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Halifax, NS: IWD, RebELLEs Speak Out

by sara star | March 7, 2009 at 05:45 pm

501 views | 34 Recommendations | 6 comments

A Women’s International Day 2009 rally was held today at Victoria Park in downtown Halifax. Many groups gathered to speak to a weekend crowd, just after lunch on this sunny late winter’s day. They rallied for a women’s right to her own reproductive choices, and for increased support for child care. They slammed the eroticizism of sexual abuse. They spoke sadly of the mistreatment of the sex workers and denial to social support systems. Grandmothers spoke out for world-wide AIDS-affected women.

And they condemned the Harper government bill that threatens to take away the right for the public sector to file a complaint against pay discrimination.

Pay equity is protected by the Canadian Human Rights Act, and is recognized by the United Nations and is protected by the Convention 100 of the International Labour Organization.

Pay equity is a fundamental human right that has been protected by the Canadian Human Rights Act since 1977. The Supreme Court of Canada has recognized that when a government violates women's right to pay equity, this is also an infringement of their constitutional equality rights. Pay equity is recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and it is protected in Convention 100 of the International Labour Organization.

But the Harper government is trying to strip this human right from public sector workers by announcing plans to stop their access to the Human Rights Commission. And just last month tabled a bill that removes their right to ever file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.. ???????? .

The federal government's Economic Statement on November 27, 2008, announced plans to abolish access to the Human Rights Commission for federal public service workers raising pay equity issues. In the Budget Implementation Act that was tabled on February 6, 2009, the federal government has included a bill that will radically reform the law on pay equity for the federal public service.

The Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act will restrict the substance and the application of pay equity in the public sector. This bill would remove the right of public sector workers to file complaints for pay equity with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

There was also a new, different feminist movement abounding. These young women call themselves the RebELLEs. They called themselves “Cultural Jammers”, and pronouncedly claimed that they “value people rather than profits”.

We are the young RebELLEs who have answered a feminist call and we are proud to call ourselves feminists. We recognize that there are multiple interpretations of feminism and we celebrate and integrate this diversity. We are committed to the continual expansion of the plurality of our voices. We are committed to an ongoing process of critical self-reflection to inform and transform our movement. We acknowledge the historical exclusion of "Othered" women by the majority Western feminist movement. We strive to learn from the past, honour the struggles of our foremothers and continue to dream for the future. We value the allies of feminism who support us in our fight for equity and justice.

… We are told that feminism is over and outdated. If this were true then we wouldn't need to denounce the fact that:

In reality, many of the demands of our feminist mothers and grandmothers remain unmet.

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sara star

flagged this story as Eyewitness Report

at 17:55 on March 7th, 2009

This is an eyewitness report from the NowPublic member sara star who was on the scene.

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Amy Judd

at 19:10 on March 7th, 2009

Thanks for this important story Sara!

sara star

at 19:19 on March 7th, 2009

Yes I hope the government doesn't take away our human rights that we have now. Imagine taking away the right to file a complaint to the Human Rights Commission?? What next? House arrest?

rumana husain

at 10:53 on March 8th, 2009

disturbing about the govt's attempt to remove the right for pay equity, but sheer nostalgia to see a glimpse of halifax in the images you have posted.

sara star

at 11:31 on March 8th, 2009

It is not just removing pay equityt, but even removing the right to file a complaint. If your union files on your behalf, they could be fined $50,000. I don't think this bill has passed yet as many are against it.

In contrast Obama is actively supporting pay equity. See here.