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