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.