BPW Canada congratulates Nunavut's new premier and first woman leader - BPW Canada congratulates Eva Aariak, the new Premier of Nunavut. The former language commissioner and first-time member of the legislature beat out two other contenders to become the first woman to lead the territory. She defeated two-term premier Paul Okalik and legislative member Tagak Curley in a vote by fellow members of the Nunavut Leadership Forum in Iqualuit. She is Nunavut's second premier since the territory was formed in 1999. Nunavut has a consensus style of government where members of the legislature choose the premier, speaker and executive council members. Ms Aariak is a former teacher,  and book publisher. She has also worked for the CBC as a radio and TV reporter, headed public affairs for the Office of the Interim Commissioner of Nunavut and was the director of training with Nunavut's Department of Human Resources. She was the territory's languages commissioner since 1999.

• In May 2008, President Fran Donaldson, 1st Vice-president Sue Calhoun and Public Affairs Chair Joan Macklin were invited to Ottawa to meet with Mme Sylvie Boucher, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the Minister for the Status of Women, and MP for Beauport-Limoilou. President Donaldson presented Mme Boucher with BPW Canada’s 2006 and 2007 briefs, and raised some BPW concerns such as the lack of an adequate and affordable national childcare program that meets the needs of Canadian families and the lack of access to EI maternity/parental benefits for business-owning and self-employed women. The BPW leaders took the opportunity, while in Ottawa, to meet with other politicians such as Irene Mathyssen, NDP Critic for the Status of Women and MP for London-Fanshawe.

• BPW Canada was part of the NGO delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations in New York in late February 2008. While the Canadian government was giving its progress report to the UNCSW, the federal budget was being released at home. Canadian women’s groups present at the UN issued a joint media release to say that overall, the federal budget released on February 26 was a disaster for women, given its focus on the wealthy. Read more All Words, Little Action, No Money for Women (pdf).
  
  
  
• Canada's Auditor General has decided to do a performance audit of the federal government's implementation of gender-based analysis between 2000 and 2008, taking into account the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and Optional Protocol and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom. The Auditor General will reportedly study the government's action plan for advancing equality for women, see whether there are clear responsibilities, resources allocated, and will evaluate the management, activities and performance indicators. After an AG audit, the departments usually produce an action plan to address the recommendations, and the public accounts committee ensures the action plans are specific; then, the AG does a follow-up audit. The AG’s audit will be completed in April 2009.
  For more, visit http://www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/internet/English/oag-bvg_e_29401.html
  
  
  
• Changes to the budget and mandate of Status of Women Canada (SWC) made headlines throughout the fall of 2006 and early 2007. The budget was slashed by $5 million (40%), and 12 of 16 regional offices were slated to close on April 1st. The word equality was removed from the SWC mission, and groups doing advocacy and research became no longer eligible for funding.
  
  

Equality-seeking women’s groups, including BPW Canada, have actively lobbied against such changes:

• In December of 2006, BPW Canada sent a Brief to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women (pdf) to oppose these changes.
• BPW Canada joined the Ad Hoc Coalition for Women’s Equality and Human Rights Put Equality Back on Track campaign. http://womensequality.ca/index.html
• BPW Canada issued new releases:
  BPW Canada shocked at closing of SWC offices 2006-12-3
  • BPW Canada urged members to write Minister Oda and their MPs.
  • BPW Canada approved emergency resolutions from BPW North and East Toronto and BPW London, calling on the Harper government to reverse the changes:
  • Urgent resolution Status of Women Canada BPW London (pdf)
  • Urgent resolution Status of Women Canada BPW North & East Toronto (pdf)

Because of the backlash from equality-seeking women’s groups, Minister Oda reinstated the $5 million, although not to the administration budget. Twelve of 16 offices were closed on April 1, 2007, and staff cut by half. Groups doing advocacy and research are still no longer eligible for funding. BPW Canada, along with other equality-seeking groups, continues to monitor this situation.