"Being President...so far" - January 19th, 2010

Please join us for our next teleconference on January 19th, 2010.  Our national president will be discussing her views on BPW membership, streamlining and resolutions.

Doris Hall - BPW National President

Doris has been a Member of the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women for over 20 years, holding board positions at different levels of the organization, including President of BPW London; President, Secretary and Treasurer of BPW Ontario; and Vice President for BPW Canada.  She has chair many committees in these positions.  Currently, Doris is serving as National President for BPW.

Doris joined BPW because of the international aspect of the organization giving her a voice at all levels of government.  As an NGO with consultative status at the United Nations members have the opportunity to participate in the annual meetings of the Committee on the Status of Women at the UN in New York. She was also very interested in being able to lobby governments in Canada.  BPW is an equality-seeking group of women with a focus on issues involving women (rather than a service club).

Doris’s career has included legal assistant, real estate, and business ownership. As an administrator in the science/research field, Doris began at Robarts Research Institute before moving to her current position as Office Manager for Sumagen Canada Inc., a division of Curocom Co., a Korean holding company.  She is also a member of the Clergy for ECKANKAR Canada.

Doris has been married to Doug (a Texan) for 35 years.  They have five children, seven grandchildren, four great grandchildren and two cats, Calico and Charlie.  She enjoys horseback riding, playing the violin, country ballroom dancing, reading and travel.

Congratulations to Dr. Monique Frize!

BPW Virtual Club would like to say congratulations to our first teleconference speaker of the year Dr. Monique Frize.  Dr. Frize was recently awarded the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario's Gold Medal!  This is an incredible recognition and we would like to send out a virtual standing ovation to Dr. Frize!!!

http://www.peo.on.ca/awards/OPEA/2010/Frize.html

BPW Canada Fall Newsletter Released!

The Fall Newsletter for BPW Canada has been released!  See it at:  http://bpwcanada.com/resources/newsletter.html

Feminist History Society!

Hello all,

As it is Women's History Month there could not be a better time to promote the new Feminist History Society!!  This wonderful group is on a mission to preserve the "second wave" of the feminist movement (roughly 1960-2010) through the publication of books.  Their first book has been published:  Feminist Journeys.  It is a wonderful collection of mini-memoirs of women about the amazing period in Canadian History.  And BPW members, we are featured in the second full two-page spread picture in the book!  Elsie Gregory MacGill and Nazla Dane meeting with the Prime Minister, and I challenge you to join and get this book and figure out who the other women are! 

For more information on this truly exiciting initive see: 

http://feministhistories.ca/about/

Reminder and Celebration!

This week is reason to celebrate!  First off we start the week with the commemoration of Person's Day!  If you do not know what this stands for, please see the excellent article on the Famous Five and Person's Day by our member Kathy at:

http://www.bpwcanada.com/about/history.html

I challenge you to wish every Canadian woman you meet a happy Person's Day! 

As October is Women's History month we are also celebrating women's history and Amy Gill will help us out with information on women's Charter inclusion.  Don't miss out!  See more information on the previous entry.

Next Teleconference: October 20th, 2010 - 7 p.m. Eastern Time - Don't Miss Out! This is a special presentation to celebrate Women's History Month!

Our next teleconference in October will feature Amy Gill:

As a recent MA graduate in history from the University of Ottawa, Ms. Gill’s area of interest focuses on social movements, political development within the Canadian federal system, and more specifically the relationship between the two.  Within the context of the debate surrounding the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, her research centers on the shift that occurs within the Canadian women’s movement and the powerful impact it had on the articulation of equality rights.  Her work seeks to explore how Canadian women perceived equality, federalism, and the Charter along with their role in shaping part of the underlying values that govern Canadian society.  Moreover, it ventures to explain how ideas are able to transform themselves into action within the context of modern Canadian politics.

Her presentation is entitled:   

“ “Get your Paws of our Clause!” : Deciphering the role of the Canadian Women’s Movement and the Formulation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

Her presentation will address the following:

This presentation explores the role of the Canadian women’s movement in the formulation of sections 15 and 28 in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  Grounded in the context of the decade leading up to the 1980-1982 mega-constitutional debates, the ideas and actions of the women’s movement demonstrate both their intellectual and political agency in securing a new interpretation of equality rights within the Charter. 

The success of the women’s movement in this era is attributed to its effective mobilization, profiting from an environment in which Canadian women were able to develop a complex network of organizations at the national, provincial, local, and grass roots level.  Moreover, the structure of the women’s movement provided a powerful platform for key figures within the movement to articulate women’s concerns and have those opinions respectfully considered.  Only in tandem do the ideals championed by the women’s movement and the structure of the movement allow for its eventual success.  

Providing an arena for action, the critical events that mark the 1980-1982 mega-constitutional debates showcase these elements and illustrate how Canadian women transformed their ideas into action.  Examining the context leading up to the debates along with the events during the fourteen-month span of negotiations, it is argued that women played both an intellectual and political role in shaping equality rights in Canada.  Their contributions not only secured an effective path to substantive equality but also irrevocably altered the nature of the debate surrounding human rights and changed the way Canadians understand, interpret, and practice equality.

Hurry! Our first teleconference is September 15th!! Don't miss out!!

Our first presenter is Dr. Monique Frize:

Monique Frize is Distinguished University Professor at Carleton University and Professor Emerita at University of Ottawa. Monique was the first woman to receive a degree in Engineering at U of Ottawa (Electrical was her field). She then completed an M. Phil and DIC at Imperial College (UK), an MBA at U. de Moncton, and a doctorate at Erasmus Universiteit in Rotterdam (The Netherlands). Monique was inducted as Officer of the Order of Canada in 1993, as Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 1992, Fellow of Engineers Canada in 2010, and will receive the Gold medal of Professional Engineers Ontario in November. She has five honourary degrees.

Her presentation is entitled:   

The Bold and the Brave: A history of women scientists and engineers

The presentation will cover the cyclical status of women in various epochs and how this still affects girls and women today. The access to education of women from the Middle Ages to today will be discussed. Contemporary issues that still create obstacles for women to consider careers in science, engineering, and technology and their solutions will conclude the presentation.



Our next teleconference in October will feature Amy Gill:

As a recent MA graduate in history from the University of Ottawa, Ms. Gill’s area of interest focuses on social movements, political development within the Canadian federal system, and more specifically the relationship between the two.  Within the context of the debate surrounding the creation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, her research centers on the shift that occurs within the Canadian women’s movement and the powerful impact it had on the articulation of equality rights.  Her work seeks to explore how Canadian women perceived equality, federalism, and the Charter along with their role in shaping part of the underlying values that govern Canadian society.  Moreover, it ventures to explain how ideas are able to transform themselves into action within the context of modern Canadian politics.

Her presentation is entitled:   

“ “Get your Paws of our Clause!” : Deciphering the role of the Canadian Women’s Movement and the Formulation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

Her presentation will address the following:

This presentation explores the role of the Canadian women’s movement in the formulation of sections 15 and 28 in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  Grounded in the context of the decade leading up to the 1980-1982 mega-constitutional debates, the ideas and actions of the women’s movement demonstrate both their intellectual and political agency in securing a new interpretation of equality rights within the Charter. 

The success of the women’s movement in this era is attributed to its effective mobilization, profiting from an environment in which Canadian women were able to develop a complex network of organizations at the national, provincial, local, and grass roots level.  Moreover, the structure of the women’s movement provided a powerful platform for key figures within the movement to articulate women’s concerns and have those opinions respectfully considered.  Only in tandem do the ideals championed by the women’s movement and the structure of the movement allow for its eventual success.  

Providing an arena for action, the critical events that mark the 1980-1982 mega-constitutional debates showcase these elements and illustrate how Canadian women transformed their ideas into action.  Examining the context leading up to the debates along with the events during the fourteen-month span of negotiations, it is argued that women played both an intellectual and political role in shaping equality rights in Canada.  Their contributions not only secured an effective path to substantive equality but also irrevocably altered the nature of the debate surrounding human rights and changed the way Canadians understand, interpret, and practice equality.

Teleconference Topics and Dates!

Hello all!

This is an update on our topics for the teleconferences and dates, so mark your calendars!

• September 15th:  Dr. Monique Frize, P.Eng., O.C.  
• The Bold and the Brave:  Investigation into the Past and Future of Women Scientists and Engineers

• October 20th:   Amy Gill, M.A.
• "'Get your Paws off our Clause!"'  Deciphering the role of the Canadian Women's Movement and the Formation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

• November 17th:  Vi Andersen, National Resolution Chair, BPW Canada and BPW Virtual Club
• BPW Canada Voice on Women's Issues:  The Resolution Process

• January 19th:  BPW Canada's President's Remarks:  Doris Hall (Title TBA)

• February 16th:  Looking at the Global Summit (Title and Speaker TBA)

• March 16th:  Creating Wellness and you!  Dr. Natalie Beauchamp  (Title TBA)  

More information will be coming shortly.  Please watch our webpage at:
http://www.bpwcanada.com/about/bpw-virtual-club.html

The registration sheet will be up shortly, and PLEASE pass on the word.  These are open to both BPW Canada members and other interested women.  The registration sheet notes how this works.

We look forward to "seeing" you soon!

Body Shop's Human Trafficking Petition

The next time you are out shopping take time to look for Body Shop's Human Trafficking petition.  This was an issues that was featured at the June convention, and we passed a resolution regarding it.  Any way we can take action on this issue we should try!

CARE Canada Shopping Announcement!

BPW Canada has been supporting CARE and its intiatives, especially in relation to its "I AM Powerful" Campaign for women.  This week they are having a special shopping deal with The Gap, Banana Republic etc.  You will save money and they will receive support - a great deal!

Simply follow the link to receive you coupon!
http://care.ca/main/index.php?en&GAPGiveandGet

Happy Shopping!

We've got a full slate!!

Excellent news to share:  BPW Virtual Club now has a full slate of speakers for its teleconference series which starts this September!  Stay tunned and we will let you know what all the excitement's about!  Here's to staying connected virtually!

Welcome to the BPW Virtual Club's New Virtual Initiative!

Being a virtual club requires many different forms of communication and we are learning the ropes as we go!  This blog will be a place for general information about our club, and the activities that we are engaged in.  Our membership uses many means to shrink the miles between us:  blogs, email, webpages and teleconferences. 

We are always learning something new, and we'd love to have you learn along with us.  Please look over this webpage and get a better idea of who were are and what we do. 

In the near future there will be information coming on the pending teleconference series for this year!  We have arranged to have some very exciting speakers and we are eager to learn and grow with you! 

Cheers for now, stay tuned for more information.
p.s. Members you received an invitation for a members only blog.  I look forward to chatting with you on that one soon!