The National Action Committee on the Status of Women was a Canadian
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
activist organization.
History
It was founded in 1971 as a pressure group to lobby for the implementation of the 167 recommendations made in the
Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada's 1970 report on matters such as day care, birth control, maternity leave, family law, education and pensions. Initiated by the Committee for the Equality of Women in Canada which was founded in 1966 and successfully lobbied for the creation of the
Royal Commission, the National Action Committee was founded as the successor to the Committee for the Equality of Women in Canada on January 30, 1971 with the purpose of being for the exchange of information about the activities and plans for action of the women's participating groups" and to "spearhead a drive for the implementation of those recommendations of the
Royal Commission Report on the Status of Women which are aimed at equality of opportunity for women.
A coalition of 22 groups when it originated under the name of the National Ad Hoc Committee on the Status of Women, the National Action Committee eventually grew into the largest national feminist organization with a total of 700 groups claiming affiliation. Its mandate grew beyond the implementation of the Royal Commission's recommendations to include issues such as poverty, racism, same-sex rights and violence against women.
The committee received much of its funding from the
federal government
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
until cuts by the
Brian Mulroney
Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993.
Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political sci ...
government in the wake of their opposition to the
Charlottetown Accord
The Charlottetown Accord (french: Accord de Charlottetown) was a package of proposed amendments to the Constitution of Canada, proposed by the Canadian federal and provincial governments in 1992. It was submitted to a public referendum on October ...
forced the organization to lay off its staff and cut its budget. The cuts continued during the
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien (; born January 11, 1934) is a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as the 20th prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003.
Born and raised in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, Chrétien is a law graduate from Uni ...
government and, in 1998, the group largely ceased operations for a time after
Status of Women Canada
Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE; french: Femmes et Égalité des genres Canada (FEGC)), known as Status of Women Canada from 1976 to 2018, is a department of the Government of Canada. Previously an agency under the Department of Canadian H ...
, a department of the federal government, ceased granting money for day-to-day operations. The National Action Committee soon accumulated debts in excess of $100,000 and was forced to close some of its regional offices. Although the committee's activities were greatly reduced through the 1990s into the 21st century, it revived and renewed itself and was primarily funded largely through donations and membership fees. However, it dissolved after 2007 as a result of funding problems.
The National Action Committee on the Status of Women is also known for creating one of the earliest definitions of ant-racism. According to the NAC, which defined this principle at the International Perspectives: Women and Global Solidarity, "Anti-racism is the active process of identifying and eliminating racism by changing systems, organizational structures, policies and practices and attitudes, so that power is redistributed and shared equitably."
After the dissolution of the organization in 2007, medical researchers and influential Canadian collegiate professors, Dr. Charles Boelen, MD, MPH, MSc and Dr. Robert Woollard, MD were inspired by the work of the NAC and published several scholarly articles on antiracism, essentially picking up where the NAC left off.
Chairpersons and presidents
*
Laura Sabia
Laura Sabia, (September 18, 1916 – October 17, 1996) was a Canadian social activist and feminist.
Born Laura Villela in Montreal, Quebec, the daughter of Italian immigrants, she played an important part, in the National Chair of the Comm ...
(1971-1974)
*
Grace Hartman (1974-1975)
*
Lorna Marsden
Lorna Marsden, (born March 6, 1942) is a Canadian sociologist, academic administrator, and former politician. She is the former President and Vice-Chancellor of both Wilfrid Laurier University and York University, and a former member of the Sen ...
(1975-1977)
*Kay MacPherson (1977-1979)
*
Lynn McDonald
Lynn McDonald (born July 15, 1940) is a Canadian academic, climate activist and former Member of Parliament. She is a former president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women and was the New Democratic Party (NDP) Member of P ...
(1979-1981)
*Jean Wood (1981-1982)
*
Doris Anderson
Doris Hilda Anderson, (November 10, 1921 – March 2, 2007) was a Canadian author, journalist and women's rights activist. She is best known as the editor of the women's magazine ''Chatelaine'', mixing traditional content (recipes, décor) w ...
(1982-1984)
*
Chaviva Hošek
Chaviva Milada Hošek, ; (born 6 October 1946) is a Canadian academic, feminist and former politician.
Background
Hošek was born in Chomutov, Czechoslovakia. Her mother was imprisoned in Auschwitz during World War II. The family initially mov ...
(1984-1986)
*Louise Dulude (1986-1988)
*Lynn Kaye (1988-1990)
*
Judy Rebick
Judy Rebick (born August 15, 1945) is a Canadian writer, journalist, political activist, and feminist.
Early life
Born in Reno, Nevada, Rebick and her family moved to Toronto when she was 9. She became a socialist activist in the 1970s, joining th ...
(1990-1993)
*
Sunera Thobani
Sunera Thobani (born 1957) is a Tanzanian-Canadian feminist sociologist, academic, and activist. Her research interests include critical race theory, postcolonial feminism, anti-imperialism, Islamophobia, Indigeneity, and the War on Terror. S ...
(1993-1996)
*Joan Grant-Cummings (1996-1999)
*
Terri Brown
Terri Brown (born September 27, 1947) is an American athlete. She competed in the women's high jump at the 1964 Summer Olympics
The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport ev ...
(2000-2002)
*
Denise Andrea Campbell
Denise Andrea Campbell (born 1975) is the Jamaican-Canadian Executive Director of Social Development at the City of Toronto who was also the youngest president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women.
Early life
Campbell was bor ...
(2001)
*Sungee John (2003-2005, ''interim'')
*Dolly Williams (2006-ca. 2007)
References
{{reflist
External links
National Action Committee on the Status of Womenwebsite archives on
Archive.org
The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
Abortion-rights organizations in Canada
Feminist organizations in Canada
Political movements in Canada
Organizations established in 1971
1971 establishments in Canada