Resources for Women

Understanding the Link between Welfare Policy and the use of Food Banks (2009). This report released by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives provides an understanding of who uses food banks in Canada and how food bank use relates to welfare and unemployment trends. Download the report at http://www.policyalternatives.ca/reports/2009/04/reportsstudies2208/.

HungerCount 2009: The Canadian Association of Food Banks recently released their latest study on food bank use in Canada. It offers policy recommendations to significantly reduce hunger in Canada. To view the full report, visit: http://foodbankscanada.ca/main2.cfm?id=107185CB-B6A7-8AA0-6FE6B5477106193A

Wage Gap Reduction Initiative (2008) The Province of New Brunswick has produced new resources for addressing the Wage Gap, which can apply to other provinces as well. http://www.gnb.ca/0012/womens-issues/wg-es/index-e.asp

New report debates the merits of income-splitting for tax purposes (2008): There has been growing pressure on the federal government to allow couples to split their incomes for tax purposes. The author of this report argues against this practice, as it requires the smaller income earner (typically women) to take on extra tax burden. See the news release and full report at http://www.irpp.org/newsroom/archive/2008/0220sume.pdf

Budget 2008: What's In it for Women? (released 2008): Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released this gender-based analysis of the federal government's 2008 budget. Read up on it at http://www.fafia-afai.org/files/Budget_2008_Whats_in_it_for_women.pdf

A Political Guidebook for Women Considering Politics (2008): Nova Scotia's Advisory Council on the Status of Women produced a guidebook with information needed to embark on a career in municipal, provincial or federal politics. Designed to encourage women's participation in politics, this guide has relevance to any woman considering politics regardless. Available in French and English: http://women.gov.ns.ca/pubs2008_09/VotesForWomenEnglish.pdf or http://women.gov.ns.ca/pubs2008_09/VotesForWomenFrench.pdf

Giving Voice to the Inner City (2007): This report compares the experiences of Winnipeg inner city residents in 2007 to those of an earlier study from 1997-1999. See this report, among other regional information on Manitoba at Povnet's website: http://www.povnet.org/regional/manitoba

FAFIA says 10 years of federal budgets a double whammy for women (released 2007): Federal fiscal choices have done little to improve most women's economic security over the last 10 years, says the first ever analysis of federal budgets on Canadian women. The ground-breaking report, released recently in Ottawa by the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA), tracks a decade of federal budgets. It shows that massive spending cuts unduly hurt women in the deficit era and women's interests have been largely ignored since Ottawa began posting surpluses. An executive summary and the full report are available at: http://www.fafia-afai.org/en/10_years_of_federal_budgets_double_whammy_for_women in English and French.

StatsCan Gender Based Statistical Report (2006): Here is a link to the fifth edition of Women in Canada: A Gender-based Statistical Report, a 311-page publication from Statistics Canada: http://www.statcan.ca/bsolc/english/bsolc?catno=89-503-X

Communities Under Pressure: The Role of Co-operatives and the Social Economy (released 2006): This report discusses the relationship between co-operatives and the global economy. The 20-page report is available at: http://policyresearch.gc.ca/doclib/PE/SR_PE_communities_200606_e.pdf

Final report on cities and communities (released 2006): A final report of the External Advisory Committee on Cities and Communities, titled From Restless Communities to Resilient Places: Building a Stronger Future for All Canadians, June 2006, declares the importance of looking at communities in terms of all social, economic, cultural and environmental aspects. To read the report, visit: http://www.civicgovernance.ca/node/41.

Facts regarding the world's women: Women own 1% of assets worldwide. Literacy rates for girls have improved (55% in 1970 to 74% in 2000), but women still make up 64% of the people who are illiterate in the world. 15,000 women die every day from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes. Violence against women and girls is increasing worldwide. Women constitute 16% of parliamentarians in the world; women make up 70% of the world's absolute poor by living on less than $1 a day. - Source: Gains and Gaps: A Look at the World's Women, National Council for Research on Women, 2006

Winnipeg quality of life report (released 2006): Community residents' views are expressed in a new report designed to assist community groups plan and develop programs that best meet the needs of their communities. The report is available in City of Winnipeg libraries and on the Seed Winnipeg website at: http://www.seedwinnipeg.ca/news.htm

Women and the economy stories: Banging the Door Down is a video featuring Manitoba women talking about their experiences of the economy from forest to office to kitchen. The 26-minute video is an accessible introduction to the economic system, ideal for classroom use and resource libraries. The video is one of three resources produced by the United Nations Platform for Action Committee Manitoba (an organization of Manitoba women committed to the ideals of equality, development and peace articulated in the 1995 UN Conference on Women in Beijing). The Women & Economy web site is available at: http://www.unpac.ca/economy/order_resources.html#2. A two-part resource book based on the web site is also available.

Two new papers on women and social assistance policy (released 2005): The Prairie Women's Health Centre of Excellence released two new papers on Women and Social Assistance Policy in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The first paper, Income Assistance Policies in Saskatchewan and Manitoba: Implications for Women, by Josephine Savarese and Bonnie Morton, provides a critical analysis of changes in income assistance policies in two prairie provinces. Access to Justice: Social Assistance Advocacy in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, by Bonnie Morton and Josephine Savarese, provides a description of advocacy services which help people on social assistance receive the benefits to which they are entitled. Together these two papers make an important contribution to understanding the links between public policy and women's poverty. Copies of these papers are available online at http://www.pwhce.ca/incomeAssistance.htm.

Study on paid and unpaid work in Canada (2005): Canadian women still do most of the housework and tend to feel more time-stressed than men do, regardless of how long their paid workday is or whether they have children. Research has found that mothers, regardless of employment status, consistently felt more time-crunched than fathers.
- Source: Statistics Canada, The Daily for: 2006-07-19

Women in Media and News blog: WIMN's Voices was launched by the New York-based media analysis, education and advocacy organization Women in Media & News (WIMN). It features more than 50 women reporters, academics and activists. It can be viewed at http://www.wimnonline.org/WIMNsVoicesBlog/.

Hot website related to Women's rights and poverty: Volunteer driven and maintained with no government funding, the DAWN Ontario (Disabled Women's Network Ontario) website offers notices and background information on topics related to women's rights and poverty. To receive e-updates, connect to DAWN Ontario at http://dawn.thot.net/

Death of a Spouse and Impact on Income (released 2006): This Statistics Canada study examines the effect that the death of a spouse has on the incomes of elderly males and females. The report, which looks at the time period from 1993-2003, found that senior women suffered economically from widowhood, much more than senior men. To read more, see: http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/060710/d060710a.htm.

Engaging Business in Local Efforts to Reduce Poverty: Part of the Solution: Engaging Business in Local Efforts to Reduce Poverty - This helpful information is posted on a website http://tamarackcommunity.ca/g2s325.html.

A neighbourhood theory of change (released 2006): Orienteering Over New Ground: A Neighbourhood Theory of Change is a policy dialogue tool which describes Action for Neighbourhood Change's (ANC) action learning regarding the interrelationships and role of transformational change among neighbourhoods, bridge builders and the systems of support. Download this 27-page paper at: http://www.caledoninst.org/Publications/PDF/592ENG.pdf

Social housing, neighbourhood revitalization and CED (released 2006): As part of the Manitoba Research Alliance on Community Economic Development in the New Economy, a research consortium that was headed up by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives-Manitoba, Ian Skelton, Cheryl Selig and Lawrence Deane carried out research into the processes of housing production as part of neighbourhood revitalization. The complete report, titled Social Housing, Neighbourhood Revitalization and Community Economic Development, is available free of charge from the CCPA website at: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/Reports/2006/06/ReportsStudies1402/. Printed copies may be ordered through the CCPA-Manitoba Office at 927-3200 (for a fee).

Study on the working poor (released August 2006): This study, titled When Working is not enough to Escape Poverty: An Analysis of Canada's Working Poor, discusses the pros and cons of the various definitions that have been used to investigate the phenomenon of working poverty in Canada, and argues for the use of a new definition. The executive summary is available at: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/cs/sp/sdc/pkrf/publications/research/SP-630-06-06/page00.shtml

Nobel prize winners support women (2006): Muhammed Yunnus and the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh, recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2006, earned the prize because they created a system of credit which enables the poor to borrow small amounts to finance cottage industries thereby enabling them to improve the lives of their families. It has had an impact in Bangladesh and microcredit has now become a world-wide movement. Of the borrowers, 94% are women and over 98% of the loans are paid back, a recovery rate higher than any other banking system.
- Source: www.grameen-info.org

Just Labour: A Canadian Journal of Work and Society, a publication of York University's Centre for Research on Work and Society, may be of interest to those seeking equity advancement and protection through bargaining. The most recent edition is available at: www.justlabour.yorku.ca/index.php?page=home

Pay equity at the heart of equality: The Pay Equity Network represents organizations which support women's rights to equal pay for work of equal value. They say today, a woman earns 72.5 cents for every dollar a man earns. Our equal pay legislation is not working. The wage gap is even greater for Aboriginal women, women of colour and women with disabilities. The federally appointed Pay Equity Task Force issued a thoroughly researched Report in 2004 which found that current federal pay equity legislation doesn't work. They recommended a new proactive pay equity law, similar to laws in existence in Ontario and Quebec. The federal government, in its response to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women tabled September 18, has chosen to ignore this consensus and instead is going back to a system that has proven itself to be totally inadequate over the last 25 years. Over 300 national and local organizations support the Pay Equity Network's call for implementation of the federal Task Force Report." To read more, see: http://canadianlabour.ca/index.php/pay_equity.

Community Economic Development & Social Inclusion: As part of the Canadian CED Network's Social Inclusion action research project, practitioners were asked to share tools and resources they found useful in developing integrated approaches to improving social and economic conditions. These have been compiled into an on-line, searchable toolbox in both English and French. Search the toolbox at: http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/?q=en/toolbox

Resources for Non-profits: For a library of resource materials geared towards community-based non-profit organizations, check out the Imagine Canada Non-profit Library Commons at http://nonprofitscan.imaginecanada.ca/ Information about event planning, fundraising, research and more!

Manual and tool kit on how voluntary organizations can influence public policy: The YWCA has been active in influencing public policy throughout its 150-year history. The organization has put together a manual and toolkit called Be HIPP (Have Influence on Public Policy), designed to help organizations minimize the pitfalls and overcome the barriers to successful engagement in public policy work. The toolkit is supported by a two-hour e-learning module. For more information, see their website at http://www.ymca.ca/en/who-we-are/resources.aspx

The Art of Advocacy: A Handbook for Non-profit Organizations (released 2004): This 20-page handbook, jointly published by Habitat for Humanity and the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet), is packed with useful information. As the introduction says, the handbook is about "giving everyday people who believe in a cause, the tools, information and insight they need to make a difference". With the right knowledge and skills, an organization can raise public awareness of its cause, build relationships with elected officials and help shape laws and policies critical to its mission. The handbook is available at: http://www.ccednet-rcdec.ca/?q=en/node/4285

To follow a legislative bill through Parliament... Read the debates in the House of Commons and see how your Member of Parliament is voting:

1. Go to http://www.parl.gc.ca/legisinfo/;
2. Choose English or French;
3. Go to Government Bills and choose a bill;
4. Go to Status of the Bill;
5. Click on a date to read the debate in the House of Commons or the Senate;
6. Scroll down and read the debates;
7. To find out how your Member of Parliament is voting on the bill, after step 3 click on Selected Recorded Votes.

Femme Fiscale tells how to get involved in Gender Budgeting: Femme Fiscale, a new voice for Manitoba women, made her first public appearance on Budget Day, March 6, 2006. Through this UN Platform for Action Committee Manitoba (UNPAC) initiative, awareness was raised about the impact of provincial tax cuts on people who rely on government services, especially women and children. UNPAC looks forward to continued dialogue with government representatives about the need to use gender analysis in the development of the provincial budget. For more information on the gender budget project, see: http://www.unpac.ca/gender/action.html

Report on women's organizations in Manitoba (released 2005): In for the Long Haul: Women's Organizations in Manitoba, a report by Joan Grace, identifies the many diverse organizations that comprise the women's movement in Manitoba, and how these organizations and groups express their feminist ideas and how they undertake their political action strategies. The report is available at: http://www.policyalternatives.ca/reports/2005/08/reportsstudies1170/?pa=.

Getting to the gate: Equal Voice recently launched 'Getting to the Gate', an online tool for women interested in getting into politics. The national multi-party group of volunteers is dedicated to getting more women elected at all levels of government. The course aims to increase the number of elected women by providing practical tools for women of all ages, backgrounds and walks of life interested in running for public office. For more information, see: www.gettingtothegate.com.

Swan River Valley suffragist honoured: A memorial plaque to honour Gertrude (Twilley) Richardson and the part played by the suffragists in and around the Swan River Valley was unveiled on May 28, 2006. Gertrude (Twilley) Richardson, gifted writer and poet, had a major part in gaining women's right to vote in Manitoba and Canada. She organized the first Women's Suffragette Society in Manitoba at the Roaring River School Division, just east of Swan River and invited Nellie Mc Clung to speak. The plaque honouring Ms Richardson can be seen at the Swan Valley Historical Museum, 315-6th Ave N, Hwy 10, 1.6km North of Swan River, Manitoba (phone: 204 - 734-3585).