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'f OCTOBER 1997 UBC students slam APEC.pg 4 CMRAS2.25 Inside KINESIS #309-877 E. Hastings St., Vancouver, BC V6A 3Y1 Tel: (604)255-5499 Fax: (604)255-5511 Kinesis welcomes volunteers to work on all aspects of the paper. Our next Writers' Meeting is Tues Oct 7 and Tues Nov 4 at our new office, 309- 877 E. Hastings St. Production for the November issue is from Oct-28. All women welcome even if you don't have experience. Kinesis is published ten times a year by the Vancouver Status of Women. Its objectives are to be a non- sectarian feminist voice for women and to work actively for social change, specifically combatting sexism, racism.classism, homophobia, ableism, and imperialism. Views expressed in Kinesis are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect VSW policy. All unsigned material is the responsibility of the Kinesis Editorial Board. EDITORIAL BOARD Fatima Jaffer, Lissa Geller (on leave), Agnes Huang, Sook C. Kong PRODUCTION THIS ISSUE Mariene del Hoyo, Janet Mou, Ednoi Boun, Anne Webb, Fatima Jaffer, Andrea Imada, Catherine Munn, Mary Logan, Siren Ahmedi, Russel Baskin, Linda Hayton, Dorothy Elias, Carol Read, Persimmon Blackbridge, Ali Grant, El Apostol, Lisa Valencia- Svensson, Agnes Huang, Dana Putnam, Joan Bridget Advertising: Sur Mehat Circulation: Audrey Johnson, Chrystal Fowler Distribution: Fatima Jaffer Production Co-ordinator: Swee Sim Tan Typesetter: Sur Mehat FRONT COVER Women united Take Back The Night in Vancouver. Photos by Fatima Jaf and Agnes Huanc PRESS DAT September 30, 19! SUBSCRIPTS Individual: $20 per year (+5 or what you can a fnstitutions/Gro $45 per year (+$3.15 VSW Membership (inclu< Kinesis subscript $30 per year (+S1.40 G SUBMISSION Women and girls are w make submissions. Wa n right to edit and submissior y H 'l QP .. ions should be typ spaced and must be sigr include an address, telephc and SASE. Kinesis d poetry or fiction. E are available upon r< DEADLINES All submissions must be received ir the month preceding publication. Note: Jul/Aug and Dec/Jan a issues. Features and review; News: 15th Letters i Display ' 'eni ,. lews ^ Government's response to self-defense review 3 by Agnes Huang Postal workers prepared to strike 3 by Marion Pollack UBC activists want APEC off campus 4 by Nicole Capler Taking back the night...and the streets 5 Corporate globalization photo essay by Fatima Jaffer, with Mabel Nipshank, Elvira Balakshin and Alice Lee Features The agenda behind corporate globalization 9 compiled by Lisa Valencia-Svensson, Fatima Jaffer and Agnes Huang Organizing Korean women workers 13 by Serapina Cha-Mi-Kyung as told to Lisa Valencia-Svensson Protecting Aboriginal rights and Voisey's Bay 14 by Joyce Ford Centrespread APEC: Social clauses are not the answer .. by Sunera Thobani Arts Exposing the roots of breast cancer 15 by Kelly Haydon Review of the lesbian documentary Stolen Moments 16 by Marusya Bociurkiw Regulars As Kinesis Goes to Press 2 Inside Kinesis 2 What's News 7 compiled by Andrea Imada, Mariene del Hoyo and Leanne Keltie Movement Matters 8 by Mariene del Hoyo and Andrea Imada Bulletin Board 17 compiled by Kelly Haydon Exposing breast cancer 15 Stolen Moments 16 OCTOBER 1997 As Kinesis goes to press, we are being inundated with the growing reality of male violence against women. On the same day as Vancouver's Take Back the Night, a woman in Toronto was pushed in front of a subway car by a man. She later died in hospital. Interestingly, it was the first time the mainstream media acknowledged that the woman was targetted just because she was a woman and the man wanted to lash out against a woman. Last month, we also read about several brutal murders in BC: of Heidi (Thailand and her four children, and of Tammy Grono and her mother Cecile. And we had to endure reports on the trial of Terry Driver in the sexual assault and murder of Tanya Smith and the sexual assault and attempted murder of Misty Cockerill. We learned about a trial judge in Edmonton who ruled that Bill C-46—the legislation restricting the disclosure of women's personal records in sexual assault cases—was unconstitutional. His decision was based on the balance of rights; that is, the right of the accused to a fair trial and the right of the witnesses to "privacy." How about the ever-increasing backlash against women and feminism... A classic example: September's edition of Saturday Night Magazine, which featured a seven-page article on the "husband" abuse. In it we're told that "women are just as likely to batter as men." Try again. What has been the response of our leaders in government to the recent spate of violence against women? BC's Minister of Women's Equality has tried to shift the focus of responsibility onto the larger popu lation and away from the inadequacies of the police and justice systems [see page 9.] And the federal Liberals responded by re-introducing their DNA databank legislation, which the cops support (although they would like it to have given them more powers) and feminists criticize as totally missing the point on the roots and realities of male violence against women. Violence against women worldwide is very much tied to the spread of the corporate agenda. We as feminists have known this for a long time, but it seems our elected officials can't seem to grasp this. As we speak, our federal and provincial government leaders are busy touting trade liberalization, deregulation, privatization, and "free trade." As an example of this, last month, the BC provincial government kicked off its "APEC Connections Youth Tour," a mobile, interactive display intended to sell young people on the "benefits" of APEC. Glen Clark attended the launch in a Richmond mall, and was promptly met by the youth NO! to APEC coalition. Not fazed by the protesters—Clark called them a "fringe" group—the premier proceeded to justify his government's avid support of APEC. When questioned about human right violations, Clark was reported in a Richmond paper as saying: "We trade, right now, with countries that have atrocious human rights, but our standard of living would be cut in half if we didn't trade with them...Increased economic relationships are expected to highlight Canada's attractive lifestyles and freedoms." Our appreciation to the following supporters who became members, renewed their subscriptions or donated to Vancouver Status of Women in September. Helen Babalos * Pat Barter * Liz Bennett * Gillian Creese * Allison Flack & Daniel Huang * Maureen Fraser * Pat Fuller * Gina Gagne * Jennifer Johnstone * L. Kuchinka * Heather Leighton * M. K. Louis * Fiona Miller * Ruth Pierson * Laura Quilici * Julie Wong * Rita Kim Wong * The Blue Ewe A special thanks to our donors who give every month. Monthly donations assist VSW in establishing a reliable funding base to carry out our programs, services and Kinesis throughout the year. Thanks to: Nancy Duff * Allison Flack * Jody Gordon * Erin Graham * Barbara LeBrasseur * Eha Onno A special thanks also to the following trade unions who have demonstrated their support of our work with contributions to VSW: BC Federation of Labour (CLC) * Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, Local 444 * International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 258 * Marine & Shipbuilders Union, Local 506 * United Plumbing & Pipefitting Union, Local 170. Corrections In the story on the self-defense review on page 3 of our September 1997 issue, we incorrectly noted the recommendations of Judge Lynn Ratushny. In the cases of the seven women, Ratushny recommended three free pardons, three sentence reductions, and one referral to a court of appeal. In this issue, we have an update of the story [see page 3,] and disappointingly, the federal government did not abide by any of Judge Ratushny's recommendations. We apologize for the confusion. Also last month, in our centrespread piece, we incorrectly spelled Walter Twinn's last name. And it seems that the graphic ghoulies paid us a visit and caused us to mistakenly lay out the eagle feathers upside down. Yikes. And to the question about whether First Nations people would benefit from APEC Clark was quoted as saying: "Aboriginal people have huge potential, specifically when it comes to the lucrative business of selling aboriginal art to Japanese visitors." A number of groups have been organizing actions specifically targetting the APEC Summit when it comes to Vancouver (November 24 and 25). The Second International Women's Conference Against APEC (736-3346 or 291- 4023) is putting together a conference on November 17-18. The conference will include panel discussions and workshops in four areas: labour, human rights, environment, and economic and social development. And the Vancouver Status of Women (255-6554) is organizing local activities for the NAC-declared National Women's Day of Protest Against APEC on November 24. As a starting point, VSW is inviting individual women and women's groups to a meeting on "How APEC impacts our lives and our movements" on October 9,7-10pm at the Downtown Eastside Seniors' Centre, 509 E. Hastings St. One last thing before Kinesis goes to press...women in Canada need to step up our campaign to save our public pension system. Late last month, the federal Liberals tabled their Canada Pension Plan "reforms" in the House of Commons. Finance Department bureaucrats then spent a week in different cities trying to sell the Liberal government's proposals. Women may soon get a chance to publicly address the proposed changes.The legislation will likely reach the committee stage in October, at which time women will have an opportunity to present briefs on the need for a public pension system. That's all for this month, as Kinesis goes to press. We hope you'll all join in on actions in your community during the National Women's Day of Protest Against APEC. Remember, the words of Bella Abzug "it's a two-fisted fight." Rain didn't stop us from having the biggest Take Back the Night ever in Vancouver. And rain didn't stop us from making it to press on time... This month, other factors were involved in the delay in publishing our October issue. We thought it would be important to cover the National Action Committee on the Status of Women's 25th anniversary celebration. We postponed Kinesis' press day by a week so Ed Boarder Agnes Huang could attend NAC's AGM and its annual lobby of federal political parties in Ottawa. Given the rush to get everything done on time though, we had to drop four pages from this issue. But we still have 20 pages packed with feminist news and analysis (and some fun things, too.) Unfortunuately, this has meant that our pre- anti-APEC organizing coverage this month is not as complete as we had wanted it to be. Next month, we will definitely have comprehensive coverage of what is happening to challenge the global corporate agenda in Vancouver, other parts of Canada and the world. Back to this issue for a moment...we'd like to welcome our new writers this month: Nicole Capler and Marusya Bociurkiw. Welcome and thanks also go out to our new production volunteers: Linda Hay ton, Russel Baskin, Ali Grant and Joan Bridget. If you're interested in getting involved in the writing, production or any other aspect of putting Kinesis together, give us a call at 255-5499. This month, we also have something else "new" to report. Yes, it's true...Kinesis has gone "high" tech. We now have an e- mail address (and it's very simple): kinesis@web.net. But wait, before you go and dash off a whole bunch of great electronic articles and (love) letters to Kinesis, we have to tell you something; seems that our modem phone line and our computer aren't talking yet, but we plan on getting things sorted out very soon so we can send you things and you can send us things. What fun. Other things to report: we're sad to say that two women have officially resigned from the Editorial Board. Longtime Ed Boarder wendy lee kenward has told us she won't be able to return to Kinesis with as much time and energy as she would want. Last year, wendy took a break from Kinesis to have a baby. Since Sky was bom, wendy's life hasn't slowed down much. wendy has been such an amazing supporter of Kinesis, as a writer, proofer and paster-upper, Benefit organizer, childcare worker, and all-around fun-gal-to-have- around. wendy says she'll help out as much as she can during production, but still, we'll miss having her on the Ed Board. Thanks wendy for everything. Kinesis also wants to thank Rachel Rosen for her work on the Ed Board. When Rachel joined the Ed Board earlier this year, she was already involved in a lot of community activism, with NO! to APEC, Environmental Youth Alliance, and a queer Jewish women's discussion group. Over the months, things just kept getting busier and busier for Rachel. Rachel is resigning from the Ed Board, but not from Kinesis altogether. She says she wants to be able to devote more time to writing (one story every month!) and helping out with production. Thank you for your contributions to Kinesis, Rachel. See you at the next story meeting. Speaking of volunteering...remember we mentioned the Kinesis Benefit last month? Well, we're still looking for as many women as possible to help out in organizing the fun-filled, fabulous annual event. Call us: 255-5499. Thanks. One last tidbit before we sign off...What do you think of Ed Boarder Fatima Jaffer's pose on the back cover. Pretty style-y, isn't she? If you want another copy of that picture, you can find it in the new 1998 daybook from gynergy press, Portraits. The spiral bound agenda contains the photos and words of 24 women in Canada "who make activism a part of their daily lives." To get your copy, check your local feminist or community bookstore, or contact gynergy press, PO Box 2023, Charlottetown, PEI, CIA 7N7; tel: (902) 566- 5750; fax: (902) 566-4473; e-mail: books@gynery.com OCTOBER 1997 News Women and the self-defense review in Canada: Long wait, no real justice by Agnes Huang Women wanted justice, but the federal government just offered "mercy." For the women who had been recommended for relief by the self-defense review—and their advocates—the government's response was a disappointment. On September 26th, federal Minister of Justice Anne McLellan and Solicitor General Andy Scott issued their recommendations in the cases of seven women who had been convicted of killing abusive men. The women claim they acted in self-defense. The ministers' announcement was a response to the final report Judge Lynn Ratushny turned over to them in July. Ratushny was appointed by the federal government in 1995 to head the independent review. She was given the narrow mandate to look specifically at cases of women who had been convicted of manslaughter or murder in which the law of self-defense may not have been applied appropriately. In total, Ratushny heard from 98 women— the government had only anticipated 15 cases. While McLellan and Scott provided some relief to only five of the seven women, they didn't accept most of Ratushny's recommendations and legal analysis. In the cases of two women who had already served 20 years in jail for their involvement in the deaths of abusive men, the ministers rejected recommendations for sentence reductions. The ministers did agree that one women's sentence should be cut short, and that another woman's case should be referred to the court of appeal. However, in the cases of three women recommended for free pardons, two were given conditional pardons by the government. (Their criminal records will be sealed and re-opened only if they reoffend). The third woman's free pardon was refused, but she was freed from serving the remainder of her sentence. (The conviction will still be on her record). Kim Pate of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Society (CAEFS) says it appears the ministers did not have much confidence in the outcome of the self- defense review. "Even though Judge Ratushny did a stringent review, made recommendations in only seven cases, and gave conservative legal analysis, the government did not agree with any of her recommendations," says Pate. The government also turned over Ratushny's recommendations to provincial prosecuting authorities for re-examination, and subsequently, the recommendations were modified. Even more troubling about the government's response to the self-defense review is the ministers saying they acted on "humanitarian grounds." "This reasoning is really patronizing," says Pate. "Essentially, it's still the same misogynist and racist stereotyping coming into play." "With their approach, what the ministers in effect said was that these women were not classic 'good girls'," says Lee Lakeman of the Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres. "They don't fit the stereotype of a woman who would act in self-defense. This is really a travesty of justice, continues Lakeman. "There is no reason to have called the review unless the government knew women had been wronged. But they have managed to cover this fact so tightly, it doesn't look like there was an issue of justice not being served." Lakeman says it is critical to continue putting pressure on the minister of justice. "The minister has total power to deliver clemency and should be pressed to do so," says Lakeman. Feminists have long been calling for a systematic change in the way the justice system deals with women responding to violence against them. With regards to self- defense, anti-violence-against-women activists say there needs to a rewriting of law to take into account women's realities. Says Lakeman: "The best outcome of the review would have been to have found a better way to deal with violence against women in general and to have changed police practice, Crown charging policies and the administration of justice so that the Charter Rights and Freedoms is applied to the cases where women are charged with killing men in self-defense." "The self-defence review...exposed the urgent need for reform within the criminal justice system and Judge Ratushny has pointed to several law reform possibilities," says Kim Pate. "CAEFS and other equlity seeking groups...will continue to urge the government to implement appropriate law reform initiatives." Agnes Huang is an Chinese feminist activist living in Vancouver. Women and postal work in Canada: Canada Post acting unfairly by Marion Pollack There may be a mail strike in Canada in the very near future. Members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) may be forced off the job by the bargaining stance of Canada Post. Mail delivery would be halted, if letter carriers, sorters and drivers would be forced on to the picket lines. CUPW represents over 46,000 people who work for Canada Post. While full-time postal jobs have been decreasing, temporary and casual postal work has been increasing at a rapid pace. In the last decade, the number of full time jobs has dropped, even though mail volume has risen dramatically. Meanwhile, according to Erin Paul, CUPW's Pacific Regional Grievance Officer, the number of temporary workers with no job security has climbed j ust as dramatically. Paul says that, "in most stations in Greater Vancouver, temporary letter carriers are used on a continuous basis. In the processing plants, temporary sorters are used on an all too frequent basis." In this round of bargaining, CUPW is focusing on getting Canada Post to turn temporary, overtime, and extended part- time hours (in excess of normally sched uled hours) worked in major postal plants into hundreds of permanent jobs. According to Sharon Fitzsimons, President of the Vancouver Local of CUPW, approximately 16 per cent of the total hours worked in major postal plants are either overtime, temporary or extended part time hours. She says that converting those irregular hours to full-time jobs would mean the creation of almost 2,000 new permanent jobs. CUPW's bargaining demand has widespread implications for women. Increasingly, the work available to women with Canada Post is either temporary or part- time. For many women in Canada, full- time, full-year employment is essentially a thing of the past. In 1996, all the growth in jobs for women was in the part time and temporary categories. Now, one in 10 jobs in Canada is temporary. This trend dooms women to a lifetime of poor wages, lousy benefits, and substandard working conditions. It would represent a major challenge to this trend if the CUPW were successful in attaining its bargaining demand. "If CUPW can force Canada Post to create regular jobs instead of relying on temporary workers, it would send a message to every employer in Canada," says Fitzsimons. CUPW is also negotiating for an increase of day shift employment for inside postal workers (primarily mail sorters). Canada Post has been forcing more and more workers onto afternoon and midnight shifts. "This creates a hardship for parents who want to spend time with their children," says Erin Paul. Canada Post could have more people on day shift and improve service to the public at the same time. However, to date, it has ignored this demand and is insisting that most mail be processed during the evenings and nights. The union is also demanding that Canada Post improve and expand the benefits to temporary workers. "Right now, Canada Post uses temporary workers as cheap labour," says Fitzsimmons. "We want to make sure they have more rights and benefits, but Canada Post does not want to improve their status. Instead, they want to take away many of the rights temporary workers have achieved." The federal Liberals do not appear to be interested in negotiating fairly with CUPW. As an example of this, a document that the union received indicates the Liberal government was planning on setting up scab "distribution centres" to hand out pension and other government cheques in the event of a strike. "This is an attempt to break our strike," Paul says. "In 1991, the distribution centres were an unmitigated disaster—senior citizens were forced to stand long line ups only to find their cheques were not ready." "If CUPW is forced out on strike, the union is prepared to sort and deliver pension cheques," says Paul. "We don't think it is fair that the Liberal government tries to play on the well-being of senior citizens as part of their bargaining strategy." The button many postal workers are wearing seems to sum up their position. It reads: "I don't want to strike, but I will." Marion Pollack is a postal worker who is active with CUPW. OCTOBER 1997 News Protesting against APEC in Vancouver: AELM not welcome on campus by Nicole Capler On November 25, the University of British Columbia (UBC) will host the APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation) Economic Leaders' Meeting. APEC operates through closed meetings of bureaucrats, politicians, big business representatives and academics. APEC does not have a mechanism for the genuine participation of the people who are most adversely affected by APEC's policies. In true APEC fashion, the decision to host the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (AELM) was made unilaterally by outgoing UBC President David Strangway. There was no consultation whatsoever with students, staff or faculty—the people who actually make up the university population. In agreeing to host the AELM, UBC will also be welcoming leaders of countries with some of the world's most notorious human rights records, notably Jiang Zemin of China and General Suharto of Indonesia. Both are complicit in the murder of thousands of people, including many students. China's record at Tiananmen Square in 1989, where many students were killed and others are still in prison for demonstrating for more democratic processes, resonates especially loud at UBC. In fact, UBC erected the Goddess of Democracy statue in front of the Students' Union Building to commemorate those killed in Tiananmen Square. Moreover, the AELM will bring to UBC what the RCMP have admitted will be the largest security operation in its history. The presence of snipers and riot police on campus has been confirmed. The AELM will lead to a significant disruption of campus life. The entire north end of the campus will be fenced off as part of the "Red Zone" of the security ring, and the remainder of the campus will fall within the boundaries of the "Yellow Zone." UBC students, faculty and staff will be under close surveillance up to and during the Leaders' Meeting. Approximately 500 RCMP and Army staff will be located at the Graduate Students' Society (GSS) Centre, which along with the Faculty of Graduate Studies will not be open to students during the AELM. UBC's Ceremonies Office has told the Graduate Students' Society that "all staff will require accreditation prior to the event if they need to enter the building on the day." Students and faculty of the Sociology and Anthropology department will have access to their building greatly restricted during the Leaders' Meeting. The Museum of Anthropology, the site of the Leaders' Meeting will be closed the week prior to the meeting, and no one except a few senior staff will be permitted on the premises. Having APEC at UBC, an educational institution, serves to legitimize and be complicit in both the abuses and the exploitative "free trade" initiatives it supports. One of the primary functions of universities in Canada should be to facilitate true and genuine debate and discussion, free from the coercion of state or corporate interests. The decision to have the APEC Leaders' Meeting at UBC seriously compromises these objectives. Although APEC shuts out most of society, and doesn't address the broad consequences of trade deals on human rights, workers' rights and the environment, it has a forum regarding education which proposes the privatization of universities and the eradication of liberal arts in favour of business degrees. We are already seeing this trend happening in many post-secondary education institutions in Canada. Both the government and UBC administration say that bringing APEC to UBC will provide students with an excellent 04&efi Western Canada's Lesbian & Gay Bookstore Open Daily 10am to 1 lpm Our Books/Our Issues Gay Fiction Lesbian Fiction Our Magazines & Journals AIDS/Health Humour Erotica Little Sister's Book & Art Emporium 1238 Davie Street,Vancouver,B.C.,V6E 1N4 (604)669-1753 Phone Orders 1-800-567-1662 Internet Address: http://www.lsisters.com Queer Theory Feminist Theory Biographies, Essays, Poetry Religion & Spirituality Art & Photography Community "1 pledge allegiance to the flag of the country that gives me the best deal." opportunity to display opposition. This logic is obviously contradictory—if they already know people at UBC are opposed to APEC, then why are they bringing the AELM to campus? The only thing UBC's decision is giving us is an opportunity to become a united campus that will not abide by unilateral decisions made by the administration on issues that deeply affect us all. APEC-Alert, a grassroots group of faculty, staff, students and former students, formed to oppose the UBC administration's decision to host the AELM. The group is also extremely critical of the entire APEC agenda. APEC-Alert has been working hard to bring awareness to the campus community, as well as organize all campus groups so that our concerns are addressed and the AELM is removed from campus. Initiatives from the group include: information forums, literature distribution, a film festival, street theatre, public meetings, and non-violent direct actions. Apec-Alert is also working closely with other organizations and educational institutions in Vancouver to mobilize city-wide opposition to APEC. APEC-Alert has declared an "APEC- free Zone" around the Goddess of Democracy, and will expand this zone weekly so that by November 25 it will encompass the sites where the Leaders' Meeting is scheduled to take place. The group is also planning a student walk-out and teach-in to be held on November 24 and 25. Opposition to the administration's decision has been growing. The GSS passed a motion opposing the AELM on campus and in protest refused to accept the RCMP's financial incentive for taking over the GSS building. The Canadian Federation of Students has also taken an official stand against UBC's decision and is coordinating letters of protest from students associations across Canada. And CUPE Locals 116, 2970 and 2278, representing unionized employees on campus, have all passed motions to oppose AELM on campus both due to the lack of human rights on the agenda at these trade talks and the lack of consultation with the community. Conspicuously missing from the protesting groups on campus are the Alma Mater Society (AMS) and the Faculty Association. While the AMS did achieve a majority in its vote to pass a motion to oppose the meeting, it did not reach the required two-thirds 'yes' votes, The AMS also seems hindered from taking a stance against the AELM and APEC by the fact that at least one of the executive members, Jenny Chen, is officially working with the APEC organizers on campus. APEC-Alert does not believe the AMS's stand is representative of its membership. Likewise, many faculty members are opposed to the administration's decision, even though their association has refused to speak out against the decision. APEC-Alert's peaceful and non-violent actions on campus have so far been met by RCMP presence and warning that they will be everywhere the protesters are. Already this has been proven to be true. On September 22, RCMP charged two students with mischief for painting a circle on the pavement around the Goddess of Democracy statue. The RCMP admitted they were told to make the arrests by members of the UBC administration. In spite of the intimidation and harassment tactics of police and campus administrators, APEC-Alert vows to continue its work mobilizing the campus to oppose APEC and the AELM. For more information about APEC-Alert's activities, e-mail alert@netinfo.ubc.ca, or call 251-9914. Also check out their webpage at http://www.cs.ubc.ca/spider/fuller/apec_alert/ Nicole Capler is an alumni of UBC. She recently graduated with a Masters in Health Administration. She is an active member of APEC-Alert. OCTOBER 1997 News Vancouver women Take Back the Night: The loudest women- powered jam in town! by Fatima Jaffer It was music, and it was really loud music. Sweet to the ears, especially as we marched under the tunnel between the law courts, where, every day, women fight to be heard and for justice. "It" was Take Back the Night in Vancouver, and the "music" was the "unladylike" chanting, screaming, singing, pot- banging and whistleblowing of the almost 5,000 women out on the streets that night. September 27 saw one of Vancouver's most powerful and exhilarating Take Back the Night marches yet. Despite the rain, it was a display of incredible solidarity and celebration of woman-power. It is the one night of the year that women collectively assert our right to walk the streets safely without the protection of men. So even though the police showed up in force, they had little to do. The 200 "safety women" volunteers took care of things, lining the streets to ensure that women didn't get harassed or hurt, and that the women-only rally and march stayed that way. As usual, there were a few minor incidents where men attempted to disrupt things. There was at least one disturbing, pre-planned incident—a man, with male photographer in tow, kept insisting on "his right" to join us. All in all, the rally and march was a huge success, a fact even the mainstream media had to acknowledge. Their coverage of Take Back the Night reflected a rare understanding of the issues women raised that night, and for once they reported an almost accurate estimate of the crowd size. Some women suggest the large crowd and interest of the media in the event have much to do with public anger and sadness at the recent spate of murders in BC of women at the hands of men [see What's News, page 9]. Indeed, all the speakers at the rally referred not only to the ongoing pattern of male violence, but to the increase in women's deaths in areas like the Downtown Eastside, to the links between corporate globalization and male violence, and to the growing backlash against women's organizing and feminism in Canada. After the speeches, women strode off together along the major streets of downtown Vancouver, gaining momentum and numbers. As we marched along, we were spontaneously joined by a number of women who happened to be dining or shopping, especially on Robson Street. Support came from many women that night— from a woman bus driver to four teenagers coming out of Virgin Records to an older woman in a car with her husband. Chants included the traditional ones, along with the more recent "Hey, Mister get off my sister" and "No more patriarchy, no more shit." Several women's organizations brought their banners, and there were also banners identifying students, labour and community groups. Take Back the Night in Vancouver is organized each year by Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter. This year, women also took back the streets in 20 other locations in BC and 52 locations across Canada. See speeches, page 6 Not without humour we feminists are! Co-emcee Alice Lee, of Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter read out some funny messages from the politicians on the occasion of Take Back the Night: "The Reform Party doesn't know what to say, except that they are puzzled why we are not marching with our husbands." "The Liberal Party sends their support, as long as it doesn't cost them anything." "The provincial NDP also sends their support, but premier Glen Clark wonders how this march will impact on the fisheries." "The BC Attorney General expresses his concern about women's safety. He decided to address this problem by sending all these cops to police us. I guess aE these cops are here to protect us from each other and all this scary feminist stuff.'' OCTOBER 1997 News continued from page 5 The following is excerpted from the speech made at the rally by Mabel Nipshank of the Battered Women's Support Services. Nitshank is Cree and a long time worker in the Downtown Eastside: "As women, we all have been oppressed for centuries and face barriers daily. But women of colour, poor women, and particularly Aboriginal women, face ten times the barriers that our white sisters face. We encounter racist beliefs, sexist beliefs, every single day of our lives. "Every waking moment is a struggle! At times, we do not even have a place to rest our aching, weary, assaulted bodies. Our babies are snatched from our arms and placed in foster homes by an unfeeling, uncaring and racist system. We are stereotyped repeatedly as being either too drunk, too stupid, too poor, or too lazy to raise our own children. We are by far the most marginalized women with the least amount of power within the system. "In the past year, 20 women have died in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Eighty five percent of them were Aboriginal women. There has been 315 sexual offenses against women in the Downtown Eastside. There is never any mention of this is the media, as opposed to the worldwide coverage Princess Diana's death got. "Melanie Carpenter's homicide has been resolved. This is not so for most of the women from the Downtown Eastside who've been killed or who are missing. It is as if these women did not exist. These women left behind mothers, sisters, grandmothers and children. They were very real. And to us, they will never be forgotten." Nipshank ended by calling upon women to participate in next year's Valentine's Day march (held on Feb 14 every year) to commemorate women who have died violent 'ñ† deaths in the Downtown Eastside. "It tecting Atone The following is excerpted from the speech made at the rally by Elvira Balakshin of the women's caucus of the Canadian Federation of Students. Balakshin is also a volunteer with Vancouver Rape Relief Women's Shelter: has become obvious that university and college campuses are not pro- the interests of women; they are protecting themselves from legal action. time, zero tolerance policies toward sexual harassment were gaining in popularity. Now, sexual harassment policies are becoming de-gendered into equity policies and conduct codes. "These polices also increasingly promote mediation as a solution. Mediation is notoriously ineffective for women because it fails to recognize the power that men have over us. Because of this, the politics of harassment are reduced to mere conflict resolution. This ain't victim feminism; it's reality. "Women have made gains by organizing women's centres on campus in order to give women safe spaces to network and organize, and by fighting for effective and pro-woman sexual harassment polices. We cannot waste our time by just being silent with our support and agreement. "We need to fight back against the male struggle to keep women out of their once male-dominated learning sphere. We women here tonight who are students need to organize with student unions and campus women's centres. Most of all, we need to join with the women's movement to organize and work together. "Women's right to formal education was and still is a primary goal of the women's movement. As a group, we have been denied by our sex, race, ability, and class the access to it. We need to continue fighting together against men's tactics more than ever to ensure we have access to an education we want and deserve." Load and proud in Ottawa: Women take back the night! OCTOBER 1997 What's News compiled by Leanne Keltie, Mariene del Hoyo and Andrea Imada BC women's lives at stake The spate of women murdered in British Columbia has once again brought attention to the lack of accountability and commitment to protect women from male violence. "How many women have to lose their lives as a result of 'mistakes' by the police and the criminal justice system which are supposed to protect them?" asks Fatima Jaffer of the Battered Women's Support Services. Last year, British Columbians witnessed the failure of authorities to prevent the murder of Rajwar Ghakal and her family in Vernon, the attempted murder of Sharon Velisek, the murder of Patti Ducharme, and the attempt on Bonnie Mooney's life." "This year the pattern continues," says Jaffer. Most recently, Heidi Jean Challand and her four children were bludgeoned to death in Black Creek, allegedly by her common-law partner. In Summerland, the estranged partner of Tammy Grono shot and killed both Tammy and her mother Cecilia. Many of these women had turned to the criminal justice system for help. Tammy Grono had requested that she be informed of her ex-partner's release. (He was on day parole when he killed her and her mother.) The system failed her. Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh has admitted that the provincial court service made a mistake by not automatically registering Tammy's protection order in the BC Central Database, which is the procedure. Bonnie Mooney of Prince George had twice requested the RCMP's assistance in the case involving her ex-husband before he showed up at her house with a sawed- off shotgun, and killed her best friend and wounded her daughter. Mooney escaped. Under the Attorney General's policy on violence against women in relationships, Mooney's requests required the police to arrest her ex-husband when she first contacted them. This didn't happen. "Women are not being taken seriously," says Bonnie Agnew of Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter. "When women go to the police, they are seeking swift, thorough, and effective assistance, not platitudes and inaction." Recent comments by the Minister of Women's Equality, Sue Hammell, suggest that the responsibility for continued violence against women lies with all 'British Columbians.' "While this may be true in general terms, it is a shameful attempt to deflect attention away from the failure of the system—a system whose mandate is to protect women from violence," Vancouver Status of Women's Agnes Huang says. "Let's be clear," adds Yasmin Jiwani of the FREDA Centre for Research on Violence against Women and Children. "This is not an issue of increasing the size of the police force. It is a matter of implementing existing policies and recommendations that women have made repeatedly to the Attorney General and other ministries. It's a matter of ensuring that women's groups around the province have the resources required to continue their work of assisting survivors of violence, not just picking up the pieces left by the criminal justice system's failures." Harjit Kaur of WAVAW (Women Against Violence Against Women) Rape Crisis Centre and the National Action Committee on the Status of Women-BC region's anti-violence subcommittee issued this statement: "This is a warning to the Ministries of Attorney General and Women's Equality that unless they hold the systems accountable, such errors will continue, and women will continue to pay for them with their lives." US AIDS groups reject funding "This was a ploy to pit us against our natural allies," Daniel Zingale of AIDS Action Council said, as leading AIDS advocacy groups in the United States asked the House of Representatives to oppose two amendments calling for more AIDS program funding. A coalition of AIDS groups said it could not support the amendments because they called for taking funds away from health programs earmarked for migrant workers, refugees, homeless people, and family planning centres. The amendments would have upset a carefully crafted compromise which sets funding levels for AIDS programs along with dozens of other programs. The two amendments aimed at increasing AIDS funding, if approved, would have forced the reduction in spending for other programs in the departments of Health and Human Services, Labour and Education. "Do we need more money for AIDS? Absolutely. But not at the expense of other important health programs," Zingale said. Both amendments were defeated. Mixed decision for Pauline Au Workers' rights and social justice advocates are hailing a Ontario Labour Board decision which has declared sexual harassment a workplace hazard. The decision came in a September ruling on the case of Pauline Au, a former employee of the Lyndhurst Hospital in Sudbury, Ontario. Au had filed a complaint of sexual harassment, and was terminated by the hospital shortly after. The hospital claimed Au's dismissal was due to hospital restructuring and cutbacks. The landmark decision recognizes that sexual harassment is covered under the Ontario Health and Safety Act (OHSA) of the Labour Code—and workers will have the protection of the code if they file sexual harassment charges. The Labour Board decision notes: "it was conceded by the hospital, and we find as fact, that sexual harassment can be hazardous to both physical and mental health. If sexual harassment is recognized as a potential cause of injury, as something hazardous to health must be, it is difficult to resist the conclusion that it falls within the common meaning of the word "hazard" in the Ontario Health and Safety Act." In a disappointing turn, however, the Board ruled that Au had not been terminated in reprisal for her complaint of sexual harassment, and did not award any financial compensation to her. The decision in Au's case may also open the door for other cases of harassment based on race or sexual orientation. In September, the Labour Board heard another key case brought by Selwyn Pieters which will argue that racial harassment is also a workplace hazard under the OHSA. Mean while, the Conservative government has recommended changes that would weaken the OHSA, and has specifically argued that sexual harassment should not be covered under theAct. Victory for lesbians and gays in Japan The Tokyo High Court has rejected the appeal of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG) against the Japan Association for the Lesbian and Gay Movement (OCCUR). After a six year legal challenge by OCCUR, Tokyo's city government has been ordered to throw out its youth hostel policy on homosexuals sharing a room. In 1991, the Tokyo Board of Education (TBE), which oversees a number of city- funded youth hostels, established a policy against admitting gays and lesbians. The policy was adopted following a 1990 incident at a hostel in the western Tokyo suburb of Fuchu, in which members of OCCUR were harassed all night after coming out to other guests. The city rationalized the ban as an extension of its rule against members of the opposite gender sharing a room. In 1994, the Tokyo District Court struck down the policy, finding that individuals' sexual orientation did not in and of itself determine the likelihood that they would engage in sexual acts at the hostel. The city appealed the decision. In this latest decision, the appeal court stated that an exclusive focus on the possibility of sexual relations would make it impossible for homosexuals to use the facility. The presiding judge in Japan's first sexual orientation lawsuit said the TMG's "rejection was unconstitutional as it denied gay people equal access to the public facility The city government should have given due consideration to homosexual people, and its indifference and ignorance will not be tolerated." The court also rejected the TMG's claim that the TBE has broad powers of discretion as to what constitute's the 'sound' upbringing of Tokyo's youth. The Tokyo High Court stated that young people are perfectly capable of understanding homosexuality. Seoul queer film festival shut down On opening night, authorities in Seoul, Korea shut down the first ever Queer Film and Video Festival in the country. The festival was scheduled to screen some 85 films from around the world in mid-September. Local district officials delivered the cancellation order, stating that the festival was not government-registered. They threatened to seize all equipment and film prints, fine the organizers $20,000 US, and jail them for up to three years. Yonsei University, the site of the festival, also withdrew their support, threatening to turn off electricity to the theatre. After being turned away from the theatre, the festival staff and audience gathered at a nearby bar. They took to the stage and vowed to re-open the festival. Festival programmer, Seo Dongjin said: "We will never surrender to their violent interruptions and will surely reopen our festival within some weeks." Staff are now searching for an alternative legal venue. National censorship authorities have said they would not permit the festival to import or screen foreign films. They banned Wong Kar-Wai's latest film, Happy Together, because it is "not relevant to the emotional life of Korean people." However, the same authorities allowed the screening of homosexual-related films at South Korea's Pusan International Film Festival. Organizers of the festival are seeking letters of support. Contact Seo Dongjin at Nakwon-dong 195-1, Midong Building #301, Chongno-ku, Seoul, ROK Korea; e-mail: ©interpia.net Abortion outlawed in El Salvador The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador has voted to outlaw abortion. The change, which will take effect in 1998, will make it illegal to have, procure or perform an abortion for any reason. Under the former penal code, abortion was legal if the pregnancy resulted from rape, or was a serious threat to a woman's life, or in cases where a severe anomaly is detected in the fetus. The new code, which is among the strictest in the world, also increases penalties for violations. The new law stipulates that anyone who has encouraged a woman to seek an abortion, helped her pay for the procedure, or otherwise facilitated the termination of a pregnancy could face a [prison] sentence of up to 15 years. [From Pro-Choice News, Summer 1997] Poland tightens access to abortion Poland's Constitutional Tribunal has struck down the new liberalized abortion law. The Sejm recently passed a bill that allowed women to terminate their pregnancies before 12 weeks if they faced "financial or personal problems". However, the Constitutional Tribunal ruled that this new, liberalized law clashed with constitutional guarantees of a fetus' "right to life." According to women's health advocates in Poland, the court has found that a woman's constitutional rights are limited by a fetal right to life. Unless pro-choice advocates can muster two-thirds of the vote needed to overturn the Tribunal's decision, the government will tighten the current law. Under the law passed in 1993 by a Catholic-aligned government, abortion is virtually illegal. [From Pro-Choice News, Summer 1997] Pro-choice victory in Germany Bavaria's attempt to introduce restrictive abortion legislation was blocked by Germany's highest court in late June. The Bavarian state government was attempting to implement measures that would restrict the number of abortions providers could perform, as well as which doctors are eligible to perform the procedure. The Christian Social Union, the ruling party in this strongly Roman Catholic region, wanted to implement a law that restricts doctors to earning only one-quarter of their income from performing abortions. The legislation also sought to limit the number of doctors performing the procedure by authorizing only gynaecologists with a special license to carry out abortions. Judges at the Federal Constitutional Court have stated the law until the high court has finished a full examination of its implications. A final decision is expected by the end of the year. [From Pro-Choice News, Summer 1997] OCTOBER 1997 Movement Matters listings information Movement Matters is designed to be a network of news, updates and information of special interest to the women's movement. Submissions to Movement Matters should be no more than 500 words, typed, double spaced and may be edited for length. Deadline is the 18th of the month preceding publication. compiled by Andrea Imada and Mariene del Hoyo Feminist bookstores in Canada dwindling After almost 23 years of feminist bookselling, Everywomans Books in Victoria has had to make the difficult decision to close its doors at the end of November. The reason? The same reason that forced the Vancouver Women's Bookstore to close its doors in May 1996: financial hardship. Since the early days of the organized women's movement in Canada, women's bookstores have often been the cornerstone of feminist analysis and activism. Sadly, they are all but extinct in Canada. Everywomans Books is the last nonprofit, feminist bookstore, run by a volunteer collective in Canada. The bookstore cites the rising cost of books, coupled with the rise of mega-bookstores as major factors in their financial downturn. [Chapters Inc. recently announced it was speeding up expansion of its stores so it could solidify its position as the biggest bookstore chain in Canada.] Everywomans will hold two final events. The first is a fundraiser titled, "Feminists to the Rescue Fundraising Auction" on October 23, 7:30 pm at the Red Cross Hall, 909 Fairfield St. The auction will help the bookstore pay down its debts before it closes its doors. The final event hosted by the bookstore will be the launch of Press Gang Publishers' fall books on November 28, with Sheila Baxter, Sheila Norgate, and Persimmon Blackbridge reading from their new works. Everywomans is asking for community contributions—items or services—for its auction. Please call Kyle Mitchell at (250) 598- 9034 by October 10 if you can make a contribution. World march for women Drawing from their experience of organizing the women's march in Quebec in 1996, the Federation des femmes du Quebec (FFQ) is spearheading the organizing of an international Bread and Roses World March of Women. The March, set for the year 2000, will focus on women's poverty in the face of rising economic globalization, war, genocide and violence, to name only a few of the devastating factors which are contributing to the worsening of women's poverty. Over 130 women's groups from 42 countries have already expressed interest in the project, and organizers are continuing their outreach to other groups. The FFQ is currently seeking comments about the planned world women's march by the end of October. Contact Bread and Roses World March of Women, FFQ, 5225, rue Berri #100, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2J 2S4; tel: (514) 948-3262; fax: (514) 948-3264; e-mail: femmes@ffa.qc.ca Campaign against Quinacrine The Quinacrine Alert Network (QAN) is calling on women to join in the campaign against the use of Quinacrine as a sterilization drug. Although Quinacrine has never been properly trialed and is not approved for use by the World Health Organization, it is being given to women—often without their knowledge—in several countries in the South. Quinacrine itself is a widely available and cheap drug, which was developed in the 1920s to treat malaria, and is currently used for a variety of other medical conditions. The use of Quinacrine as a non-surgical sterilization method is related to its capacity to induce scarring. The sterilization method is an inexpensive, non-surgical procedure, which produces scar tissue, and thus blockage, in the fallopian tubes. QAN says that most women are not being informed about the experimental nature of the method, nor are they being offered a choice between that method and alternative, comparable and approved methods. What is even more reprehensible, the group says, is that trials are being carried out on women before adequate studies on the drug's toxicity have been conducted. QAN say some of the concerns with Quinacrine include the potential risk of cancer and birth defects. Moreover, the use of Quinacrine increases the risk of ectopic pregnancy, which in and of itself poses a serious threat to the lives of women. Quinacrine is also being promoted on the Internet as a self-abortion, self-sterilization kit. This is yet another reprehensible act which prompted the US Food and Drug Administration to issue a warning which states that the "kit uses pellets of quinacrine hydrochloride, an unapproved drug which can cause ectopic pregnancy, abnormal pregnancies and permanent damage to a woman's reproductive organs." Ultimately, promoters of Quinacrine, who have close links to the population control movement, have highly questionable motives which do not appear to include women's reproductive rights and freedom. For more information about this campaign, contact Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights, NZ Voorbugwal 32,1012 RZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands; fax: 31-20- 620-96-72; e-mail: wgnrr@antenna.nl. Or contact CERAS/Alternatives, Centre a"etudes el de ressources sur I'Asie du Sud, 3680 Jeanne Mance Street, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, phone: (514) 982-6606, fax: (514) 982-6612, e-mail: ceras@alternatives.ca Cuban women call solidarity meeting The Women's International Democratic Federation, the Continental Front for Women for a Life with Dignity and the Federation of Cuban Women are inviting women to participate in the Meeting of Solidarity Among Women for Equality, Development and Peace. The meeting, will take place in Havana from April 13 to 16. The meeting will include discussions on various topics including: Women, Economy and Sustainable Development; Women, Political Participation and Decision Making; Women, Health, Education, Culture and Social Security; Women and Media; Women, Violence and Discrimina tion; and Women, National Independence, Sovereignty and Peace. The organizers say they will also create space for women in specific sectors, such as indigenous women, peasants, students, communicators, parliamentarians, and others to meet. Organizers are also inviting women to organize workshops or present papers at the meeting. The registration fee is US$30. Participants will have to cover their own airfare, lodging and food expenses, but accommodation arrangements are available. For more information contact the Federation of Cuban Women, Paseo 260, Vedado, La Habana, Cuba; tel: (537) 301582; fax: (537) 333019; e-mail: FMCCU CEN1A1.CU. Women wishing to facilitate a workshop or present a paper are asked to respond by November 15. Counting women in Mothers Are Women (MAW) is continuing its work on ensuring women's unpaid work in Canada is recognized. The group is working on a new policy paper which will be released next Spring at the same time as the release of "household activities" data collected in the 1996 Census. MAW has long advocated for unpaid domestic labour to be counted in the Census data, as well as in national accounts and other statistical measures used in Canada. The 1996 Census marked the first time unpaid work was acknowledged. However, it was not included in the labour force data, and therefore not counted as making a contribution to the economy. MAW's policy paper, called Making It Work, will focus on integrating me data and analysis about women's unpaid work into policy decision-making on childcare, dependent care, community planning, health care, paid workplace policy, economic accounting and taxation policy. The recommendations in the paper will be directed at both governments and businesses. To help develop the paper, MAW is sponsoring a symposium on Unpaid Work & Public Policy in Ottawa on October 17 to 18. For more information about the symposium or the policy paper, contact MAW at (613) 722-7851, by e-mail at maw@cyberus.ca or visit the group's website at www.cyberus.ca/maw Taking action against sweatshop labour The Labour Behind the Label Coalition has developed a "Wear Fair Action Kit," designed to give individuals and organizations the tools to "ask the right questions and make strategic demands of clothing retailers and major labels" regarding the working conditions and wages of garment workers. The Toronto-based coalition consists of unions, church groups, international development agencies and community organizations working to "support garment workers in Canada and internationally in their efforts to improve their wages and working conditions." The Wear Fair Kit includes: action tips from successful anti-sweatshop campaigns; corporate profiles on Nike and Woolworth corporations; issue sheets on "The Changing Face of a Global Industry," "Child Labour," "Codes of Conduct," and "Independent Monitoring;" and actions tools such as a question sheet for concerned consumers, the Wear Fair Charter for Fair Treatment of Garment Workers, and a guide to label and corporate research. The cost of the Wear Fair Kit is $5 (includes postage) in Canada. For orders in the U.S. add $1 and for international orders add $5. Discounts are available for bulk orders. To order a kit contact the Labour Behind the Label Coalition c/o Maquila Solidarity Network, 606 Shaw Street, Toronto, Ontario, M6G 3L6; tel: (416) 532-8584; fax: (416) 532- 7688; e-mail: i Urgent action to restore research labs The Canadian Health Coalition (CHC) is calling on concerned groups and individuals to protest the federal government's decision to close both its food and its drug in-house applied research labs. (The drug labs have already been closed and the food labs are in the process of being closed.) Because of their concerns with the decision, 75 Health Canada scientists have spoken out to say, "these cuts will have disastrous health effects on Canadians." The research conducted by the food and drug labs is critical to ensuring the food we eat and the drugs we take are safe. The in-house labs play a critical role in providing early warning signals to potential health risks, safeguarding people from hazardous products and corporate fraud. Particularly affected will be long term research on the connection of different food or drug products to cancer, birth defects, strokes, heart attacks, kidney and liver disease, dementia, and learning disabilities, among others. For further information about the cuts, contact the CHC at 2841 Riverside Dr, Ottawa, Ontario, K1V 8X7; tel: (613) 521-3400. Send letters of protest to Allan Rock, Minister of Health, or your member of parliament, c/o the House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A OA6 (no postage required). Women's Monument completed The installation of the Women's Monument in Vancouver has been completed. The monument, titled "Marker of Change," is dedicated to all women who are victims of male violence, and commemorates the 14 women who were murdered at l'Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal in 1989. Created by Toronto artist BethAlber, the monument stands in Thornton Park at Main and Terminal Streets in front of the city's main bus and train station. September 30 will mark the completion of Marker of Change, which consists of 14 bench-like forms sculpted in pink granite. Each bench bears the name of one of the women killed at l'Ecole Polytechnique. The official unveiling of the monument will take place on December 6, the anniversary of the Montreal massacre. OCTOBER 1997 Feature The World Bank, IMF, GATT, WTO, NAFTA, MAI.. Capitalism's soldiers compiled by Agnes Huang, Fatima Jaffer and Lisa Valencia-Svensson The following is excerpted and rewritten from the Vancouver Status of Women's (VSW) position paper on anti-corporate globalization. VSW's document, which is a work-in-progress, was created to engage women's groups in a dialogue about corporate globalization and ways to resist its devastating impact on women, children, poor peoples, indigenous peoples, migrant and other workers, immigrants, refugees and people of colour. The work below incorporates contributions from individual women and women's groups across Canada. A framework of the document is listed on page 12. So, what is "corporate globalization"? Globalization has to be understood as an inevitable result of the technological revolutions of the 20th Century. The women's movement is working towards becoming truly global, as are other social movements. In globalization, we have found new strengths and faced new challenges. Northern (or Western) capitalism has also evolved into a global phenomenon. In its current form, "corporate globalization" increases economic exploitation by forcing the integration ot countries into a global economic system which promotes unfettered capitalism. Corporate globalization is resulting in multinational corporations having greater influence over national economies. An example of this is their role in pressing governments to sign trade liberalization agreements, like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The end goal of this kind of economic restructuring is greater profits for the corporations. These are achieved through measures such as government cuts to social spending, and increased deregulation and privatization. The work of resisting corporate globalization includes efforts to advocate for cooperative values. It includes the work of building alternative structures that are egalitarian and encourage the participation of all members of our communities according to our abilities. History and context of corporate globalization Corporate globalization is not a new thing. It has its roots in colonialization, neocolonialism and older forms of capitalism. Corporate globalization (also referred to as "neoliberalism" in the South) has been imposed on the countries in the South for decades. More recently, we have seen the spread of corporate globalization in countries of the North and the former Soviet bloc. When countries in the South gained political independence from their colonial rulers—independence on paper, but for most countries not in reality—this threatened to cut off the access enjoyed by the colonial pow ers (Europe and later NorthAmerica) to the natural resources and cheap labour in their former colonies. Despite the end of "colonialism," Western capitalist powers still had indirect control over the former colonies, with the support of local elites, through measures such as "third world" debt financing through the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs), and the maintainance of military bases. As overproduction of goods brought economic recessions to industrialized nations, the United States, European countries, and Japan set up trading blocs in an effort to dig themselves out from recessions and carve out spheres of economic power. The collapse of the communist bloc in the late 1980s further paved the way for the rise to global dominance of capitalism. The spread of the corporate agenda didn't go unchallenged. The strength of peoples' resistance movements also had an impact on the direction capital took. The hard won gains of unions, grassroots communities, women's groups, environmental activists, indigenous peoples and others fighting for social and economic justice range from the introduction of social programs and tough environmental legislation in the North, to rights to education, health care and improvements in working conditions in the South. Indigenous peoples pressed for acknowledgement of their claim to traditional territories. Women united to voice clear and strong demands for social, economic and political change throughout the world. Recognizing the threat peoples' movements posed to their domination of world resources, the multinational corporations took action to try and defeat these movements. One major strategy has been to physically relocate factories from countries in the North to countries in the South which, as a result of colonialism and neocolonialism, have lower wages, poorly enforced labour laws and less strict regulations on foreign capital. A second strategy has been to urge governments both in the North and South to sign onto "free trade" agreements, and to support resolutions within GATT (the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) that call for more trade liberalization and IMF/ World Bank loan packages to countries in the South which benefit capital. These economic policies are intended to force governments to reduce or remove social, labour and environmental regulations and other barriers, such as social program spending, which stand in the way of higher profits for the corporations. Global capitalist strategies have had, and are continuing to have, a profound negative impact on the ability of people to control their countries, their economies and their communities. More and more, global capital calls the shots when it comes to making decisions that affect our lives. And as we begin to feel the impact of the rubber stamping of corporate wishes by our elected politicians, a dangerous apathy has set in among peoples in the North. Resistance to corporate globalization in the South has a more developed history because people there have felt and understood the impact of capital's greed for longer. In comparison, awareness of and resistance to destructive global economic mechanisms used by international capital is a relatively new phenomenon in the North. Our struggles in the North have only recently included an understanding of how the materialism of the North feeds the hunger of multinational corporations for ever-higher profits. Mechanisms of Corporate Globalization The IMF, World Bank and SAPs Corporate globalization takes many specific forms. It perhaps began with the creation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank) in 1944. Those two institutions were meant to deal with global economic recovery after World War II. The IMF was to provide short-term loans to countries experiencing trade deficits and negative balance of payments, whereas the World Bank aimed to provide loans for long-term reconstruction projects. (At the same time, a world trade organization now known as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was created to promote world trade.) Over the decades, countries in the South have found themselves unable to repay their commercial bank debts. This debt crisis was due mainly to increases in already high interest rates and to the continued economic exploitation by big business in the North. The IMF/World Bank responded with a series of lending packages. These debt rescheduling plans had long strings attached, including the restructuring of the debtor country's economy along the lines of "free market" economic policy reforms. Commonly known as Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs), the reforms are designed to improve a country's foreign investment climate by eliminating regulations on trade and investment, promoting exports and boosting foreign exchange earnings, reducing government deficits through cuts in social spending, and so on. The stated goal of the reforms is to ensure that debtor countries move from recessionary crisis to economic recovery. This recovery is based on the assumption that private sector foreign investment will inevitably lead to economic growth. Specific conditions imposed on countries as part of their SAPs include: moving from food crops grown for domestic consumption to cash crops for export (result ing in shortages of food within the nation and the need to import food); abolishing food and agricultural subsidies; deep cuts to social spending on health, education and housing, and layoffs in the public sector; currency devaluation; liberalization of trade and investment with high interest rates to attract foreign investment; and privatization of publically-owned enterprises. Needless to say, the impacts of such harsh economic measures on people in debtor countries have been devastating. Women have shouldered a disproportionate share of the burden. SAPs have also deepened the gap between rich and poor people and resulted in environmental destruction, population dislocation and displacement, and weaker state sovereignty. The GATT and WTO During the 1980s, another mechanism of corporate globalization was introduced by multinational corporations to further their access to the economies of the world. This time it included control of the economies of countries in the North. This mechanism, known as "the free trade agreement" is much more familiar to women in Canada. A crucial player in the free trade or trade liberalization framework is the GATT, which was replaced by the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the end of the Uruguay Round of the GATT discussions in 1994. The GATT/WTO-induced trade policies are strongly driven by the United States and are aimed at opening up economies to international trade and investment and restricting the control of national governments over international capital. Such trade policies include measures similar to those imposed by SAPs, such as cuts to agricultural subsidies and removal of tariffs on imports. The core of policies of the GATT/WTO relate to the areas of services, and come in the form of Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRTMs) and Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs). Using TRIMs and TRIPs, the GATT/WTO aims to open up the banking, insurance, construction, telecommunications, and legal services sectors of countries around the world. continued on page 12 OCTOBER 1997 tnp Women mobilizing against corporate globalization: 9n preparation for the November arrival of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Vancouver, British Columbia, the organizers of the People's Summit held a pre-conference forum in September. The People's Summit, a parallel conference to the official APEC Summit, is being organized by non-governmental, labour and peoples' organizations. The stated goal of the People's Summit is to provide "a place to discuss, debate and build opposing and alternative visions." During the People's Summit various issue forums will be held—forums on women, human rights, indigenous peoples, youth, media, poverty, and labour, among others. While some of the individuals and groups participating in the People's Summit have spoken out against the corporate agenda, the People's Summit itself has not taken a position to oppose APEC and other forms of corporate globalization. Rather, the People's Summit has decided to let the groups who participate in the Summit determine what position it should take. At the opening panel of the pre-conference forum, Sunera Thobani provided a critical analysis of the agenda driving APEC. She also spoke about the need to be dear in our opposition against corporate globalization and focus our energies on creating real alternatives rather than settling for compromises, such as social clauses. [Also on the panel was former leader of the federal New Democratic Party Ed Broadbent, who spoke strongly in favour of social clauses.] Sunera Thobani is currently the Ruth Wynn Woodward Chair of Women's Studies at Simon Fraser University and the past president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC). She is also a member of the organizing committee of the Second International Women's Conference Against APEC—part of the People's Summit—which will be held November 17-18. by Sunera Thobani I just read in the newspaper that the eight corporations who gave a bit of money to "sponsor" the APEC Summit—BC Tel, General Motors, IBM, Canadian Airlines, Fedex, Toronto Dominion Bank, Nortel and the Export Development Corporation— will have their logos displayed on the 900 APEC banners around the city. This is a very good indicator of what APEC is and whose interests are being served. While it is critical we all actively oppose APEC, I think it would be a mistake for us to see APEC as isolated from the whole corporate-driven globalization agenda that has taken off in the 1990s. This current phase of corporate globalization is resulting in a free market ideology being reasserted in the form of neo- conservative social and economic policies. These policies are being imposed globally. We're seeing enormous changes in countries of the South as globalization is imposed through Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPS), and in countries of the North through radical economic and social restructuring. And all over the world, corporate globalization profoundly affects the status of women. APEC's goal is to increase profits for capital in a region in which 40 percent of the world's population live, and 50 percent of the world's GNP is produced. This region is projected to have the highest rate of economic growth in the coming decade. APEC is about who will control the enormous profits from this economic growth. APEC is intended to ensure the free flow of goods and services and capital in the region. APEC also wants countries to control population, the mobility of workers, and migration. APEC has opened the doors for governments and corporations to work closely together to develop policies. At the People's Summit in Manila [in November 1996] I was shocked to hear heads of state called "leaders of economies." In APEC, the partners are not equal players. APEC involves a diverse group of countries, with different political systems ranging from what we call "liberal democracies" to dictatorships. But one thing all the countries have in common is that the agenda fuellingAPEC's policies—trade liberalization and corporate globalization— is increasing the inequalities within these societies and destroying any democratic space that had been won by peoples' movements. In Canada, for example, government is in partnership with business on APEC. There is no public debate on what position the Canadian government is taking on APEC. The negotiations are held in secret. In the countries in the South, this form of globalization is being defined and experienced as re-colonization. It is wiping out the gains people in those countries have made since they ended direct colonial rule. The statement from the Latin American and Caribbean Trade Union Conference on the External Debt, says that globalization has led to the loss of sovereignty and the re-colonization of their country. The Philippine Freedom From Debt Coalition says globalization has led to the violation of Philippine sovereignty by the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and the World Bank. [Renowned Indian environmental activist] Vandana Shiva says the IMF and the World Bank have taken over the language of underdevelopment and poverty, and have imposed a new bondage on countries in the South based on development, financing and debt burden. Corporate-driven globalization has failed miserably to improve the lives of women. Globalization has increased the poverty and inequality of women. However, it has successfully increased the power of corporations and international financial institutions, and it has made rich people in both the countries of the North and South much richer. This is not an accidental by-product, corporate globalization depends on the cheapening of the women's labour. It relies on women to pick up the pieces when com- Social clauses are the wrong answer munities and livelihoods are destroyed; it depends on women to provide services when social programs are cut, it depends on women's unpaid labour. We're seeing increasing violence against women in the Asia-Pacific region, and this is the legacy of globalization. We are seeing a huge industry in the trafficking of women and children, and this is the legacy of globalization. Women workers in the South have been central in the labour force of this new global economy and we often hear the argument that jobs are being created for women there through export-oriented growth. But these jobs have the lowest wages and working conditions which endanger women's health and lives. The increased presence of multinational corporations in the South also threatens the livelihoods of women, farmers and traders. Women are losing access to land as more and more land is put aside for export production. In Canada, we're very familiar with how economic and social restructuring has led to the erosion of all of the gains women have made over the past 20 years. We've seen the erosion of women's rights, the dismantling of social programs, the increase in poverty and unemployment of women. Corporate globalization will try to pit women against each other, particularly women in the North against women in the South. I think it's important for women's movements to say we not only reject the global corporate agenda, we also reject being pitted against each other. I want to talk about the issue of human rights. There's been some discussion in Canada about the Canadian government's separation of its concerns for human rights internationally and its trade policies. The government has said that human rights will not be on the agenda at the APEC Summit in Vancouver. Organizations and individuals have called on the Canadian government to put human rights on the agenda. This needs to be done, but I think we need to go further than that. We have to stop pretending that human rights violations take place only in Asian countries. We have to call the Canadian govern ment on its human rights records right here at home. Year after year, the Canadian Human Rights Commission has called the treatment of Aboriginal people the worst human rights abuses in Canada. We also have to expose the Canadian government's role at the international level in helping to create the conditions where human rights violations are increasing in countries of the South. By working in the G-7 [the grouping of the seven most industrialized nations,] the IMF and the World Racism In APEC tes Bank, by supporting free trade policies and promoting business interests above everything else, and by helping develop and implement SAPs in countries of the South, the Canadian government promotes and upholds the conditions which give rise to increased human right violations. Women are fighting back against oppression and the repression of women is increasing. Human rights violations are increasing in the attempt to destroy women's opposition. By propping up repressive regimes and by building partnerships with them in the hopes of increasing corporate profits, the Canadian government is supporting the human rights violations of these regimes. There is a lot of racism being expressed in the debate on APEC. Specifically, I'm referring to seeing Asian cultures represented as inherently condoning human rights violations. Repressive regimes use the stereotype of "Asian values" to sell their population's labour cheaply on the world markets. The governments promote women's labour by saying Asian women are pleased to serve corporations in any and every way. Here in North America, we hear our government using the culture argument to rationalize and justify their dealings with repressive regimes. We are told that the informal nature of APEC is based on an Asian mode. All of these are very racist stereotypes. They help hide the truth about who is actually benefittng from APEC—and it sure as hell is not Asian women. I have been present on many panels concerning APEC and one of the arguments I continually hear is that Asian immigrants in Canada support APEC and that it is very hard to mobilize opposition against APEC among immigrant communities. Every time I hear this, I see it for the racism it is. We have to stop using Asian cultures and values in this way; we have to stop calling APEC something that is a peculiarly an Asian model. Increased migration is also an inevitable result of APEC and globalization. And what is the Canadian government doing in response? It is putting more restrictions on people coming in to Canada as immigrants, and increasing the use of migrant workers who come in on temporary work permits. The use of temporary migrant workers has exploded at the same time the Canadian government brought in the "head tax"— the $975 landing fee for all immigrants— and tightened the sponsorship regulations. This is something we have to use to mobilize against APEC and to bring to the public's awareness the situation of women who are forced to come into Canada on temporary work permits and who are left vulnerable to all kinds of exploitation. Internationally, there have been many responses to APEC. I want to discuss one in particular because it has been gaining a lot of attention. Calls have been made re cently to demand a social clause—covering labour, environmental and human rights—be included in APEC, and that it is something we should mobilize our movements around. I want to say what I think is wrong with it this position. Fighting for a social clause accepts the inevitability of corporate- driven globalization. All a social clause does is say we want a better deal within APEC's policies, and within trade agreements, generally. A social clause does not represent either an alternative or an opposition to corporate globalization. Instead, it is a compromise. Social clauses will do nothing to fight the polarization of workers within countries and between the countries of the North and South. In the North, the polarization is between the decreasing number of workers who have full-time work and protection of their rights and the growing number of workers who are forced into contract work, part-time work and casual employment and who have no job security, no benefits. [New Zealand law professor] Jane Kelsey has pointed out that the trade union vision for APEC, which was prepared by the Asia Pacific Labour Network of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU)—the world's largest trade union body—says that APEC provides potential for substantially higher economic growth and employment creation, and higher living standards and poverty alleviation for workers. The ICFTU argues that the task is just to ensure businesses do not profit from exploitative practices. The ICFTU supports having a social clause to create a policy climate "in which workers, through legal rights to form and join their freely chosen organizations, are able to work with employers and the governments to establish a sound system of industrial relations." This is a selling out of the women's movement, and of all the coalitions and alliances we have worked so hard to build. This is to protect rights only of the most privileged sector of the working class. Kelsey has also pointed out that support for a social clause has come only from the Anglo-American countries. Trade unions in those countries are calling for a social clause in order to protect their members from losing jobs to countries where labour costs are cheaper. Governments and businesses in those countries are calling for a social clause because they can't compete with countries where there are no (or few) labour, human rights and environmental codes. These governments are calling for standards in other countries, while at the same time they are eroding existing standards in their own countries. This is not a genuine commitment to workers' rights. Social QM clauses don't m benefit JPW vmen Because women in all countries are more likely to be working in the informal sectors—casual, temporary work—social clauses won't have any benefit for them. Part of women's inequality is based on all the unpaid work we do. What will the social clause do to address the reality of women's work situations? Nothing. All social clauses will do is lead to trade sanctions by powerful countries against weaker ones. Another fundamental flaw of social clauses is that it targets only governments and not multinational corporations. There are also no mechanisms to enforce social clauses. Women Working Worldwide (WWW), an NGO based in London, England that works with a global network of women workers' organizations, argues that two issues are at the top of their concern in the work they do in the APEC region: reproductive rights and the right to be free from physical and sexual abuse. WWW argues that by not putting women at the centre of the fight for workers' rights, social clauses have extremely limited relevance to women workers. Opposition to social clauses is coming not only from sources outside the trade union movement, but also from organizations representing women workers. Trade unions want to protect their workers' rights and that's what they were created for. The question is how to protect these rights in the strongest possible way. Is it by fighting for crumbs and allowing workers to be divided from workers from other countries? Is it by fighting to protect the rights of the most privileged sector of the working class while leaving aside those workers who are increasingly being pushed into the informal economy? Those of us who say "no" to the social clause alternative realize that ultimately corporate globalization will continue to pit workers against each other. Corporate globalization will also continue to attack our rights, so buying into a compromise position—which is what social clauses are— will not fundamentally change this agenda; it will only strengthen the power of capital. Of course, this doesn't mean we don't support workers' rights—the majority of the women in the Asia-Pacific region are workers. I think the fundamental question we face today when we look at APEC and MAI (the Multilateral Agreement on Investment) is what kind of world do we want to build. For the women who attended the Women's Conference [on APEC last year] in Manila and for those of us who are organizing the Second International Women's Conference Against APEC here in Vancouver, the answer is very simple. We oppose corporate rule, and we oppose the destruction of democracy which puts the interests of corporations above those of women in our community. The APEC People's Summit is an opportunity for us to develop an alternate vision which is based on democratizing our governments and institutions. It is an opportunity to put women at the centre. real m ating real idtives It is a moment not just to discuss what is happening in our different countries, but a moment to mobilize our movements, to mobilize women in Canada against globalization. The Women's March Against Poverty, organized by NAC and the Canadian Labour Congress last year, went to 90 communities right across the country. We saw the level of opposition that exists among women to the federal and provincial government's economic and social policies. It is the responsibility of our organizations and our movements to mobilize the anger, the fear, and the anxiety people are feeling everywhere as a result of globalization. It is critical that we do not turn people against each other, but that we build a movement based on social solidarity justice, and democracy. We need to be clear in saying that we do not support an agenda that might benefit some of us living in the North at the expense of those living in countries in the South. For a copy of Women Working World- wide's critique of social clauses, contact them at the Centre for Employment Research, Room 126, MMU Humanities Building, Rosamond St. W, Manchester, England, M15 6LL; tel: 0161-247-1760; fax: 0161-247-6333; e-mail: GeonetMCRl:women-ww; internet: women- ww@mcrl .poptel.org.uk. For more information about the Women's Conference Against APEC contact them at 219-1675 W. 8th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V6] 1V2; tel/fax: (604) 736-3346; or tel: (604) 291- 4023; fax: (604) 291-5518; e-mail: rjiwa@arts.sfu.ca; website: http:// users.uniserve.com/~devina/apec.html. Graphics by Sur Mehat. Drawing from Latin American Working Group Letter, Issue No. 17. Feature The World Bank, IMF, GATT, m0, NAFTA, MAI... continued from page 9 The trend in TRIMs is to prevent countries from using foreign investment to further processes of national industrialization. But the most frightening component of the GATT/WTO policies is TRIPs, which builds on an old practice of denying access to and control of science and technology to people in the South. When mines, factories, plantations, for example, were set up in the South, the know-how of designing and operating these imported technologies was not shared with the peoples of the South. Instead, tight control over this knowledge ensured the colonizing powers their dominance over their colonies. TRIPs not only allow for increased patent protection for high-tech companies but also extend patents to food, micro-organisms, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals, and to their production processes. Multinational corporations now use TRIPs to patent seeds and traditional agricultural knowledge—this means farmers and peasants are being charged for the seeds and farming methods they have used and developed for centuries! Free trade agreements Free trade deals specific to certain regions or groupings of countries have been negotiated or are in the process of being finalized and ratified. Canada signed onto the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 1989 and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994. Canada is also involved with the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Enterprise of the Americas Initiative (EAI), which is an expansion of NAFTA, and the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI,) which is being negotiated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Elsewhere in the world, European nations are working towards building up the European Union; Caribbean nations are strengthening CARICOM; MERCOSUR has been established in South America, et cetera. The specific goals of these free trade zone arrangements are very similar to those of the SAPs: deregulation, privatization and trade liberalization resulting in greater profits for corporations. Once again, under these agreements, governments are strongly encouraged to make deep cuts in their social spending; to loosen environmental, labour, taxation, tariff and other regulations on businesses, especially foreign investors; and to privatize state-owned enterprises. All of these changes are sold to citizens as being necessary in order to pay off government deficits and debts. In reality, government deficits and debts are caused by uncollected corporate taxes, high interest rates and high unemployment. Free trade agreements also work to open up more sectors to the corporations, through the privatization of healthcare, education, welfare, pensions and utilities. They also create a cheaper labour force as people become desperate for any sort of income. Most recently in Canada, the federal government has followed the corporate globalization recipe well. The Liberals have brought in huge spending cuts to social programs, introduced plans to privatize our pension system, eliminated the Canada Assistance Plan, and supported Bill C-91, 12 which gives multinational pharmaceutical companies a 20-year patent on new drugs and forbids generic drug companies to produce affordable generic versions of the new drugs. The deregulation of the Canadian airline industry led to the near-collapse of Canadian Airlines and the accompanying threat of massive job loss. Ontario and Alberta residents are perhaps the most painfully aware of the devastation that comes from cuts to social spending; watering down labour legislation to weaken workers' muscles at the bargaining table and lower costs for capital; privatizing and contracting out government enterprises and services; dismantling environmental standards; and opening up protected natural resources to corporate plunder. Even as international capital pushes hard for free trade agreements, it pushes even harder to ensure that negotiations of such deals happen in secret and with less public scrutiny than ever before. The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), for example, is not a free trade agreement in the same sense as NAFTA. Because it is a "looser" grouping of 18 countries making seemingly informal, unenforceable deals with each other, it allows governments to bypass scrutiny from the general population. In fact, APEC's meetings have been described as the most secretive and undemocratic ever held around trade liberalization. However, big business (representing "civil society") is ensured a seat at the APEC negotiating table. A measure of how dangerous APEC is is exemplified by how few people know that at the APEC Leaders' Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia in 1994, APEC members agreed to a voluntary, non-binding code of investment principles and pledged to achieve free and open trade and investment among themselves by the year 2020. The Canadian government has yet to initiate public debate on whether Canada should continue participating in APEC and striving for such goals. The Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) The MAI is another frighteningly dangerous free trade agreement currently being negotiated by the Organization for Economic Development (OECD)—made up of 29 of the world's wealthiest nations. The MAI has been dubbed a "Charter of Rights and Freedoms" for the biggest and richest corporations. The purpose of the MAI is to ensure that foreign corporations are not "discriminated against" by any government. This means that so-called protectionist measures, such as national standards of social programs, laws protecting the environment and natural resources from exploitation, and funding grants for arts and culture would be disallowed under the MAI. The MAI would only initially apply to OECD member countries, but it will likely be extended to countries worldwide. Once adopted, five-years notice is required in order for countries to withdraw from the MAI. Again, the conditions on Canada's participation in the MAI are being kept a virtual secret—discussions were formally initiated in 1995 and consensus on approximately 90 percent of the agreement was reached by January 1997. May 1998 has been set as the current deadline for the signing of the MAI. Few people outside the immediate circles of those negotiating the agreement had even heard of the MAI. Even many members of parliament in Canada had not heard of the MAI! The mainstream media Free trade agreements come with a language all of their own, which then pollutes our day-to-day language and further commodities our bodies, our labour, our natural resources, and other aspects of our lives. As an example of this, APEC refers to people as "human resources," and strictly adheres to the usage of the term "economies" for countries. Ownership of mainstream media is increasingly concentrated in the hands of an elite few who are dedicated to promoting the corporate agenda. The mainstream media has played a crucial role in convincing people globally that corporate globalization and its impact on our lives is inevitable. People are urged to join "the race" to become the most competitive country internationally. In Canada, we are told that the economic benefits of being competitive —more jobs and increased government revenues—will automatically trickle down to all Canadians. Non-participation, we are told, is nothing short of economic suicide. Arguments against corporate globalization or in opposition to the signing of free trade deals are rarely given voice in mainstream publications, radio or TV. Another critical role of the mainstream media has been to flood communities with the message that national debts have reached unsustainable levels and that drastic cuts to social spending are the only means out. We are also told we are paying too many taxes, and that government-run corporations and services are inefficient and waste taxpayers' money. The solution is privatization. The mainstream media consistently neglect to inform us that in fact high interest rates on our debts account for approximately 44 percent of the Canadian federal debt; that tax breaks for wealthy individuals and corporations are responsible for about 50 percent; and that social programs contribute only the remaining six percent. We do not read about how privatization and deep government spending cuts will result in fewer and fewer available jobs, less taxes being paid, and higher government debts. And finally, the international mass media is the biggest promoter worldwide of the American dream of individualism and economic success above all else. Often, it is in pursuit of this dream that millions of people around the world allow their governments to sign away their lives to the agenda of international capital. Vancouver Status of Women's document is a work-in-progress by VSW's Anti-Corporate Globalization Working Committee. Committee members are: Lisa Valencia-Svensson (researcher and writer), Fatima Jaffer, Ellen Woodsworth, Ema Oropeza and Agnes Huang. To obtain a copy of the document, please contact VSW at 309-877 E. Hastings St, Vancouver, BC, V6A 3Y1; tel: (604) 255-6554; fax: (604) 255-5511; e-mail: vsw@web.net. VSW welcomes input from women on the content, structure and style of the document. VSW will also be facilitating a discussion group on October 9th to develop strategies for raising public consciousness and confronting corporate globalization, and to plan local actions for the National Women's Day of Protest Against APEC on November 24. The discussion group is sponsored by the Lower Mainland Feminist Networking Group. Call VSW for full details. Framework of the Vancouver Status of Women's Document SECTION ONE - CORPORATE GLOBALIZATION This section looks at the history and context of corporate globalization, and mechanisms of corporate globalization such as: IMF-World Bank-structural adjustment programs, GATT- World Trade Organization, free trade agreements, mainstream mass media, and militarism. SECTION TWO - IMPACTS OF CORPORATE GLOBALIZATION ON WOMEN This section summarizes the impacts on different groups of women and on different sectors. SECTION THREE - STRATEGIES OF OPPOSITION AND RESISTANCE This section discusses the need for the Canadian women's movement to develop a comprehensive feminist analysis of corporate globalization and strategies of resistance. It also lists some specific groups in Canada (mainly in Vancouver) organizing against this November's APEC Leaders' Summit, and gives contact information for the APEC Summit and the Canada Year of Asia Pacific. SECTION FOUR - VARIOUS FORMS OF RESISTANCE This section provides a sampling of various actions taken around the world to resist corporate globalization, to strengthen existing healthy communities and structures, and to build alternatives. The categories of action are: taking to the streets/ fighting back, campaigns, conferences/ gatherings, ongoing organizing work, coalition & network building, solidarity work, public education, research, alternative visions, alternative economic structures, and initiatives by international bodies. SECTION FIVE - SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT SOCIAL CLAUSES & SOCIAL CHARTERS This section examines the debate around whether social justice movements should "engage" free trade agreements by fighting for the inclusion of social clauses/ social charters on labour, environment, et cetera into the agreements. Many argue that social clauses are ineffective and that social justice movements should reject free trade agreements outright. Included is: • Information on the document from Women Working Worldwide: "Trade liberalization and the rights of women workers. Are social clauses the answer?" • Information on the publication from Common Frontiers and Latin American Working Group: Social Charters: Perspectives from the Americas. • excerpts from paper by Dr. Jane Kelsey, Professor of Law, Auckland University, New Zealand: "To Engage or Not to Engage APEC." OCTOBER 1997 Feature Interview with Korean trade union activist Serapina Cha Mi-kyung: Organizing under globalization as told to Lisa Valencia-Svensson Serapina Cha Mi-Kyung is a Korean feminist, labour activist and researcher. From 1993- 97 she worked for the Asia Monitor Resource Center (AMRC) in Hong Kong. During that time, she wrote several studies, including an investigation into the garment industry in China. In March, Cha returned to Korea where she is curently working with the Korean House for International Solidarity (KHIS) as a coordinator. She is heading up a project to monitor investment overseas by Korean companies, such as Hyun Dai. Cha was invited to Canada in July by the Hospital Employees Union and the Maquila Solidarity Network. As part of the same trip, she visited Tijuana, Mexico-hosted by Factor X/Casa de la Mujer—where she met with Hyun Dai workers. While Cha was in Vancouver, Lisa Valencia-Svensson had the opportunity to speak to her about the building of the women's union movement in Korea. Lisa Valencia-Svensson: When you were with AMRC, you advocated for workers in the toy and garment factories. Can you talk about the conditions for the workers? Cha Mi-kyung: Most of the workers in free trade zones are young women who came there to earn money to support their families. But this is not a new story in the toy and garment industries. In the 1970s, in countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, many women workers contributed to the national economies. Then, after industrial restructuring, many of the foreign-owned, as well as East Asian companies, closed their plants and moved to South and Southeast Asia. However, toys, garments and textiles are still being produced by subcontractors in the free trade zones in East Asia, mainly through home workers. I don't think women workers' situation has changed much since the 1970s. Foreign investors still want to find cheap labour and to use young women workers. Valencia-Svensson: As you say, young Asian women workers have been targeted by multinational corporations for three decades. What kind of labour organizing was going on during the same time period? Cha: In the 1970s, South Korean women started a trade union movement. The women faced a lot of oppression from the government as well as from the companies, including being dismissed from their jobs. Many of the workers' eyes were opened as to why they had to continue the struggle to improve their working situations. At the end of the 1980s, the companies closed up their factories and women workers lost their jobs. As a result, the trade union movement which was led by the female workers was weakened. We had to find an alternative way to mobilize women. This is currently our challenge: to organize women workers in their communities and at the regional level in South Korea. The situation in Indonesia now is similar to the situation in South Korea in 1970s and 80s because the Indonesian government doesn't allow any independent trade unions, and companies can dismiss workers very easily. The trade union movement that does exist in Indonesia is also led mostly by men. However, we're seeing is that the biggest struggles there are being fought by women workers in the garment and textile industries. Valencia-Svensson: Can you talk more about the impact of corporate globalization on women workers in Korea? Cha: When the multinational companies move to other countries in search of cheap labour, this creates burden for the women workers left behind. Even though the women had worked long hours for years in the garment and shoe industries- for example, Nike and Reebok the factories were shut down and moved to locations where there were more opportunities to exploit the working conditions. For Nike, when it became more expensive to produce shoes in South Korea (than in other countries in Asia), they left. Nike didn't care whether the workers had good wages or working conditions. And now in Korea, you find a lot of skilled female workers working as home-based workers for subcontractors. Valencia-Svensson: Right now, you're educating and organizing against human rights violations and the harsh treatment by Korean corporations of their workers. How is the Korean trade union movement reacting to the current labour situation in Korea? For example, how is the movement reacting to the increasing number of home workers? Cha: Even though the number of home workers in South Korea has increased, this issue has not received a lot of attention because we are focussing on changing working conditions, changing the anti-labour law, and developing the legal position of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). Our focus is not home-based workers. At the national level, the South Korean [progressive] movement is pushing for democracy and a better society. That's why when the general strike of December 26, 1996 was called by the KCTU, those on strike were fighting not only for workers' rights but also for people's democracy and rights. Valencia-Svensson: Was the strike considered successful? Cha: The general strike was an historic event. Even though it was led by the trade union movement, it received the full participation of the people as well as the workers. During the general strike, many people recognized how undemocratic political realities affect their lives. It was the largest strike since the Korean war. Every day for one month, more than 400,000 people demonstrated. When the KCTU decided to go on strike, all of the workers left their machines and joined the struggle of the people in the streets. One problem was that some trade unions were seen as "showing off," when they talked about the overall situation in South Korea. I think this is an important lesson for trade unions in Canada, too. Many of the trade union movements, are becoming very male and conservative under globalization. If organizations with huge memberships, such as the trade unions, were to raise social and political issues as well as economic ones, then people outside of unions would be able to identify with what the trade unions are fighting for. Trade unions are able to use the collective bargaining process to improve working conditions. But homeless people, or political prisoners, or poor female workers who don't have trade unions at the workplace, cannot use collective bargaining as a form of struggle. Trade unions should be constantly aware of other sectors, and should consider how trade unions can raise these issues in society. Under globalization, if trade unions become more conservative, I think the situation for the worker will probably become worse. Valencia-Svensson: How are women involved in the Korean trade union movement? Are they playing a large role or is it still a very male-dominated movement? Cha: Many women workers working in the service sectors in South Korea-such as in the banks, printing houses, and hospitals-are now part of a trade union movement that is very strong. The women activists who led the trade union movement in 1970s and 80s are now trying to organize women workers into new community unions. Valencia-Svensson: Can you explain what a community union is? Cha: Community unions do not only consider conditions in the workplace. Community unions, or community workers' associations, develop women workers, women's welfare, and lobby for workers' rights. Because most women workers are not working for big companies right now, they cannot raise their issues in the workplace. Women working in small enterprises, with only four or five employees, cannot use collective bargaining. In these cases, women can raise their issues through the community unions to the Department of Labour and demand responses from the government to their concerns. Valencia-Svensson: And do they have official links to the larger trade unions? Cha: Yes. Valencia-Svensson: Are women in the leadership in these sectors? Cha: Except in the steel and car industries, there are more women workers than men who participate in trade union movement. However, there are still too many men in the top leadership positions. Serapina Cha Mi-Kyung The male trade unionists cannot see the women's creative skills. They are good at making decisions but don't know much about process. Process is needed to promote dialogue between the workers, while militant power is needed for our struggles. Of course, I'm not saying that women don't have militant power. Valencia-Svensson: What has the focus of the Korean trade union movement been since the strike in 1996? Cha: Many factories are reducing the number of workers, so a lot of workers are just trying to keep their jobs. It is challenging for the trade union movement to keep their membership up. At the same time, a lot of Korean multinationals are moving rapidly to other countries in Central America and Eastern Europe. Of course, the trade union movement realizes we cannot keep capital from going to other countries. Now we have two challenges. One is to respond to the increasing unemployment rate and fight cases of dismissal by companies. And two is to develop protection for workers working in Korean companies abroad. That's why, since 1995, the PSPD (People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy) and the Korean International House for Solidarity has been monitoring Korean companies abroad, raising awareness of cases of human rights violations on the part of there companies. Valencia-Svensson: What countries are the Korean multinationals mainly operating in? Cha: China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka are big investment areas for Korean companies producing garments, toys and textiles. Korean transnational corporations are also investing in Central America, and in Eastern Europe. So now we have a plant monitor in Central America. I hope to connect with groups that are working for Central and South America workers. This year, we are developing joint solidarity work with trade unions in those countries. I think this kind of work is important. Asia and Central America may be far apart, but it's important we share our experiences and find out which trade unions We should support. OCTOBER 1997 13 Feature The rights of Aboriginal peoples in Canada: Protecting Voisey's Bay by Joyce Ford In 1994, the federal and Newfoundland governments and a major Canadian mining company suddenly took great interest in Voisey's Bay in northern Labrador. Their interest coincided with the discovery of a large quantity of nickel in the area. Voisey's Bay is the traditional homeland of 5,000 Inuit and 1,500 Innu peoples. Neither the federal nor provincial governments have taken adequate steps in recognizing the inherent rights of Aboriginal peoples in Labrador. Neither have played a positive role in resolving the conflict at Voisey's Bay. The premier of Newfoundland, Brian Tobin, has even made comments to the effect that if the Innu don't back off from their opposition to mining at Voisey's Bay, the provincial government will take further action against them. Says Katie Rich, president of the Innu Nation: "What are they going to do, 'spank us?' They can't hurt us anymore than they already have." Joyce Ford, an Inukfrom Makkovik, Labrador, spoke at the Annual General Meeting of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women in September about the struggle of the Inuit to protect their homeland and culture and to stop the destruction and exploitation of Voisey's Bay. She is a member of the Labrador Inuit Association (LIA) and Tongamuit Inuit Annait (Inuit Women of the Torngat). Below is Ford's speech. There are 5,000 Inuit who live in Labrador. We represent a very small fraction of the Canadian population and an even smaller fraction still of the world's population. Our homeland is part of what is now known as Labrador. My ancestors (on my mother's side) lived there for thousands of years. I am here to state that even though there are only 5,000 of us, we are important and we have to do whatever we need to do to protect our homeland and our rights. We deserve to live according to our traditions in our homeland. Our culture deserves to be protected; our language deserves to be preserved and used; our customs deserve to be practised; and our way of life deserves to be respected. We, the Inuit of Labrador, deserve to be recognized. A couple of years ago, a rich deposit of minerals was found on our land at Voisey's Bay. Millions of dollars have been spent exploring the minerals. The largest amount was spent by the Voisey's Bay Nickel Company (VBNC), a subsidiary of Inco. The LIA has been negotiating an Impact and Benefits Agreement (IBA) with VBNC. We signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the federal and provincial governments to conduct an environmental review of the impact on Voisey's Bay. We are also currently negotiating a land claims agreement with the federal and provincial governments, despite the fact that the provincial government doesn't acknowledge that Aboriginal people in Newfoundland and Labrador have [inherent rights as indigenous peoples.] All these processes were going well until the provincial government gave VBNC permission to build a 12 kilometre road and airstrip between two exploration camps. We were opposed to the provincial government's decision because we thought that the work should be considered by the environmental review committee before being given the go-ahead. But VBNC argued that the road and airstrip were part of exploration and not development, which is how it managed to get them approved without the consideration of the environmental review panel. Also, the IBA negotiations were not satisfactory. VBCN offered us [the Inuit and Innu] a package (of $100 million), but we didn't think it was adequate, so we turned it down. [Inco paid out $4.3 billion to acquire the rights to exploit the nickel mines.] There was also some hesitation at the land claims negotiation table. The LIA went to court to ask for a ruling that the provincial minister of the environment did not have the right to give VBNC permission to build the road and airstrip. The judge did not agree with us—he said the minister was in the right. That same day, the provincial government gave VBNC the green flag to start construction. The company started cutting down trees, and brought in barge loads of heavy equipment to start the road and trailers to house the extra workers. The LIA decided to do three things: to appeal the judges decision; to apply for an injunction to stop construction until our appeal was heard; and to plan a non-violent protest in the event we lost in court. We filed for an injunction, and the court took its time setting a date. All this time the trees were being cut and the road was being built. VBNC asked for a meeting with the LIA board, because they didn't believe the board members were well informed with regards to what was in the IBA. We met with them and asked them to offer us a better deal and to stop construction of the road and airstrip. They wouldn't. The LIA board decided they couldn't wait for the court to decide on an injunction—the road was progressing fast—so they announced that they would go into Anaktalak Bay (the site of one of the two VBNC exploration camps) to protest against VBNC. I was one of the people who went in to protest. We called the first day of protest "A-Day," A for Anaktalak. We landed on the beach. We took a boat from Nain to Anaktalak Bay. We were very well organized. We sent in a set-up crew first; they set up the tents. We brought over four-wheelers, and we had a propane stove, freezer, two generators, tents, tent stoves. It was very scary riding up through the camp, especially when passing some of the workers. I expected them to call us names, but they didn't. We blocked the road early the next morning. VBNC pulled out their equipment and construction stopped. We expected them to apply for an injunction to remove us. We had to think really hard about whether or not we were willing to get arrested. I decided I was willing. I proclaimed that if Canada is willing to arrest me for standing up for my rights, then so be it. Shame on Canada if they were Inuit and Innu peoples protest against the start of construction of a road and airstrip at Anaktalak Bay, August 26-28,1997. willing to do that. We're supposed to be the best country to live in. I guess it is only if your language is not threatened, if your homeland is not threatened, and your culture is not in danger of disappearing. I was willing to get arrested in order to protect my homeland because this is the only home we know. We don't have anywhere else to go. We don't want to live anywhere else. I felt so strongly about going to the protest because I was tired, at the age of 28, of the government telling us what we can and cannot do. I was tired of them giving us no choice but to put up with what the government decides is best for us, or best for their budget. Tired because of all the things they did to my mother when they forced her to move from her home in 1959. Tired because of what they did to her mother when her husband's body wasn't sent home after he died in a Newfoundland hospital. I decided I wasn't going to be a victim of the government any more. In 1997, the government is still ignoring us, ignoring our wishes, our rights as Aboriginal people. I decided I wasn't going to put up with it anymore. It was very liberating. Well, we won in the court; the judges granted us an injunction. We thought that since we went in to stop construction before the court had a chance to hear our case that we would lose for sure. I was shocked. The three judges stated in their decision that this was a case of "justice delayed is justice denied." VBNC was ordered to stop construction of the road and airstrip and any support work on this development until our appeal was heard. Our appeal is currently before the court. We started the hearing on Tuesday of this week just passed [September 16.] I was told that the same three judges who granted us our injunction are hearing our appeal. That makes me a bit more hopeful that we might win. If we don't, we will have to think about going back to Anaktalak Bay to protest. I was able to go and protest because I had an employer who supported us stand ing up for our rights, and most of all I have a husband who was able to take care of our two beautiful girls. And I have some good friends and family who supported me as well. I hope you are able to understand what I have to say. It is easy to get confused with the names, negotiations and court processes. I know I am probably preaching to the converted, but we would appreciate any support we can get. I kind of compare this with what I heard happened in World War II, when a boatload of Jewish people sought refuge in Canada, but were turned away. They were sent back to where they faced the atrocities of genocide. We, too, are asking the Canadian people for help. Please don't turn us away, for we are facing cultural genocide. Since Ford spoke at the NAC AGM, the Newfoundland Court of Appeal has ruled in favour ofLIA's appeal to stop Inco/VBNCfrom building the road and airstrip. The court stated that no further work should take place until a full environmental impact assessment is completed. Inco says its environmental review study is already six months behind schedule. The review is expected to be released at the end of this year. Just before the Court of Appeal ruling was issued, the company stated that mining at Voisey's Bay will be put off until late 2000 (one year later than originally planned) because of delays in the environmental assessment and the unresolved negotiations with the Innu and Inuit. The Inuit and Innu are asking for support in their efforts to protect their inherent rights and the integrity of Voisey's Bay. Lobby your local member of parliament, and write to Prime Minister Jean Chretien (House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6) and to Premier Brian Tobin, PO Box 8700, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 4J6,fax: (709) 729-5875, in support of the Inuit and Innu Nations. 14 OCTOBER 1997 Arts Environmental toxins and breast cancer: Exposing the truths by Kelly Haydon EXPOSURE: Environmental links to breast cancer Written by Martha Butterfield Directed by Francine Zuckerman Butterfield and Zuckerman Productions, Toronto, Ontario, 1997 Exposure is a film designed to raise awareness about the connections between our health and our environment. In particular, this film looks at the link between breast cancer and environmental toxins. Although 70 to 80 percent of women with breast cancer have none of the "official" risk factors—a family history of breast cancer, hormonal and reproductive factors or a high fat diet—almost all of medical research and information focuses on these actions. Exposure is timely in that it fills a huge gap in the information surrounding breast cancer by focusing on what the film presents as a highly underinvestigated and major contributing factor of the disease: environmental toxins. Narrated by breast cancer survivor Olivia Newton-John, the film begins with a look at the link between radiation exposure and breast cancer. Rosalie Bertell, an epidemiologist and president of the International Institute of Concern for Public Health in Toronto, talks about the little known information about the effects of radiation on Japanese women from the nucleur bomb droppped on Hiroshima. She points to studies that looked into the causes of death of women who had survived the bombing which found that the rate of breast cancer-related deaths was triple the expected rate. Bertell says radiation is the most hazardous substance on earth and that "there is no level of radiation that will not cause cellular damage." Radioactive residues have now been found worldwide in milk, water, fruits and vegetables, and meat and fish. One particular group of environmental toxins that should be of great concern to women are organochlorines—those found in pesticides, plastics, pharmaceuticals, fuel and cleaning products. Some well known organochlorines are DDT, PCBs, CFCs and dioxins. Women exposed to higher levels of these poisons have higher incidences of breast cancer. Although some of these substances are now banned in NorthAmerica, many of them are still sold to countries in the South. Using footage from "An Ounce of Prevention," a breas* cancer forum held in Vancouver in May 1996, the film shows Devra Lee Davis, a researcher with the World Resources Institute in Washington, DC, explaining the effect of xenoestrogens [artificial estrogens] on women's hormonal systems. Davis talks about the scientific evidence which indicates that pesticides and other toxic chemicals seem to mimic the natural hormones in our bodies. These xenoestrogens stimulate the production of estrogen, which is significant as we know that the more estrogen a woman is exposed to during her life, the greater her risk of breast cancer. Davis also points out that higher concentrations of DDT detected in the blood levels of Black women and White women seem to be associated with higher risk of breast cancer, but that this does not appear to be the case for Asian women. One theory, Davis says, suggests that Asian women can better ward off the effects of "bad" estrogens because they generally have more soy products—which are "good" estrogens—in their diets. Other breast cancer researchers featured in the film are Ana Soto and Carlos Sonnenschein from Tufts University in Boston. Soto talks about how they discovered that some plastics shed an estrogen-like chemical which triggers the growth of cancer cells. They also found that these substances have a cumulative effect. Some chemicals which have no ability to disrupt human hormones on their own can cause extensive damage when combined with other chemicals, studies have shown. Given the huge numbers of chemicals we are exposed to, this is scary news. In addition to estrogens in the environment, Susan Love, a surgeon and author of Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, says we must also pay attention to the use of synthetic hormones, such as birth control pills, fertility drugs and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs, which may increase our chances of getting breast cancer. One of the strengths of Exposure is the way it redirects the focus away from blaming (or pitying) the victim to the actual causes of breast cancer. A number of activists featured provide testimonies which serve both to repudiate many of the myths about breast cancer and uncover the politics surrounding the disease. Sharon Batt, author of Patient No More: The Politics of Breast Cancer and chair of the Breast Cancer Action in Montreal, talks about how support for breast cancer survivors centres on disconnecting women from what is happening to them. Instead of really helping women deal with the disease, emphasis is placed on making women look good and "feel" better through makeup tips, prosthetics and a new and improved lifestyles. The myth that breast cancer is an older woman's disease is also challenged by the story of Diana Matherly. Matherly an artist and activist from Boston, recounts first being diagnosed with breast cancer at 21 and given treatment. At age 31, the cancer had returned. Other myths are dispelled and replaced with more accurate information, such as: that treatments are inadequate and have not changed nor improved in thirty years; that mammography does not work for women under fifty and it may even cause breast cancer in previosly healthy women; and that screening programs create more cancer than they detect. Another strength of Exposure is that it clearly places the causes, prevention and treatment of breast cancer, and the priorities of breast cancer policies and research within a socio-economic and political context. Toxicity and breast cancer and the health of women is linked to militarism, racism and our economic system. As Vuyiswa Keyi of Women's Health in Women's Hands in Toronto notes: "On top of the toxins...there is also the issue of racism. By the time African American women have the time or the energy to go for health care and health services it's too late." Batt also points out that the vested interest of businesses in sustaining the breast cancer "industry" is enormous. "The same companies that make a lot of the polluting chemicals also make a lot of the cancer treatment drugs." An example of this is the pharmaceutical firm Zeneca. Zeneca is the manufacturer of the world's best selling breast cancer drug, Novaldex (also known as tamoxifen citrate). But Zeneca also makes $300 million a year marketing the carcinogenic herbicide Acetochlor, as well as other pesticide, chlorine and petroleum-based products. Politicians, scientists and business leaders often contend that there is not enough evidence to prove that environmental toxins cause breast cancer. Davis says that from a scientific point of view they are correct—the nature of science is such that there will never be enough proof. "Science is inherently uncertain." Still, she argues, "...the real problem is a public policy challenge." Who should be responsible for the burden of proof for toxic chemicals? Keyi emphatically states that manufacturers or polluters should have to prove that a substance is not causing the illness, and that new products should not be put on the market until they are proven to be safe. This is where activism plays a role. Matuschka, artist, activist and survivor from New York, reminds us that we all must become activists if we are to ensure that future generations of women do not have to suffer the devastation of breast cancer. "All of us have an individual responsibility to recycle, to petition our politicians and industry, and to boycott products and share the word with everyone you know." About herself, she says: "I lost a breast and the world gained an activist." Former US Congresswoman Bella Abzug echoes that sentiment: "I don't care whether you are one breasted, no breasted or two breasted; this is a two-fisted fight." Cover from Exposure Exposure engenders both a feeling of hopelessness and empowerment. The information relayed and the realization of the extent to which we are exposed to carcinogens can be overwhelming. However, the strong activist component of the film saves viewers from feeling totally hopeless. The women in this film are impressive. The visuals interspersed throughout are also evocative. A hill covered with white plaster female torsos reminds us of a graveyard and that breast cancer kills. Shots of women going about their everyday lives and footage of women's demonstrations are powerful and serve to keep the viewer connected. It becomes impossible to assume this has nothing to do with me. The film comes with an educational resource guide and community handbook called Taking Action for a Healthy Future. It includes suggestions for using the video and how to involve those viewing the film using a popular education approach. The handbook is an excellent resource for those wanting more information on the issues raised in the film. It also includes a section on concrete ways women can reduce their toxic load as well as how to get active on a public level. The best thing about this handbook is its extensive list of references in the wide array of subjects that touch upon women's health. Exposure and Taking Action are valuable because they remind us of the breadth of the knowledge we have as women, and of our collective strength to make things happen. As Abzug says in the film: "I've always believed that women will change the nature of power, rather than power changing the nature of women." Exposure and Taking Action are available from the Women's Health Network, 736 Bathurst St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2R4; tel: (416) 516-2600; fax: (416) 531-6214. Kelly Haydon paints and writes in Vancouver. OCTOBER 1997 Arts Review of the NFB documentary, Stolen Moments; Dykes, bikes and houseplants by Marusya Bociurkiw STOLEN MOMENTS Written and directed by Margaret Wescott Produced by Silva Basmajian National Film Board, Canada, 1997 Stolen Moments, a recently-released documentary chronicling three centuries of lesbian existence, begins with a bang: dykes on bikes gather for Pride Day in New York to the pulsating music of Two Nice Girls. Bras, leather, lipstick, and "queer, queer fun for you and me"... I breathe a sigh of relief and reach for the Cheezies. With the director of Goddess Remembered, Donna Read, acting as Associate Director and Editor, I half-expected a film that would open with the sunset on a Greek isle and some harp music, followed, perhaps, with a map of Lesbos and sepia-toned etchings of Sappho. But no, wait. An earnest voice-over by actor Kate Nelligan comes in: "Gay Pride Day celebrates the history of each person's coming out. Until recently, it was too frightening for most lesbians to be visible. And even today, it isn't always easy." Oh, bummer. This ambitious film takes on the enormous burden of representing a diverse community, with mixed results. Part activist documentary and part ethnographic film, it follows in the footsteps of such classic queer documentaries as the Mariposa Film Group's Word is Out (1977) and Andrea Weiss' Before Stonewall (1984). Grounded in activism and presenting a "positive images" view of a somewhat monolithic lesbian/gay world, those earlier films filled a void, speaking to a les- Leslie Feinberg 16 bian and gay audience hungry for images of itself. In the intervening 20 years, lesbians and gays have seized the means of video- film production with a vengeance, and queer films festivals worldwide feature hundreds of new titles each year. Attempting a generalized history in this highly articulate, diverse and irreverent universe is a bit like serving iceberg lettuce when everyone's already happily munching on the mixed greens. This project, which was some ten years in the making, suffers the vagaries of a changing roster of producers at the NFB and a fluctuating funding base. The end result is an oddly careful film, an educational documentary steeped in the assumptions of ethnography, where the filmmaker seeks to reveal one society to another, to attempt to see things from the "native's" (the lesbian's) point of view. Says Read in the press kit: "I wanted this film to get out to people who know nothing about homosexuality." Given that, the lesbian viewer may be forgiven then for feeling like she is the wrong audience for Stolen Moments. Still, there's a pleasure to be had in the images, which take us to Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, San Francisco, New York, and even a scene of two women tastefully making love on Greek-looking beach, complete with a bouzouki-driven music score. Once I was able to tune out Nelligan's overdetermined voice-over, I found myself getting drawn into some of the more interesting historical tidbits in the film. A sequence on i- jj| J cross-dressing details the ^ life of Maria von Antwerpen, "practising soldier, healer of skin diseases, tailor, and pipe smoking patriarch fond of fish." (Surely, any 17th Century femme's dream!) I learnt from the film that Antwerpen travelled the Dutch countryside cruising women, until finally settling down with a pretty gal. It took Antwerpen's "wife" three years to figure things out, at which point our heroine was charged with the crime of cross- dressing and summarily kicked out of town. Other cross-dressers suffered even more tragic fates, and the film movingly recounts the ways in which hundreds of "passing" women across medieval Europe were tried and executed. Leslie Feinberg, dashing author of Stone Butch Blues, offers us an update on transgender identity in the 90s, describing how hormones and male clothing have, finally, offered her new vision, at a price. "It was the first time in my life that I had enough relief from pressure as a butch to be able to look at the world and see things like class and race; to be able to see how society was structured outside of my own oppression... What I had to sacrifice was the giving up my entire past in order to rewrite my history." Some compelling interview footage with poet/author/activist Audre Lorde, shot in Berlin just before her death in 1992, enlivens an otherwise boring section on coming out. "Being a Black woman coming out in the 50s...meant insisting on myself as being a presence, as being not invisible. Not invisible as a fat, Black lesbian activist, almost-blind woman who didn't speak but thought a lot, and wrote. It meant coming out as a poet." The comments and perspectives from Feinberg and Lorde aren't new; those territories have already been covered in existing documentaries about the two writers and activists. It may indeed by new information for Read's intended audience, but if so, then why aren't these established lesbian authors given any context? If you didn't know better you'd have no idea that Lorde and Feinberg, not to mention Judy Grahn and Joan Nestle, have penned some of the most important lesbian texts of our generation. Presented as well-spoken but de- contextualized figures, these "experts" unwittingly become the ethnographer's "guides": the insiders who lead the audience through the exotic rituals of the tribe. Such a film floats in an undefined space, creating, in the words of film theorist Trinh T. Minh-ha: "a ground that belongs to no one, not even to the 'creator'." The women of colour interviewed in the film—and there are very few—end up having to be representative of communities that are largely absent from the documentary. I'm puzzled that a work claiming to document lesbianism in the western world could find not one First Nations dyke to interview, or that its vibrant and well- researched documentation of the queer Gay Pride Parade in New York City Holocaust makes no mention of six million Jews murdered under the Nazis. More trees and less forest might have made for a punchier film. For all its fascinating location footage and impressive research, the film has a distanced feel. Read's editing is capable but uninspired, relying mostly on long shots that feel wary, almost uneasy. Interviewees are filmed against bland domestic backdrops, ubiquitous house- plants always in view. Dramatic reenactments of bars in Berlin and New York look expensive but aren't much fun. The expanded vocabulary of 90s documentary is little evidenced here. I found myself wondering what independent dyke directors like Pratibha Parmar, Laurel Swenson or Yau Ching might have done with a fraction of Margaret Wescott's budget and travel itinerary. I found myself wishing that the NFB had divided the entire budget oiStolen Moments among 20 outrageous Canadian lesbian film/videomakers, and said: "Go forth, kick ass, and tell us something we don't already know." Stolen Moments is being screened in Vancouver at the International Film Festival, October 2 and 4. To order a copy of the film, call 1-800-267-7710. Marusya Bociurkiw is an outrageous Canadian film/videomaker, teacher and pop culture critic. OCTOBER 1997 Bulletin Board read t h i s I INVOLVEMENT EVENTS EVENTS Bulletin Board listings have a maximum of 50 words. Groups, organizations and individuals eligible for free space in the Bulletin Board must be, or have, non-profit objectives. Other free notices will be items of general public interest and will appear at the discretion of Kinesis. Classifieds are $8 (+$0.56 GST) for the first 50 words or portion thereof, $4 (+$0.28 GST) for each additional 25 words or portion thereof and must be prepaid. Deadline for all submissions is the 18th of the month preceding publication. Note: Kinesis is published ten times a year. Jul/Aug and Dec/Jan are iouble issues. All submissions should include a contact name and telephone number for any clarification that may be required. Listings will not be accepted over the telephone. Kinesis encourages readers to research the goods and services advertised in Bulletin Board. Kinesis cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided or the safety and effectiveness of the services and products listed. Send submissions to Bulletin Board, Kinesis, #309-877 E. Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC, V6A 3Y1, or fax: (604) 255-5511. For more information call (604) 255-5499. WANNA GET INVOLVED? With Kinesis? We want to get involved with you too. Help plan our next issue. All women interested in what goes into Kinesis —whether it's news, features or arts—are invited to one of our next Story Meetings: Tues Oct 7 and Tues Nov 4 at 7 pm at our office, 309-877 E. Hastings St. For more information or if you can't make the meeting, but still want to find out about contributing to Kinesis, give Agnes a call at (604) 255-5499. New and experienced writers welcome. Childcare and travel subsidies available. CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS Are you interested in finding out how Kinesis is put together? Well...just drop by during our next production dates and help us design and lay out Canada's national feminist newspaper. Production for the November 1997 issue is from Oct 22-28. No experience is necessary. Training and support will be provided. If this notice intrigues you, call us at (604) 255-5499. Childcare and travel subsidies available. WOMEN IN PRINT BOOKS & OTHER MEDIA Discounts foi book clubs 3566 West 4th Avenue ^ Special orders Voice 604 732-4128 welcome Fax 604 732-1129 10-6 Daily ♦ 12-5 Sunday VSW WANTS YOU! Want to get more involved but not sure where to begin? Join us—become a volunteer at Vancouver Status of Women. VSW volunteers plan events, lead groups, raise funds, answer the phone lines, organize the library, help connect women with the community resources they need, and get involved in other exciting jobs! The next volunteer orientation will be on Thurs Oct 16 at 7pm at VSW, 309-877 E. Hastings St. For more info, call (604) 255-5511. Please call before the orientation to confirm attendance. Childcare subsidies available. POPULAR EDUCATION PROGRAM VSW is holding a popular education program, "Gaining my voice, taking our strength," Oct 20-Dec 15 (8 sessions). Issues include health, economics, violence, homophobia, class and racism. Among our goals: identifying skills, enhancing self- esteem, recognizing our common struggles and taking collective action. Preference to women on limited income, accessible to disabled women. Childcare and transportation subsides available. Space limited. For more info call Ema at 255-6554. Help ! Social Work student needs your help I'm a pro-choice feminist seeking input on the need for post-abortion support. If you experienced emotions (grief, guilt, confusion, etc.) after having an abortion, and you feel that you could have benefited from a post-abortion support group, or from counselling, I'm interested in your story. Our conversation will be anonymous, confidential, and sympathetic, since I have come to this research project through personal experience. Please contact Beth: Monday through Wednesday, or Friday, from 9 a.m to 5 p.m. 687-0859 or e-mail me at skypilot@dowco.com In celebration of Women's History Month The Ministry of Women's Equality, Sue Hammell, Minister, is proud to sponsor WOMAN BEING - the seven week television series premiering 7PM Thursday September 25 on the Knowledge Network. WOMAN BEING examines the many faces of feminism in Canada today. Provocative and humourous, topical and candid, the series profiles NAC's Joan Grant-Cummings, writer/educator Ursula Franklin, environmental activist Marilyn Waring, and more. Each program is hosted by a stand-up comedian or actress. Hear feminists as well as those who reject the feminist label speak out on the future of this influential movement. Thursdays, September 25 - November 6 at 7PM on the Knowledge Network For more information, visit the Ministry of Women's Equality website http://www.weq.gov.bc.ca Sue Hammell, Minister Ministry of Women's Equality nnistrv oi £ FEMINIST DISCUSSION GROUP The Feminist Networking Group of the Lower Mainland has started up a monthly Feminist Discussion Group. The first topic for discussion will be: "How APEC is jeopardizing our lives and our movement." The discussion, facilitated by the Vancouver Status of Women, will take place Thurs Oct 9, 7-10pm at the Downtown Eastside Seniors Centre, 509 E. Hastings St. in Vancouver. For more info call VSW at (604) 255-6554. INNER LANDSCAPES Inner Landscapes, featuring new works by Gallery Gachet members, will be held until Oct 18 at the Community Arts Council of Vancouver, 837 Davie St. Opening reception will be held Thurs Oct 2 at 7pm. Exhibiters include Tamara Szymanska (curator), Louise Garand, Sherrill Hardy, April Porter, Donna Balma, Carolyn Anderson and Maryla Brodowicz. For gallery hours call 687-2468. PHOTO DOCUMENTATION A photo documentation for artists workshop will to be held on Sun Oct 12, 2-5pm at the Helen Pitt Gallery, 882 Homer St. in Vancouver. This three hour workshop is designed to give artists the skills and knowledge necessary to produce professional quality 35mm slides and prints of their artworks. Workshop fee is $45. Space is limited to seven participants. To register and for more info call 681-6740. APECANDWOMEN An information session on Women and APEC in preparation for the Second International Women's Conference Against APEC'm Vancouver (November 17-19) will be held on Sat Oct 4, 2:30-5pm at the Progressive Intercultural Community Services Society, 109-12414 82nd Ave, Surrey, BC. Pre-registration is preferred. Call (604) 736-3346. MARIA ROOT Maria Root, editor of Filipino Americans: Transformation and Identity, will be joined by some of the contributors for a reading on Tues Oct 10 at 7:30 pm at Red & Black Books, 432 15th Ave. in Seattle. Celebrate Filipino-American month with readers Cynthia Mejia-Giudici, Barbara Bergano- Kinney, Jacqueline Jamero Berganio, Thelma Burgonio-Watson, among others. Admission is free; donations welcomed. For more info call (206) 322-READ. GROWING COLLECTING CONSTRUCTING Growing Collecting Constructing, an art installation by three artists with the Berlin artist exchange will be exhibited until Nov 1 at the Helen Pitt Gallery, 882 Homer St in Vancouver. Barbara Feuz deals with the structural change and interconnection between scientific and artistic systems; Folke Kobberling engages with the external world, especially urban space; and Ingrid Schutz's work is centered on desire, seduction and the ambivalence that arises from them. Opening Fri Oct 3, 7pm. Artist talks Sat Oct 4, 3pm. For gallery hours and more info call 681-6740. TOUCHED BY FIRE Touched By Fire, Gallery Gachet's annual juried community exhibition will be held Oct 4-Nov 1 at Gallery Gachet, 88 E. Cordova St. This exhibit focuses on voyages through the ungovernable and dangerous places of the mind. It is about surviving these voyages and sharing the experiences. It is simply about the expression of "madness" and creativity. For gallery hours and more info call 687-2468. VIDEOWORKSHOPS Video In Studios in Vancouver is offering two workshops. The "Week-End Shoot" workshop offers an intense production training in the form of a weekend shoot. Participants will cover technical aspects of both the new digital camera and the Hi8 camera. Held Oct 4-5, 12-6pm, cost is $250. The "Digital Camera Orientation" workshop will be held Wed Oct 8, 7-1 Opm and Wed Nov 5, 7-1 Opm, cost is $35. Workshops take place at Video In, 1965 Main St. For more info call (604) 872-8337. FEMINISM ANDTHE LAW Susan Boyd and other contributors will launch their book Challenging the Public/ Private Divide: Feminism, Law & Public Policy, a timely and unique contribution to feminist thought. The launch will be held on Thurs Oct 16, 7-8:30pm at Women in Print, 3566 W. 4th Ave. in Vancouver. For more info call 732-4128. ANTI-POVERTY MARCH A march will be held Sat Oct 18 starting 1 pm from Canada Place in Vancouver to mark International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. The march will be followed by a poverty fair at Carnegie Centre (Main and Hastings) until 5pm. The fair will include speakers; entertainment; survival, educational and children's activities; and refreshments. Call Alice Kendall at 254-0244 or 879-1209 to help organize, to book a community info table, or for more info. MADNESS AND CREATIVITY Madness and Creativity, curatorial presentations by Tamara Szymanska, will be held on Thurs Oct 9 at 7pm at the Community Arts Council of Vancouver Gallery, 837 Davie St. The presentation will also be held on Thurs Oct 16 at Gallery Gachet, 88 E. Cordova St. Free admission. Bed & Breakfast A Beautiful Place Centre yourself in the comfort and tranquility of B.C.'s Super Natural Gulf Islands. Healthy Breakfasts Hot Tub & Sauna 5 acres of forested foot paths with ponds ocean and mountain views A Memorable Escape (604) 537-9344 1207 Heddis Road, Salt Spring Island, B.C. V8K 2C8 OCTOBER 1997 Bulletin Board EVENTS 1 EVENTS 1 GROUPS 1 GROUPS ZAINUBVERJEE Zainub Verjee's Through the Soles of My Mothers Feet will be exhibited Oct 4-26 at the Ismaili Jamatkhana and Centre Social Hall, 4010 Canada Way, Burnaby, BC. Verjee's video installation is based on "nomadic architecture": the physical and social structures cultures take with them to maintain coherence with their histories. A Women's Tea and Storytelling will be held on Sat Oct 11, 2-4pm at the centre and a discussion on "nomadic architecture" will take place Tues Oct 14, 7pm at Burnaby Art Gallery, 6344 Deer Lake Ave. On Sat Oct 25, 1-3pm, a henna painting session will be held. For more info about any of the events call (604) 291-9441. INDIAN PRINCESSES AND... Indian Princesses and Cowgirls: Stereotypes from the Frontier will be held until Oct 12 at Presentation House Gallery, 333 Chesterfield Rd, North Vancouver. The exhibit offers a selection of historical images from turn of the century to the mid- 1920s derived from North American popular culture—archival photographs, posters, postcards and more. For more info call 986-1351. DYKEWORDS COMEDY NIGHT Stand up comedy by local lesbian performers will be held Thurs Oct 16 at The Lotus, 455 Abbott St, Vancouver. Admission is sliding scale $1-4. Everyone welcome. Call 685-7777 for more info. RADICALWOMEN PUBLIC MEETING On Thurs Oct 16 at 7:30 pm, join union activists Angela Stark, Wendy McPherson and Gil Veyna in Seattle for the inside scoop on the AFL-CIO's new focus on working women. Dinner at 6:30 for $6 donation. At the New Freeway Hall, 5018 Rainier Ave, S. For more info call (206) 722-6057 or 722-2453. PERSON'S DAY BREAKFAST The West Coast Women's Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) is holding its annual Person's Day Breakfast in three BC cities. The doors for each will open at 7am; breakfast begins at 7:30am. In Vancouver, the Breakfast will take place on Fri, Oct 17 at the Hotel Vancouver with filmmaker Anne Wheeler as the keynote speaker. Tickets are $50. On Fri Oct 17 in Victoria, U.Vic law professor Hester Lessard will speak at the Harbour Towers Hotel. Tickets are $25. And in Nanaimo on Thurs Oct 16, former UBC Dean of Law Lynn Smith will give the keynote talk. Tickets are $25. For more info call (604) 684-8772. NICOLE BROSSARD Come spend an evening with the renowned Montreal poet, essayist and novelist on Fri Oct 24 at 7:30pm at Women in Print, 3566 W 4th Ave. Brossard, who has won numerous awards for her innovative writing, will be in town for the Vancouver International Writers' Festival. For more info call 732-4128. AMAZING GREYS V Amazing Greys and Amazing Greys in Training are holding a weekend gathering, in White Rock, BC, Nov 7-9 to celebrate women in all our diversities, the energy, creativity and wisdom of mature women, Relationship Therapy DANA L. JANSSEN, M.Ed. Reg. Clinical Counsellor Relationship Therapy Individual Counselling Integrative Body Work Oak & 8th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. Tel: (604) 731-2867 and the adventure of aging. This fifth annual Amazing Greys Gathering will feature various workshops and a "Croning Ceremony." Registration is limited. Fee is $95. For more info write Amazing Greys c/o Wyneja K. Godwin, #7-15474 Victoria Ave, White Rock, BC, V4B 1H5 or call (604) 541-1778 or fax (604) 599-4362. WHEN WOMEN COUNT When Women Count, a symposium about unpaid work and public policy, will be held Oct 17-Oct 18 in Ottawa, Ontario. The event offers discussions and workshops on such topics as "Unpaid Work & Public Education," "Measuring Unpaid Work," and "Poverty, Economic Security and Unpaid Work." Proceedings of the symposium will also be available. For more info contact When Women Count, PO Box 4104, Station E. Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B1; fax (613) 692-1388; or e-mail: maw@cyberus.ca. LESBIAN DINNER/DANCE Hot Flashes Women's Cafe is holding its tenth annual Lesbian Dinner and Dance Sat Oct 18 at 713 Douglas St. in Victoria, BC. There'll be great music, food and live entertainment, featuring Vancouver performance artist Sand and the etiquette expert, Miss Dee Meenore. Doors open at 6pm, dinner at 7pm and dancing starts at 9:30pm. Tickets are $35 for dinner; $10 for the dance only, and can picked up at Zydeco, 565 Johnson St, Victoria or by calling (250) 474-6085 or 1-800-919-0032. FUNDRAISING DANCE The Vancouver Committee for Domestic Workers' and Caregivers' Rights is holding a fundraising dance on Sat Oct 25 at The Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St, Vancouver. Doors open at 8pm. Tickets are $10. For more info call Julie or Lorina at 874-0649 or Ana at 520-6426. VANCOUVER NEW PLAY FESTIVAL The 24th annual New Play Festival in Vancouver will run Nov 7-23 at the Arts Club Theatre on Granville Island. Among the plays showcased is Elizabeth Dancoes' Criminal. By using unique costume and flashback, Criminal tells the stories of eleven generations of women. Characters from 1729 to 1993 reveal their reasons for responding so harshly to men's domination and chauvinism. For tickets call 687-1644. JILL BATESON Jill Bateson will read from her newly published collection of poetry, Hard Candy, on Tues Oct 28, 7:30pm at Women in Print, 3566 W. 4th Ave, Vancouver. Hard Candy is a series of erotic and intensely personal writings in a sensual style with gritty imagery. For more info call 732-4128. FREE WORKSHOPS Douglas College is holding free workshops for women attending or interested in attending the college. The next workshops will be held on Wed Oct 8, 12-2pm, New Westminster Campus: "Relaxation Techniques for Women;" Mon Oct 20 12-2pm, "Building Self-Esteem for Women", New Westminster Campus; Sat Oct 25, 10am- 4pm, "Body Image Workshop", at the David Lam Campus; and Mon Oct 27, noon-2pm "Stress Management Skills for Women" at David Lam Campus. Workshops will be held at the David Lam Campus, Rm. 1430, 1250 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam and the New Westminster Campus, Rm. 2720, 700 Royal Ave, New Westminster. DISCUSSION ON PROSTITUTION The Grandview Woodlands Area Council is presenting a panel and small group discussion on "A Common Ground: Towards a Community-Based Solution on Prostitution." Thurs Oct 23, 7:30-9:30pm in the Britannia Secondary School cafetaria. Childcare available. DOWNTOWN EASTSIDEWOMEN'S CENTRE The Downtown Eastside Women's Centre in Vancouver is holding their next Volunteer Orientation on Thurs Oct 16 from 10am til noon. The centre is looking for volunteers for letter writers, drivers, computer trainers, literacy tutors, pancake flippers, and Christmas elves. For more info call Cynthia at 681-8480. POSITIVE WOMEN'S FUNDRAISING The Positive Women's Network (PWN) is trying to raise funds by selling the 1998 Vancouver Entertainment Book. The books are $46, with the proceeds going to fund PWN's Wellness Program. To order call Nancy Pang at 681-2122 ext. 200, or visit PWN at 1107 Seymour St. in Vancouver. CARAL The Canadian Abortion Rights Action League (CARAL) has opened an office in Ottawa. Their new address is 1 Nicholas St, Suite 726, Ottawa, ON, K1N 7B7. Their new telephone number is (613) 789-9956; fax (613) 789-9960; email caral@interlog. com; website www.interlog.com/~caral. ILW IN VANCOUVER Organizers of International Lesbian Week (ILW) in Vancouver, Nov 15-23, are calling for volunteers. ILW will feature events such as: Sexpertise, Lesbobingo, an art show, and an evening for lesbian mothers and their children. Organizing meetings are being held every two weeks at Cafe Deux Soleils, 2096 Commercial Dr. The next meeting will be on Mon Oct 6 at 6:30 pm. For more info, call Linda at 645-6412. HEALTH COLLECTIVE FUNDRAISER The Vancouver Women's Health Collective (VWHC) Women's Health Information Centre is holding a celebration on Thurs Oct 23 at the Blarney Stone Pub, 216 Carrall St. Tickets are $5. For more info call Christine at 218-2272. FIREMOON Firemoon: Asia-Pacific Wimmin's Alliance welcomes all women of mixed, partial or full Asian and/or Pacific Islander heritage in the Lower Mainland to discussion groups, potlucks, rallies and more. For more info or to suggest discussion topics call Naomi at 473-9575 or e-mail: boun@sfu.ca. WOMEN'S LEGAL CLINIC Battered Women's Support Services in Vancouver and University of British Columbia Law Students Legal Advice Program are co-sponsoring free legal clinics for women on alternate Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30pm. Fall dates are Oct 14, Oct 18, and Nov 10. To make an appointment or for more info call 822-5791. REDEYE ON COOP RADIO The Redeye program on Co-op Radio, 102.7FM is looking for new volunteers. The program covers current events, ideas and culture from a progressive perspective. The show is looking for people to write scripts, suggest stories, organize interviews, operate the controls and host. No experience necessary. For more info call Karen at 254-0007. BODY IMAGE, SELF IMAGE The Breast Implant Centre of BC is holding info and support sessions on Body Image, Dahl findlay Connors & Evans BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS • A full range of services to meet your business and personal legal needs • Free initial consultation • Lawyers experienced in protecting the interests and advancing the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered communities Suite 620, 1033 Davie (near Burrard), Vancouver, B.C. (604) 687-8752 • Toll Free 1 888 4 GAY LAW OCTOBER 1997 Bulletin Board WOMEN'S PRESSTURNS 25 Feminist publishing house Women's Press in Toronto is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Over the years, the press has published more than 120 titles featuring ie words and . oices of a broad range of women anniversary in evening of readings by three women who Vancouver, have published with the press: Lydia Kwa, Women's Press, Carmen Rodriguez [left] and Karen X. along with Tulchinsky [right]. Kwa is the author of The Women in Print Colours of Heroines, Rodriguez, the author bookstore, will of Guerra Prolongada/Protracted War, and be hosting a Tulchinsky the author of In Her Nature. The reading will be held on Tuesday, October 7,7:30pm at Women in Print, 3566 W. 4th Ave. Admission is free. For more information, call 732-4728. Photos by Alan Creighton-Kelly and Susan Stewart. GROUPS Self Image: Myths & Stereotypes About Women With Breast Implants. The next sessions will be held on Tues Oct 7,14,21 & 28 in the evening. Topics of discussion will include: socio-cultural context, medicalization of women, and eating disorders. Call (604) 875-2013 for more time and venue. EATING DISORDER AWARENESS The first annual volunteer committee meeting to plan for Eating Disorder Awareness Week (in February) will be held on Tues Oct 28 at 7:30pm at the Eating Disorder Resource Centre of BC, St. Paul's Hospital, 1081 Burrard St, Vancouver. For more info call 631-5313. WOMEN'S FIGURATIVE ART GROUP A Women's Figurative Art Group will be held on Tuesdays from 2-5pm at Basic Inquiry Studio, 5-901 Main St in Vancouver. The weekly session is designed to provide a woman-centred, supportive, cooperative environment for women to explore their creativity through painting or drawing the figure. All levels welcome and encouraged. Cost is $28/month. For more info call 738- 0708. SUBMISSIONS WOMEN ANDTHE MILLENIUM Papers are invited for submission to be included in Women and the Millenium, edited by Somer Brodribb. This collection of essays will explore, within the frameworks of women's lives, some of the questions feminists are considering at the turn of the millenium. Deadline for proposal Nov 28. For more info contact Somer Brodribb, Department of Women's Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 3P4. Call (250) 472-4277, fax (250) 721-7210, or email brodribb@uvvm.uvic.ca for more info. SUBMISSIONS ARTWORK FOR ILW International Lesbian Week organizers are looking for various artwork by women artists for show during ILW in Vancouver, Nov 15-23. Page Linda at 645-6412 for more info. SMOKING PARTICIPANTS WANTED Women smokers in their early twenties, living on a low income, and interested in quitting smoking are wanted for participation in a study. The project, sponsored by the Social Planning and Research Council of BC, is open to women in Vancouver, Prince George and the Cowichan Valley. Honorariums will be provided in exchange for participants time. In Vancouver call (604) 254-2075, or toll free 1-888-567- 4333. LIVING UNDER FUNDAMENTALISM Submissions from women are wanted for an anthology on the experience of living under religious fundamentalism. Short stories, poetry and first person experiences to a maximum of 3,000 words are requested. For more info contact Deb Ellis, PO Box 204, Dunnville, ON, N1A 2X5 or call (905) 774-8091. Deadline is May 31. VIOLENCE STUDY UNDERWAY FREDA (the Feminist Research Education Development and Action Centre) has undertaken a project to analyze policies in British Columbia affecting women in or leaving abusive relationships. The project will include an annotated bibliography of all research dealing with violence against women in BC, and a critical analysis of BC- based policies. FREDA is seeking input, particularly unpublished research reports, needs assessments and curriculum materials. Contact FREDA at SFU Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St, Vancouver, BC, V6B 5K3; tel: (604) 291-5197; fax: (604) 291-5189; e-mail: mhmorrow@sfu.ca A woman-owned and operated business specializing in defensive driver training, -i Driver Improvement and Retraining Become a confident and safe driver with an experienced instructor. CLASSIFIEDS LAURA JAMIESON COOP Laura Jamieson Housing Co-op is accepting applications for 1,2 and 3 bedroom units. Monthy housing charges from $559- 821. No subsidy available. Active participation is enjoyable and necessary. Share purchase ($1500) required. Great eastside location and wonderful people. For an application, send SASE to: Membership Committee, 100-1349 E. 2nd Ave, Vancouver, BC, V5N 1C4. COUNSELLING FOR WOMEN A feminist approach to sexual abuse, depression, grief and loss, sexual orientation issues and personal growth. Sliding fee scale. Free initial appointment. Call Susan Dales, RPC, at 255-9173. WOMEN'S SELF-DEFENSE Women Educating in Self-defense Training (WEST) teaches Wenlido. In Basic classes, you learn how to make the most of mental, physical and verbal skills to get away from assault situations. Continuing training builds on basic techniques to improve physical and mental strength. By women, for women. For info, call 876-6390. FRASER RIVER PLACE COOP Fraser River Place Co-op is accepting applications for 1-3 bedroom units. No subsidies, shares are $1600. Housing costs are $667-977. Participation required. S.A.S.E. 530 Ginger Dr, New Westminster BC, V3L 5K8. SITKA HOUSING COOP East Vancouver Women's Housing Co-op welcomes applications for 2-3 bedroom suites. We encourage lesbians of colour to apply. For an application please send a SASE to Sitka Housing Co-op, 1550 Woodland Dr, Vancouver, BC, V5L 5A5. Attn: Membership Committee. SALT SPRING HOUSE A house on Salt Spring Island is available for rent Nov 1. New three bdrm near Ganges. Ocean view and beach access. Gardens, wood stove, appliances. $900 per month. Owner uses downstairs apt on weekends. Call (604) 251-3508. LYDIA KWA Lydia Kwa, Ph.D, clinical pychologist in private practice, works with clients dealing with a wide range of issues. Central downtown Vancouver location. For appointments, call (604) 682-5818. CLASSIFIEDS READING GERTRUDE STEIN How might queer theory's articulation of identity formation play through Steinian compositional practice? We will look at selections reflecting the diversity of Stein's work, while taking as a focal text her erotic long poem "Lifting Belly." This course welcomes both longtime readers of Stein and those first coming to her writing. Instructor: Susan Holbrook. Six Weds, Oct 29-Dec 3, 7-9pm. Tuition fee is $90. Course takes place at the Kootenay School of Writing, 112 W. Hastings St, Vancouver. To enroll call 688-6001. WRITING WORKSHOP As women, we face the duress of various gender role expectations in our daily lives, and it doesn't stop when we sit down to create. Beyond D(u)ress, a writing workshop for women, will allow beginning or advanced writers of different genres opportunities to explore and experiment with ways to remove the (U) from some gender-specific constraints, through use of writing techniques. There will also be some exploration of psychological notions of creativity and how these relate to women. Instructor: Lydia Kwa. Six Thurs, Oct 16- Nov 20, 7-9pm. Tuition fee is $90. Course takes place at the Kootenay School of Writing, 112 W. Hastings St, Vancouver. To enroll call 688-6001. MOVEMENT AND DANCETHERAPY Creative Movement and Dance Therapy for women survivors of sexual abuse, with Sunita Romeder. Mondays for ten weeks, Sep 22-Dec 1, 7-9:30pm. Admission by donation. Call Burnaby Family Life Institute at (604) 266-9736. ENERGY BALANCING Empowerment through realignment of body, heart, mind and soul. Artemis Fire, B.S.W., B.A.T. 215-9400. Sliding scale. WHOLE BODY/WHOLE SPIRIT Women in search of a new spirituality. An eight week course exploring the links between body awareness and women's spiritually, using creative movement, dance, group reflection and ritual. We will explore body image, body myths, religious and cultural influences on our body, the social construction of the body and gender, our history from our body, the sacredness of the body, and spirituality and healing. With Maria Cervino and Denise Nadeau. Costs $150. Wed evenings Oct 28-Dec 17 (in Vancouver.) For more info and to register call (604) 876-6744. WITCHES, BITCHES & BABES Check out a new web page on the Net: Rejecting the Patriarchy at http:// www.mortimer.com/users/medea DESERT ARTISTS RETREAT Desert Writing and Painting experience for women. Tuscon, Arizona. Feb 23-Mar 2, 1998. Creative nonfiction, poetry, fiction, painting. Cost is $730US, and includes room and meals. Phone (250)598-6034; or email: jlightwater@pacificcoast.net. POTTERY CLASSES Beginners and intermediate pottery classes at the Big Peach Gang Ceramic Studio. Located at Renfrew and McGill, near the PNE. A fully equipped studio with an extruder, wheel, slab roller and kiln. Learn a full range of hand building techniques and develop underglaze skills.Six lessons, three hours each lesson plus one day open studio and a class show. All materials provided. Cost is $110 for 24 hours of instruction, studio time and materials. Next session starts on Oct 15. To register call 254-9487. OCTOBER 1997 LIB1Z8 4/98 LIBRARY PROCESSINB CTR - SERIALS 2206 EAST MALL, U.B.C. VANCOUVER, BC V6T 1Z8 K One year media/for viewyabx>u£ wome#\/yow wcwxttxr read/ Photo by Nancy Ackerman, from Portraits: Agenda 1998, Gynergy Books □$20 + $1.40 GST □ Bill me Two years □ New □$36 + $2.52 GST □ Renewal Institutions/Groups □ Gift □$45 + $3.15 GST □ Donation Name. □ Cheque enclosed For individuals who can't afford the full amount for Kinesis subscription, send what you can, Free to women prisoners. Orders outside Canada add $8. i Vancouver Status of Women Membership g (includes Kinesis subscription) | □$30+$1.40 GST 1 Address— Country Telephone _ Postal code_ Fax Published ten times a year by the Vancouver Status of Women #309-877 E. Hastings St., Vancouver, BC V6A 3Y1
Preceding title: Vancouver Status of Women. Newsletter. Date of publication: 1974-2001. Frequency: Monthly.
Periodicals
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HQ1101.V24 N49
English
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Vancouver : Vancouver Status of Women
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Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. HQ1101.V24 N49
Women--Social and moral questions
Feminism--Periodicals
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