Canadian Federation of University Women Annual General Meeting & Conference
Hosted by CFUW-Ottawa At the Ottawa Marriott Hotel July 15-18, 2010
This year's guest speakers at the 2010 Annual General Meeting, from left
to right, are:
Alaina Podmorow, Dr. Sima Samar, Brigadier General Denis Thompson, Charlotte Gray.
In celebration of its centennial year, the Canadian Federation of University Women-Ottawa is hosting the Annual General Meeting and Conference of CFUW. The subject of this national event is topical, the kaleidoscope of Afghanistan through the lens of Diplomacy, Defense and Development. CFUW has always taken a leading role in the struggle for equality for women and human rights. A capsule version of this rich and diverse program is listed below:
CFUW NATIONAL AGM 2010 - LESSONS LEARNED by Anne Neil
Thursday July 15
- Orientation, 4-5 pm
- Opening Reception, 5 pm - 6 pm
Friday July 16
- Charitable Trust Breakfast with Charlotte Gray (7 am - 8:15am),
- Business Session 1 (8:30-4:30)
- Lunch Mtg. - Constitution, By-Laws and Standing Rules
Saturday July 17,
- Business Session 2, (8 - 4)
- Regional Lunch - Ontario
- Giving workshop on Fundraising (2:15 - 4:00),
- Federation Banquet - 6:30 - 9:30
Sunday July 18
- Business Session 3 (8:30 - 12:00)
I drove into Ottawa to the Marriott Hotel on Queen and Kent. Unfortunately the first thing
that hits you is the hotel is under renovations. But after locating the CFUW group on the
second floor, I picked up my registration information and proceeded to the Orientation
Presentation. They gave an overview of the business meeting, how to vote if you were a voting
delegate (we had 3 votes) and a map to locate the various rooms. After the presentation, I went to the 5th floor Hospitability Suite to check it out as
Perth, represented by Donna Morrow and myself, were hosting on Friday 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM; 7:30
PM - 9:30 PM. The rooms were well set up, with a counter for drinks and treats, and quite a
few nice comfortable seats. There was also a computer if you wanted to check your email, etc. Then I proceeded to the Opening Reception. Drinks and Hors D'oeuvres were served and the
Executives were piped in to the room. A few speeches and the AGM was officially opened. FRIDAY JULY 16, 2010 The next day I was scheduled at the Charitable Trust Breakfast at 7 am. As I was not
staying in the hotel but driving back and forth from Perth, I was up at 5 am and arrived in
time for breakfast. We had a hot buffet breakfast and treated to the wonderful words of
Charlotte Gray, author of seven non-fiction bestsellers including Sisters in the Wilderness,
The Lives of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill and Reluctant Genius, the Passionate
Life and Inventive Mind of Alexander Graham Bell. 4 Donna Morrow joined me and the business meeting began at 8:30 with Welcome, Call to order
and the singing of O? Canada. There were approximately 350 members in attendance not counting
guests and companions. The rules of the meeting were explained and voting process reviewed.
The executive gave their greetings and reports as well as the Finance Report and the
Charitable Trust Report. A full copy of these reports can be found on line at www.cfuw.org , The Business Meeting was adjourned at 11 am and after a short break, we were entertained by
a team of three experts to report on Diplomacy, Security and Development by our Government in
Afghanistan. Kerry Buck, Assistant Deputy Minister-Afghan Task Force; Brigadier General Denis
Thompson Chief of Staff, Land Operations Afghanistan; and Dr. Hau Sing Tse, Senior Vice-
President CIDA and moderator Lucy Van Oldenbarneveld, CBC News. The three experts demonstrated
how diplomacy, security and development work together to carry out Canada's mission and
mandate in Afghanistan aimed at helping Afghans rebuild a stable, secure, democratic and
autonomous state. A cold lunch of salad and sandwiches was served while information on the Constitution,
By-Laws and Standing Rules was provided. We were informed that the Committee had not met their
deadline of presenting to the membership 5 months prior to the AGM (bylaw XIX.1.1), so the
proposed changes would be discussed but not voted on until December 7th, 2010. In the
meantime, we will have the chance to review and make comments or amendments to the amendments
until October 15, 2010. Proposed amendments are included later in the report. Panel Discussion 2-3 pm with Stephen Cornish, CARE Canada; Dr. Sima Samar
Afghanistan Human rights; Dr. Razmik Panossian Director of Policy, Programs and Planning
Rights and Democracy and Justine Turner Project Officer War Child Canada. I attended the workshop on Shape the Future in Economic Growth with Justine Turner How can we work together to improve the economic security of Afghan women and children?
Statistics: Women invest up to 90 percent of their earnings in their families and communities,
which is twice the rate that men do. "The economic empowerment of women is not a women?s
issue, it is a development issue. Under investing in women's economic opportunity limits
economic growth and slows down progress in poverty reduction". Following the workshops, Donna and I went to host in the Hospitality Suite. SATURDAY JULY 17, 2010 Another early day, buffet breakfast was available. Donna Morrow joined me again. Most of
the morning was taken up with the review and voting on the Resolutions. They were discussed in
depth and passed except for #4 on Prostitution (the three resolves within the resolution were
separated, the first resolve was sent back for rewording, resolve 2 & 3 were passed after
re-commencing again on Sunday morning.. #5 was not passed due to the absence of scientific
data versus speculation. The discussion was continued on Sunday. We had a working lunch and discussed issues pertaining to Ontario Clubs. DRAFT RESOLUTIONS 1. Chrysotile Asbestos and Canada's Responsibility of Hazardous Substances Public Policy Of Another Organization Saturday Workshop (2-4) Fun and Fundraising Over the past years the members of CFUW Perth have been very successful in their
fundraising efforts. "You can succeed in any event if you apply the same winning
methodology - start with an idea, get support from your members, and communicate
communicate communicate! And dont forget to have fun and to celebrate your
achievements" Anne Neil Donna Morrow (who filled in for Lois Perreault), Susan Roach and myself, gave a workshop on
"How to put the Fun in Fundraising". Comments "As most of you know, the CFUW National Annual General Meeting was held in Ottawa this
week and weekend at the Ottawa Marriott. I attended the workshop on Saturday afternoon that
Anne Neil, Susan Roach and Donna Morrow put on called "Putting the Fun in
Fundraising". Lois Perreault was to take part, and did a lot of the preparation, but
Donna filled in for her when she was unable to attend due to illness. This is the first time
Perth and District have ever put on a workshop or presentation at a National Annual General
Meeting. I thought you might like to know that they did an absolutely wonderful job and the 35 women
- from all over Canada - who attended, loved every minute of it. I sat at the back and
observed. No one so much as moved during the whole two hours - they sat in wrapt attention and
most took notes. The power point presentation that Anne put together was very cute and very
animated and everyone was impressed. She had three riddles for the attendees - putting some
"fun" in the presentation - throughout the afternoon with prizes for the winners. Our club received another award for increased membership and Marylea Burtt, a good friend,
our ex-regional director and now National Board Member said to the members as Anne accepted
the award "You should take note of this club, they really know how to do things
right" another proud moment and a feather in our cap. I was very proud to be a part of
Perth & District" Katie Hoffman Dear Anne, I enjoyed your workshop and your enthusiasm at our recent AGM. I also appreciate your
sharing your excellent notes with us. I am sure that they will inspire our Quebec Clubs, I
wish you and your team great success in future events. Many thanks and with best wishes, Edna Ouellette, RD - Quebec and member of South Shore Montreal UWC. Following the workshop we had some free time, followed by a cash bar Social Hour before the
Banquet. All the ladies who attended the Banquet were elegantly dressed for the occasion. Saturday Banquet The Executives and special guests were piped into the hall. Between
courses we heard from Alaina Podmorow, a13 yr old, activist, and founder of "Little Women
for Little women in Afghanistan". She was tall, sophisticated and sexy but also very
dedicated to her cause, a great speaker and a girl who will help change the world. After the
main course we heard from Sr. Sima Samar and a tribute was given to Susan Russell, our
outgoing National Office Executive Director. Susan was given a lifetime membership in CFUW. Dr. Sima Samar served as the Deputy Chair and Minister of Women's Affairs of Afghanistan.
During this time, she established the first-ever Afghanistan Ministry of Women's Affairs,
which won the right of women government employees to return to their jobs and keep their
seniority, oversaw the re-entry of girls to schools, launched a women's rights legal
department, and opened a school for married girls offering tailoring, literacy, and embroidery
courses at the Ministry's headquarters. Samar was born in Jaghoori, Ghazni, Afghanistan, on 4 February 1957. She obtained her
degree in medicine in February 1982 from Kabul University, the first Hazara woman to do so.
She practiced medicine at a government hospital in Kabul, but after a few months was forced to
flee for her safety to her native Jaghoori, where she provided medical treatment to patients
throughout the remote areas of central Afghanistan. In 1984, the communist regime arrested her husband, and Samar and her young son fled to the
safety of nearby Pakistan. She then worked as a doctor at the refugee branch of the Mission
Hospital. Distressed by the total lack of health care facilities for Afghan refugee women, she
established in 1989 the Shuhada Organization and Shuhada Clinic in Quetta, Pakistan. The
Shuhada Organization was dedicated to the provision of health care to Afghan women and girls,
training of medical staff and to education. In the following years further branches of the
clinic/hospital were opened throughout Afghanistan. After living in refuge for over a decade, Samar returned to Afghanistan in 2002 to assume a
cabinet post in the Afghan Transitional Administration led by Hamid Karzai. In the interim
government, she served as Deputy President and then as Minister for Women's Affairs. She was
forced into resignation from her post after she was threatened with death and harassed for
questioning conservative Islamic laws, especially sharia law, during an interview in Canada
with a Persian-language newspaper. During the 2003 Loya Jirga, several religious conservatives
took out an ad in a local newspaper calling Samar the Salman Rushdie of Afghanistan. She currently heads the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC). She is one of the 4 main subjects in Sally Armstrong's 2004 documentary Daughters of
Afghanistan. In the documentary, Sima Samar's work as the Minister of Women's Affairs and her
subsequent fall from power is shown. Dr. Samar publicly refuses to accept that women must be kept in purdah (secluded from the
public) and speaks out against the wearing of the burqa (head-to-foot wrap), which was
enforced first by the fundamentalist mujahideen and then by the Taliban. She also has drawn
attention to the fact that many women in Afghanistan suffer from osteomalacia, a softening of
the bones, due to an inadequate diet. Wearing the burqa reduces exposure to sunlight and
aggravates the situation for women suffering from osteomalacia. 8 SUNDAY JULY 18, 2010 Sunday July 18 Another early morning, a breakfast buffet was available and we continued with our review
and voting on the resolutions. We had a short report from Care Canada by Andrea Lanthier-Seymour,
on working with CFUW which raised $12,000 last year. This was matched funding by CIDA, so
$36,000 was donated to Care Canada through the efforts of CFUW. We were mentioned as the best
individual donors on the VTAWP and the Sahabhagita project in Nepal. The meeting continued with the suggested Amendments to CFUW By-Laws 2010, We had been
informed earlier that the Committee had not met their deadline of presenting to the membership
5 months prior to the AGM (bylaw XIX.1.1), so the proposed changes would be discussed but not
voted on until December 7th, 2010. In the meantime, we will have the chance to review and make
comments or amendments to the amendments until October 15, 2010. PROPOSALS SUBMITTED CFUW Sunshine Coast 6.1 An Associate Member is a woman who has completed at least two years of post secondary
education at an accredited University or College CFUW Richmond Is a resident of the USA who lives near the Canadian border and is not in close proximity
to a USA Club. Comment This came about for Point Roberts but could apply in other areas.
Key is do we need a residency clause at all? RECOMMENDATIONS By-Law II. 2: Add a new section 2.4 as follows: 2.4 Is a resident of the USA who lives near the Canadian border. CFUW Edmonton 6.4 Of the total membership of a Club, regular members shall constitute at least 80 per
cent. [Or perhaps 70 per cent, in view of the large number of types of members included in the
smaller percentage of the total]." The discussion on proposed amendment II.6.1 was very lively. The Sunshine Coast club
members definitely do not want Associate Members and if they have to accept, they want them to
have at least 2 years post secondary education. The majority of the members in the room did
not agree with them. The comments were: Members from St. Johns, Newfoundland invited us to the next AGM August 4-7, 2011
@Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland, St. Johns, NL.
More info (once it becomes available) at http://www.envision.ca/webs/cfuwstjohns Dr. Ruth Bell (90 years old), past CFUW president, and winner of the Governor General?s
Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case and honorary degree from Carleton University for
her contributions to national and international organizations promoting women?s causes, gave a
short speech and the AGM was declared closed for Regular Participants Overall I enjoyed the conference, met many new members and was able to put faces to names I
already knew from phone or email conversations. It was a good experience and I am looking
forward to Newfoundland next year. Let me know if you would like to join me!
2. The Funding of Aboriginal Education
3. Mobilizing The Will to Intervene W2I 21
4. Prostitution of Women and Children
5. Protecting Canadians from health hazards associated with exposure to Electro-magnetic
fields from high voltage overhead power lines
http://www%2Ewindinoursails2011@gmail.com/