for more than a hundred years, I will take my case to the United Nations Human Rights Committee.”

“Many people in Canada, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, recognize that this long-standing discrimination against Aboriginal women and their descendants is wrong and should end. Before me, Mary Two-Axe Early, Jeanette Corbière Lavell, Yvonne Bedard, and Sandra Lovelace all fought to end sex discrimination against Aboriginal women in the status registration provisions in the Indian Act. I will continue, with the same determination they had, until Aboriginal women enjoy equality,” said McIvor."

-End-

Sources:
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/November2010/12/c3673.html

http://www.fafia-afai.org/en/news/2010/sharon-mcivor-takes-her-fight-united-nations

-----

Sharon McIvor has devoted her life to improving the conditions of Aboriginal women, and all women in Canada. Sharon is a member of the Lower Nicola Band in British Columbia , a practicing lawyer, and a Professor of Aboriginal Law at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. She has spent over two decades fighting to end sex discrimination under the status provisions of the Indian Act. At the same time she has been tireless in her work to end violence against Aboriginal women.

Reclaiming our Bodies: Painting in Resistance *** Réclamer nos corps: peinture en résistance

2010-11-24T14:35:00.011-05:00

(English follows)

Dans le cadre des 16 jours d'activisme contre la violence faite aux femmes, les RebELLEs d’Ottawa organisent un événement de collecte de fonds de peinture sur corps. L’événement aura lieu le dimanche 5 decembre 2010, de 19h00-21h00 à Venus Envy (320 rue Lisgar) et les billets peuvent être achetés à la porte au coût de $3 (ou payez ce que vous pouvez).

Il s'agit d'un événement de peinture sur corps pour célébrer et réclamer nos corps contre la violence sexuelle. Notre vision est une de contraste et de résistance à la violence –physique et autrement— perpétué contre les femmes et les personnes qui rejettent la bipolarité du genre. Nous cherchons également à célébrer nos corps à travers la peinture et la photographie dans un espace positif.

Vous pouvez aussi choisir d’avoir votre corps photographié par les photographes professionnels au coût de $5. La peinture sera fournie pour la peinture corporelle et la peinture d'affiches. Comme divertissement, il y aura musique et paroles par Michelle Blackburn.

Vos bobettes sont obligatoires - mais tous les autres vêtements sont optionnels.

Les fonds collectés à partir de l'événement (à la porte et par les photos) seront remis à Coalition for a Carleton Sexual Assault Centre (Coalition pour un Centre d'agression sexuelle à Carleton). Venus Envy se trouve à 2 blocs sud du Transitway vous pouvez vous y rendre par autobus (numéros 1,4 et 7). Venus Envy est accessible par une rampe, mais ne dispose pas de salles de bains accessibles.

Tous sont les bienvenus ! Nous espérons que vous allez nous rejoindre pour nous aider à «réclamer nos corps » et pour peinturer notre résistance contre la violence sexiste.

En toute solidarité,
RebELLEs d'Ottawa

**********************************

“Reclaiming our Bodies: Painting in Resistance”
As part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, the Ottawa RebELLEs are hosting a fundraising body- painting event Sunday, 5 December 2010, 7:00-9:00pm at Venus Envy (320 Lisgar St.) $3 at the door or pay what you can.
This is a body painting event to celebrate and reclaim our bodies from sexual violence. Our vision is to contrast and resist the violence- physical and otherwise- perpetuated on womyn’s bodies and bodies that reject gender binaries. Our vision is also to celebrate our bodies through paint and photography in a body-positive and sex-positive space.
You can also have your body photographed by professional photographers for $5.

Painting supplies for body painting and poster painting will be provided. Music and spoken word by Michelle Blackburn will entertain us.

Party panties are mandatory – but all other clothes are optional

The funds collected from the event for the door and photos will be donated to the Coalition for a Carleton Sexual Assault Centre.

You can get to Venus Envy by bus 1,4,7 and is 4 blocks south of the transitway. Venus Envy is accessible by ramp but does not have accessible bathrooms.

All are welcome and we hope you'll come out to help us "Reclaim our bodies" and paint our resistance against gender violence.

In Solidarity,
Ottawa RebELLEs

Women and Retirement

2010-11-23T10:46:00.003-05:00

A financial wake-up call for women

"What financial experts and academics told me over and over again was that women aren’t being socialized properly about money... investing for retirement doesn’t begin to be a priority until it is forced. In other words, many women don’t pay attention to investing until they divorce or their spouse dies. Only then do they begin putting together a financial plan."

Obviously, this article is a financial piece and lacks any feminist analysis, but it peaked my interest and I thought I'd share it. Any feminist perspectives on why there would be such a divide between men and women in planning for retirement?

16 days against Gender violence Campaign, November 25 - December 10

2010-11-11T13:26:00.012-05:00

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence falls between the dates November 25- International Day Against Violence Against Women- and December 10- International Human Rights Day- in order to symbolically link violence against women and human rights and to emphasize that such violence is a violation of human rights. This 16-day period also highlights other significant dates including November 29, International Women Human Rights Defenders Day, December 1, World AIDS Day, and December 6, which marks the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre.The 16 Days Campaign has been used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women.

This year in Ottawa, many local organizations will be holding events during the 16 days to raise awareness on gender-based violence. These community actors will come together on November 24th at the Amnesty office to share their events and vision for this campaign. More info on the event can be found on the poster below.
The Ottawa RebELLEs are definitely planning an exciting event for the 16days, in final stages of planning.

We'll keep you posted!!

For more info on the 16 days campaign:
Center for Women's Global Leadership

pour une version FRANÇAISE, cliquez ici.

Indigenous Sovereignty Week Oct 27 - Nov 4, 2010 - Ottawa / unceded Algonquin Territory

2010-10-27T12:25:00.005-04:00

Here is information on Indigenous Sovereignty Week taking place on land we call Ottawa, forwarded by Indigenous Peoples' Solidarity Movement of Ottawa (IPSMO).

Hope to see you at some of the events!

This is the 2nd annual Indigenous Sovereignty Week, a pan-Canadian event intended to solidify the commitment of our communities with Indigenous Peoples. We will hold a number of events in Ottawa on unsurrendered Algonquin territory, as a first step in enriching our reciprocal relationships, localizing our struggles, and a continuance of the journey in deepening understanding, addressing issues and strategizing next steps.

Please come join us and explore ways in working together to resolve our colonial history and work for a feasible world for our future generations.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:

Wednesday Oct 27, 7:00pm

Film - Schooling the World: The White Man's Last Burden

at PSAC building

JK Wylie boardoom, 233 Gilmour

Friday Oct 29, 7:00pm

Seeking Justice: A National Call for an Public Enquiry for the Murdered

and Missing Women

featuring speakers:

* Sharon McIvor, successful challenger of sex discrimination in the Indian Act

* Laurie Odjick, mother of Maisy Odjick (missing since Sept 2008)

* Yasmin Jiwani, Concordia University

at Lamoureux Hall room 122, University of Ottawa

Saturday Oct 30, 9:00am-5:30pm

Indigenous Sovereignty Symposium

featuring: Clement Chartier, Clayton Thomas-Muller, Marcelo Saavedra-Vargas, Ben Powless, representatives from the Algonquins of

Barriere Lake, Native Youth Sexual Health Network, National Association of Friendship Centres, and more.

* opening and closing ceremonies

* plenaries: Climate Justice, Defending the Land

* concurrent sessions: Indigenous Peoples Space, Working as an Ally,

Indigenous Sovereignty in an Urban Context, Reclaiming Indigenous Youth

Self-Determination, Land Conservation and Indigenous Sovereignty . at

Lamoureux Hall (1st floor), University of Ottawa

Tuesday Nov 2, 5:00pm

Undermining Indigenous Rights: Conflicts with Mining Companies in Canada and Guatemala with Ramsey Hart of MiningWatch . venue to be confirmed (on campus of Carleton University)

Wednesday Nov 3, 11:30am-2:00pm

The Oka Crisis - 20 Years Later: Is Reconciliation Possible?

featuring speakers: (note this is a bilingual event)

* Ellen Gabriel, Présidente, Femmes autochtones du Québec

* Francine Lemay, Traductrice agréée, "À l'orée des bois" | "At the Wood's Edge"

* Pierre Trudel, Chercheur, Peuples autochtones et gouvernance, CRDP Université de Montréal\CEGEP Vieux-Montréal

* Jessica Yee, Chair, National Aboriginal Youth Council, Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network

at Desmarais Building room 3120, University of Ottawa

Thursday Nov 4, 7:00pm

Film - A Windigo Tale Ottawa premiere,

with director Armand Garnet Ruffo in attendance . at National Library and Archives auditorium,

395 Wellington St

Contact: ipsmo@riseup.net, 613-656-5498, www.bit.ly/iswottawa

See bottom of this page for list of ISW organizing partners and sponsors.

Also, please help us promote ISW in Ottawa:

- Print off and hand out flyers (1/4pg, doublesided)

- Print off and display: colour poster ~ b&w poster (yellow prints white)

- Send the ISW press release to media

- Share the link www.bit.ly/iswottawa with your friends/networks (or use this callout to send an email)

~~~~To be kept up-to-date as details are finalized (and to receive future

messages), please join the IndigSol email announcement list, the IPSMO

facebook page, and/or the IPSMO facebook group.

For more info on ISW 2010 (nationally), please see this call from

Defenders of the Land, the cross-Canada network of Indigenous activists

who initiated ISW. (Note that in Ottawa, we are holding our ISW earlier

than the official dates of late November).

For more info on the issues, please see the Defenders of the Land website,

www.DefendersOfTheLand.org . also please see our RESOURCE LIST of books,

films, articles, websites and more Click here to see the lineup of LAST

YEAR's inaugural ISW in Ottawa.

And click here to go to IPSMO's VIDEO ARCHIVES page, with footage from

some of last year's ISW events as well as other videos.

~~~~

Organized by: Defenders of the Land; Indigenous Environmental Network;

Indigenous Peoples Solidarity Movement Ottawa (IPSMO); Bolivia Action

Solidarity Network; MiningWatch; Project of Heart; Public Service Alliance

of Canada

Sponsors: Canadian Union of Public Employees; Public Service Alliance of

Canada; Canadian Union of Postal Workers; OPIRG/GRIPO-Ottawa; PSAC NCR

Aboriginal Action Circle; PSAC National Women's Department; CUPE Local

4600 (at Carleton University); Carleton University Graduate Students

Association; PROMdemonium Fund; Canada Council for the Arts

Pro-Choice Call to Action

2010-10-20T09:41:00.007-04:00

Dear Pro-choice Supporters,

Please send a letter to your MP asking them to vote against the private member's bill C-510, "an act to amend the Criminal Code (coerced abortion)." The bill was introduced in April and is scheduled for 2nd Reading vote on Nov 1.

Please check out the following link to some media coverage:
"Abortion vote inevitable, MP says"
For more info on the bill, see the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada's press release in:

English, and
Français

How you can help defend women's rights?

Below is a sample letter that you can copy and paste into an email or a letter. Feel free to edit the letter or write your own. Address your email to your MP.

Look up your MP HERE.
________________________________
Sample Letter/Email:

Subject: Please vote against Bill C-510

Dear [insert your MP's name]

I'm writing to ask you to please vote against Bill C-510, an act to prohibit "coerced abortion", which is slated for a 2nd reading vote in Parliament on Nov 1.

Bill C510 is a private member's bill that would amend the Criminal Code to prohibit coercing a woman into an abortion via physical or financial threats, illegal acts, or through “argumentative and rancorous badgering or importunity”. It was introduced on April 15 by anti-abortion Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge (Winnipeg South), who chairs the Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus.

I'm pro-choice and part of Canada's pro-choice majority. I believe this is an unnecessary bill that promotes abortion stigma, paternalizes women, and puts providers at risk. The bill is redundant because threats and illegal acts are already illegal under the Criminal Code, and counselors at clinics already screen for possible coercion in women seeking abortion. However, the anti-choice movement falsely believes that clinics coerce women into abortions, so we fear this bill may encourage frivolous charges against providers, as well as harassment and violence. The bill patronizes women by implying they are frequently coerced into abortion, but the vast majority of women make their own decision to have an abortion and take responsibility for it. If the intent is really to protect women from abusive partners, we need better and more comprehensive solutions than this bill.

The bill is supported and promoted by Canada's anti-abortion movement. It represents their latest attempt to get a foot in the door towards recriminalizing abortion. The bill refers to a fetus as a “child,” making it another Trojan Horse for smuggling fetal rights into law. As you may recall, the "Unborn Victims of Crime Act" from 2008 (Bill C484) passed 2nd reading
because its deceptive language fooled a number of pro-choice MPs.

Thank you in advance for voting against Bill C510.

Sincerely,

Inspiring and brilliant action from la Marche Mondiale des Femmes du Québec!!

2010-10-16T13:44:00.012-04:00

Way to go la marche mondiale des femmes!! Bringing back Guerrila style activism to feminism...absolutely brilliant.
Yesterday, 11 feminist activists occupied the office of the Minister of the Status of Women of Québec.

On est très inspiré de voir des actions si concrètes et provocatrices pour avancer la lutte féministe.

Hier, 11 militantes ont occupé le bureau de la Ministre de la Condition féminine à Montréal.

La version complète de l'article suit, incluant des liens médiatiques.

See full article below Including media coverage links (unfortunately the articles in English are very superficial). English follows.

Des FÉMINISTES OCCUPENT LE BUREAU DE LA MINISTRE - Action historique de la Marche mondiale des femmes au Québec

par Feminists Rebelles, 15 octobre 2010, à 18:14

(SVP, diffuser largement dans vos réseaux. Merci.)

ACTION HISTORIQUE de la Marche mondiale des femmes au Québec hier

11 militantes occupent le bureau de la Ministre de la Condition féminine à Montréal

Photo : Annik MH De Carufel - Le Devoir

11 militantes de la Marche mondiale des femmes (MMF) ont occupé hier le bureau de la ministre de la Condition féminine du Québec durant plus de 8 heures, exigeant des réponses positives aux 8 revendications de la MMF 2010. Parmis elles, trois RebELLEs ont occupé le bureau. Neuf d'entre-elles - dont deux RebELLEs - ont été arrêtées, font maintenant face à des accusations et sont criminalisées pour avoir lutté contre la pauvreté, la violence et les politiques racistes, patriarcales et capitalistes du gouvenement provincial de droite, le gouvenement Charest.

SVP, exprimez votre solidarité avec les actions de la MMF 2010 et les arrêtées en écrivant directement aux organisatrices à apierre@ffq.qc.ca, c.c. info@rebelles.org. MERCI!

Vous pouvez consulter les revendications de la MMF 2010, lire les réponses de la ministre et suivre la couverture médiatique de l'événement en cliquant sur les liens suivants (ci-bas). Voici un court vidéo capté par les militantes durant leur occupation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQWD6R1Mtz8

LUTTONS POUR GAGNER!

Luttons avec autant de coeur que de rage!!

Féministes, VIVA!

Barbara Legault, l'une des 11 occupantes

Coordonnatrice du Secrétariat pancanadien du Mouvement RebELLEs

info@rebelles.org

Sarah.k Granke, l'une des 11 occupantes

Membre du Comité organisateur du rassemblement RebELLEs 2011 à Winnipeg (20-23 mai)

rebelles@femrev.org

Photo: Barbara Legault

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Marche mondiale des femmes au Québec - Toute l'information

La faible réponse de la ministre aux revendications de la MMF

Une partie de la couverture médiatique et autres liens

Photo: Sarah.k

Photo: Barbara Legault

Photo: Simon T-P

FEMINISTS OCCUPY MINISTER'S OFFICE - Historical action of the World March of Women (WMW) in Quebec yesterday
par Feminists Rebelles, 15 octobre 2010, à 18:10
(Please, distribute widely. Thanks)
STRONG and HISTORICAL action of the World March of Women (WMW) in Quebec yesterday
11 Womyn occupied the office of the Minister of the Status of Women

Photo : Annik MH De Carufel - Le Devoir
11 activists of the World March of Women (WMW) occupied the Montreal office of the Minister of the Status of women in Quebec for 8+ hours yesterday, demanding positive responses to the 8 demands of the WMW! Three RebELLEs were among the womyn occupying! Two of them were arrested and now face charges and are criminalized for fighting poverty, violence and the racist, patriarcal and capitalist policies of the provincial right-wing Charest governement!

Please, express solidarity with the WMW actions and the arrestees directly to the organizers at apierre@ffq.qc.ca c.c. info@rebelles.org

Check out the WMW 2010 demands, the Minister's response and media coverage of the occupation at these links (below and posted on our fb page). Here's a short video (in French) made by the womyn who occupied:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQWD6R1Mtz8

FIGHT TO WIN!
Fight with Love and Rage!
Féministes, VIVA!

Barbara Legault, one of the occupants
Coordinator of the Pancanadian Secretariat of the RebELLEs Movement
info@rebelles.org

Sarah.k Granke, one the occupants
Member of the Organizing Committee of the 2011 RebELLEs Gathering in Winnipeg (May 20-23)
rebelles@femrev.org

-----------------------------------------------------------------
World March of Women in Québec - All the info
www.ffq.qc.ca
www.ffq.qc.ca/nouvelles/archives/
The Minister's poor response to the WMW demands
http://communiques.gouv.qc.ca/gouvqc/communiques/GPQF/Octobre2010/15/c2801.html
http://www.communiques.gouv.qc.ca/gouvqc/communiques/GPQF/Octobre2010/14/c2522.html
Some Media Coverage and other links
http://montreal.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101015/mtl_women_101015/20101015/?hub=MontrealHome
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2010/10/15/women-occupy-minister-office.html
http://www.ledevoir.com/politique/quebec/298095/marche-mondiale-des-femmes-le-bureau-de-la-ministre-st-pierre-pris-d-assaut
http://videos.lcn.canoe.ca/video/en-vedette/les-dernieres-nouvelles/8805187001/occupation-du-bureau-de-christine-st-pierre-notre/636773704001
http://fr.video.canoe.tv/archive/category/actualites/occupation-du-bureau-de-christine-st-pierre-notre/636783703001
http://www.radio-canada.ca/nouvelles/societe/2010/10/14/001-femmes-longueuil-manif.shtml
http://ruefrontenac.com/nouvelles-generales/55-enjeux/28905-occupation-du-bureau-de-la-ministre-saint-pierre
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/quebec-canada/politique-quebecoise/201010/14/01-4332564-le-bureau-de-la-ministre-st-pierre-envahi-par-des-groupes-de-femmes.php
http://qc.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/101014/nationales/femmes_revendications
http://www.cmaq.net/fr/node/42655
http://www.jesuisfeministe.com/?p=2628
http://actualites.ca.msn.com/national/cp-article.aspx?cp-documentid=25950486
http://www.ffq.qc.ca/2010/10/occupation-du-bureau-de-la-ministre-st-pierre-a/
http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/October2010/14/c2677.html
http://cybersolidaires.typepad.com/r/2010/10/occupation-du-bureau-de-la-ministre-st-pierre-%C3%A0-montr%C3%A9al-par-la-marche-mondiale-des-femmes.html
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-soleil/actualites/societe/201010/13/01-4332197-marche-des-femmes-50-autobus-a-rimouski.php
http://www.tv5.org/cms/chaine-francophone/info/Les-dossiers-de-la-redaction/Marche-mondiale-des-femmes-RDC-octobre2010/p-13347-La-Marche-mondiale-des-femmes-en-RDC.htm
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/opinions/201010/14/01-4332535-la-ffq-ouverte-a-toutes-les-femmes.php
http://www.journalmetro.com/montreal1/article/660928--des-femmes-marchent-pour-leur-cause
http://www.cyberpresse.ca/la-voix-de-lest/opinions/courrier-des-lecteurs/201010/12/01-4331657-10-ans-de-marche-mondiale-des-femmes.php?utm_categorieinterne=trafficdrivers&utm_contenuinterne=cyberpresse_vous_suggere_4331993_article_POS1
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=437236326425

in light of Mental Health Day - Celebrating my Circumstance

2010-10-11T23:02:00.005-04:00

Greetings.

In light of Mental Health Day (October 10th) I thought I would share my personal story, being fantastically honest and getting mental ill-health out of the fringes of our society. I was conditioned to be ashamed of my circumstance, but have finally got the courage to share my story. Hopefully, this will help shatter preconceived notions of what is considered to be mental illness.

It took me a while, but I now consider my underlying bipolarity as a blessing. I’ve learned to be in touch with my body and mind and this has allowed me to strike a balance in my life. I’ve had the opportunity to understand the world in a completely different manner from how we are usually taught; a world that has no binaries and no need for divisions, and a world where everything is possible. I’ve been attempting to apply what I’ve learned from unsustainable frames of mind to my life here on earth.

During my first extreme manic episode, I felt liberated from all that held me back beforehand; I abandoned my shyness, lost my inhibitions, acted on my ambitions, changed my direction, and became my own person. Of course, the way this was all happening was not sustainable. While I was taking some positive directions, I was doing it to the detriment of my health and relationships with people I loved. Sleeping became unnecessary. Everything starting seeming very coincidental, and more and more, it seemed as though these coincidences revolved around me. From someone who was quite modest and shy, I was becoming extremely outspoken and confident. It seems that I completely skipped a happy balanced medium of a ‘just right’ sustainable confidence, and shot right through to considering myself as an invincible divine entity. I was not living on earth, and my close friends and family soon caught on.

It soon became very ugly. Nothing was ever enough. I had an unquenchable thirst to continue expanding, doing, and marching on uncharted territory. I did not consider myself to have any limits of strength or invincibility. And I also saw myself above any kind of moral or civil code. This made for quite a dangerous cocktail.

I knew they were taking me away. But part of me knew that it was necessary. Although I have quite a few issues with how psychiatric hospitals and wards are run, it was necessary for me to get away from all the sources of stimulation that I had immersed myself into. After I got back from the hospital, I hit rock bottom. I did not know who I was, what to do, or how I fit into my world.

Once I slowly started rebuilding myself, I realized I could let go of all the characteristics of myself that I did not want. I started believing that the possibilities were endless and took the time to explore what I wanted to work towards in my life. I decided that I would explore ways to be involved in causes of social justice. I became very interested in feminisms, specifically post-colonial feminism which sees gendered oppression as intimately linked with other kinds of oppression, linking feminism to other social justice struggles.

Part of my healing process was volunteering at the psychiatric hospital where I was hospitalized. Speaking with other patients and accompanying them through their healing process was both very difficult and therapeutic. After 5 years, I think I am now ready to promote awareness on mental health issues in my communities. A feminist approach of anti-oppression and intersectional identities will underlie my involvement with groups involved in such work. Publically writing about it is a first step.

Here is a poem that describes my journey thus far.

Circumstance…

5 years since the curse-blessing

5 years since my diagnosis

5 years of (in)sanity pills

5 years since « everything and nothing »

since « seeing everything »

since hearing everything

infinite receptiveness

infinite consciousness

since being completely invincible

since having the power to do anything

since not seeing the lines

since having a clear vision of my future and my happiness

since everything making sense

since constant coincidences that were a little too. . . coincidental

since seeing all the signs and becoming them too

since being in another dimension

a dimension with no rules

a place where I felt…was divine

a place that didn’t require sleep

a place that alienated me from everything that I knew

a place that eventually brought me to another

very different place

a place with no color, just white

a place that stripped away your identity

a place that stripped away your humanity

a place that labeled

a place that rendered you crazy

a place that stole your soul and promised to give it back

promised to give it back if you accepted
straight jackets, antipsychotics, sleeping pills,
lithium, supervised showers, and most nurses
and doctors treating you subhuman-ly

and then back ‘home’, back to ‘reality’

a place that I didn’t recognize

a person I didn’t know how to be

in a society whose rules I didn’t quite understand

feeling like nothingness, feeling colorless, feeling
empty of everything

going further and further into a bottomless pit of
existential questioning

and finding no answers

and no reasons to go on

but eventually

and veeeeeeeeeeeeeery slowly and non linear-ly

with the dear support and help of family and friends
therapy and yoga

building back my (an) identity

leaving behind characterisitics of myself that i did not want

working toward a self that I wanted to become

and now?

I don’t want to be medicated anymore

But i want to be balanced

I’m finding that balance

A place where i can tap into a sustainable confidence,
powerfulness,

A place where i can recognize my divinity

But also live here, on this earth, in this dimension

And take full advantage of my circumstance

Making Women Count-Tenir compte des Femmes

2010-10-05T15:03:00.002-04:00

The details about the upcoming women's issues debate that I posted yesterday have changed and are as follows.
Les détails que j'ai écrit hier à propos du débat des problèmes face aux femmes ont changé et sont comme suit.

20 octobre 2010 18h30-20h30

Council Chambers City Hall Ottawa-Salle du conseil hôtel de ville Ottawa

A mayoral debate on women's issues-Un débat des candidats à la mairie à propos des problèmes face aux femmes

This is a bilingual event with mayoral candidates of Ottawa. It is a moderated debate with a Q&A period. Ceci est un évènement bilingue avec les candidats à la mairie d'Ottawa, incluant un débat modéré est une session de questions et réponses.

Light refreshments will be served. Il y aura un léger goûter.

Everyone is welcome! Tout le monde est encouragé de venir!

Organized by grassroots women's advocates in partnership with...Organisé par des défendeurs et des défenseuses des droits des femmes de plusieurs organismes populaires de base en partenariat avec...

OPIRG-GRIPO U of O
Women's Resource Centre-Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO)
Canada Council on Social Development Conseil canadien de dévelopment social
Coalition for a Carleton Sexual Assault Centre

Please come to this very important event and have your opinion heard and question answered

En solidarité,
M-M

Sisters in Spirit Vigil

2010-10-04T07:59:00.004-04:00

I hope this finds everyone well. This is a friendly reminder that this afternoon starting at noon on Parliament Hill the Native Women's Association of Canada will be hosting a Sisters in Spirit Vigil and community feast. This is to commemorate the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Aboriginal girls and womyn across this country. It is also a call to action to bring forth this very important issue and to do our part on behalf of all peoples of this country to create accountability within our communities and especially within our government (at all levels).

In case you hadn't noticed, there is an upcoming municipal election here in this (insert chosen adjective) city of Ottawa. Womyn's issues don't often, if ever, make the discussion rounds mainly under the guise that it is a provincial or federal issues (there are of course many excuses made by local politicians). That is why this year a wonderful citizen of this city has decided to set up a debate. All candidates mayoral debate to be held on Monday Oct 18th from 6-9pm at the main auditorium of the Ottawa Public Library Main Branch. Come with your concerns, questions and constructive criticisms. The debate will be bilingual of course and all are welcome. Stay tuned for further details...

namaste...
M-M

We Took it Back

2010-10-01T16:31:00.001-04:00

Last thursday, many women from Ottawa and Gatineau got together to take a stand against violence against women and reclaim the night as a safe space for all. It was wonderful to see women from so many different backgrounds united together for the important cause.

After the March, Women's Organizations in Ottawa welcomed all those present to City Hall to give information on their services. The Women's Event Network did a wonderful job in coordinating the event and offering great food and entertainment for all! The Slam Poetry/Spoken Word Artists and Musician were very inspiring and captivating.

The Ottawa RebELLEs were happy to help organize the event and see so much enthusiasm from young women. We hope to collaborate with them in the near future.

Although the March was vibrant, many of us asked ourselves, why weren't more women of Ottawa present?

Take Back the Night -- Ottawa 2010 -- La Rue, La Nuit, Les Femmes sans Peur

2010-09-20T10:11:00.002-04:00

(english below)

Appel pour La Rue, La Nuit, Les Femmes sans Peur

Chaque année, les femmes d’Ottawa se rassemblent pour La rue, la nuit, les femmes sans peur, un effort collectif d’affirmer la sécurité des femmes dans les rues d’Ottawa et un appel à mettre fin à la violence faite aux femmes.

Cette année, plus que jamais, les services essentiels offerts aux femmes partout au pays sont menacés par un gouvernement conservateur qui tente, depuis plusieurs années, d'éroder certaines sections du mouvement des femmes. Cette année, le thème sera: La rue, la nuit, les femmes sans peur: Demandons nos droits.

Venez Marcher, Demandez vos Droits! Le Jeudi 23 Septembre 2010

Deux facons de participer:

1) Appel pour Marcher

2) Appel pour les Bénévoles

1) Venez Marcher, Demandez vos Droits!
La rue, la nuit, les femmes sans peur: Demandons nos droits.

Le Jeudi 23 Septembre 2010

17h30 Ralliement sur la Coline parlementaire (Monument des Cèlébres cinq)

18h15 Marche dans le Marché By

19h15 – 21h Foire D’information- Hotel de Ville (110 Laurier ouest)

UNE MARCHE POUR LES FEMMES ET LES ENFANTS

Vous êtes invitées à apporter des objets qui font du bruit (casseroles, sifflet, tam tam)

Un autobus adapté sera disponible!

Organisé par le Réseau d'événements pour les femmes

Pour plus d'information, appelez le 613.230.6700

ou écrivez à: communityevents@wiseottawa.ca

2) Bénévoles requis pour LA RUE, LA NUIT, LES FEMMES SANS PEUR 2010

Afin de garantir le succès de l'évènement, nous avons besoin de l'aide de bénévoles! Nous aurons besoin de soutien pour assister à installer le rallye, à patrouiller la marche, et à aider à monter / démonter la foire d'information.
Si vous être disponibles et que vous souhaitez aider le Réseau d'activités des femmes à organiser La rue, la nuit, les femmes sans peur, veuillez contacter Julia McDonald au 613 325 0500 ou par courriel à loquacious.julia@gmail.com

Histoire de l'evenement ci-dessous (desolé, elle est en anglais seulement)

____________________________________________________________

Call-Out for Take Back the Night

Every year, women in Ottawa come together to Take Back The Night, a collective effort to assert safety for women in the streets of Ottawa and a call to end violence against women.

This year more than ever, essential services offered to women across the country are threatened by a conservative government who has, for years, been attempting to erode sections of the women’s’ movement. This year’s theme will then be Take Back The Night: Demand Our Rights.

Come March with us to Take Back the Night and Demand our Rights, Thursday, Sept 23^rd, 2010

Two ways to participate:

1) Call for Participants

2) Call for Volunteers

1) Call for Participation

Come March with us to Take Back the Night and Demand our Rights

Thursday, Sept 23^rd, 2010

5:30 pm Rally at Parliament Hill (Famous Five Monument)

6:15 pm March through the Market

7:15 - 9:00 pm Info Fair- City Hall (110 Laurier West)

A MARCH FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN

Please bring Noise Makers (Pots and Pans, whistle, drum, horn, tambourine, etc)

Accessible bus on site!

Presented by the Women’s Events Network

For more information, or to volunteer, please call (613)230-6700 or email

communityevents@wiseottawa.ca.

More information about the herstory of Take Back the Night is below.

2) Volunteers Needed for TAKE BACK the NIGHT 2010

In order for this event to be a success, we need the help of Volunteers! Support will be needed for assisting in setting up the Rally, Marshalling the March and assisting in setting up/taking down the info fair.

If you are able and willing to support the Women’s Event Network in putting on Take Back the Night in any way possible, please contact Julia McDonald at 613 325 0500 or email loquacious.julia@gmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Herstory of Take Back

The Night Take Back The Night, a march to protest violence against women, began in Europe in the early 1970's. The United States began organizing their march in 1977 and a year later, three Canadian cities, Ottawa, Vancouver, and Halifax, held their first "Reclaim the Night" marches in which women took to the streets to reclaim their right to walk alone at night without fear of violence.

The Political Action Collective of the Ottawa Women's Centre organized the first "Take Back The Night" march in Ottawa. They did not advertise or officially take credit for the march. About 80 women marched simultaneously down Rideau Street and Bank Street before meeting up at Confederation Square. No permit was obtained, but the sheer force of these determined and brave women forced the police to provide an escort. A party followed in which everyone had a good time - celebrating the courage and spirit of women in the first year of this 33-year battle against violence against women.

Each year we still meet to hold a rally at a specific location, attend and info fair where we make available resources for women from the community, network and share our experiences. Of course, central to the whole night, is the march! Women marching together in solidarity - voicing our message to demand safety on our streets, in our communities, our workplaces, and in
our homes. Women should be able to live free from fear of violence! We're taking back our streets! And the night!

This year in particular, we are marching to also demand our rights. Years of cutbacks to essential services has led to the erosion of sections of the womyn's movement and womyn's basic rights. We demand for these cutbacks to end, the return of services we require and the provision of basic rights and freedoms to womyn from all communities!

Women gather to decry hospitals' lax standards for sexual assault staff

2010-07-15T13:06:00.018-04:00

Forget Shorter Showers

2010-07-15T09:55:00.017-04:00

"Part of the problem is that we’ve been victims of a campaign of systematic misdirection. Consumer culture and the capitalist mindset have taught us to substitute acts of personal consumption (or enlightenment) for organized political resistance."

Sexual Assault victim turned away from Ottawa Hospital

2010-07-09T12:30:00.001-04:00

"Last Sunday, police brought a woman to the emergency room of the Civic campus of The Ottawa Hospital, home to Ottawa’s only provincially-designated program for sexual assault cases.

It’s one of 35 centres across Ontario providing specialized care and counselling to victims in the aftermath of an assault, including the preparation of evidence kits for prosecutions. As detailed in a lengthy 2006 protocol with the police and community groups, the hospital’s Sexual Assault and Partner Abuse Care Program is to provide care “24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.”

That’s not what happened last Sunday.

None of the hospital’s sexual assault nurses were available on Sunday, says Mike Tierney, vice-president of clinical programs at The Ottawa Hospital.

The patient was given the option of going home and returning later for treatment, or seeking treatment at the hospital in Renfrew."

TWO SHORT VIDEOS: IF CSIS COMES KNOCKING

2010-06-09T08:45:00.003-04:00

Since the fall of 2009 there have been a series of visits by members of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS) to social justice organizers and activists in Montreal and other parts of Quebec. These visits are in addition to CSIS' ongoing harassment of targeted communities. In May, the People's Commission Network released a community advisory, "If CSIS Comes Knocking", in response to those visits.

The People's Commission Network has now produced two short videos re-creating CSIS visits to the homes of two Montrealers. The videos advocate a "Don't talk, Don't listen" approach of total and complete non-cooperation with CSIS.

Video: CSIS visit to Freda

Article: Two activists speak out about G8/G20 CSIS intimidation: Freda Guttman's story (Rabble.ca, 4 June 2010)

Video: CSIS visit to Abdulhadi

Article: Le SCRS s'active avant le passage de la flamme à Montréal (Le Devoir, 25 Nov. 09):

BACKGROUND

--> Read the People's Commission Community Advisory, "If CSIS Comes Knocking" in:

--> More background from People's Commission's CSIS Watch project.

TAKE ACTION

--> We encourage everyone to share these videos and advisory widely, in your networks and within your community. You can download a pamphlet version of the advisory, in pdf format.

--> We encourage community groups to ENDORSE the advisory as a way of building collective solidarity against CSIS harassment. An endorsement means your group agrees with the following statement: "We support and endorse the People's Commission Network's Community Advisory concerning the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS)." Please send your group endorsement to: abolissons@gmail.com.

--> The People's Commission Network also offers "know your rights" workshops specifically about CSIS. If your group or community is interested in hosting a workshop for your members, contact us at abolissons@gmail.com.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-

DEUX COURT-MÉTRAGES : QUAND LE SCRS FRAPPE À LA PORTE

Au cours des derniers mois, le Service canadien du renseignement de sécurité (SCRS) a effectué plusieurs visites chez des militants et militantes de la région. Ces visites s'ajoutent au harcelèment continu de communautés ciblées par le SCRS. Au mois de mai, le Réseau de la Commission populaire a émis un communiqué en réponse à ces visites.

Le Réseau de la Commission populaire a produit deux court-métrages qui mettent en scène des visites du SCRS chez un Montréalais et une Montréalaise. Les vidéos recommandent une attitude d'entière non-collaboration avec le SCRS.

** Visite du SCRS chez Freda

Lisez l'histoire de Freda (Rabble.ca, 4 juin 2010)

** Visite du SCRS chez Abdulhadi

Lisez l'histoire d'Abdulhadi (Le Devoir, 25 nov. 2009)

CONTEXTE

--> Lire le communiqué du Réseau de la Commission populaire, « Quand le SCRS frappe à la porte »

--> Plus d'information concernant le projet de Surveillance du SCRS de la Commission populaire.

PASSEZ À L'ACTION

--> Nous vous invitons à diffuser largement ce communiqué dans vos réseaux et dans votre communauté. Vous pouvez télécharger un dépliant de ce communiqué en version PDF.

--> Nous invitons les groupes communautaires à APPUYER le communiqué comme moyen de développer une solidarité collective face au harcèlement du SCRS. Un appui signifie que votre groupe est d'accord avec la déclaration suivante: « Nous appuyons et endossons le communiqué du Réseau de la Commission populaire concernant le Service canadien du renseignement de sécurité (SCRS). » SVP contacter abolissons@gmail.com avec votre endossement.

--> Le Réseau de la Commission populaire offre également un atelier sur vos droits face au SCRS. Si votre groupe ou communauté est intéressé à recevoir cet atelier, contactez-nous: abolissons@gmail.com.

-----------------------------
Le Réseau de la Commission Populaire est un groupe de travail du GRIP-Concordia. The People's Commission Network is a QPIRG-Concordia working group.
www.commissionpopulaire.org

For more information about the People's Commission Network:
www.peoplescommission.org
abolissons@gmail.com

CCIC -- CIDA defunding news release

2010-06-03T10:27:00.008-04:00

Canada's Foreign Aid Community Risks Losing Strong Voice for World's

Poor

Friends:

Attached and below is a news release from the Canadian Council for International Cooperation stating that CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency) is in process to discontinue financial support to the Council. As the coordinating body and voice of Canadian civil society engaged in international development, CCIC has received funding from CIDA over a period of 42 years, from the time when both organizations were created. This support has been a symbol of the cooperation between government and civil society, even when there are differences in views from time to time. Its termination sadly represents a hit at the democratic space for intelligent discourse on Canada's role in global development. As a former Executive Director of CCIC, I am deeply troubled about the direction signaled by this and

similar actions taken by our government for apparently purely political reasons. It not only lowers the level of public discussion and engagement in our country but diminishes Canada's contribution to the

elimination of poverty in the South.

Please share this news release with others and I apologize for any cross-posting.

Richard Harmston

South Asia Partnership Canada

1 Nicholas Street, Suite 1210

Ottawa, Ontario

K1N 7B7 Canada

Tel (1) 613 241 1333

Fax (1) 613 244 3410

Email rharmston@sapcanada.org

News Release

For Immediate Release - June 1, 2010

CIDA Funding to CCIC Threatened

Canada's Foreign Aid Community Risks Losing Strong Voice for World's
Poor

CIDA funding to the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC), Canada's pre-eminent coalition to end global poverty, is in doubt. A critical and well-respected voice for the world's poor risks being silenced if funding to CCIC is cut off.

CCIC's three-year contract with CIDA ended on March 31, 2010. Two months into a three-month temporary extension of CCIC's contract and no word yet from CIDA on the contract's renewal. In July, CCIC will start operating with no CIDA funds.

"Unfortunately, it's hard not to see de-funding as yet another example of the 'political chill' message this government has been sending to the development community," says Gerry Barr CCIC's President and CEO. "What

we're experiencing here is punishment politics. Speak out against government policy and risk losing your funding."

CCIC has a long history of development work and CIDA funding and collaboration. Established in 1968, CCIC has been monitoring and analyzing federal policies on foreign affairs, aid, trade and peacebuilding. CCIC regroups approximately 90 Canadian non-profit organizations working both in Canada and overseas. Among them are religious and secular development groups, professional associations,

co-operatives, labour unions and groups devoted to literacy, education and youth.

CCIC has given notice of layoff to all but 8 staff and has taken steps to liquidate its resources, including selling its office space, in order to meet costs associated with severance and near-term operations.

"This is extremely disappointing news," says Alex Neve, Secretary General of Amnesty International Canada. "De-funding CCIC would mean

that the government is shutting down diversity. Without a diversity of voices you will have weakly-debated public policy increasing the likelihood of bad public policy."

"This would be a loss to the development community," says Jim Cornelius Executive Director of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and CCIC member. "CCIC is a strong advocate for the world's poor. Here in Canada, the development community looks to CCIC for leadership on issues of trade, aid and humanitarian assistance.'

"We call on CIDA to continue its support for CCIC," says Robert Fox, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada and a CCIC member. "CCIC is exactly

the type of organization CIDA should fund. Aid policies and programs will suffer if CCIC is not doing what it does best - analyze, critique and advocate for the world's poor."

Gerry Barr, Alex Neve, Jim Cornelius, Robert Fox and CCIC's Chair of the Board Karen Takacs are all available for interviews.

For more information contact:

Katia Gianneschi

Media Relations

Canadian Council for International Co-operation

613-241-7007 ext. 311

katiag@ccic.ca

Ottawa Community Happenings this week

2010-05-28T14:01:00.003-04:00

There are 4 interesting events happening in Ottawa this week that highlight women's rights issues. Hope to see you there!

1.Clothesline Project. SUNDAY May 30, 11 -4

--Minto Park (Elgin and Gilmour)

--Silent No More! We’re hanging out our dirty laundry!

Women and children are breaking the silence about the violence they've experienced by painting messages on T-shirts and displaying them!

2. Marche Amun: Justice for Indigenous Women and Children. Dinner & Talk. MONDAY May 31, 7pm

--Odawa Friendship Centre, 12 Stirling Ave.

--for more info: http://www.ipsmo.org/

3. Marche Amun: Justice for Indigenous Women and Children. Rally. TUESDAY June 1st, Noon

--Parliament Hill

--for more info: http://www.ipsmo.org/

4. Say NO to Violence Against Women (UNIFEM). WEDNESDAY June 2nd, 7-9,

--Parliament Hill, Room # 308 , West Block

--interactive discussion with a panel of activists on the issue of eradication the of violence against women and girls

--For further details and to RSVP, http://www.unifemcanada.org/

"Pro-choice supporters make presence felt at the National March for Life"

2010-05-19T10:47:00.005-04:00

So, our small pro-choice minority got some coverage in the Xtra!

Here is the link:

http://www.xtra.ca/public/Ottawa/Prochoice_supporters_make_presence_felt_at_the_National_March_for_Life-8657.aspx

But what a small presence it was. I talked to quite a few people about it and everyone was surprised that we were in such small numbers.

The majority of people here (in Ottawa, Canada) are pro-choice, they said (I think so too!). Then why weren't we able to mobilize more people to oppose the atrocious 'march for life'?

I think it has to do with our really minimal conception of citizenship which is confined simply to voting ever few years. We just assume that every right that we have will stay undisputed and that we are powerless to change anything.

The sad part is that the extreme religious Right-wing ideology is rising, and unless we continue to provide opposition, we should get ready for a Canada with marginal rights for women and widespread social injustice.

2010-05-17T15:17:00.002-04:00

As some of you may know, May 13th hosted yet another kerfuffle of PRO LIFE craziness! The march was quite strong but keep in mind that many kids from local catholic schools get a school trip out of this, the Church has A LOT of money to spend to make it seem like they represent the majority and people were bused in from all over the province. The arguments of the right are completely non factual and full of bigotry & sexism. They kept mentioning the DIGNITY OF LIFE! How hypocritical! Have they forgotten about colonialism, residential schools, homophobia, the powerlessness of womyn within the church and the numerous sex scandals of late?! Also, another thing they kept mentioning is how many ''children'' have been aborted. Well, how many kids live in poverty, how many kids are stuck in the system being shipped from foster home to foster home, how many kids are runaways, how many kids are belittled by their parents who didn't want a child but had one anyway because the church said they had no other choice, how many kids will never know their father because he jumped ship, etc?

The Church, if it wants to survive, must change and admit it faults. It's needs open dialogue and REAL christian love and acceptance of all human beings regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation...I have a feeling that Jesus is quite disappointed in what has been and is being done in the name of his teachings.

Finally, keep in mind that the Church actually doesn't have an official teaching as to when a fetus becomes a person. Also, God gave us free will didn't He?

It is important to note that most people do not know the full stories behind abortion. Every woman has her own story and different circumstances. That is why we are called PRO CHOICE because it is about choice. After all we do live in a DEMOCRACY! Well for now we do but it is a slippery slope! We need to be aware of what goes on behind closed doors with the powers that be including all governments (especially our current MINORITY tories), the religious right, and big corporations. This is not a black and white issue and I feel that if people were better informed, they would also realize this.

http://www.catholicsforchoice.ca/

I was raised as a Catholic and the primary reason I am not much of a practicing one is because of the hypocricies and atrocities comited by this institution over the centuries. When I ask my dad how he can reconcile his open minded beliefs with the stupidity of the Church and still attend mass, he always says the he puts his faith in God and not the institution. Many and most Catholics these days do not go to church, do not know the true significance of the rituals and rites and do not practice what they preach. Should this not be a wake up call that something needs to change?

Shanti, paix, peace

ARCC Petition: Include funding for Family Planning and Safe Abortion in Canada's G8 Maternal/Child Health Initiative

2010-05-14T12:18:00.007-04:00

As the host country of the G8 Summit on June 25/26, 2010 in Huntsville Ontario, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his governing Conservative Party of Canada have chosen to champion an initiative to improve maternal and child health in developing countries.

However, this admirable initiative has become deeply mired in the Conservatives' anti-choice ideology. The government announced on April 26 that they will not fund safe abortion services "under any circumstances" in developing countries. Although they were forced to back down from their earlier position that family planning and contraception would also be excluded from the initiative, there is still no firm commitment to fund family planning - only a vague promise to "consider" it, and to "not close doors against any options, including contraception."

Please sign the following petition to call upon Parliament to include funding for safe abortion and family planning/ contraception in Canada's G8 maternal/child health initiative.

Please sign our petition to Parliament.

Thank you!

Joyce Arthur, Coordinator
Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada (ARCC)
Vancouver, BC

2010-05-12T15:25:00.004-04:00

Amnesty International's Gender Rights Network Presents:

BBQ for Justice Fundraiser

**Friday, May 14, 5:30 - 8:00 pm

**Amnesty International House - 312 Laurier Avenue East

Join Amnesty International’s Ottawa Gender Rights Network for a BBQ for Justice Fundraiser! Come enjoy our vegetarian-friendly BBQ.

Stay to watch a short film on maternal mortality in Sierra Leone.

Proceeds from this event will help support the Gender Rights Network's activities.

The Gender Rights Network – Ottawa (GRN - Ottawa) is a local Amnesty International group engaged in campaigning and community education activities to raise awareness about gender-based human rights violations. Since November 2009 the GRN – Ottawa has organized events around issues of violence against women and girls, letter writing actions on laws that discriminate based on sexual orientation, and have organized public actions in Ottawa to show solidarity for women’s human rights defenders.

To learn more about Amnesty's work on Women’s Human Rights visit www.amnesty.ca/women

"Chicken Hips" by Catherine Pigott

2010-05-10T17:14:00.006-04:00

For the summer months, we'll be replacing our bi-weekly meetings with reading group sessions. We want everyone to feel welcome to attend these informal gatherings to discuss short readings. We'll be meeting up at 2:00pm, Sunday, 23rd May, at Dundonald Park (Somerset St W) if the weather is nice, or same time at Raw Sugar Cafe (Somerset St W) if the weather doesn't accommodate sitting outside.

Here's the first reading, titled "Chicken Hips" by Catherine Pigott:

The women of the household clucked disapprovingly when they saw me. It was the first time I had worn African clothes since my arrival in tiny, dusty Gambia, and evidently they were not impressed. They adjusted my head-tie and pulled my lappa, the ankle-length fabric I had wrapped around myself, even tighter, “You’re too thin,” one of them pronounced. “It’s no good.” They nicknamed me “Chicken-Hips.”

I marveled at this accolade, for I had never been called thin in my life. It was something I longed for. I would have been flattered if those ample-bosomed women hadn’t looked so distressed. It was obvious I fell short of their ideal of beauty.

I had dressed up for a very special occasion –the baptism of a son. The women heaped rice into tin basins the size of laundry tubs, shaping it into mounds with their hands. Five of us sat around one basin, thrusting our fingers into the scalding food. These women ate with such relish, such joy. They pressed the rice into balls in their fists, squeezing until the bright red palm oil ran down their forearms and dripped off their elbows.

I tried desperately, but I could not eat enough to please them. It was hard for me to explain that I come from a culture in which it was almost unseemly for a woman to eat too heartily. It was considered unattractive. It was even harder to explain that to me thin is beautiful, and in my country we deny ourselves food in pursuit of perfect slenderness.

That night, everyone danced to welcome the baby. Women swiveled their broad hips, and used their hands to emphasize the roundness of their bodies. One needed to be round and wide to make the dance beautiful. There was no place for thinness here. It made people sad. It reminded them of things they wanted to forget, such as poverty, drought and starvation. You never knew when the rice was going to run out.

I began to believe that Africa’s image of the perfect female body was far more realistic than the long-legged leanness I had been conditioned to admire. There, it is beautiful – not shameful – to carry weight on the hips and thighs, to have a round stomach and heavy, swinging breasts. Women do not battle the bulge, they celebrate it. A body is not something to be tamed and molded.

The friends who had christened me Chicken-Hips made it their mission to fatten me up. It wasn’t long before a diet of rice and rich, oily stew twice a day began to change me. Every month, the women would take a stick and measure my backside, noting with pleasure its gradual expansion. “Oh Catherine, your buttocks are getting nice now!” they would say.

What was extraordinary was that I, too, believed I was becoming beautiful. There was no sense of panic, no shame, no guilt-ridden resolves to go on the miracle grape-and-water diet. One day, I tied my lappa tight across my hips and went to the market to buy beer for a wedding. I carried the crate of bottles home on my head, swinging my hips slowly as I walked. I felt transformed.

In Gambia, people don’t use words such as “cheating,” “naughty or “guilty” when they talk about eating. The language of sin is not applied to food. Fat is desirable. It holds beneficial meaning of abundance, fertility and health.

My perception of beauty altered as my body did. The European tourists on the beach began to look strange and skeletal rather than “slim.” They had no hips. They seemed devoid of shape and substance. Women I once would have envied appeared fragile and even ugly. The ideal they represented no longer made sense.

After a year, I came home. I preached my new way of seeing to anyone who would listen. I wanted to cling to the liberating belief that losing weight had nothing to do with self-love.

Family members kindly started suggesting that I might look and feel better if I slimmed down a little. They encouraged me to join an exercise club. I wandered around the malls in a dislocated daze.

I felt uncomfortable try on clothes that hung so eloquently on the mannequins. I began hearing old voices inside my head: plaid makes you look fat… you’re too short for that style…vertical stripes are more slimming… wear black”. I joined the club. Just a few weeks after I had warn a lappa and scooped up rice with my hands, I was climbing into pink leotards and aerobics shoes. The instructor told me that I had to set fitness goals and “weigh in” after my work outs. There were mirrors on the walls and I could see women watching themselves. I sensed that even the loveliest among them felt they were somehow flawed. As their aerobics instructor barked out commands for arm lifts and leg lifts, I pictured Gambian women pounding millets and dancing in a circle with their arms raised high. I do not mean to romanticize their rock-hard lives, but we were hardly to be envied as we ran like fools between two walls to the tiresome beats of synthesized music.

We were a room full of women striving to reshape ourselves into some kind of pubertal ideal. I reverted to my natural stage: one of yearning to be slimmer and most fit that I was. My freedom had been temporary. I was home, where fat is feared and despised. It was time to exert control over my body and my life. I dreaded the thought of people saying “she’s let herself go.” If it returned to Africa I am sure the women will shake their heads in bewildered dismay. Even now I sometimes catch my reflection in a window and there voices come back to me. “Yo! Chicken-Hips!”

Ladyfest Ottawa Tarts N' Crafts - Sat May 8

2010-05-07T08:34:00.005-04:00

In honour of Mother’s Day, Ladyfest Ottawa is donating $500 of the proceeds to Mothercraft Ottawa’s Birth and Parent Companion Program. The remainder of the profits go to fund events supporting women in the arts throughout the year.

Tarts n’ Crafts
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Jack Purcell Community Centre
10:00 am to 5:00 pm
$2 admission

Ladyfest Ottawa (LFO) is a non-profit, primarily women-organised music and arts festival that is open to everyone.

Ladyfest Ottawa is a volunteer-driven organisation that showcases women’s artistic expression and shares ideas through music, performance, film and video, exhibitions, panels and workshops.

Ladyfest Ottawa is part of a tradition of grassroots-organised festivals showcasing the talents of women artists... Ladyfest Ottawa is an inclusive, feminist organisation. We feel that providing a venue for women artists counters the obstacles and discrimination that women often face, including sexism, homophobia and racism. We also try to address these issues in our workshops, along with encouraging a D.I.Y. (do-it-yourself), hands-on approach to skill sharing. We believe that political action can be fun and creative!

We are also committed to building communities, collaborations and conversations among women in the Ottawa-Gatineau region. We are proud to showcase local artists.

Ultimately, we hope Ladyfest Ottawa inspires women everywhere to organise themselves and create similar spaces that allow women’s creative works to be seen and heard.

the deception continues: 14 Canadian Women's Rights Groups Defunded

2010-05-05T16:41:00.010-04:00

As if the whole anti-abortion speak wasn't enough to incite your feminist fire, we've got news today about 14 women's rights groups in Canada who have been defunded in the last 2 weeks, including Match International, who has been getting regular funding for decades.

Despite the denial from the conservatives, one has no choice but to make the connection between these funding cuts (to organizations that openly disagree with the government's practices) and the party's larger ideological leanings.

How can we have an accountable, democratic government if organizations who are critical of it get their funding axed? How can we stand idly by while our civil society gets weakened? What can we do?

Well, I for one am not staying silent on the issue. It's not even 'just' about abortion. This is the current MINORITY government poisoning Canada with extreme Right-wing ideology. And I'm not taking it. Join me!!!

The groups include:

1. Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW)

2. CERA (Centre for Equality Rights in Accommodation);

3. Conseil d'intervention pour l'accès des femmes au travail (around for 25 years).

4. New Brunswick Pay Equity Coalition,

5. le Réseau des Tables régionales de groupes de femmes du Québec

6. Alberta Network of Immigrant Women

7. Centre de documentation sur l'éducation des adultes et la condition feminine

8. Association féminine d'éducation et d'action sociale (AFEAS)

9. Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses (OAITH) (a 75-member coalition primarily of first stage emergency shelters for abused women.)

"Your silence will not protect you".--Audre Lorde

Voici le reportage de Radio-Canada:

Condition féminine: L'opposition dénonce une culture d'intimidation

Check out the Globe and Mail article.

for a critical look on Canada's international efforts on Women's rights, see

'Politicizing, Undermining Gender Equality' in today's Embassy

2010-05-03T20:26:00.002-04:00

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/803859--aid-groups-advised-to-shut-the-f-up-on-abortion?bn=1

"Ruth’s remarks, intended more as friendly advice than a warning, were met with gasps of disbelief and even anger among the approximately 80 aid representatives who converged on Parliament Hill to condemn what they see as a gathering storm against women’s rights in Canadian aid policy"

Now that you are done gathering your jaw from the floor, let's try to figure this out because I'm not sure about anyone else out there but I was never given any friendly advice containing the phrase shut the fuck up! I believe this is a threat. Keep quiet little people or you will force the PM to change the laws and it will be all your fault.

Clearly we should all play nice for the G8 G20 summit because clearly these behind closed door meetings between the powers that be have nothing but our own interests at heart. Even if we just want to look at things from a purely economical point of view, giving access to free abortions for womyn who CHOOSE it can save a huge monetary burden on society. Someone has to take care of these children and for whatever reasons, sometimes a woman is not capable of taking care of a child in all its many facets.

The other thing that I completely disagree with in this article is the statement saying that in Canada, womyn have free and accessible abortion! Well I can tell you that here in Ottawa, you will always find some slightly odd looking, holier than though protesters during clinic days. This to me seems like a deterant to access, no one wants to be harangued and bastardized by right wing Christians and the like before going into a clinic.

Keep in mind that you always have to look for all the facts. The right wing pro life people do not tell you the truth about abortion. They will always distort the facts and use guilt as a weapon. No woman should have to justify her decision in this matter to strangers. By telling us to keep quiet, I believe Senator Nancy Ruth is causing more ill than good. In fact, I don't think we would have women senators if it wasn't for the fact that our great grand-mothers, grand-mothers, mothers and their allies made some noise!!!

En solidarité,
Marie-Michèle Chezzi

Simone de Beauvoir Institute’s Statement in Response to Bill 94

2010-04-30T08:04:00.006-04:00

On March 25, the government of Jean Charest announced Bill 94, an act that would prevent women wearing the niqab from accessing hospitals, daycares, schools, universities, and other public services, and would bar women in niqab from working in the public sector. In a press conference, premier Charest described the legislation as defending two principles: gender equality and secular public institutions.

We oppose this legislation and strongly believe that it will restrict rather than enhance the rights of women. As we stated in November 2007 in our public response to the Commission de consultation sur les pratiques d’accommodement reliées aux différences culturelles, while we agree that the government should be doing more to ensure gender equality, we argue that this is not achieved by creating a false opposition between secular values and religion, but rather by attending to gender-based violence, poverty, women’s health, and women’s access to education and work. In fact, Charest’s use of the terms “secular” and “gender equality” is misleading. It is obvious that the government’s concern is not with all religious practices, but very particularly with Muslim practices. Furthermore, regulating women’s public religious expression and denying them access to government services and public life is not a step in the direction of gender equality. Bill 94 chauvinistically casts Québec as having achieved gender equality while implying a view of Muslim communities as inherently oppressive to women.

As feminists, we are committed to supporting bodily and personal autonomy for all women, as well as all women’s capacity to understand and articulate their experiences of oppression on their own terms. And it is as feminists that we oppose state interventions that promise gender equality at the expense of women’s autonomy.

Signed: The Faculty and Students of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, with the support of The School of Community and Public Affairs, Concordia University, April 7, 2010
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For more information, please see the Simone de Beauvoir Institute’s November 2007 feminist response to the Bouchard-Taylor commission.
Please circulate.
To endorse this statement, please e-mail: gada.mahrouse@concordia.ca
Media Contact: Gada Mahrouse, Simone de Beauvoir Institute, 514-848-2424 x 2378,gada.mahrouse@concordia.ca

Déclaration de l’Institut Simone de Beauvoir à propos du projet de loi 94

Le 25 mars dernier, le gouvernement de Jean Charest a présenté le projet de loi 94, lequel empêcherait les femmes portant le niqab d’avoir accès aux services publics offerts par de multiples institutions et établissements tels que les hôpitaux, les centres de la petite enfance, les écoles et les universités, et qui leur interdirait de travailler dans la fonction publique. Lors d’une conférence de presse, le premier ministre Charest a décrit ce projet de loi comme un exemple de défense des principes d’égalité entre les sexes et de laïcité au sein des institutions publiques.

Nous nous opposons à cette loi et nous croyons fermement qu’elle aura pour effet de limiter plutôt que de favoriser les droits des femmes. Comme nous l’avons exprimé en novembre 2007 dans notre réponse publique à la Commission de consultation sur les pratiques d’accommodement reliées aux différences culturelles, nous sommes d’avis que le gouvernement devrait intervenir davantage pour assurer l’égalité entre les sexes, mais nous suggérons que cela devrait se faire non pas en se centrant sur les valeurs laïques et la religion, mais en agissant sur les questions de violence, de pauvreté, de santé et d’accès à l’éducation et au travail pour les femmes. En fait, l’utilisation par le premier ministre Charest des termes «laïque» et «égalité entre les sexes» est source de confusion. Il est évident que la préoccupation du gouvernement n’est pas d’encadrer l’ensemble des pratiques religieuses, mais bien les pratiques musulmanes.

La régulation de l’expression religieuse des femmes en public et l’interdiction d’accès aux services gouvernementaux et à la vie publique ne peuvent être vus comme un pas vers l’égalité entre les sexes. Le projet de loi 94 est chauviniste et présente l’image trompeuse d’un Québec ayant atteint l’égalité entre les sexes tout en sous-entendant que les communautés musulmanes sont intrinsèquement oppressives pour les femmes.

En tant que féministes, nous sommes engagées à promouvoir et soutenir l’autonomie des femmes ainsi que leur capacité de comprendre et d’articuler leurs expériences d’oppression dans des termes qui leur sont propres. Et c’est en tant que féministes que nous disons NON aux interventions de l’État qui promettent l’égalité entre les sexes aux dépens de l’autonomie des femmes.

Signé: Les membres du personnel enseignant ainsi que les étudiantes et étudiants de l’Institut Simone de Beauvoir, avec le soutien de l’École des affaires publiques et communautaires, Université Concordia, le 7 avril 2010.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prière de faire circuler.
Pour appuyer la déclaration, merci d’envoyer un courriel à: gada.mahrouse@concordia.ca
Relations publiques: Viviane Namaste, Institut Simone de Beauvoir 514 848-2424 poste 2371,
viviane@alcor.concordia.ca

Ottawa RebELLEs at International Women's Day 2010

2010-04-28T14:18:00.003-04:00

In March, The Ottawa RebELLEs participated in 2 International Women's Day events. The events offered a great opportunity to meet and network with other feminists and organizations in our region and raise awareness on feminist issues.

It's nice to know we're not the only ones that think feminist critical thought is still essential today!

We performed our bilingual manifesto at the Women's Event Network event, 'Still Searching for Bread and Roses'. This was our second time performing it in the Ottawa Capital Region. What fun!

We were especially inspired by the Raging Grannies and made a pact that we will reunite in 50 years to follow their wonderful lead!

*please excuse the late post. Now that I've learned the ins and outs of blogging (thanks Michelle!), I'll be posting every wednesday.

Ottawa RebELLEs

Ottawa Rebelles reaction to silencing of sex workers at Women's Worlds 2011

You're not a feminist are you?

Ouuh lala!

RebELLEs: A revolution within our movement | rabble.ca

Winnipeg Gathering: Coming Soon! ~ Rassemblement pancanadien des jeunes féministes: très bientôt!

Buttonmaking + Activism = Wicked!

IWD: a success! Quel succès!

International Women’s Day! la journée internationale de la femme!

Ottawa RebELLEs Newsletter / Infolettre

RebELLEs: Notre Révolution Féministe, Our Revolution is Now

2nd RebELLEs Gathering!

Nominations Open for an NCR Femmy

Sharon McIvor will file complaint against Canada at the United Nations

Reclaiming our Bodies: Painting in Resistance *** Réclamer nos corps: peinture en résistance

Women and Retirement

16 days against Gender violence Campaign, November 25 - December 10

Indigenous Sovereignty Week Oct 27 - Nov 4, 2010 - Ottawa / unceded Algonquin Territory

Pro-Choice Call to Action

Inspiring and brilliant action from la Marche Mondiale des Femmes du Québec!!

Way to go la marche mondiale des femmes!! Bringing back Guerrila style activism to feminism...absolutely brilliant.

On est très inspiré de voir des actions si concrètes et provocatrices pour avancer la lutte féministe. Hier, 11 militantes ont occupé le bureau de la Ministre de la Condition féminine à Montréal. La version complète de l'article suit, incluant des liens médiatiques.

Des FÉMINISTES OCCUPENT LE BUREAU DE LA MINISTRE - Action historique de la Marche mondiale des femmes au Québec

FEMINISTS OCCUPY MINISTER'S OFFICE - Historical action of the World March of Women (WMW) in Quebec yesterday

in light of Mental Health Day - Celebrating my Circumstance

Making Women Count-Tenir compte des Femmes

Sisters in Spirit Vigil

We Took it Back

Take Back the Night -- Ottawa 2010 -- La Rue, La Nuit, Les Femmes sans Peur

Women gather to decry hospitals' lax standards for sexual assault staff

Forget Shorter Showers

Sexual Assault victim turned away from Ottawa Hospital

TWO SHORT VIDEOS: IF CSIS COMES KNOCKING

CCIC -- CIDA defunding news release

Ottawa Community Happenings this week

"Pro-choice supporters make presence felt at the National March for Life"

ARCC Petition: Include funding for Family Planning and Safe Abortion in Canada's G8 Maternal/Child Health Initiative

"Chicken Hips" by Catherine Pigott

Ladyfest Ottawa Tarts N' Crafts - Sat May 8

the deception continues: 14 Canadian Women's Rights Groups Defunded

Simone de Beauvoir Institute’s Statement in Response to Bill 94

Ottawa RebELLEs at International Women's Day 2010

On est très inspiré de voir des actions si concrètes et provocatrices pour avancer la lutte féministe.

Hier, 11 militantes ont occupé le bureau de la Ministre de la Condition féminine à Montréal.

La version complète de l'article suit, incluant des liens médiatiques.