Roline Maconachie
Director Ontario North
Ontario Council
September 19, 2019
Good Evening- it is wonderful to be here again in beautiful Haliburton Highlands.
When Deborah asked me to speak again within such a short period, I thought- what can I possibly say that won’t repeat my words from June or put everyone to sleep! Then I attended the National AGM and was astounded at the dedication and quality of so many women from across our country. So, tonight I will talk about our organization, our esteemed history, and the wonderful women who have worked so hard and continue to strive to ensure that women in Canada and around the world have better lives.
CFUW is 100 years old! Most of you have seen the photo of the founders of CFUW, their expressions serious as befitted the times for posing for photos but also a reflection of the very serious work they were about to undertake. They were visionaries for sure, but they also must have been just a little frightened at the obstacles they were about to face. They met at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg in August of 1919. As I sat in the meeting in August of this year, exactly 100 years later, in that very building, I couldn’t help but think about what it must have been like for those pioneer women, meeting for the first time.
Towards the end of the 19thcentury, women were beginning to enter universities but the general feeling was that they would often be labelled as “blue stockings”. These were intelligent, intellectual women and were maligned by men and society in general as being too “man like” and pursuing knowledge that should be only studied by men”. Around 1884, at the U. of T, co-education was considered morally disruptive and although women were allowed to study Arts only, they had to study with private tutors as they weren’t allowed on campus. These women became University Graduates, not very common at the time. Women were expected to marry as well as possible and raise a family, period! If they did manage to get some education eg qualifying as a teacher, if they married, they were no longer allowed to work
Women’s suffrage took off during the First World War. With men overseas, women entered the workforce and assumed new responsibilities at home. It opened up opportunities for women in industry and social work and women began to enter professions in medicine, law, journalism, and nursing.
And wealthy, Canadian born, white women began questioning why poor, illiterate, immigrant men were allowed to vote and they could not. The 1920 Dominion Elections Act, passed in part, due to the advocacy of Manitoba’s Nellie McClung, meant not only that women could vote, but they could run for a seat in Parliament. In 1921 Agnes McPhail became the first woman to enter the Commons. But, at the 1921 general election, women learned that their name had to be on the voters’ list. And, hostility towards racial and religious minorities was expressed through exclusionary electoral laws. Women from minorities such as Aboriginals and Asians were excluded and did not gain their rights until much later.
Our Federation, CFUW, came about when Dr. Winnifred Cullis of Britain, while lecturing at the U. Of T., suggested that women in Canada organize a national federation from the existing individual clubs (women had been forming these clubs since the early 1900’s as a means of maintaining friendships and opportunities to continue learning). She encouraged them to join the emerging International Federation of University Women. In August of 1919, six clubs, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, and Victoria as well as McGill Alumnae sent delegates, the proposed constitution was adopted, and CFUW was born. Education was the first interest and a plan was formed to set up a Fellowship to get women to stand for election and to provide support for women in politics. The Triennial model of meetings was also established at this time. Two significant resolutions were passed at the first conference- the resolution to establish a yearly scholarship of $1000 (about $13,000 today) for post-graduate study in another country, and a resolution to members to submit their names as candidates for governing bodies of universities, colleges, and school boards. It all sounds wonderfully simple but of course it was not- even in 1932, Mabel Chown, the President at that time, had to work diligently to change the U of T’s position that married women could not assume positions at the University. It wasn’t until 1929 that Emily Murphy (who was a judge and wanted to sit on the Senate) and the Famous Five, with the help of women’s groups like CFUW, were able to change the laws to declare that women were indeed “persons”. Before that time, according to the British Common Law Act of 1876, “women were eligible for pains and penalties but not rights and privileges.”
Our first president, Dr. Margaret McWilliams was a formidable woman who firmly believed in furthering women’s interests in all phases of life and spent her entire life working for those causes. Her niece is a member of CFUW Muskoka today and the family resemblance is strong! Many other incredible women followed over the years.
During the 1920’s, Helen Gregory McGill from Vancouver started a movement for legal reform as it pertained to women and children as women weren’t allowed to keep their own wages and she along with Evlyn Farris, another dedicated CFUW founding member, worked tirelessly to establish a minimum wage. During the depression years of the 30’s, CFUW defended women who worked for pay as well as numerous other issues of the day. During the ‘40’s, CFUW continued their work by tackling such issues as standard of living, prison reforms, a National Library, and many other post war resolutions.
Ruth Cooper Bell was a researcher for the PC Party and worked with an MP to present a private members bill, passed in 1956, to establish equal pay for equal work. However, it’s another problem to implement and enforce such a law- When I started teaching in 1971, in our School Division in Winnipeg, elementary teachers were paid less than secondary teachers although I believe women were paid the same as men. It was a sneaky move because the rationale behind this practice was that most elementary teachers were women, therefore earning a salary as a supplement to the household, while most Secondary teachers were men, earning the major living!) Thankfully, with negotiation, that changed a few years into my career. I now know that I was probably a troublemaker during my career, questioning the status quo and not afraid to challenge unfair practices.
If ever there was an example of “The Power of Women Working Together”, this is it. In May, 1966, CFUW President, Laura Sabia, organized a meeting of representatives from 30 women’s groups, forming the Committee for the Equality of Women in Canada. CEWC lobbied the government for a Royal Commission on the Status of Women. They were supported by Judy LaMarsh, then Secretary of State and the only woman in cabinet. In January of 1967, frustrated, Sabia threatened a march of 2 million women on Parliament Hill if the government did not follow through. The following month, Lester B. Pearson established a Royal Commission on the Status of Women. The findings were that while men and women were equal in principle, in fact they were not. The average income of men over 65 was double that of women in the same age group. Daycare, birth control, abortion, maternity leave, family law reform, education and pensions, as well as problems faced by Aboriginal women were in the report. It was a start although violence against women and poverty weren’t reported on. Laura Sabia became the first chair of National Action Committee of the Status of Women in 1971, to advocate for implementation of the Commission’s recommendations. By the early 90’s NAC had grown to a powerful coalition of over 700 organizations, fighting for equality and social justice for all women. In addition to improving the status of women, NAC focused on children’s services, domestic violence, poverty, and minority rights.
Of course, CFUW has continued with resolutions pertaining to Employment and Pay Equity, Poverty, Housing and Homelessness, Indigenous Rights, Immigration, Child Care, Violence against Women and Girls, Reproductive Rights and many other pertinent issues, while always maintaining the focus on Education.
Is it as astounding to you as it is to me to actually take in the overwhelming accomplishments of our predecessors? Although some of the events may have been note-worthy at the time, one former president noted- and I paraphrase here- that there is usually no thunder bolt- most of what is accomplished is done by many people working doggedly, over a period of time, and not quitting until they bring about desired change.
Which brings us to present time.
What are we doing today?
Well at the AGM in August, I was literally blown away by the accomplishments of the Notable Women honoured at the banquet- I have brought the book with all of their biographies if anyone wants to look at it. And these are only a few of our members! There are many others in each club who work diligently for our causes.
We know that at the club level, many things are actually happening and we can see that lives are being improved, AND we can see results more quickly! I watched and applauded in June as you presented a very deserving young woman with a scholarship as she began her postsecondary studies. Your community work has actually changed lives. Other clubs, just in our region, have book sales, homes tours, and famous author’s evenings to raise funds for scholarships that are presented every year! Speakers educate us at our monthly meetings to help us continue our learning and to inform us of problems or initiatives in our communities. Our clubs promote fellowship among ourselves. We donate to Women’s Shelters and so many more worthy causes. We continue to advocate for existing and new causes. I heard story after story at the AGM of clubs all over Canada and their initiatives- supporting poverty overseas, targeting bullying, etc. One club in Milton has worked for over a year on a collaborative art project that will open in November celebrating the 100 year Anniversary. Would our founding sisters approve? You betcha! (They probably wouldn’t have approved of that word). So, as we continue to advocate and educate always, we continue to actually serve at the grass roots level.
Provincially - Our mandate provincially as stated on our website is “to improve public policy and provide life-long learning.” What are we actually doing in our province?
All to improve the status of women and girls.
What does our National Organization do?
GWI
As most of you know, we, as a National Organization belong to GWI, (Graduate Women International), formerly IFUW, (International Federation of University Women) and work in the world outside Canada. I don’t have time to speak about GWI today as wanted to keep my focus on CFUW, but we have representation on their board and send voting delegates to the Triennial that continues to be held every 3 years. If you want to find out more about the International organization, you can go onto their website.
Where Are We Going
Well, CFUW has been operating for just over 100 years and I have outlined some of the amazing work that has been done over those years. We have lobbied and fought and just plain worked diligently to effect some minor and some very major change. We will continue to do some of the same things, changing where we need to change. You will note that we are still working on some of the challenges that our founding members faced as certainly not all things are yet equal and women in many cases, cannot live without facing dangerous situations and violence or bias and of course we unfortunately don’t have peace in the world. But, also, look how far we have come! We now have a very, very strong voice. I will repeat again Grace’s words- We are non-partisan but we are definitely political”
You have likely been hearing a great deal about declining membership and our quest for figuring out what to do about it. When I was researching this presentation, I noticed that several of our former National Presidents noted the same situation- one in 1924 I believe and another later on. So, this is not a new problem. However, we must be diligent in addressing the situation and working to attract new members who are passionate about effecting necessary change and who have the energy to pursue it. We must find a way to attract diverse and younger members. We must address the concerns of our younger generation. When I was here in June, I talked about my concern that many of our younger ladies probably aren’t aware of and don’t seem at all concerned about losing the rights and freedoms that their predecessors have gained although we have some pretty solid evidence as we look to our neighbours to the south that this could change in the blink of an eye. We definitely have an aging membership, although I applaud the younger women who have had vision enough to join CFUW as we do have some. We spent a great deal of time at the AGM brainstorming ways to attract women to our organization. A couple of things stood out--- one is- using Social Media and Technology reaches more young people than anything else. And, we must address the things that concern them the most, current issues such as Climate Change, Child Care, the Environment, and the Economy. My step daughter recently bought an electric car- who would have thought?
CFUW Orillia recently joined a rally at the On Route stops on the 400 series highways- some of you may have heard about that. Why? To bring the problem of human trafficking to people’s attention. Did you know that the 400 series of highways in Ontario is a hotbed for human trafficking? It is BIG business. It is very disconcerting to know that you and I have a probability of knowing someone who’s being trafficked, but are not aware that it’s happening, and we may know someone who is trafficking children but who is held in high esteem in the community. We have a Status of Women Cabinet Minister who lives in our town so we are in the process of setting up a meeting with her regarding this and other issues.
So, as we sat at the AGM. I noticed that here we were- mostly older, white, women trying to figure out how to attract more members, and younger and more diverse members. Women don’t have to be university educated anymore- but most women aren’t aware of that particularly as we have kept our name, CFUW. There are many ways of being educated today. An extreme example is my Grandmother who was prevented from going to school because the family was poor and she had to look after her younger siblings. She was bright and resented her lack of opportunity for education so she educated herself by learning to read and write using cook books and she just kept reading. I didn’t realize until I was an adult with a family of my own how wise she was and how much she knew about the world. The women we want to join us are those who just want to continue to learn, to enable other women to achieve a higher education, and have a desire to make things better for women and children in our communities and in our world.
I have set up a “task force” for lack of a better name to call it in my home club of Orillia- a couple of our younger members- and asked them to go out into the community and talk to all kinds of women to find out what would entice them to join our ranks—what do they have to offer and what can we offer to attract them. We have Georgian College and Lakehead University, we have some diverse women and we have retired women moving up from Toronto in what seems like droves! So-do we have to have more committee meetings such as Advocacy in the evening? Should we have supper meetings? Do we need to address child care? What are their major concerns that would fall under our mandate? What will it take to keep them involved? I don’t yet know the answers to these questions but I am asking all of the clubs in our region of Ontario North to take up this challenge. I will supply a group of questions as a starting point and you are certainly welcome to come up with your own. I will leave them with your Presidents and if you are interested, please see them- or they will be approaching you at my request.
In closing, I hope I have given you a brief picture of why CFUW began, why we are still here, and why it is extremely important that we continue to learn and to advocate for older causes and take up more current ones. CFUW has made a tremendous difference in the lives of women during the last 100 years, given us so many freedoms and opportunities, and set us on the road to equality. But, we aren’t there yet. Let us continue, as we go forward into the next 100 years, to strive to make a difference so that our descendants can celebrate us as the pioneers who allowed them to achieve total equality for women and peace in the world. Thank you.
As we talked about Membership, I am so proud of you at CFUW HH for the supreme effort you have made to increase your membership. You can probably answer many of the questions posed as to recruiting new members so I will be very interested in hearing what you have to say. In the meantime, I am very pleased to present you with this Certificate of Recognition for increasing your membership last year.
When Deborah asked me to speak again within such a short period, I thought- what can I possibly say that won’t repeat my words from June or put everyone to sleep! Then I attended the National AGM and was astounded at the dedication and quality of so many women from across our country. So, tonight I will talk about our organization, our esteemed history, and the wonderful women who have worked so hard and continue to strive to ensure that women in Canada and around the world have better lives.
CFUW is 100 years old! Most of you have seen the photo of the founders of CFUW, their expressions serious as befitted the times for posing for photos but also a reflection of the very serious work they were about to undertake. They were visionaries for sure, but they also must have been just a little frightened at the obstacles they were about to face. They met at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg in August of 1919. As I sat in the meeting in August of this year, exactly 100 years later, in that very building, I couldn’t help but think about what it must have been like for those pioneer women, meeting for the first time.
Towards the end of the 19thcentury, women were beginning to enter universities but the general feeling was that they would often be labelled as “blue stockings”. These were intelligent, intellectual women and were maligned by men and society in general as being too “man like” and pursuing knowledge that should be only studied by men”. Around 1884, at the U. of T, co-education was considered morally disruptive and although women were allowed to study Arts only, they had to study with private tutors as they weren’t allowed on campus. These women became University Graduates, not very common at the time. Women were expected to marry as well as possible and raise a family, period! If they did manage to get some education eg qualifying as a teacher, if they married, they were no longer allowed to work
Women’s suffrage took off during the First World War. With men overseas, women entered the workforce and assumed new responsibilities at home. It opened up opportunities for women in industry and social work and women began to enter professions in medicine, law, journalism, and nursing.
And wealthy, Canadian born, white women began questioning why poor, illiterate, immigrant men were allowed to vote and they could not. The 1920 Dominion Elections Act, passed in part, due to the advocacy of Manitoba’s Nellie McClung, meant not only that women could vote, but they could run for a seat in Parliament. In 1921 Agnes McPhail became the first woman to enter the Commons. But, at the 1921 general election, women learned that their name had to be on the voters’ list. And, hostility towards racial and religious minorities was expressed through exclusionary electoral laws. Women from minorities such as Aboriginals and Asians were excluded and did not gain their rights until much later.
Our Federation, CFUW, came about when Dr. Winnifred Cullis of Britain, while lecturing at the U. Of T., suggested that women in Canada organize a national federation from the existing individual clubs (women had been forming these clubs since the early 1900’s as a means of maintaining friendships and opportunities to continue learning). She encouraged them to join the emerging International Federation of University Women. In August of 1919, six clubs, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, and Victoria as well as McGill Alumnae sent delegates, the proposed constitution was adopted, and CFUW was born. Education was the first interest and a plan was formed to set up a Fellowship to get women to stand for election and to provide support for women in politics. The Triennial model of meetings was also established at this time. Two significant resolutions were passed at the first conference- the resolution to establish a yearly scholarship of $1000 (about $13,000 today) for post-graduate study in another country, and a resolution to members to submit their names as candidates for governing bodies of universities, colleges, and school boards. It all sounds wonderfully simple but of course it was not- even in 1932, Mabel Chown, the President at that time, had to work diligently to change the U of T’s position that married women could not assume positions at the University. It wasn’t until 1929 that Emily Murphy (who was a judge and wanted to sit on the Senate) and the Famous Five, with the help of women’s groups like CFUW, were able to change the laws to declare that women were indeed “persons”. Before that time, according to the British Common Law Act of 1876, “women were eligible for pains and penalties but not rights and privileges.”
Our first president, Dr. Margaret McWilliams was a formidable woman who firmly believed in furthering women’s interests in all phases of life and spent her entire life working for those causes. Her niece is a member of CFUW Muskoka today and the family resemblance is strong! Many other incredible women followed over the years.
During the 1920’s, Helen Gregory McGill from Vancouver started a movement for legal reform as it pertained to women and children as women weren’t allowed to keep their own wages and she along with Evlyn Farris, another dedicated CFUW founding member, worked tirelessly to establish a minimum wage. During the depression years of the 30’s, CFUW defended women who worked for pay as well as numerous other issues of the day. During the ‘40’s, CFUW continued their work by tackling such issues as standard of living, prison reforms, a National Library, and many other post war resolutions.
Ruth Cooper Bell was a researcher for the PC Party and worked with an MP to present a private members bill, passed in 1956, to establish equal pay for equal work. However, it’s another problem to implement and enforce such a law- When I started teaching in 1971, in our School Division in Winnipeg, elementary teachers were paid less than secondary teachers although I believe women were paid the same as men. It was a sneaky move because the rationale behind this practice was that most elementary teachers were women, therefore earning a salary as a supplement to the household, while most Secondary teachers were men, earning the major living!) Thankfully, with negotiation, that changed a few years into my career. I now know that I was probably a troublemaker during my career, questioning the status quo and not afraid to challenge unfair practices.
If ever there was an example of “The Power of Women Working Together”, this is it. In May, 1966, CFUW President, Laura Sabia, organized a meeting of representatives from 30 women’s groups, forming the Committee for the Equality of Women in Canada. CEWC lobbied the government for a Royal Commission on the Status of Women. They were supported by Judy LaMarsh, then Secretary of State and the only woman in cabinet. In January of 1967, frustrated, Sabia threatened a march of 2 million women on Parliament Hill if the government did not follow through. The following month, Lester B. Pearson established a Royal Commission on the Status of Women. The findings were that while men and women were equal in principle, in fact they were not. The average income of men over 65 was double that of women in the same age group. Daycare, birth control, abortion, maternity leave, family law reform, education and pensions, as well as problems faced by Aboriginal women were in the report. It was a start although violence against women and poverty weren’t reported on. Laura Sabia became the first chair of National Action Committee of the Status of Women in 1971, to advocate for implementation of the Commission’s recommendations. By the early 90’s NAC had grown to a powerful coalition of over 700 organizations, fighting for equality and social justice for all women. In addition to improving the status of women, NAC focused on children’s services, domestic violence, poverty, and minority rights.
Of course, CFUW has continued with resolutions pertaining to Employment and Pay Equity, Poverty, Housing and Homelessness, Indigenous Rights, Immigration, Child Care, Violence against Women and Girls, Reproductive Rights and many other pertinent issues, while always maintaining the focus on Education.
Is it as astounding to you as it is to me to actually take in the overwhelming accomplishments of our predecessors? Although some of the events may have been note-worthy at the time, one former president noted- and I paraphrase here- that there is usually no thunder bolt- most of what is accomplished is done by many people working doggedly, over a period of time, and not quitting until they bring about desired change.
Which brings us to present time.
What are we doing today?
Well at the AGM in August, I was literally blown away by the accomplishments of the Notable Women honoured at the banquet- I have brought the book with all of their biographies if anyone wants to look at it. And these are only a few of our members! There are many others in each club who work diligently for our causes.
We know that at the club level, many things are actually happening and we can see that lives are being improved, AND we can see results more quickly! I watched and applauded in June as you presented a very deserving young woman with a scholarship as she began her postsecondary studies. Your community work has actually changed lives. Other clubs, just in our region, have book sales, homes tours, and famous author’s evenings to raise funds for scholarships that are presented every year! Speakers educate us at our monthly meetings to help us continue our learning and to inform us of problems or initiatives in our communities. Our clubs promote fellowship among ourselves. We donate to Women’s Shelters and so many more worthy causes. We continue to advocate for existing and new causes. I heard story after story at the AGM of clubs all over Canada and their initiatives- supporting poverty overseas, targeting bullying, etc. One club in Milton has worked for over a year on a collaborative art project that will open in November celebrating the 100 year Anniversary. Would our founding sisters approve? You betcha! (They probably wouldn’t have approved of that word). So, as we continue to advocate and educate always, we continue to actually serve at the grass roots level.
Provincially - Our mandate provincially as stated on our website is “to improve public policy and provide life-long learning.” What are we actually doing in our province?
- Our Advocacy group works on a Provincial level for the adoption and implementation of provincial agreements, communicating with the Premier and Executive Council of Ontario. They write letters, and briefs, and meet with policy makers whenever possible.
- Liaising with local clubs where Ministers actually reside. We are talking to government Ministers to help change laws to protect women and children. (Human Trafficking on the 400- Joy Smith) - Provincial and Local Advocacy
- Working to increase housing supply in Ontario
- Working to decrease Gendered Violence
- Providing Speakers Series several times a year with influential guest speakers and with discussion of policies and actions
- Many other initiatives targeting child welfare, Employment standards, Environment, Indigenous issues, Mental Health, Poverty, etc. etc. STILL equal pay
- Listening to Election issues and talking to our politicians - Grace Hollett said, “We are a non-partisan organization but we are definitely political! “
- Meeting with local officials- eg Police Chiefs to ensure current laws are being enforced.
All to improve the status of women and girls.
What does our National Organization do?
- It works to improve the status of women and to promote human rights, public education, social justice, and peace—and of course, because it’s national, it can reach more influential people.
- Every year, CFUW and its Clubs award close to $1 million dollars in scholarships. It provides funding to library and creative arts awards. The CFUW Charitable Trust, funded by donations from clubs, club members and non-members provides funds for post graduate studies for women. The Dr. A. Vibert Douglas Fellowship award, established in 1947, is for a PhD thesis or project which focuses on advancing gender equality. The Fellowship is to be used in any country other than where the applicant resides or has studied. (Kind of an extension of that first $1000 scholarship set up in 1919) Who was Dr. Allie Vibert Douglas? She was an internationally known astrophysicist who became the first female president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and was also President of IFUW, now known as GWI. You can read about this year’s winner on the website- a young woman by the name of Ashli Akins.
- There are presently national initiatives on Violence against Women, Early Childhood Education, and Indigenous Peoples.
- Promote Life- long learning
- Support for Provincial Councils and Local Clubs
- United Nations- “CFUW retains special consultative status with the UN Social and Economic Council. We participate in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women every year by sending a delegation of our members to engage with the international community on issues of gender equality. CFUW is represented on the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Education Sectoral Committee. CFUW monitors and reports to UN Committees and Commissions on the human rights situation of women and girls in Canada and worldwide. One important element of this work is to encourage governments in Canada to fully meet their human rights obligations under various UN Conventions and agreements. We report on abuses and urge politicians to fully implement recommendations.” (Read more on the website)
- Sixty percent of the world’s university graduates are women, and women control the majority of consumer goods buying decisions. Yet, we continue to be underrepresented in most businesses and government positions, especially at senior levels. CFUW is working to promote, empower, and support women to take on leadership roles in politics and in careers such as in the STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and computer science), and for important social causes. To this effect, CFUW is launching a national Mentorship Pilot Program that will focus on Women in the STEM fields, CFUW members in leadership roles, and women who are interested in entering politics. BETTER BALLOT CAMPAIGN
GWI
As most of you know, we, as a National Organization belong to GWI, (Graduate Women International), formerly IFUW, (International Federation of University Women) and work in the world outside Canada. I don’t have time to speak about GWI today as wanted to keep my focus on CFUW, but we have representation on their board and send voting delegates to the Triennial that continues to be held every 3 years. If you want to find out more about the International organization, you can go onto their website.
Where Are We Going
Well, CFUW has been operating for just over 100 years and I have outlined some of the amazing work that has been done over those years. We have lobbied and fought and just plain worked diligently to effect some minor and some very major change. We will continue to do some of the same things, changing where we need to change. You will note that we are still working on some of the challenges that our founding members faced as certainly not all things are yet equal and women in many cases, cannot live without facing dangerous situations and violence or bias and of course we unfortunately don’t have peace in the world. But, also, look how far we have come! We now have a very, very strong voice. I will repeat again Grace’s words- We are non-partisan but we are definitely political”
You have likely been hearing a great deal about declining membership and our quest for figuring out what to do about it. When I was researching this presentation, I noticed that several of our former National Presidents noted the same situation- one in 1924 I believe and another later on. So, this is not a new problem. However, we must be diligent in addressing the situation and working to attract new members who are passionate about effecting necessary change and who have the energy to pursue it. We must find a way to attract diverse and younger members. We must address the concerns of our younger generation. When I was here in June, I talked about my concern that many of our younger ladies probably aren’t aware of and don’t seem at all concerned about losing the rights and freedoms that their predecessors have gained although we have some pretty solid evidence as we look to our neighbours to the south that this could change in the blink of an eye. We definitely have an aging membership, although I applaud the younger women who have had vision enough to join CFUW as we do have some. We spent a great deal of time at the AGM brainstorming ways to attract women to our organization. A couple of things stood out--- one is- using Social Media and Technology reaches more young people than anything else. And, we must address the things that concern them the most, current issues such as Climate Change, Child Care, the Environment, and the Economy. My step daughter recently bought an electric car- who would have thought?
CFUW Orillia recently joined a rally at the On Route stops on the 400 series highways- some of you may have heard about that. Why? To bring the problem of human trafficking to people’s attention. Did you know that the 400 series of highways in Ontario is a hotbed for human trafficking? It is BIG business. It is very disconcerting to know that you and I have a probability of knowing someone who’s being trafficked, but are not aware that it’s happening, and we may know someone who is trafficking children but who is held in high esteem in the community. We have a Status of Women Cabinet Minister who lives in our town so we are in the process of setting up a meeting with her regarding this and other issues.
So, as we sat at the AGM. I noticed that here we were- mostly older, white, women trying to figure out how to attract more members, and younger and more diverse members. Women don’t have to be university educated anymore- but most women aren’t aware of that particularly as we have kept our name, CFUW. There are many ways of being educated today. An extreme example is my Grandmother who was prevented from going to school because the family was poor and she had to look after her younger siblings. She was bright and resented her lack of opportunity for education so she educated herself by learning to read and write using cook books and she just kept reading. I didn’t realize until I was an adult with a family of my own how wise she was and how much she knew about the world. The women we want to join us are those who just want to continue to learn, to enable other women to achieve a higher education, and have a desire to make things better for women and children in our communities and in our world.
I have set up a “task force” for lack of a better name to call it in my home club of Orillia- a couple of our younger members- and asked them to go out into the community and talk to all kinds of women to find out what would entice them to join our ranks—what do they have to offer and what can we offer to attract them. We have Georgian College and Lakehead University, we have some diverse women and we have retired women moving up from Toronto in what seems like droves! So-do we have to have more committee meetings such as Advocacy in the evening? Should we have supper meetings? Do we need to address child care? What are their major concerns that would fall under our mandate? What will it take to keep them involved? I don’t yet know the answers to these questions but I am asking all of the clubs in our region of Ontario North to take up this challenge. I will supply a group of questions as a starting point and you are certainly welcome to come up with your own. I will leave them with your Presidents and if you are interested, please see them- or they will be approaching you at my request.
In closing, I hope I have given you a brief picture of why CFUW began, why we are still here, and why it is extremely important that we continue to learn and to advocate for older causes and take up more current ones. CFUW has made a tremendous difference in the lives of women during the last 100 years, given us so many freedoms and opportunities, and set us on the road to equality. But, we aren’t there yet. Let us continue, as we go forward into the next 100 years, to strive to make a difference so that our descendants can celebrate us as the pioneers who allowed them to achieve total equality for women and peace in the world. Thank you.
As we talked about Membership, I am so proud of you at CFUW HH for the supreme effort you have made to increase your membership. You can probably answer many of the questions posed as to recruiting new members so I will be very interested in hearing what you have to say. In the meantime, I am very pleased to present you with this Certificate of Recognition for increasing your membership last year.