WUNRN
NATIONAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN OF CANADA
The National Council of Women of Canada (NCWC) was founded on October 27, 1893, at a public meeting in Toronto, chaired by Lady Aberdeen, wife of the Governor-General of Canada and attended by 1500 women. A Coat of Arms was granted to NCWC in 1993 as part of its Centennial celebrations. The National Council of Women of Canada was designated by the Government of Canada as being of historical signifigance for its role in Canadian women's history. Canada Post issued a stamp to recognize this role, and in August of 2005 Parks Canada and the Historical Site and Monuments Board of Canada installed a National Historic Stie commemorative plaque in the Allen Gardens, in Toronto, where the founding meeting of the National Council of Women of Canada was held on October 27th, 1893.
Today there are Local Councils of Women and Study Groups in
20 Canadian cities and Provincial Councils of Women in 5 Canadian provinces,
along with 27 National Organizations affiliated with NCWC.
NCWC is a member of the International Council of Women, which represents the
National Councils of Women in more than 70 countries, and of the Regional
Council of the Americas, which represents National Councils of Women in the
Western Hemisphere. NCWC has accreditation with the Economic and Social Council
of the United Nations.
NCWC has met formally with the members of the federal Cabinet since 1924.
Usually the meetings take place between members of Parliament or senior
government officials and members of the Board of Directors of NCWC. An annual
Brief is prepared, based on approved Resolutions, and presented to government
and members of the Opposition Parties. Our policies are developed
through a grass roots process of consultation and debate.
To see excerpts from The Splendid Vision, a Centennial History of the National
Council of Women of Canada, click
here. These excerpts are interesting stories of early Council history, and
will be changed regularly.
Our Vision:
A vibrant, pro-active, credible Council of Women reflecting
the
diversity of society, encouraging informed political decision making and
public attitudes for the well being of society, through research,
education, consultation and cooperation.
Our Mission Statement:
To empower all women to work together towards improving the quality of life for women, families, and society through a forum of member organizations and individuals.
We Work:
To improve conditions of life for women, families and communities
We Invite:
National organizations and individual women with similar goals to join NCWC and local organizations and individual women to join a Local or Provincial Council of Women.
_______________________________________________________________
From:
National Council of Women of Canada <ncwc@magma.ca>
To:
PAR-L <PAR-L-MODERATORS@unb.ca>
Subject:
NCWC on Issue of Polygamy
*Editorial
from the National Council of Women of
re:
Polygamy*
The
Globe and Mail, in an editorial "No to polygamy" on August 3rd
addressed
this issue in the wake of remarks made by Richard Peck, B.C.'s
special
prosecutor. Peck apparently has stated
that the chances of
convicting
anyone are weak and has recommended to B.C.'s Attorney
General
that they ask the B.C.
whether
the Criminal Code offence of polygamy can withstand a
constitutional
challenge." (Globe, Aug. 3rd)
The
Globe seems to think that Special Prosecutor Richard Peck's request
for
an advisory opinion from the B.C. Court of Appeal is "a good step,
because
it allows the constitutional issues to be dealt with up front
and
the people of
on
borrowed time."
The
Globe editorial also quotes Peck as saying that the polygamy law
"may
well be upheld by the courts" because "there is a substantial body
of
scholarship supporting the position that polygamy is socially harmful
..."
Polygamy
is a crime and it is abuse. NCWC has
policy against polygamy,
against
the immigration and emigration of women and female children for
sexual
and breeding purposes, and against the abuse of women and
children
in polygamous communities.
For
years we have been strongly urging the federal government to improve
policies
and practices so as to prevent the immigration and emigration
of
female children for sexual and breeding purposes under the pretext of
"celestial
marriages." We have also urged all
provinces to enforce the
relevant
sections of the Criminal Code so as to end polygamy in
and
to prevent the abuse of female children in what are presently
polygamous
communities, the most notorious being
Polygamy
is a violation of section 293 of the Criminal Code of Canada;
sexual
assault, having regard to section 273.1, is a violation of
section
273 of the Criminal Code. Procuring or
knowingly aiding in
procuring
a feigned marriage is a violation of section 292 of the
Criminal
Code, and sexual exploitation of a young person by a person in
a
position of authority is a violation of section 153 of the Criminal
Code
of
Sections
15 and 28 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
guarantees
females equal protection, and benefit "before and under the
law" and that "not withstanding anything in
this Charter, the rights
and
freedoms referred to in it are guaranteed equally to both male and
female
persons."
The
fundamental freedom of conscience and religion as set out in section
2
(a) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, often cited as a
defence
or reason not to intervene to help these female children, is
subject
to section 1 of the said Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
which
states: " The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees
the
rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable
limits
prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and
democratic
society."
Furthermore,
polygamy has already been condemned as a contravention of
women's
equality rights by the United Nations Office of the High
Commissioner
for Human Rights. The UN Declaration and Convention on the
Elimination
of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), is the
women's
Human Rights convention and came into force in 1979.
signed
on
pledge
circulated during the last election, as did all the other leaders.
Articles
3 and 5 state that actions including legislation are to be used
to
protect women (and the girl-child) from being discriminated against
in
cultural and social fields. Article 16
addresses the issues of
inequalities
embedded in many marriage customs like polygamy, and
includes
the obligation to ensure proper registration of marriages and
to
set a minimum age. Above all, women's
(and the girl-child's) rights
should
not be allowed to be curtailed due to the lack of political will,
or
clear thinking. To refuse to act is to
endorse these abuses.
Could we strongly
recommend that B.C. retain a new special prosecutor,
someone who can describe polygamy as a crime first and
foremost and who
will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law
those who abuse women
and female children -- someone who can describe
polygamy in terms other
than "socially harmful."
*Karen
Dempsey, President
National
Council of Women of
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