On November 4, 2015 the new Prime Minister of Canada, along with his new cabinet, was sworn into office by the Governor General. The day was marked by a heightened sense of hope and excitement across the country. However, more than being simply symbolic, November 4 was an opportunity for the new Prime Minister to show canadians his government is prepared to fulfill commitments made during the election campaign. Of many, the most notable of these commitments was to achieve gender parity in the cabinet. To the delight of many Canadians and, the world, Mr. Trudeau was able to deliver on his promise. As many praised the Prime Minister for his decision, an equal number (while not questioning the qualifications or merit of those woman appointed to power) were asking the question: “Is an affirmative action cabinet truly a meaningful (and effective) way to right the wrongs of the past and recognize the importance and significance of women in Canadian society?” Those who ask questions similar to the one above share the common view that the way in which Mr. Trudeau has decided to approach the barriers women face in society is not progressive, rather, is demeaning, sexist and ends up implying exactly what the core of gender discrimination is in the first place; the notion that one sex is superior to the other.
Legal Issues:
There most significant legal issue related to this case is that there is no clear definition as to what diversity, underrepresentation and an appropriate
Imagine a nation where half of the populace is treated with the same respect as animals. A nation where the audacity of woman was suppressed in the face of political and socio-economical decisions. This very nation was Canada in the Laurier Era. As hard as it may be to believe this punitive truth, but the liberal values that Canada possesses now were most definitely not innate. Instead, they were built through a myriad of events with World War I definitely being the foremost of them all. World War I truly had a profound impact upon the history of women's right in Canada and aided in the creation of equality between the two genders. The ruthless and arduous toiling of women and their role in preserving Canada’s economic situation gave rise to
Since the 19th Century, women in Canada have fought political, legal, and social battles to find their place in Canadian society. From starting out in small, local organizations, to legal battles in the Supreme Court, Canadian women have come a long way. Unfortunately, it took a long time for many people to adapt to the changing roles of women, which made women still feel unequal compared to men. It is really striking to think that at one point society questioned if women could even be considered persons, just a small sample of the many changes women had to face through the course of history. This paper will analyze these changes experienced by Canadian women in that time period and how it affected their everyday lives.
The first reason that shows that Canada has become a “just society” is the changes to women’s legal rights. Since the 1970s, many women have stepped up to the work of politics. Several instances include Kim Campbell, the first woman to become the prime minister of Canada,1 Kathleen Wynne, the first premier of Canada to be lesbian,2 Beverley McLachlin, the “first female chief of justice of the Supreme Court of Canada,”3 and Catherine Callbeck, the second female provincial premiere and first woman to win
The classification of what a "person" was in the eyes of the government became a threshold test of women's equality. The Person’s Case has continued to empower women all across Canada for the past 88 years and has brought inspiration to Canadian citizens to fight for social economic equality for women. The impacts the Persons Case have had on Canada keep growing, a recent example of this is in 2015 Prime Minister Trudeau decided to form Canada's 1st gender-balanced cabinet. The cabinet ministers include 15 women and 15 men. Many of the female ministers have been key roles such as, formal journalist Chrystie Freeland has been put in charge of international trade. This decision reflects Canada’s
Throughout this course, we learn that women’s studies originated as a concerned at the time that “women and men noticed the absence, misrepresentation, and trivialization of women [in addition to] the ways women were systematically excluded from many positions of power and authority” (Shaw, Lee 1). It has always been known that in the past, men have had more privilege than women. Women have battled for centuries against certain patterns of inadequacy that all women experience. Every culture and customs have divergent female identities, however this does not hinder the fact that many of these cultures are based on patriarchal past where men hold more rights than women. Canadian women have sought to overcome these stereotypes and have managed to gain a position of near equality. This was
Canadian workplaces today seem to be a fairly diverse place, with a blend of many religions, ethnicities, and genders present. However, although people preach affirmative action and melting pots in current times, many inequality and power issues still abound. One strikingly noticeable example is gender discrimination. Women in the workforce face many challenges like smaller wages, harassment, male privilege in hiring or promotions, and lack of support when pregnant or raising children. One half of the planet is women, and it can be assumed the same for Canada, but they still face judgment at work because they lack the authority to dispute against big corporations or even their male supervisor. It cannot be argued that
Significant advances for women's right and equality were being made such as, the first woman MP or member of parliament in Quebec, the first woman lieutenant governor, and the first women recited to the RCMP. But Stephen Lewis is more than the average Canadian politician, he is a humanitarian trying to change the world one step at a
Legal Question: The legal issue presented in this case ultimately questioned the University of Michigan’s admission policy which sought a more diverse student body. The court addressed whether the University of Michigan’s use of racial preferences in the admission process violated
This political study will define the future effect of the election of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in terms of the Canadian foreign policy in the restructuring of military intervention in foreign affairs and the pro-trade globalization mandates of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Trudeau’s election defines the overriding political agenda of the Liberal Party of Canada to stop ineffective bombing missions in Syria and Iraq, yet to maintain special forces troops to better manage the war against ISIS. More so, Trudeau supports the globalization of Canadian trade by promoting the positive effects of the TPP to promote international growth in trade. These aspects of the new Liberal government are vital aspects of as greater focus on improved economic security and a declining approach to pro-American bombing campaigns as a form of military interventionism in foreign affairs. In essence, a political analysis of the future effects of the Liberal Party of Canada under PM Trudeau will define the restructuring of military intervention in Iraq and Syria and the increased focus on international trade under the guidelines of the TPP in foreign policy.
Through the Contemporary Women’s Issues in Canada course, various topics related to gender inequality were discussed. Due to a long history, of sexism and misogyny in many aspects of Canadian society, outdated behaviours and thoughts have prevailed in many aspects of society. Three main topics that are central to achieving gender equality are gendered violence, gender roles and socialization, and child care.
Gender inequality has been a long part of Canada’s history with men being the dominant decision makers. Women have had to fight long hard battles and overcome numerous obstacles to prove themselves and demonstrate that they are equal to men and not inferior. Over the course of a century women have achieved suffrage and have become increasingly visible in the political and economic sectors. Despite all the achievements women have made barriers remain in effect leaving women at a social, economic and political disadvantage even in the twenty-first century. The primary obstacles in achieving gender equality are the noticeable absence of women in authoritative economic and political positions, unfair social stereotypes that are still
Our society has the belief that women have always been portrayed as weak, emotional, and powerless. Throughout this article by Tavia Grant, it shows how women do not get the same opportunities men receive. Statistically shown, women are still earning less money than men regardless to the amount of education they possess (Grant). Women are accepted to hold obligations regarding family tasks while the men do the providing in the family. The article shows the disadvantages women have in Canada compared to men, however, it also shows gender inequality and gender discrimination.
Julia Gillard was Australia’s 27th Prime Minister and the first woman to ever take on this role in the history of Australia. She was prime minister from 2010 to 2013. Throughout her prime ministership years, Gillard was challenged for her leadership role from a gender perspective. For this reason, her speech debates the notion of misogyny, sexism and the idea that ‘women are being under-represented in institutions of power in Australia’ (Sydney Morning Herald 2012). Her aim was to recognise the rights and roles of women in all public and private spheres of
Throughout history, Canada’s identity has changed in many ways and there have been many historical events that have greatly shaped and impacted Canada’s history and identity. The Women’s Movement and women’s contribution in the past and throughout history has had the greatest impact on shaping Canada into what it is today. Among many identifying qualities like being multicultural, bilingual, and world leaders, Canada is also country that has changed immensely in the way of becoming a country that has learned to accept women, move towards providing them with equal opportunities and treating them equally. Through economic, social and political movements and actions, the contribution from women and the women’s movement have increased, changed and improved women’s rights and equality greatly. Women worked to create independence and equality economically through their contributions to war on the homefront in WWI resulting in greater workplace equality, socially through the actions of the Flappers in the 1920’s giving women currently, the confidence and strength that they need to speak up, and politically, through the work of the Suffragists including the Famous 5 to allow women to have the same political rights as men.
Today, Canada is known around the world as a cultural mosaic. As a nation it welcomes people of both sexes with all different beliefs, cultures, and religions. Creating a mature nation would require promoting equality of opportunity to all and giving help to those who were disadvantaged. However, Canada has not always been a welcoming and mature nation. In the past, women were not allowed to vote alongside men or run for political positions, due to the fact that they were not considered “persons”. As well, Aboriginal children were stipped from their homes, families, and identities so that they could assimilate all First Nations people. During the last century, women have gained more political rights, gained more respect from society, and