By KERRY McCUAIG

“This isn’t just about money. This as a
political move to silence Canada’s
women,” Judy Rebick told about 100
women gathered on the sidewalk outside
the Secretary of State Women’s office in
Toronto.

The president-elect of the National
Action Committee on the Status of
Women was addressing a “Weiner roast,”
one of a two dozen held in cities across
Canada, April 17.

The luncheon rallies were designed to
embarrass Gerry Weiner, Secretary of
State. They were a silly publicity stunt, but

the women involved are running out of |

options. When the news came down in last
February’s budget that $1.6-million was
being chopped from women’s programs, it
was a death sentence to 80 women’s cen-
tres.

Representatives immediately tried to
meet with the minister but he wasn’t avail-
able. They camped out in women’s pro-
grams offices in St. John’s, Vancouver,
Halifax and Toronto hoping the minister
could find some time. Instead he sent in his
personnel, to “help” the women fill out
grant applications — an area where they
were all experts.

The occupations resulted in about 30
arrests and the institution of an elaborate
security network. Special combination
locks were installed in every office. Secur-
ity guards were posted and outside many
offices sat two or three police cruisers. The
bill for three months comes to $560,000.

This is why Rebick and others stress the
cut has nothing to do with deficit reduc-
tion. The cost of keeping women out
women’s program offices is one-third of

Kerry McCuaig

what was chopped. It exactly equals the
decorating bill for one office for cabinet
ministers visiting Halifax.

Stacked up against the $33 million
increase for the secret police, the $17
million given to strip joints and the $14

million to advertise the upcoming Goods,

and Services Tax, the intent behind the
attack on women’s programs becomes
clearer.

Women’s centres do many things.
From Stephenville, Newfoundland to Yel-
lowknife they are often the only place
where parents can find out what child care
is available; where an immigrant woman
can learn about her rights; where a sexu-
ally harassed woman, a battered woman, a
woman who’s been sexually abused or
assaulted can find support.

Weiner argues that all this is social ser-
vices. The federal government is not in the
business of directly supplying social servi-
ces, therefore the cuts. But what really
bothers Weiner and his cabinet collegues is
these centres are the centre of the women’s
movement.

While providing services, centre volun-
teers and staff provide a nucleus for organ-
ization; a means to politicize women in

their communities. They are training

grounds for feminists. Governments at all-

levels feel their impact and they don’t like
it. ;
With a niggardly amount — $10.4-
million — women’s centres, together with
women’s studies and research groups, pol-
itical action and lobbyist organizations,
publications and legal advocacy groups,
many of them funded through the
women’s program, are the foundations of
the Canadian women’s movement.

This movement does spend a lot of its
time embarrassing government. It tells
government and the public that Ottawa’s
signature on international commitments
to equality is no more than dry ink.
Government policy is constantly mea-
sured against its economic and social
impact. Even the very language of politi-
cians is monitored.

The women’s movement is a big rock

the government must get around or blast :

away, before it can find smooth sailing for
its agenda. The prime minister and co.
better wait to unfurl their sails. It may take
more than a wiener roast, but I doubt the

Tories possess enough dynamite to dam- |

age this rock.

~~ MAY DAY GREETINGS —

from

PRINCE RUPERT
LABOUR COUNCIL

JIM RUSHTON

President

BARRY BLYTHE

Vice President

Court strikes
down bylaw
on postering

An Ontario provincial court judge has
struck down Toronto’s anti-postering by-
law, April 17, saying it restricts constitu-
tional guarantees of freedom of speech.

In dismissing charges against James
Quickfall and Cameron Tetrault, Judge
Anthony Charlton called posters “the very
newspapers of our streets.”

During the 1988 federal election cam-
paign the two men, members of Citizens
Concerned About Free Trade, were
arrested for pasting up posters on a hydro
pole. The bylaw, which carries with it a
maximum fine of $2,000, forbids postering
on any public property.

At total of 16 CCAFT members were
charged during the election campaign in
Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Mont-
real and Saint John under municipal anti-
postering laws. In Montreal, protesters were
jailed overnight and charged under the
Criminal Code with public mischief.

This is the first positive ruling the organi-
zation has received. The rest all resulted in
convictions and are under appeal.

Marjaleena Repo, national organizer for
the CCAFT, called the ruling a “defence of
democracy,” which will serve as a precedent
for other cases.

The same day as Judge Charlton brought
down his ruling, Repo appeared before the
commission looking into reforms of the
Election Act. “We asked for a statute
declaring postering legal during the seven
weeks of the election campaign,” she said.
“We don’t have the resources to fight city by
city.”

Most anti-postering laws are allegedly
directed against litter, but the defence in
every case has argued that the prohibition
against posters violates the constitutional
guarantees of freedom of speech.

“The various cities are relying on the
argument that postering — particularly
political postering — is ‘visual blight’ and
must be outlawed — while other, more
obvious signs of ‘urban blight’ are tolerated
by municipal authorities,” said Repo.

May Day Greetings

to our friends in the labour movement
FOR PEACE AND JOBS! |

United Fishermen & Allied Workers Union
Local #2 (Shoreworkers)

to fellow trade union

Local #4, Pulp, Paper

MAY DAY
GREETINGS

workers from the
members of

and Woodworkers
of Canada

The B.C. Social Credit Government
is cutting back your health care

Each of us has suffered the cost of government neglect of our health care system. We
all know someone waiting a painfully long period for medical care. It doesn’t have to
be this way. This May Day workers in British Columbia join in defending our health
care system. It’s time to send government a message that the time for action is now.

This May Day it’s time to
stand together to protect
our health care services.

12 ¢ Pacific Tnbune, April 30, 1990