The Corner Brook Status of Women will proudly celebrate its 50th Anniversary milestone on Saturday, November 30th. This historic and momentous occasion will feature a retrospective on its historical journey, a glimpse into its current endeavours, and a look at the exciting developments yet to come.
Paula Sheppard, Executive Director of the Corner Brook Status of Women Council, said the anniversary will allow council members, friends, and community members to reminisce and celebrate the important role the council has played in Corner Brook for women and its surrounding communities.
History
One of the council's first recommendations in 1976, after it opened two years earlier,
was lobbying the Corner Brook Winter Carnival to change its beauty contest to a more gender-equitable ambassador contest, which was finally implemented in 1984. Since then, a male and female ambassador contest has been created.
The council has been instrumental in employment counselling for women and the opening of the transition house in the Corner Brook area, known as Willow House, which is a shelter for women and children who are living in violent situations.
The council has also been involved in early employment grants that introduced women into non-traditional roles. These included opportunities and employment with Captain Hook Park and Marble Mountain.
In 1991, Evie Newtown was the council’s first feminist counsellor who supported community members, such as mental health support, which was unavailable at the community level.
Ongoing Work
The council is also proud of securing grants for human rights groups and single-parent organizations and improving access to employment and education. However, it continues to face restrictive policy and legislative practices in many areas.
“We are seeing growing movements to restrict bodily autonomy when it comes to sexual reproductive rights. We still struggle with pay equity, and politics is an area where women still face several barriers to full inclusion or executive positions.
She also said women continue to face issues related to discrimination, harassment, and gender-based violence.
“Many smaller outports still rely on having stay-at-home moms, a lack of childcare, and a lack of employment options to work outside the house.”
Sheppard expressed that the most frustrating aspect of advancing women's equality is the slow pace of progress.
“We have seen some progress, but when we applaud that there is 20 percent representation at some of these tables, we are still far away from being 50 percent. Progress is slow. It is starting to happen, but we certainly are not where we need to be in terms of equality.”
Sheppard believes it's essential to start within our neighbourhoods to assess whether equitable practices are implemented and ensure that all voices are represented at decision-making tables. From there, changes can be implemented locally, and broader changes can be advocated beyond the immediate environment.
Royal Commission
The bigger question is what the Provincial and Federal Governments have done to implement the changes presented in the Royal Commission on the Status of Women Act, established in 1967.
Marriage
Sheppard said many commission changes have yet to be implemented to their full extent. Some of the more notable include marriage.
Some of the recommendations suggested that the federal government set the minimum age for marriage at 18. In 1967, the constitution allowed provinces to set the minimum age for girls at 12 and boys at 14.
“In 2015, the Provincial Civil Marriage Act was amended to set the minimum age at 16 across Canada, although the recommended age of 18 or 19 hasn't been fully reached yet. Since then, provinces and territories have set the minimum age at 18 or 19, with parental consent required for those as young as 16. In Newfoundland, the minimum age is 19 or 16 with parental consent. This is a change many people might not be aware of.”
Poverty
Another is poverty. One recommendation in the Royal Commission Act was that the federal government guarantee an annual income to the heads of all independent families with dependent children.
“That was the basis for the family allowance program in Canada, and what we see now is that we have an income support benefit here in our province. Still, there is no guaranteed annual income like the one proposed initially.”
Childcare
One of the significant recommendations concerned childcare. It recommended that the federal government take steps to agree with the provinces to adopt a national childcare act.
“We know that many provinces have signed onto the childcare program, but we are now talking about 50 years later about making that a reality. They called for that in the early 1970s. We are only now seeing provinces sign on to this type of program. Yet we don’t have any childcare spots for those that need it.”
Sheppard said the Corner Brook Status of Women will continue to raise awareness around issues like violence. On December 6th, they annually host events to remember those killed at Ecole Polytechnique and their Take Back the Night events. They hosted their first Take Back the Night event in 1992 and continue those traditions. Right now, they are running a sexual assault accompaniment program for anyone who has experienced sexual assault. The program involves training volunteers and staff to accompany women in making reports to the police, the hospital for forensic exams, the court, and reporting to their employer or place of education. That will also continue with several educational modules within schools and communities.
Task Force on Gender-Based Violence
Status of Women Councils across the province are also calling for a task force on gender-based violence. There is no strategic plan in this province to address this issue.
“We know that the intensity of incidents has been increasing since COVID. It hasn't gone away. We have seen an increase in this violence since COVID-19. On March 8th, 2004 the Council released a Seeds of Change report that outlined several recommendations.”
Moving Forward
Even though the fight for equality can be slow-moving and frustrating, Sheppard believes you have to stop and celebrate the small successes while moving forward.
“You have to continue chipping away at it, continue to remind people that there is still work that needs to be done, but to celebrate the successes along the way.”
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