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history-and-heroines
CFUW HISTORY AND HEROINES
This series traces CFUW historical highlights and its movers and
shakers decade by decade to provide insight into the scope of CFUW
as an important voice for women in Canada and abroad.
Click the titles below to read the decade-by-decade history of
CFUW.
The Roarin' Twenties
Beginnings
On August 26, 1919 University Women's Clubs from Ottawa,
Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton and Victoria met in Winnipeg
for the inaugural meeting of the "Federation of University Women in
Canada." Dr. Winifred Cullis of the United Kingdom had urged
immediate formation of a National Federation so that Canada could
become one of the founding members of the newly proposed
International Federation of University Women (IFUW) in 1919. Dr.
Virginia Gildersleeve of the United States had reinforced this idea
and had offered the alternative of joining the American Association
of University
Women (AAUW). The Canadians attended the first IFUW meeting in
1920 as the Canadian Federation of University Women, a charter
affiliate committed to encouraging international understanding and
peace.
1919 - 1923: Dr. Margaret S. McWilliams, First
CFUW President
- 1919 - A Vocations Committee is set up, showing CFUW members'
concern for the vocations of women.
- 1920 - First CFUW "Triennial" in Toronto
- 1921 - The 12 CFUW Clubs, with 1300 members, designate
fellowships: one to McGill, one to Radcliffe and a third of $1000
to the University of Toronto for a woman graduate to research the
early history of Canada at the Sorbonne.
- 1921 - CFUW joins AAUW in presenting $100,000 to Madame Marie
Curie for the purchase of radium for her research work. (A photo of
this gesture at Niagara Falls shows the face of Madame Curie
obscured by her hat and bouquet, causing some to say that the lady
was probably her daughter who frequently took her mother's place
when she was worn out!)
- 1923 - Second CFUW Triennial in Minaki, Ontario - emphasis on
the work of individual Clubs and individual members who are
pioneers across Canada
- 1923 - 1926: Mrs. Walter Vaughan, Second CFUW President
- Mrs. Vaughan makes Club visits a priority, travelling widely
across Canada.
- Mrs.Vaughn's lectures raise about $5000 to support the Crosby
Hall Fund. (Crosby Hall, once Sir Thomas More's residence, was a
friendly place for IFUW members to stay while in London,
England.)
- CFUW surveys on education, libraries and vocations evaluate
women's place in Canadian society.
- 1926 - Third CFUW Triennial in Montreal; 38 delegates
1926: - 1928: Dean Mary L. Bollert, Third CFUW
President Mary Bollert makes education a priority:
- Raises concerns about unemployment among university women and
inadequate salaries for teachers
- Urges the appointment of deans of women in secondary schools
because of "the declining influence of the home"
- Represents CFUW at international meetings; speaks at the
International Congress of Women in Chicago.
- Urges the appointment of women to boards and commissions of the
League of Nations.
- Disbands the Vocations Committee due to lack of funds.
- 1928 - Fourth CFUW Triennial in Vancouver (held a year early to
avoid a conflict with the IFUW meeting); 61 delegates
CFUW Heroine of the 1920's: Dr. Margaret S.
McWilliams
Dr. Margaret McWilliams, the first CFUW President, was one of
the most dynamic Canadian women of her time. An 1898 graduate of
the University of Toronto, she worked as a newspaperwoman before
marrying and moving to Winnipeg. There, she served as an alderman
from 1933-1940, lectured in world affairs and wrote several books.
She took leadership roles in many organizations including the Red
Cross, National Council of Education, National Council of Women and
the Women's Canadian Club. Active in CFUW for over 50 years, she
also served as first Vice President of IFUW. In 1948 on the
occasion of the 50th anniversary of her graduation, she received an
honorary degree from her alma mater.
Dr. McWilliams had a keen curiosity, a deep interest in the
political struggles of humankind, a fine intelligence, a vivid
sense of perpetual crisis, physical beauty, impeccable taste in
clothes, and a contagious sense of humour. She did not suffer fools
gladly and was a trifle addicted to having her own way!
In 1952, Dr. McWilliams was honoured posthumously for her vision
of international friendship and co-operation with the naming of the
CFUW Dr. Margaret McWilliams Pre-Doctoral Fellowship.
The Depression Years
The 1930s: Following the flapper years of the 1920s with
hemlines and spirits rising and the Art Deco period signalling a
modernism of both outlook and design, the increasingly sombre
decade of the 1930s was ushered in by two events in October of 1929
that influenced the lives of Canadian women: the landmark Person's
Case that gave Canadian women status as persons under the law, and
the stock market crash in the United States that sent economic
reverberations around the world. Many Canadians referred to the
ensuing decade as "The Dirty Thirties." The Great Depression and
the years of drought along with the escalating tensions in Europe
forced fearful scrimping and saving habits that stayed with many
Canadian women for their lifetime. At the end of the thirties,
Canada's population was just over 12 million of whom half were of
Anglo-Saxon stock, one-third of French ancestry, and the other
twenty per cent mainly of recent European and Asian origin. By
1939, Canada was at war.
1928 - 1931: Miss Laila C. Scott, Fourth CFUW
President
- University women are urged to take more interest in public
affairs
- The Vocations Bureau is set up
- 1931 Fifth CFUW Triennial is held in Ottawa
1931 - 1934: Mrs. Douglas J. Thom, Fifth CFUW
President
- Clubs are urged to send in articles for the CFUW Chronicle
- CFUW signs a petition for disarmament
- CFUW successfully protests, along with other women's groups in
Toronto, against the dismissal of married women from the staff of
the University of Toronto
- Club meeting topics include "Mussolini," "Manchuria" and
"Social Insurance"
- 1934 Sixth CFUW Triennial is held in Edmonton; 103 registrants;
discussion of the alarming discrimination in Germany and the plight
of university women in Europe
1934 - 1937: Miss Laura E. Newman, Sixth CFUW
President
- Questionnaires on the status of university women and the status
of "gainfully employed" are discussed
- CFUW reiterates stand that women be considered for university
positions based on their qualifications
- Lists of qualified women are placed in universities
- A study is made of women in administrative positions in
Canada
- 1936 Clubs are urged to play a part in demanding a peaceful
solution to the problems of the nations of the world
- 1936 Miss Newman attends IFUW conference in Poland
- 1937 Seventh CFUW Triennial is held at Trinity College,
University of Toronto; 154 delegates; CFUW deplores the dissolution
of the German, Austrian and Italian Federations of University
Women.
1937 - 1940: Mrs. W. J. Melrose, Seventh CFUW
President
- Refugee funds for displaced graduates are set up
- Plans are made to receive children of British graduates into
300 Canadian homes
- Heart-rending stories are told of Polish refugee women
including IFUW President, Dr. S. Adamowicz who is teaching at the
School of Hygiene in Warsaw, now under German supervision. Message
is received from her: "Home destroyed, health poor"
- 1939 CFUW executive plans to spend $400 for an executive
secretary to work from her home
- 1939 Mrs. Melrose attends IFUW conference in Stockholm but has
to sail home as war is declared
- 1940 Eighth CFUW Triennial is held in Calgary; 73
registrants
CFUW Heroine of the 1930s: Mrs. Douglas J. Thom
(1879 - 1946)
Mrs. Thom, the fifth CFUW President, was just 24 years of age in
1903 when she helped to found the University Women's Club of
Toronto and was installed as its first president. Born in Elora,
Ontario, she was a 1900 graduate of the University of Toronto with
a Bachelor of Arts degree. After marrying and moving to Regina, she
was active in the Red Cross both locally and nationally, the
Women's Missionary Society and the Women's Canadian Club.
When Mrs. Thom discussed disarmament with a prominent member of
the Government of Canada, he turned upon her indignantly and asked,
"Do women really care to accomplish anything when they remain
represented by only one member in the Federal House?" He went on to
tell her that if CFUW wished to support the League of Nations and
have an effect on disarmament, there was only one way to do it. Put
women into positions in municipal, provincial and Dominion politics
and give them CFUW's unquestioned support.
As CFUW President, Mrs. Thom encouraged Clubs from all
localities to write and send in items of interest so that future
chroniclers of women's activities would "do our day and generation
justice."
The Forties: War and Peace
The 1940s: As conflict escalated, training camps were set up to
prepare women for the army, navy and air force. For the first time,
Canadian women were in uniform and thousands of young women assumed
jobs that had been vacated by men, ran households single-handedly
and involved themselves in projects that supported the troops. When
the war ended these women "retired" to make way for veterans
returning home to resume their jobs. Thus the second wave of the
women's movement was born. The unprecedented post-war baby boom
produced daughters whose mothers encouraged an independent outlook
that would set new standards as the "boomers" steamrolled through
the ensuing decades.
1940 - 1943: Dr. Dorothy Turville, Eighth CFUW
President
- War work receives CFUW priority
- Clubs work on committees like the Red Cross and send parcels of
clothing for refugees
- Clubs assist refugee university women in Canada
- Members are urged to save good French classic texts to send to
France, Czechoslovakia and Poland at the end of the war "to
- reinstate the means of education"
- 1943 - Ninth CFUW Triennial is held at Chateau Frontenac in
Quebec City "in the wake of the historic Churchill-Roosevelt
Conference" - 118 registrants
1943 - 1946: Dr. Ursilla Macdonnell, Ninth CFUW
President
- A Chronicle article is entitled: "Is the University Woman
pulling her weight?"
- CFUW members are urged to assume positions as chairs of
community committees and boards
- 1945 - Communications open with women in France, Belgium and
Italy
- A proposed meeting in Wolfville, N.S. is cancelled because
returning troops need all of the available railway space
- IFUW helps Polish women get to Teheran from the USSR
- CFUW prepares and distributes thousands of vocational leaflets
containing information on job opportunities, qualifications and pay
scales. School guidance counsellors in particular find the leaflets
useful.
- 1946 - Tenth CFUW Triennial is held in Winnipeg with 93
registrants
1946 - 1949: Mrs. Richard B. Crummy, Tenth CFUW
President
- Regional conferences are encouraged
- Leaflets on vocational guidance are distributed across the
country
- The issues are penal reform, children's reading, the teacher
shortage, Indians, and women in the civil service
- Women in administrative positions in Canada are studied
- 1947 - First IFUW Triennial Conference in Canada is held in
Toronto
- 1949 - Eleventh CFUW Triennial is held in Vancouver with the
theme, "The Challenge of Today and Tomorrow"; 235 Registrants
CFUW Heroine of the 1940s: Dr. A. Vibert
Douglas (1894 - 1988)
Alice (Allie) Vibert Douglas, a twentieth century heroine, was
first honoured in 1918 with an MBE for her work as a statistician
at the British War Office and Ministry of National Service. She
received honorary degrees from McGill, Queen's and Queensland,
Australia and in 1967 was named to the Order of Canada. In the same
year she was named by the National Council of Jewish Women as one
of the ten "Women of the Century".
Dr. Douglas, an internationally acclaimed astrophysicist, was a
lecturer and professor of mathematical physics and astronomy at
McGill and Queen's for 41 years as well as Dean of Women at Queen's
from 1939 until her retirement in 1959. She drew attention to the
sorry status of women in the Queen's academic community and asked,
"Why are women not equally accepted at Queen's?" Among other
firsts, she successfully urged the admission of women to Queen's
medical school.
Along with numerous publications, in 1956 she wrote a biography
of the astronomer Sir Arthur Eddington, with whom she had worked at
Cambridge Observatory. Dr. Douglas was President of the Canadian
Humanities Association and the Royal Astronomical Society of
Canada, and was a long-time active member of several international
scientific organizations. A crater on Venus has been named after
her.
Dr. Douglas was the first Canadian President of IFUW from 1947
to 1950. In her opening address she urged the IFUW members to "work
unrelentingly as professional women to narrow the gap between
actual practice and ideal human rights through government action,
through education, through mass communications and through home and
community influence."
She chaired the CFUW Fellowships Committee and served on it for
18 years. In 1958 CFUW set up an IFUW fellowship in her name.
The Fifties
Post-war immigration increased Canada's population from thirteen
to nearly twenty million in twenty years. Trade with Britain
decreased from twenty per cent to eight, and about sixty-six per
cent of Canadian trade flowed to the US. American radio, TV, press
releases and magazines influenced Canadian women. Some articles
advised married women to defer their own opinions to their
husbands' and to keep the children quiet so that the breadwinner
could rest on his return home from work. By 1957, the Canada
Council and the Stratford Shakespearean Festival had been formed.
The St. Lawrence Seaway was opened to ocean shipping in 1959.
1949 - 1952: Dr. Marion Elder Grant, Eleventh
CFUW President
- Dr. Grant visits almost all of the CFUW Clubs, including four
new Clubs
- CFUW sends out leaflets to over 3000 women graduates from
Canadian universities
- 1952 - CFUW sets up the office of Provincial Director (later
called Regional Director)
- 1952 - Academic Appointments Committee is disbanded; Status of
Women Committee starts list of "Competent Women" suitable to stand
for public office
- 1952 - Twelfth CFUW Triennial is held in Ottawa with the theme,
"Women and the State" - 368 registrants
1952 - 1955: Dr. Martha Law, Twelfth CFUW
President
- Eighteen new Clubs bring CFUW membership to 7,427
- Dr. Law visits all 80 Clubs and sends newsletters to be
distributed to each member, three times a year
- On behalf of CFUW Dr. Law receives a Coronation medal and two
tickets to the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
- CFUW grants to IFUW relief funds are the highest per capita of
any IFUW national affiliate
- 1955 - Thirteenth CFUW Triennial is held in Edmonton with the
theme, "Constants and Variables - Our Changing Society"
1955 - 1958: Dr. Doris Saunders, Thirteenth
CFUW President
- CFUW has 9140 members in 89 Clubs
- 1956 - Penal Reform/Corrections Committee supports Elizabeth
Fry Society on federal prison for women, the criminal sexual
psychopath and rehabilitation of female offenders
- 1957 - UWC Vancouver celebrates 50th anniversary, with UBC
recognizing all university women by conferring an honorary degree
on Miss Saunders
- CFUW Brief is presented to Parliament on estate taxes, and
another urges Canada to accede to the UN Convention on the
Political Rights of Women
- 1958 - Fourteenth CFUW Triennial is held in Montreal with "344
of the brainiest females in Canada" (Canadian Press, August 14,
1958)
1958 - 1961: Dr. Vivian Morton, Fourteenth CFUW
President
- CFUW gains 14 new Clubs and holds 14 regional conferences
- Dr. Morton suggests a permanent CFUW head office and executive
secretary.
- CFUW urges teaching of French in the lower grades
- For first time ever, CFUW sends delegation to Prime Minister to
discuss appointment of a women to National Parole Board (soon
achieved), support for a National Library and Gallery, and
admission of many tubercular Hungarians to Canada in World Refugee
Year, 1959-60
- 1961 - Fifteenth CFUW Triennial in London; theme "Ideas Afoot";
429 registrants
CFUW Heroine of the 1950s: Dr. Marion Elder
Grant (1900 - 1989)
Dr. Marion Elder Grant was born in Quebec City, graduated from
Acadia University and took post-graduate degrees from the
University of Toronto. Following post-doctoral studies in London
England, Harvard, UCLA, Chicago and Tavistock, she taught at
Branksome Hall in Toronto and Baylor College in Texas. She later
became head of the Psychology Department at Acadia University and
served as Dean of Women there from 1936 - 1960. Besides teaching
psychology and education, Dr. Grant helped to found the Acadia
University Institute and the Fundy Mental Health Clinic.
In 1938 Dr. Grant helped to establish the CFUW Wolfville Club.
Thereafter she was involved at the CFUW national level for over
fifteen years, taking on the presidency from 1949 - 1952. During
her term her focus was on improving the status of women and
encouraging women to first pursue and then take advantage of their
education. She visited over 60 Clubs from St. John's NL to Victoria
BC. Until her mid-eighties, she attended all CFUW National and
International conferences.
Dr. Grant was a charter member of the Canadian Commonwealth
Scholarship and Fellowship Committee and a delegate to the Second
Commonwealth Education Conference in New Delhi. In 1984 she was
chosen Acadia's "Woman of the Century" in celebration of the
centenary of the first woman graduate. The award citation read, "…
a woman of eminence without pomposity, of presence without
ostentation, of adaptability without inconsistence, and of gentle
self-mockery and wit…"
A significant portion of her estate was left to CFUW Wolfville.
With the funds, the Club established the national CFUW Dr. Marion
Elder Grant Fellowship in her honour.
The Swinging Sixties
In 1960 Canada welcomed its 2-millionth immigrant, a harbinger
of multiculturalism that would soon transform Canadian society. The
Trans-Canada Highway was officially opened in 1962, the same year
that Canada became the third nation with an orbiting satellite. In
the workplace secretaries welcomed the widespread use of the
electric typewriter.
The Canadian flag, adopted in 1965, graced Expo '67 as Canada
celebrated its centennial in Montreal near the end of a socially
turbulent decade. The hippie youth culture that roared through the
1960s was identified with The Pill and its resulting sexual
freedom, drugs, Beatlemania, long and bouffant hair and
mini-skirts. The CBC's Take 30 and Front Page Challenge attracted
large viewing audiences while books such as Betty Friedan's The
Feminine Mystique (1963) and Marshall McLuhan's The Medium is the
Message (1967) challenged conventional thought. By 1969
Chatelaine's circulation had quadrupled to 1.8 million readers with
consciousness-raising articles on the wage gap, birth control and
discriminatory divorce laws featured amongst the magazine's recipes
and beauty tips. Second-wave feminism gave rise to "Women's Lib"
and in 1967 to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women.
1961 - 1964: Miss Margaret MacLellan,
- Fifteenth CFUW President
- Miss MacLellan is active in the Corrections field and with the
Elizabeth Fry Society
- CFUW urges equality of women in Canada
- Local Clubs award over $37,000 yearly in scholarships and
awards plus CFUW donations to the Winifred Cullis Fund and the IFUW
Relief Fund
- Ontario Clubs send $5000 to CUSO (Canadian University Services
Overseas)
- By 1964 CFUW membership is over 10,000
- 1964: The first Provincial Council is formed in Quebec
- 1964: Sixteenth CFUW Triennial is held in Winnipeg with the
theme, "The Canadian Mosaic: Changing Patterns in Canadian
Culture"; 301 delegates vote for publication of The Clear Spirit as
a centennial project.
1964 - 1967: Dr. Laura Sabia, Sixteenth CFUW
President
- CFUW Survey on Continuing Education is taken.
- Laura Sabia brings together a coalition of 32 women's
organizations across the country, demanding that the government
"pursue the human rights of women in Canada." As a result the Royal
Commission on the Status of Women is formed by the Government in
1967.
- Twelve new Clubs are formed, bringing the total number of CFUW
Clubs to 114.
- 1967: Seventeenth CFUW Triennial is held in Vancouver with the
theme, "The Arch of the Century"; 371 registrants.
1967 - 1970: Dr. Margaret Orange, Seventeenth
CFUW President
- In order to bring informed opinions to the CFUW Triennial,
Clubs study topics ahead of time: Unrest in Education,
Environmental Pollution, and Disadvantaged Canadians-Indians.
- 1968 - Briefs are presented to the Royal Commission on the
Status of Women
- 1970 - Eighteenth CFUW Triennial is held at York University in
Toronto with 462 registrants and the theme, "New Attitudes for a
Changing Society."
CFUW Heroine of the 1960s: Dr. Laura Sabia
(1916 - 1996)
Dr. Laura Sabia was a Canadian social activist and feminist who
was one of the most dynamic figures in the women's movement. As
CFUW President she headed a coalition of 32 women's organizations
called the Committee for the Equality of Women and campaigned for
the creation of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women,
threatening a march of 2,000,000 women on Ottawa if the Commission
was not established. In 1967 the Prime Minister called for the
creation of a Royal Commission on the Status of Women whose final
report was made in 1970.
The daughter of Italian immigrants, Laura Villela grew up in
Montreal and later lived in St. Catharines with her husband and
four children. Following her term as CFUW President from 1964 to
1967 Dr. Sabia was a founding member and, from 1969 to 1973, the
first President of the National Action Committee on the Status of
Women as well as its Ontario counterpart. She was an alderwoman
for seven terms, organized a Home and School Association, and wrote
columns for The Toronto Sun. On her open-line radio programme she
becaome famous for her challenges to government on subject such as
incest and family violence.
Laura Sabia's significant contributions to women's equality were
recognized with a Centennial Medal in 1967 and, in 1974, the
designation of Officer of the Order of Canada "for her devoted service to the
cause of the status of women." She was awarded the Queen's Jubilee
Medal in 1977 and the Governor General's Award in Commemoration of
the Persons Case in 1983. Brock and McGill
Universities conferred honorary degrees upon her.
The Seventies
The Seventies was a decade of firsts for women. Rosemary Brown -
first black woman elected to a provincial legislature; Pauline
McGibbon - first woman appointed as Lieutenant-Governor (Ontario);
Pauline Jewett - first woman to head a major university (Simon
Fraser); Grace Hartman - first woman president of a national labour
union (CUPE); Flora MacDonald - first woman to seek leadership of
the Progressive Conservative party; Jean Lumb - first
Chinese-Canadian woman to earn the Order of Canada. The first four
Canadian women Rhodes Scholars were chosen.
The National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC),
first rape crisis centres and first for-women-only credit unions
were formed. A CPP amendment provided equal treatment to all
contributors, regardless of gender. Female flight attendants won
the right to continue working after marriage and past the age of
32. In 1975 Canada attended the International Women's Year World
Conference on Women in Mexico City.
In 1970 the average price of a home in Montreal was $19,000, in
Toronto $37,000 and in Vancouver $30,000. The federal minimum wage
was $2.90 per hour and a domestic stamp, 10 cents. Eaton's
discontinued its 92-year catalogue publication in 1976. By 1979
Canada reported a population of 23,671,500 and its first case of
HIV/AIDS.
1970 - 1973: Dr. Gwendolyn Black, Eighteenth
CFUW President
- Biographies of 50 women are submitted to the office of the PM
for the Roster of Qualified Women.
- CFUW writes letters on abortion, Aboriginals, environment and
status of women.
- Archival materials from orange crates and filing boxes are
sorted, catalogued and transferred to Public Archives of
Canada.
- 1973 - Attended by 446 delegates, the nineteenth CFUW Triennial
is held in Ottawa with the theme "Our World Tomorrow". Dr. Black
states that the complexity of national issues demands attention at
the local level where problems are more readily discernible.
1973 - 1976: Dr. Ruth Bell, Nineteenth CFUW
President
- 1975 - 47 per cent of Clubs take part in International Women's
Year projects.
- Dr. Bell reported that "53 per cent of Clubs think the status
of women is not a nice subject for university ladies."
- Clubs are encouraged to participate in "Foster the Roster" of
qualified women nationally, Family Property Law Reform provincially
and elimination of gender stereotyping in schools locally.
- 1976 - Twentieth CFUW Triennial is held in Saskatoon with the
theme, "Partners in Progress - Progress Towards Purpose"; 284
registrants. Delegates turn down idea of permanent head office,
possibly in Ottawa, mainly for financial reasons.
1976 - 1979: Dr. Jean Steer, Twentieth CFUW
President
- Dr. Steer is committed to the promotion of unity within the
Federation and within Canada.
- A grant from the Department of the Secretary of State allows
CFUW to translate all its documentation and most correspondence
into French; another grant is used to hold mini-conferences on
Canadian unity.
- CFUW establishes the Charitable Trust Fund for scholarships,
fellowships and creative arts programs.
- 1979 - CFUW has 12,000 members.
- 1979 - Twenty-first CFUW Triennial, the Diamond Jubilee
Conference, is held in Quebec City with 462 registrants and the
theme, "New Attitudes for a Changing Society."
CFUW Heroine of the 1970s: Dr. Ruth M. Bell
(1919- )
Dr. Ruth Marion Bell is a long-time participant and activist on
issues that advance the status of women.
Entering the workforce at age 18, she was determined someday to
attend university. In 1955, she graduated with a B.A. in Political
Economy and in 1965 with an M.A. in Political Science. Subsequent
careers as a Political Researcher for the Progressive Conservative
Party and Research Economist for the Bank of Montreal led to a
position as Dean of Renison College, University of Waterloo.
During her CFUW Presidency, Dr. Bell encouraged members to take
an active role in advocacy and leadership, setting an example
herself of dedicated volunteerism for women, children and
youth.
She convened the IFUW Membership Committee, attended seven IFUW
Triennial Meetings as a delegate, and served on the Fundraising
Committee for the Virginia Guildersleeve International Fund.
Among her many other involvements, Ruth was a founding member of
Match International Centre, Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF),
Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW)
and UNESCO's Sub-Commission on the Status of Women. She served as
President of Forum for Young Canadians and Vice President of the
National Action Committee on the Status of Women.
In 1981 Dr. Bell was invested as a member of the Order of
Canada, and in 1984 was awarded a Doctor of Laws degree from
Carleton University. Her autobiography, Be a "Nice" Girl,
chronicles her life's journey. Dr. Bell is also the winner of the
Governor General's Persons Award.
The Eighties
During the eighties, Jeanne Sauvé was appointed first woman
Governor-General of Canada, a coalition called Sisters of All Women
in Canada (28 women MPs and senators) fought for equality of Native
women, Alexa McDonough became first woman leader of a provincial
political party, and Bertha Wilson became the first women appointed
to the Supreme Court of Canada. The House of Commons erupted in
laughter when MP Margaret Mitchell raised the issue of violence
against women. That response galvanized the nation's attention to
the issue.
One year after The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms was
signed, discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and family or
marital status was banned. Judge Rosalie Abella, appointed to lead
a one-woman Royal Commission on Equality in employment, coined the
expression, "employment equity" to describe programs and practices
necessary to achieve workplace equality for women and other
disadvantaged groups. The National Action Committee on the Status
of Women (NAC) organized the first televised debate on women's
issues by the three federal parties. Election voter turnout was
69.3 per cent. Audrey McLaughlin became the first Canadian woman to
lead a national political party.
1979 - 1982: Eileen Clark, Twenty-first CFUW
President
- CFUW advocates to all levels of government during public
debates to ensure that equality for women is entrenched in the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
- CFUW supports the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms
of Discrimination Against Women
- (CEDAW), ratified by Canada on Dec. 10, 1981
- During this Triennium Clubs examine the social and ethical
implications of rapid technological advances especially as they
affect women
- Seven new Clubs join the Federation
- 1982 - The theme of the twenty-second CFUW Triennial Meeting in
Winnipeg is "Communication through Microelectronics".
1982 - 1985: Margaret Strongitharm,
Twenty-second CFUW President
- Clubs sponsor conferences, workshops and seminars on a study
and action program called "Women's Work and the Reality of
Tomorrow"
- Resolutions focus on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,
pornography, pension reform and peace and security as they affect
and concern women
- Two "firsts": two out of three annual meetings are held in
hotels instead of universities; the mechanism of an "Urgent
Resolution" is introduced
- CFUW welcomes six new Clubs
- 1985 - M. Strongitharm chairs Asia-Canada Women in Management
conference at University of Victoria
- 1985 - Twenty-third CFUW Triennial Meeting is held in
Calgary
1985 - 1988: Linda Souter, Twenty-third CFUW
President
Study theme is "Women and the Economy - Influence through
Knowledge"
CFUW establishes a permanent Head Office in Ottawa
CFUW moves from a triennial to a biennial system
A Policy Book containing all adopted CFUW policies is prepared
and sent to CFUW Clubs
Work on a Procedures Handbook is undertaken
1988 - Twenty-fourth CFUW Triennial Meeting is held in
Ottawa
CFUW Heroine of the 1980s: Linda Souter (1930 - )
Born in Montreal, Linda Souter holds a BA from McGill University
and a college course diploma from Boston's Katharine Gibbs
Secretarial School. As well as contributing to community work in
Sudbury with groups such as IODE, YMCA, the Multicultural Centre
and the Disabled Children's Treatment Centre, she has devoted many
years of service to CFUW and IFUW.
After serving as CFUW Provincial Director, Ontario North, Linda
became CFUW Vice President Ontario (1982-1985) and was elected CFUW
President (1985-1988). She initiated the first joint national
meeting of CFUW and AAUW (American Association of University
Women), demonstrating an international interest that led to her
election as Vice President of the International Federation of
University Women (IFUW). In 1995, Linda presented workshops at the
Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.
Linda was elected President of IFUW for the 1998 - 2001
Triennium, the second Canadian to hold this influential
international position. In 1998 she led the IFUW delegation to the
UNESCO World Conference on Higher Education, and in 2001 presided
at the 27th IFUW Triennial Meeting in Ottawa.
Linda's many honours include the Avon Women of Inspiration Award
(2001) and National Life Membership in CFUW (2002).
The Nineties
In the early 1990s, Canada's population was 27,701,000. Minister
Barbara McDougall initiated a plan to increase immigration from
200,000 to 1.22 million in five years. By 1993 the unemployment
rate stood at 11.4%, and a Statistics Canada study showed that
housework represented an unpaid labour value of 30 - 40% of GDP.
Demonstrators across the country called for more jobs, better job
protection, an end to the Bosnian war, environmental protection and
an end to free trade.
In 1992 Roberta Bondar became the first Canadian woman to enter
outer space. The following year five nations elected female prime
ministers: Turkey, Burundi, Rwanda, Pakistan and Canada (Kim
Campbell). Within months, Sheila Copps became Canada's first woman
deputy PM. Louise Arbour was appointed head of the UN War Crimes
Prosecution Unit at The Hague in 1996, and was appointed to the
Supreme Court of Canada in 1999.
Canada signed the Kyoto Protocol and was the first country to
sign and ratify the treaty banning antipersonnel land mines in
1997. Sandra Schmirler's curling team and speed skater Catriona
LeMay Doan won Olympic gold in Nagano in 1998. In 1999, Canada
created the new territory of Nunavut with Iqaluit as its capital.
Adrienne Clarkson became Canada's second woman
Governor-General.
1990 - 1994: Peggy Matheson, Twenty-fifth CFUW
President
- Themes of the two biennia are "Time to Care" and "Visions for
the Future"
- 1991-1992: CFUW undertakes project, "Women in Universities: A
Survey of the Status of Female Faculty and Students at Canadian
Universities" (CFUW Oakville)
- Emphasis is on issues of violence against women, health care,
the environment and increasing CFUW membership
- CFUW supports National Referendum on Canadian Unity
- CFUW is incorporated.
- 1994: CFUW celebrates 75th anniversary with a calendar/history
and a one-time commemorative fellowship for a native woman
- CFUW Task Force on Structure and Finance presents
recommendations at AGM 1994 in Winnipeg
1994 - 1996: Phyllis Scott, Twenty-sixth CFUW
President
- Theme of Biennium is "Access to Education - Meeting the
Challenge"
- CFUW meets staff in ministries of Justice (regarding gun
control) and Status of Women
- Phyllis Scott represents CFUW along with other women's groups
in a nationally televised Press Conference on gun control, and via
teleconference on Post-Budget issues; speaks on The Girl Child at a
Regional Consultation of Status of Women Canada
- Three appointed Chairs (Implementation, Nominations and
Constitution and By-Laws) address CFUW Task Force recommendations
adopted at AGM 1995
- This biennium is the last year for a 29-member Board of
Directors
1996 - 1998: Betty Bayless, Twenty-seventh CFUW
President
- Biennial Theme is "Choosing to Lead: Opportunities for Reasoned
Change"
- CFUW initiates new Board and Committee structure
- CFUW participates in discussion on Canadian unity
- Betty Bayless testifies at Federal Pre-Budget hearings,
participates in Landmines Treaty Conference, and meets with many
Government Ministers
- CFUW works with Coalition for Gun Control and Firearms Control
Centre
- CFUW domain is established with Louise McLeod as website
coordinator
1998 - 2000: Mavis Moore, Twenty-eighth CFUW
President
- CFUW attends session at the Firearms Control Centre on the
legality of the gun control laws
- CFUW is invited to attend the UN "Illicit Trade in Small Arms
and Light Weapons in all its Aspects" conference in New York
- Mavis Moore represents Canada on Canadian delegation to UN
Status of Women meetings in New York
- CFUW takes action on the environment (including pollution,
mines and water), health, gun control, and nuclear
non-proliferation
- CFUW receives special consultative status at the UN
CFUW Heroines: National Life Members
CFUW has three national life members.
Johanna Michalenko advocated as a national
committee member and later a provincial president of the Canadian
Association of Consumers for the standardized sizing of clothing.
In 1961 the first standardized body sizes were published and in
1972, clothing labels became mandatory. Care instructions and
colour-coded pictographs were gradually added to the labels.
Johanna was also involved with the Standards Council of Canada,
Amnesty International and the United Nations.
Elizabeth Cureton was the first CFUW Executive
Secretary when "Head Office" was established in 1985. In 1988 she
was named Executive Director - a position she held until her
retirement in 1993. She was noted for her organizational skills,
fine intelligence and tact. Elizabeth was trained as a dietician,
held a pilot's licence for many years, and traveled widely.
Originally from Victoria BC, she was a niece of Emily Carr and the
Aunt of R.H. Thompson. As a member of CFUW Ottawa she led the
Diplomatic Hospitality Group, providing a warm and welcoming
program for the wives of diplomats.
Linda Souter was elected President of CFUW for
the 1985 - 1988 Triennium, and President of IFUW for 1998 - 2001.
She was active in community organizations, profiled in national
publications, and honoured with the Avon Women of Inspiration Award
for her work worldwide. Details of her accomplishments are outlined
in History and Heroines, The Eighties.
A New Millennium
When the new millennium arrived, Canada's population was
30,770,000, unemployment was 6.7% and average family size was 3.0
people, down from 3.7 people in 1971. By 2002 a record 60.7% of
women were in the labour force, but women held only 14% of
corporate officer positions in Canadian companies listed on the
Fortune 500. By 2003 Canada had fallen to 8th in the
world in the Quality of Life ranking.
Thirteen million immigrants had entered Canada since 1901. In
2000 Montreal was ranked as the poorest city in Canada and by 2007
Toronto had that designation. The Supreme Court ruled unanimously
that the Federal Government had the right to make and impose gun
legislation. Health concerns were heightened by the Walkerton
contaminated water disaster and the SARS crisis, while security
concerns escalated following the attacks on the World Trade Towers
in NYC.
Sheila Fraser was the first woman appointed auditor-general.
Governor-General Michaelle Jean increased awareness of the need to
combat violence against women. Canadians were concerned about
climate change, water, poverty, aboriginal rights, childcare and
Canada's involvement in the war in Afghanistan. Women's
organizations from across the country joined in coalition to try to
restore cut programs and funding. By 2008 women comprised only
20.8% of the Members of Parliament.
2000 - 2002: Roberta Brooks, Twenty-ninth CFUW
President
- 2001 - CFUW hosts its third IFUW Triennial Conference - in
Ottawa with Canadian IFUW President Linda Souter presiding
- CFUW's policy brief to the Government includes prostate cancer
testing, sustainable grain production, poverty and homelessness,
child soldiers, children in armed conflict and small arms
transfers
- CFUW President travels extensively to encourage Clubs to bring
in new members and establish new Clubs
- CFUW expands its website to attract new members to the
Federation
- CFUW initiates CFUW Charitable Trust Breakfast at AGM
2002 - 2004: Jacqueline Jacques, Thirtieth CFUW
President
- The President and CIR participate in the UN Status of Women
Council in New York where the issues of violence against women and
access to information and communication technologies (ICT) are
addressed
- Advocacy includes the Kyoto Protocol, the Romanow report, a
letter to the Prime Minister urging that Canada not participate in
the Iraq war.
- A CFUW Ad Hoc Committee reviews all Board and National Office
job descriptions
- The President invites American Association of University Women
(AAUW) to do more Club exchanges with CFUW and to consider joint
projects
2004 - 2006: Rose Beatty, Thirty-first CFUW
President
- Biennial theme is "CFUW in a Changing World: Taking
Responsibility for the Education and Needs of Women"
- CFUW sets a strategic goal for 2010 of national recognition as
an organization that promotes equality for women and girls
- CFUW Women in Action, a CFUW Procedures and Information Manual
and a CFUW External Annual Report are introduced
- The President urges Clubs to include a gender aspect in
proposed resolutions for more focused advocacy
- CFUW welcomes new Club: CFUW Corner Brook
2006 - 2008: Ardith Toogood, Thirty-second CFUW
President
- Biennial theme, "Visible Voice - Voix Visible" is reinforced
with a CFUW Visible Voice Wall of Fame
- CFUW joins Ad Hoc Coalition on Women's Equality and Human
Rights, Canadian Department of Peace Initiative and GEAR
(international coalition on Gender Equality Architecture
Reform)
- CFUW testifies before House Standing Committee on Status of
Women on funding and other cuts; advocates on the environment, gun
control, Court Challenges Program, women's prison reform, child
care, poverty, UN Resolution 1325, UN Agency for Women, Millennium
Development Goals and a culture of peace for Afghanistan and
Darfur
- CFUW moves toward more inclusive membership
- CFUW welcomes new Clubs: CFUW Fort McMurray and CFUW Georgian
Triangle
CFUW Heroines:
National Honorary Members
Roberta Bondar became Canada's second astronaut and first female
to enter outer space (January 22, 1992). Dr. Bondar, a
neurobiologist, was admitted as a fellow of the Royal College of
Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 1981. Her expertise in the
human nervous system, in particular the relationship of the inner
ear balancing system to the functioning of the eye, made her an
ideal candidate for performing a series of experiments on the space
mission. She is also an acclaimed photographer.
Flora MacDonald was a Progressive Conservative Member of
Parliament from 1972 to 1988, and in 1976 the first woman to run
for the leadership of one of the two major political parties in
Canada. In 1979 she became Canada's first Secretary of State for
External Affairs, and later served as Minister of Employment and
Immigration and Minister of Communications. Much honoured including
the Companion of the Order of Canada and the Pearson Medal of
Peace, Flora devotes her time to international humanitarian
work.
Catriona LeMay Doan, one of Canada's most decorated speed
skaters, won gold medals at the Winter Olympic Games in Nagano in
1998 and in Salt Lake City in 2002. Catriona had come from dead
last at Lillehammer to the best in the world, and was the first
Canadian to defend an Olympic title. In 2003 Catriona retired from
speed skating to spend her time doing inspirational speaking in
public and as a TV commentator. She has two young children.
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