 NAC flyer | |
| Formation | January 30, 1971 |
|---|---|
| Dissolved | 2007 (after −35–36 years) |
Formerly called | National Ad Hoc Committee on the Status of Women |
The National Action Committee on the Status of Women was a Canadian feminist activist organization that existed from 1971 to 2007.
It was founded in 1971 as a pressure group to lobby for the implementation of the 167 recommendations made in the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada's 1970 report [1] on matters such as day care, birth control, maternity leave, family law, education and pensions. [2] Initiated by the Committee for the Equality of Women in Canada which was founded in 1966 and successfully lobbied for the creation of the Royal Commission, the National Action Committee was founded as the successor to the Committee for the Equality of Women in Canada on January 30, 1971 with the purpose of being for the exchange of information about the activities and plans for action of the women's participating groups" and to "spearhead a drive for the implementation of those recommendations of the Royal Commission Report on the Status of Women which are aimed at equality of opportunity for women. [3]
A coalition of just 22 groups when it originated under the name of the National Ad Hoc Committee on the Status of Women, the National Action Committee eventually grew into the largest national feminist organization with a total of 700 groups claiming affiliation. Its mandate grew beyond the implementation of the Royal Commission's recommendations to include issues such as poverty, racism, same-sex rights and violence against women.
The committee received much of its funding from the federal government until cuts by the Brian Mulroney government in the wake of their opposition to the Charlottetown Accord forced the organization to lay off its staff and cut its budget. The cuts continued during the Jean Chrétien government and, in 1998, the group largely ceased operations for a time after Status of Women Canada, a department of the federal government, ceased granting money for day-to-day operations. The National Action Committee soon accumulated debts in excess of $100,000 and was forced to close some of its regional offices. [4] Although the committee's activities were greatly reduced through the 1990s into the 21st century, it revived and renewed itself and was primarily funded largely through donations and membership fees. However, it dissolved after 2007 as a result of funding problems. [1]
The National Action Committee on the Status of Women is also known for creating one of the earliest definitions of anti-racism. According to the NAC, which defined this principle at the International Perspectives: Women and Global Solidarity, "Anti-racism is the active process of identifying and eliminating racism by changing systems, organizational structures, policies and practices and attitudes, so that power is redistributed and shared equitably."
After the dissolution of the organization in 2007, medical researchers and influential Canadian collegiate professors, Dr. Charles Boelen, MD, MPH, MSc and Dr. Robert Woollard, MD were inspired by the work of the NAC and published several scholarly articles on anti-racism, essentially picking up where the NAC left off.
REAL Women of Canada is a socially conservative advocacy group in Canada. The organization was founded in 1983.
The minister for women and gender equality and youth a minister of the Crown and member of the Canadian Cabinet. The position is responsible for the Department for Women and Gender Equality and the youth portfolio is associated with the Department of Canadian Heritage.
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It is the largest feminist organization in the United States with around 500,000 members. NOW is regarded as one of the main liberal feminist organizations in the US, and primarily lobbies for gender equality within the existing political system. NOW campaigns for constitutional equality, economic justice, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ rights and racial justice, and against violence against women.
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The Royal Commission on the Status of Women was a Canadian Royal Commission that examined the status of women and recommended steps that might be taken by the federal government to ensure equal opportunities with men and women in all aspects of Canadian society. The Commission commenced on 16 February 1967 as an initiative of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Public sessions were conducted the following year to accept public comment for the Commission to consider as it formulated its recommendations. Florence Bird was the Commission's chair.
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The Canadian Anti-racism Education and Research Society (CAERS) is a Canadian non-profit organization that tracks hate groups and extremism, provides direct support to victims of racism and discrimination, and lobbies government and governmental agencies for the development of effective policy and legislation to stop racism. The social justice law firm Rush, Crane, Guenther, provides legal counsel.
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The Center for Research-Action on Race Relations (CRARR) is a Canadian, non-profit civil rights organization committed to promoting racial harmony and equality. The organization functions as a service for victims of discrimination through activities involving advocacy, research and legal representation. It is considered a leader among non-profit organizations of its type in Canada.
The Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women (CACSW) emerged from the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW). The CACSW was established by the Canadian federal government in 1973 in order to educate and inform the public about women's concerns. The CACSW was also empowered with the task of advising the federal government as to the effect public policy had on women. Such direct access to government was significant in that it legitimized women's issues in large-P politics.
The Norwegian Women's Lobby is a feminist policy and advocacy organization in Norway and works for "the human rights of girls and women in all their diversity, to eliminate all forms of discrimination against all girls and women and to promote a gender equal society." It is described as the country's "main, national, umbrella organization" for women's rights. NWL understands women's human rights and discrimination in an intersectional perspective and works to represent the interests of all those who identify as women and girls. NWL is funded by the government over the national budget. The mission of the organization is to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls on the basis of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action and other fundamental international agreements relating to women's human rights. It works to integrate women's perspectives into all political, economical and social processes.
United Nations General Assembly Resolution 30/3520 (XXX.) was a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on 15 December 1975. The resolution adopted the World Plan of Action and related resolutions from the International Women's Year World Conference on Women which was held in Mexico City earlier in the year.
The Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW) is a Canadian not for profit, charitable organization founded in 1976 which provides research to the public about relevant feminist issues. CRIAW is the only Canadian research institute focusing on feminist issues and making research accessible to all groups and individuals. Since its inception forty years ago, CRIAW has ensured that the realities faced by all women are acknowledged and respected, and in turn, the experiences of these women have been used in order to bring about social change and equality for all women.
The Inter-American Commission of Women, abbreviated CIM, is an organization that falls within the Organization of American States. It was established in 1928 by the Sixth Pan-American Conference and is composed of one female representative from each Republic in the Union. In 1938, the CIM was made a permanent organization, with the goal of studying and addressing women's issues in the Americas.
Sunera Thobani is a Tanzanian-Canadian feminist sociologist, academic, and activist. Her research interests include critical race theory, postcolonial feminism, anti-imperialism, Islamophobia, Indigeneity, and the War on Terror. She is currently an associate professor at the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice at the University of British Columbia. Thobani is also a founding member of Researchers and Academics of Colour for Equality/Equity (R.A.C.E.), the former president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC), and the director for the Centre for Race, Autobiography, Gender, and Age (RAGA).
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