pg

would encourage meanineful particivation and decision making by everyone. We
decided against an elected executive and against the general meeting having
veto power over the workshops as long as they operated within the very general
framework of the Caucus. We were attempting to eliminate elites and meaningless
votes by those not necessarily involved in the actions.

But with the emphasis on the abortion camoaign, the working women's
workshop and the teachers workshop did not accomplish much. The Pedestal
started to publish monthly - but even it sometimes concentrated almost totally
on abortion.

The abortion campaten was highly successful and new women who came
into the group found it easy to get involved. However, the Caucus offered
little to women who were interested in areas other than abortion.

V, June, 1970 to November, 1970

4 conference on strategy in June brought into the open
the conflicts and differences which developed during the abortion campaign.
About 15 women, now Vancouver Women's Liberation, split from Women's Gaucus.
hey said they wanted to form a group of revolutionary women, working and
living collectively. They emphasized working with young women - in high
sahools, on the streets, etc.
he two major positions debated at the conference were:
La continuing emphasis on abortion as a priority to build a mass movement.
This position was put forward primarily by the YS/LSA women. 2) a shift
from issue organizing to constituency organizing, with an emphasis on working
women and women in the educational system.
he latter position was adopted by the retority, but the difference
eventually led to the expulsion of the YS/LSA, (See the July/August issue of
the Pedestal and the paper on the expulsion for more details).
The change in strategy revealed the change in our analysis -
we now saW more clearly the oppression of women as an integral part of the
capitalist system which meant that women must be organized and changes could
only be brought about by dealing with the totality of the oppression we
face in our day to day lives. ingle issue campaigns could only bring about
minor reforms, not our liberation. Although we talked about the links between
abortion and the capitalist system, the profit motivation, and how abortion
linked with child care, the role of women in the family, etc. - we only
talked. The links were verbal. In order to make women understand those real
links we had to act around the totality of women's oppression.
he workshops revivied. The working women's workshop began
to do research and discuss a women's union. We initiated a boycott of
Cunningham drug stores to support the strike of women at one of Cunningham's
subsidiaries, Hosken. We are now organzing an attack on the post office
again this Christmas. “he university groups are again meeting and planning
actions around course content, etc. The Pedestal workshop has expanded and
developed a more collective approach to writing, editing, lg-out etc.
4 child care group and a high school workshop are in beginning stages.

Each workshop discusses, analysés and plans actions. The workshop
activities are co-ordinated through a committee with delegates from each
group. Major policy decisions and general information exchange takes placa
at monthly meetings, To integrate new women, we have once a week general
discussions of women's liberation - just sitting around and talking. It
still is only a partial solution. | |

And we're still learning.