Presentation by Beverley Goodwin at International Women’s Day 2010, at the Manitoba Legislative Building. This year’s theme focused on the 40th anniversary of the Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. Beverley was instrumental to the implementation of many of the recommendations of the Royal Commission in Manitoba.
I AM DELIGHTED TO BE HERE THIS AFTERNOON AT THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE RELEASE OF THE REPORT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN CANADA. TO PRESENT TO THIS FORUM: THE PREMIER, THE MINISTER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STATUS OF WOMEN, THE MLA’S, THE MANITOBA WOMEN’S ADVISORY COUNCIL, AND MOST IMPORTANT, TO VOTERS, MANY OF WHOM ARE WOMEN.

A LITTLE WARNING – ONE OF MY FRIENDS ONCE SAID: “WHEN YOU ARE OLD YOU BECOME MORE FEARLESS………WHAT CAN THEY DO TO YOU?”

WITH THE TITLE: MILESTONES IN WOMEN’S EQUALITY: YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW – THIS IS REAL LICENSE!
WHEN ASKED TO SPEAK, ONE OF THE THINGS I DID WAS TO REVISIT MY DICTIONARY FOR THE WORDS “FEMINIST AND FEMINISM: WHICH IS DEFINED AS, A DOCTRINE OR MOVEMENT THAT ADVOCATES EQUAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN.”

THAT MAKES ME A FEMINIST ………………….

IN THE 60’S – ALMOST FIFTY YEARS AGO, SOMEWHAT DISENCHANTED WITH THE TRAPPINGS OF MARRIAGE, I STARTED ASKING QUESTIONS OF MY FRIENDS, KEPT RECORDS AND FOUND THAT WE ALL HAD RUMBLINGS OF DISCONTENT SO I WROTE AN ARTICLE ON THE “DILEMMAS OF THE MODERN HOMEMAKER”. IT GOT PUBLISHED - IN THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS.
I WAS NOT A ‘FAVOURITE’ FOR HAVING SPOKEN OUT BUT I BELIEVED THAT WOMEN HAD TO FIND A VOICE.
DURING THIS TIME I WAS INVOLVED IN THE YWCA, ALONG WITH MURIEL SMITH, WHO INTRODUCED MANY WOMEN, INCLUDING MYSELF, TO THE CONCEPT OF SOCIAL ACTION.

THE QUESTION WAS ASKED, “WILL WE HAVE TO DEMONSTRATE? MURIEL’S REPLY WAS …. A DIPLOMATIC ….. “WELL, YES”.

IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE WE WERE OUT DEMONSTRATING ON THE GROUNDS OF THIS VERY BUILDING – THE LEGISLATURE – FOR FAMILY LAW REFORM. CARRYING PLACARDS AND ALL.

FATE WOULD HAVE ME ATTEND A MOTHER’S AUXILLARY MEETING AT BALMORL HALL IN THE LATE 60’S WHEN A MOTHER IN THE AUDIENCE REQUESTED THAT SOME MEETINGS BE HELD IN THE EVENING – “TO ACCOMMODATE THE NEEDS OF WORKING MOTHERS”. MOST OF THE OTHER MOTHERS WERE AGHAST AT THIS SUGGESTION. I WENT UP TO THIS MOTHER AND CONGRATULATED HER ON THE SUGGESTION.

MY LIFE WAS PROFOUNDLY CHANGED FROM THAT MOMENT ON …. I HAD MET JUNE MENZIES.


IT WAS AROUND 1970 WHEN I BECAME CHAIR OF LAWS FOR THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OF WOMEN OF MANITOBA.

THESE WERE EXTREMELY EXHILERATING TIMES. THE WOMEN’S MOVEMENT, PIERRE TRUDEAU, THE CAN DO, AND ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE, ERA.
WE WERE FINDING OUR VOICE, NO LONGER TO BE SILENCED.
I FELT PARTICULARLY COMMITTED TO FAMILY LAW REFORM BECAUSE I SAW MYSELF AS A CASUALITY OF THE SYSTEM, HAVING ONCE BEEN A DESERTED WIFE, NO INCOME, NO ASSETS, JUST BILL COLLECTORS AND TWO SMALL CHILDREN.

AT ONE OF MY FIRST MEETINGS JUNE ANNOUNCED THAT I WAS GOING TO CHAIR AN AD-HOC COMMITTEE ON RAPE.
“RAPE” …. THE WORD WASN’T EVEN SPOKEN IN THOSE DAYS.
OUR STUDY LASTED FOR ONE YEAR BEFORE WE PRESENTED A BRIEF ON RAPE. WE AFFECTED CHANGES IN HOSPITALS, POLICE, COURTS, CRISIS SUPPORTS AND LEGISLATION.

WE HAD HIGHLY QUALIFIED, MOTIVATED WOMEN WHO WERE CHURNING OUT PAPERS AND RESOLUTIONS ON MANY DIFFERENT ISSUES, AND WE WERE EVEN THREATENED WITH A LAWSUIT. SO, WE KNEW WE WERE MAKING – IN ROADS.

ONE MORNING, I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES ON THE MANITOBA ADVISORY COUNCIL ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN WHO WAS A RURAL REPRESENTATIVE AND A TEACHER BY PROFESSION. ONE OF HER PUPILS HAD BEEN GANG RAPED. SHE EXPLAINED THAT IN A RURAL COMMUNITY IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR A VICTIM OF RAPE TO RECEIVE IMPARTIAL SUPPORT AND TREATMENT. THERE WAS NO SUPPORT FOR THE VICTIM IN THIS CASE, NOR HER FAMILY. WE WERE MEETING THAT MORNING WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND RAISED THE MATTER. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OFA RURAL CRISIS LINE.

AT A MEETING ON DAY CARE AT NORMA MCCORMICK’S, I MENTIONED THAT I HAD TO ADOPT MY OWN CHILDREN SO MY NEW HUSBAND COULD ADOPT THEM. THE COMMITTEE WAS APPAULED. MANY LAWS AT THAT TIME VIEWED A WOMAN AS ‘PROPERTY’ OR ‘CHATTEL’, WITHOUT THE SAME RIGHTS AS MEN. WHEN MEETING WITH ONE OF THE MINISTER’S THIS MATTER WAS RAISED …. AND ONE MORE OFFENSIVE LAW WAS CHANGED.
IN A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE WINNIPEG TRIBUNE, I HAD CRITICIZED A DECISION OF A COURT, AND RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE JUDGE’S CHAMBER REQUESTING A MEETING TO “HEAR MY VIEWS”. IT TURNED OUT THAT THE ONLY VIEWS THE JUDGE WANTED TO AIR … WERE HIS … ON THE VALUE OF WOMEN’S WORK.

WHEN I STOOD TO LEAVE, REACHING FOR MY BRIEFCASE, HE ASKED “MRS. GOODWIN, DO YOU WORK FOR A LIVING?” I KNEW I HAD WASTED MY TIME!

BECAUSE OF MY DAUGHTER’S SUICIDE IN 1997, WE HAVE STUDIED AND IDENTIFIED THE NEED FOR DRASTIC CHANGE WITHIN THE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM. WE HAVE WRITTEN A DISCUSSION PAPER AND PRODUCED A DOCUMENTARY “THE WAY WE SEE IT”. WE SUPPORT THE NEED FOR A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO MENTAL HEALTH CARE.

IN THE FUTURE:

• MY ADVICE IS “FOLLOW THE MONEY”. IF THERE IS A PROBLEM … FOLLOW THE MONEY. MONEY (UNFORTUNATELY) IS POWER.
• IN MENTAL HEALTH, THE LACK OF ADEQUATE SOCIAL ASSISTANCE AND HOUSING ARE TREMENDOUS IMPEDIMENTS TO SEEKING WELLNESS. FUNDING ALLOCATED FOR MENTAL HEALTH IS SEPARATE FROM PRIMARY CARE – AND IS NEGLIGIBLE BY COMPARISON.
• ABUSE OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN; THE POWER EMBALANCE WITHIN FAMILY AND THE FAILURE IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PRINCIPLES OF FAMILY LAW REMAIN IMPEDIMENTS TO THE PROPER ENFORCEMENT OVER ISSUES E.G. MAINTENANCE, PROPERTY AND CUSTODY.
• WE NEED TO DISCOVER OUR COLLECTIVE VOICE.

• TOO MANY OF US ARE SILENCED BY POWER OVER; PRIVACY LAWS; AND FEAR.
• ONLY WHEN WE SPEAK OUT AND EXPOSE ISSUES, WILL WE GAIN OUR TRUE SENSE OF ‘SELF WORTH’.

IF IT OFFENDS OUR SENSIBILITIES IT IS PROBABLY UNJUST.
Presented by:
Beverley Goodwin
International Women’s Day
Monday, March 8, 2010
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Manitoba Legislative Building, Room 200