Towards A Women’s
Agenda On Training:
A Resource Kit

Vers un programme
des femmes en matière
de formation : Une
trousse de ressources

Reference Group/Groupe de référence
47 Main Street Toronto, Ontario M4E 2V6 (416) 699-1909

Iliis Resource Kit was prepared by Susan
Wismer and Linda Szeto of Development
Initiatives Inc. for the Reference Group to the
Women’s Representative on the Canadian
I alxmr Force Development Board.

Susan Wismer et Linda Szeto de 1’agence
Development Initiatives Inc. ont préparé cette
trousse de ressources à l’intention du groupe de
référence qui appuie la représentante des
femmes à la Commission canadienne de mise
en valeur de la main-d’œuvre.

You are encouraged to photocopy all or any
section of this Resource Kit, and to share it
with women in your community.

Nous vous suggérons fortement de photocopier
cette trousse de ressources, intégralement ou en
partie, et de la transmettre à des femmes de
votre collectivité.

Hus Resource Kit is available in French and
I Jiglish.

Cette trousse de ressources est disponible en
anglais et en français.

The research for this publication was carried
out as part of a project sponsored by
Employment and Immigration Canada, and
by the Canadian Labour Force Development
Board.

Pour cette publication, les recherches ont été
effectuées dans le cadre d’un projet financé pir
Emploi et Immigration Canada et la
Commission canadienne de mise en valeur de
la main-d’œuvre.

This report does not necessarily reflect the
opinions or policies of agencies or institutions
sponsoring, funding or participating in the
research.

Ce rapport ne reflète pas nécessai rement
l’opinion ou la politique des organismes ou
institutions qui parrainent ou financent les
recherches, ou encore y participent.

New Directions In Education And Training:
Where Do Women Fit In?
An Introductory Fact Sheet

Women's Representative Appointed to New Training Board
After years of struggle and persistent advocacy efforts, women have been recognized as formal
participants in the development of federal labour market and job training policy. Twenty-one
national women’s organizations recently selected Marcy Cohen as the Women’s Representative to
the newly created national training board, the Canadian Labour Force Development Board
(CLFDB). During the next 1-2 years, regional and local boards will be established as well.
Women will sit on those boards. With adequate organization and support, women can now have
a voice in policy-making and an opportunity to create programs and services that truly serve our
diverse needs.
Creating A Women's Agenda on Training
At the consultations where Marcy was selected, a Reference Group was formed to support and
advise her in her work as Women’s Representative.
In order to take advantage of this
opportunity, we will have to make our voices heard and develop a coherent agenda on women’s
training. Marcy and the Reference Group want to hear from women from across the country
about what they believe in, how to make it happen and what should come first. The Resource
Kit has been created to help women discuss what kinds of policies and programs are needed.
Future plans, depending on funding, also include Regional Workshops to bring women together
to talk about training, program and policy issues.

Women in grass roots community groups, women’s organizations and educational institutions and
agencies now have an opportunity to argue for a new approach - an alternate Agenda on
Training for women in Canada. In order to create this alternate agenda women need to voice
their concerns, tell their stories and organize. A package of materials has been developed to
help women do this - called the Resource Kit. It contains background information on the
CLFDB, women’s experience and barriers to participation in education and training, and, ideas
for sharing information and working collectively.
Training and Jobs - The Important Link
Women know that access to high quality education and training is required to obtained good jobs
- jobs that pay a living wage, offer reasonable security and involve safe, productive and
meaningful work. Right now, at the very most, only 14 out of every 100 women who need
training are able to use federally funded training programs. And the few who get in find that
most of these programs are short term and with limited resources. This results in training which
can only provide entry level low-paying jobs. Problems are also encountered because of low
training allowances, inadequate child care, and because programs do not adequately address the
needs of aboriginal women, immigrant and visible minority women, women with all disabilities
and women on social assistance. These programs also do not take into account the violence and
abuse which are part of the daily lives of many women.

What is the Canadian Labour Force Development Board (CLFDB)?
The CLFDB was established in May 1991 and is part of the Canadian government’s increasing
interest in the link between training workers and Canada’s ability to compete in a global
economy. The CLFDB was set up to advise the government on priorities and standards for
training. It is an independent organization, funded by Employment and Immigration Canada, but
operating at ‘arm’s-length’ from government. The CLFDB has 22 members: 8 from organized
labour, 8 from business, 2 from education and 4 ‘social action’ members, representing the
interests of women, aboriginal people, immigrants and visible minorities and people with all
disabilities.
The Board also has representatives from the provinces who sit as ex-officio
members. The government plans to have local Boards working with the CLFDB and making
decisions about training all across the country within two years. As of September 1991, the
local Boards are not yet up and running.
Who is Marcy Cohen?
Marcy has been involved in women’s employment and training issues for over 20 years. She
was active in the first grass roots feminist organization in British Columbia, has worked in day
care, as an employment and training counsellor, developed curriculum for women re-entry the
job market and has researched the effect of technological change on women’s jobs. Marcy is
active in the Women’s Research Centre and the National Action Committee on the Status of
Women. She also represented the Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women
(CCLOW) in federally organized consultations about labour market and job training policy.

How Does She Represent Women’s Interest?
Marcy works with a collective of women from across Canada called the Reference Group.
Representatives from women in trades and technology, francophone women, immigrant women,
women of colour, native women and women with all disabilities, are members of the Reference
Group. These women work with Marcy to advise her and support her and to ensure that she
keeps ‘in touch’ with the common priorities and diverse training needs of women in Canada.

If you would like to participate and receive a free copy of the Resource Kit, please send
your NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE and FAX information to the following address:

Marcy Cohen
Women’s Representative CLFDB
c/o CCLOW 47 Main Street
Toronto, Ontario
M4E 2V6
Telephone:
Fax:

416-699-1909
416-699-2145

Towards A Women’s Agenda On Training:

A Resource Kit

Why A Resource Kit?
This Resource Kit has been developed by the Women’s Representative to the Canadian Labour
Force Development Board and the Women’s Reference Group. The purpose of the Kit is to
inform women about the latest changes in policy structures and to help women across the
country outline their hopes and concerns about women’s education and training.
This
information will help the Women’s Representative bring the reality of women’s lives to
discussions about training policy and will help create our own position statement - an agenda on
women’s training. We want to hear about the problems women face, what kind of training
should we strive for and what should be the priorities. Because there will also be new decision­
making structures created at the regional and local level, the Kit also contains suggestions of
ways for women to organize in their own communities.

What is in the Kit?
This Kit contains five sections divided into two main parts: A Call to Action and Background
Information. The Kit also contains a glossary of terms. A Call to Action consists of ideas and
exercises to help generate information on women’s training needs and suggestions for working
collectively to influence decision-making at the local and regional level.
Background
Information gives further information on how and why the CLFDB was created, detail on the
selection of the Women’s Representative, the activities and membership of the Reference Group,
and an overview of women’s participation and barriers to their participation in education and
training.
The Kit has been colour coded and each section can be used together or separately.

A Call to Action:
•
The Women’s Agenda on Training (lavender)
•
Organizing for Women’s Training (beige)
Background Information:
•
The Canadian Labour Force Development Board (green)
•
The Women’s Representative and the Reference Group (blue)
•
Women’s Education and Training in Canada (pink)

Glossary of Terms
(grey)

Women’s Education and Training In Canada
Background Information
•Kim, a 28 year old single mother living on social assistance with two years of
college, wants to get off welfare but she has found that most entry level jobs will
not pay a living wage - enough for child care and other basic needs.
•Betty, 48 years old and about to lose her job because the plant she has worked
at for the last 10 years is shutting down and moving to Mexico, needs to retrain
but cannot afford it.

•Jasmine, a trained bookkeeper with 10 years experience, immigrated to Canada
six months ago and cannot find an employer to hire her because her English
needs upgrading and she has no Canadian experience.

Although their situations are different, these women needs some assistance to enter and re-enter
the labour market - and they’re not likely to find what they need in the existing governmentfunded job training programs..."1
Learning, Work and Women’s Lives:
Government training programs focus on women as trainees and as employees. But women are
not only trainees and employees. They are mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, spouses and
partners. Whatever else is going on in any woman’s life will have a major impact on her efforts
to learn new skills or find a good job. For example, in 1986, over 60% of women aged 15 to
24 years reported that they were responsible for a child living at home. Also in 1986, about
60% of women reported that they were living as wives or common-law spouses and a further
7% were single parents. The number of women who are single parents increased by 19% from
1981 to 19 862. An increasing number of women also care for elderly family members. Clearly,
family relationships and the work, joy and caring that goes with them are an important factor in
most women’s lives in Canada.

Housing is also a major issue for many women, and one that has a great impact on any woman’s
interest in training and her ability to find and keep a good job. A safe and stable living situation
is one of the most basic of human needs, but an estimated half million Canadians are homeless.
Many of these people are women and an increasing number are children. For these people, the
lack of affordable housing in Canada deprives them not only of a place to live, but also of the
opportunity to learn new skills and to get and keep a job. Without a job and the income it
provides, it will continue to be almost impossible to find decent housing.

Our culture and our society creates situations which make it very difficult for many women to
learn what they need to know, or to get good jobs. Some issues - such as child care - are
beginning to be recognized as employment and training issues for women. For example, the
Canadian Labour Force Development Board was formed as a result of reports from seven

l.

Shauna Butterwick, "Will women be aboard this training?", Kinesis, May, 1991, pp.7-8.

2.

Source: Statistics Canada, Women in Canada: A Statistical Report Second Edition, Ottawa: Supply and

Services Canada, 1990.

Background Information

different Task Forces on various labour force issues. The report from the Task Force on Social
Assistance Recipients (SARs) states that "lack of subsidized child care .is the single greatest
barrier to SAR participation in training programs"3 The same Task Force Report lists a number
of these "social policy issues" which have a major impact on training: child care, inadequate
financial support for the working poor, housing, literacy and employment equity. It neglects
however, to mention what is probably the most important issue, violence, because it affects so
many women in such profound ways.

We live in a society which condones violence. Much of that violence is- directed at women and
at the children they care for. One research study says that 1 in every 2 girls and 1 in every 3
boys will be sexually abused before they are 18 years old. Other research tells us that 1 in
every 4 adult women will be raped or sexually assaulted. At least 1 in 10 women are hit or hurt
in their homes by some form of family violence. All of these women and children are affected
by their experience. Some, for example, will be unable to learn effectively for short or long
periods of time, or to find and keep steady employment4.
If women are to be full participants in the ‘training culture’ that the government wants to create,
then the full reality of their lives needs to be recognized. Any discussion about women, training
and jobs needs to take into account that work and learning do not happen in isolation from the
rest of our lives. This is one of the most important reasons why women must be able to create
their own learning environments. A new approach - a new Women’s Agenda on Training - is
needed.

Women in the Canadian Economy
Women’s work is not visible nor fully valued. None of the unpaid work women do in their
homes, on the land and in their communities is counted as part of the economy. Research has
shown though, that if that work were counted it would amount to at least one-third of all
productive work.

Even if we look only at women’s paid work, the situation is not very good. For example, the
number of women in the Canadian labour force is growing rapidly. Between 1975 and 1989,
women’s participation increased by over 60%. By 1989, 44% of the Canadian labour force was
women. Sometime before the year 2000, it is expected that a full 50% of the labour force will
be women. But equal numbers does not indicate equality. Women are still concentrated in
clerical, sales and service occupations. In 1989, 57% of the female labour force worked in

3. Canadian Labour Market and Productivity Centre, Report of the CLMPC Task Forces. (Ottawa:
Canadian Labour Market and Productivity Centre, 1990, p.110.

4.

Source: Sexual Assault Advisory Committee of Guelph-Wellington.
2

Background Information

•Barriers from poor system and program design:
- racism and discrimination, which means that people with disabilities, visible minorities,
Native Canadians, refugees and recent immigrants do not receive the training they are
entitled to;
lack of access to information about training opportunities;
- program criteria and targets (for example, age limits, or educational requirements) which
exclude people who could do well and who could benefit from a particular program;
- a lack of general educational upgrading programs for people who need literacy training,
English/French as a second language, adult basic education or other forms of pre­
employment training;
rigid definitions, such as who is "employable" and who is not;
- training which is only available to people who live in certain locations (for example,
rural people often get left out) or who can come at certain times;
- training programs which are not long enough to teach the basic skills needed to get a
job;
- training programs which train people for jobs which do not exist, or which are not in
demand;
- lack of uniform criteria, meaning that people living in different places get different
treatment even though they may have the same needs and interests;
- short-term funding which means that good programs never know whether they can
continue from year to year.
•Personal Barriers:
-lack of self-confidence
• Financial Disincentives:
- loss of benefits, for SAR recipients and loss of employment income for people already
in the workforce who want to take time for training;
- lack of employment after completing training programs10.
Barriers to women’s participation in training have been well researched. Again and again studies
have shown that among the most important are: lack of child care, lack of money, lack of
control over their lives, cultural constraints, lack of transportation for the people with all
disabilities, lack of information regarding program availability, geographical isolation and a lack
of good ‘fit’ between program structures and the women who might enrol. In many cases as
well, there is no established link between the training that is offered to women and the good jobs
that they need. A 1988 CCLOW study, Women’s Education and Training in Canada found that
there has been almost no research done investigating the quality of training itself, or its impact
on improving the quality of women’s lives in the longer term. The federal government’s
Canadian Jobs Strategy programs, for example, surveys former trainees at 3 months and 10
months after completing programs to find out if they are employed or involved in further

I0.

Source: Canadian Labour Market and Productivity Centre, Report, op cit.
5

Background Information

training, but does not return to trainees after that. These surveys showed that just over 50% o:
Job Development trainees and just over 60% of Job Entry trainees were employed or in ftirthei
training after 10 months11.

In Canada, additional problems are caused because the responsibility for providing education and
training is divided between the federal government and the provinces. In theory, the federal
government is responsible for training and the provincial governments for education. But there
is no clear definition of where training stops and education begins. There are also no national
standards which set out what should be available to each Canadian in the way of education and
training. As a result, what is available to a resident of one province will not necessarily be
available to someone from another province.
In some cases, the federal and provincial
governments end up offering similar programs. In all too many cases, gaps are created.
Important needs are identified and an argument ensues over whether that need should be met by
the federal government or the provinces. These arguments can go on for years. Meanwhile,
people are left without the training they need. This jurisdictional mess also creates confusion foi
individuals trying to find out what is available to them. There is no one place to find out.
Programs may be sponsored by municipalities, provinces, or the federal government. It is
difficult and sometimes impossible to find out if, where and when any particular training
program is likely to be offered.
Working Toward Solutions
The problems are significant. There are, however, some very good ideas around about how to
solve them. The SAR Task Force Report, for example, makes 28 recommendations about hov
to address barriers, including the development of community-based Training and Educatior
Access Centres, which would act as brokers, matching people with training needs with the mos
appropriate resources available to them. We have included in the section on further reading £
number of other reports and articles which have good solutions to offer. In addition, attached t(
this section, you will find the full text of the article by Shauna Butterwick, quoted from at the
beginning of this section.

Source: Employment and Immigration Canada, Annual Report, 1989-1990 (Ottawa: Suppl
and Services Canada, 1990).
6

Background Information

Table 2: Canadian Jobs Strategy, 1987-88 Year-End Expenditures and Participants.

Programs

Total
Expenditures
($million)

Actual target group participant rates

Total Participants
(thousands)

Total

New Starts

Women

Natives

Disability

Visible Minorities

596.0

110.0

72.0

49.0

12.2

5.2

5.0

Job Entry:
Challenge ’87
Other Job Entry2

122.5
363.9

80.6
80.0

80.6
57.2

51.8
63.7

7.5
8.4

0.6
2.5

3.2
12.8

Skill Shortages

234.7

99.6

75.5

7.8

2.5

0.2

1.0

Skill Investment

65.5

25.6

18.6

37.8

4.8

0.4

2.0

Community Futures

71.5

2.4

2.4

29.6

3.3

2.1

1.4

Innovations

38.2

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

n/a

1,491.1

398.4

307.3

41.8

7.4

1.9

4.8

Job Development’

Total:

1 Includes SAR expenditures of $47.5 million.
2 Includes SAR expenditures of $38.3 million.
Source: EIC Annual Report, 1987-1988.

Background Information

For Further Reading:
•

"Canada’s Occupational Training Programs: Three Decades of Deficiencies"
Witter, Canadian Vocational Journal, Vol 26, No 4, Spring 1991.

•

"Community Based Training for Women: Why We Should Care" by ACTEW, Toronto:
Advocates for Community Based Training and Employment for Women, 1988.

•

Education and Training: Document 5, 33rd Annual Convention, Ontario Federation of
Labour, November 20-24, 1989, Toronto, Ontario

•

Employment in the Service Economy, Economic Council of Canada, Supply and Services
Canada, Ottawa, 1991.

•

If Women Counted, by Marilyn Waring

•

Income Support Issues for Women on Training: A Compendium of View, Compiled by
Marcia Braundy, Journeywomen Ventures Ltd., May 1990

•

"Labour Force Development Board", by Marcia Braundy, Women in Trades, Technology
and Operations (WITT) National Network Newsletter, Vol 1, No 2, Spring 1991.

•

"Operation Access: A Pre-Apprenticeship Bridging Program for Women", by ACTEW,
Toronto: Advocates for Community Based Training and Education for Women, 1989.

•

"Policy Statement on Job Training", Quebec Federation on Labour, adopted at the QFL
Convention, November 1989

•

Report of the CLMPC Task Forces, by the Canadian Labour Market and Productivity
Centre, Ottawa: Supply and Services, 1990

•

"Strategies for Change: A Position Paper on Literacy", developed for presentation to
government by: Ontario Literacy Coalition, 365 Bloor St. East, Suite 1003, Toronto,
Ontario, M4W 3L4, Tel: 416-963-5787

•

"Will women be aboard this training?", by Shauna Butterwick, Kinesis, May 1991.

•

Women’s Education & Training in Canada, a policy analysis prepared for CCLOW by
Susan Wismer, 1988

•

Women’s Education des femmes, published quarterly by Canadian Congress for Learning
Opportunities for Women, Toronto, Ontario

8

by Susan

New federal strategy:

Will women be aboard this training?
by Shauna Butterwick
• Kim., a 28 year old single mother
living on social assistance with two
years of college, wants to get off welfare
but she has found that most entry level
jobs will not pay a living wage-enough
for child care and other basic needs.
• Betty, 48 years-old and about to
lose her yob because the plant she has
worked at for the last 10 years is shut­
ting down and moving to Mexico, needs
to retrain but cannot afford it.
• Jasmine, a trained bookkeeper with
10 years experience, immigrated to
Canada six months ago and cannot find
an employer to hire her because her En­
glish needs upgrading and she has no
Canadian experience.
Although their situations are different,
these women need some assistance to en­
ter and re-enter the labour market—and
they’re not likely to find what they need in
the existing government-funded job training
programs. Women have traditionally been
under-serviced, ignored or shunted into low
paying, '‘traditional" fields by the govern­
ment’s training strategies. A recent devel­
opment in this area has the potential to ei­
ther perpetuate existing problems or to cre­
ate a system of job training which will truly
respond to women's diverse situations.
In January 1991, Employment and Im­
migration Minister Barbara McDougall
announced the creation of the Cana­
dian Labour Force Development Board
(CLFDB), a new structure which places pol­
icy-making in the hands of non-governmen­
tal labour market partners. According to
McDougall “... labour, industry and gov­
governments at both the federal and provincial
levels have co-operated in an unprecedented
manner to establish a board that serves ail
of our interests."
Whose interests will be served is indeed
the central question. For women and other
groups who historically have not had a voice
in government derision-making, this new
non-governmental policy-making structure

...this approach
reduces a complex
social and
political problem
to a purely
economic onepresents both new opportunities and new
challenges.

The board consists of 22 members: eight
each from business and labour (including
public sector unions), two representatives
from training schools, and one represen­
tative from each of the so-called “equity”
groups: women, people of colour, Native
peoples, and people with disabilities. Early
reports indicate that a total of nine of
the current representatives are women. The
mandate of this new board is to identify
labour market needs and design programs
to train Canadians to meet those needs. The
rationale is to ensure that the private sector
plays an active role in decisions about skills
training in the country. Equally important
is the plan to put into place local and re­
gional structures which will also be given

decision-making powers regarding training
needs and expenditures.
Marcy Cohen, a longtime Vancouver fem­
inist and activist who now lives in Toronto,
has been selected as the women’s represen­
tative on CLFDB. She was nominated by
22 national women’s organizations through
a consultation process organized by the
Canadian Congress for Learning Opportu­
nities for Women (CCLOW). Lilly Stone­
house from Saskatchewan was selected as an
alternate. Cohen is acutely aware of both
the constraints and the possibilities of her
new job.

in 1985, funds were withdrawn from train­
ing schools and routed directly to employersponsored and private-profit training pro­
grams.
"

Under CJS, most women are found in
entry programs where the focus is on ac-

market partners (busmess, labour, commu­
nity, educational and “equity” group repre­
sentatives). The objective of these consulta­
tions was to arrive at some degree of con­
sensus about the major program issues fac­
ing the government in the use of the reallo­
cated funds..
;

“With this new board,” says Cohen,
“government won’t be able to make policy
behind closed doors without hearing about
the reality of women’s lives. The challenge
will be to organize ourselves autonomously
and to develop our own agenda on training
based on broad consensus.” Cohen’s experi­
ence with previous labour market consulta­
tions will serve her well in her new role.

The Human Capital Approach
The creation of the CLFDB is part of a
larger strategy of the Mulroney government
to improve Canada’s economic position in a
highly competitive global market. Using a
human capital perspective, the Tories have
focused most of their efforts on training,
viewing it as an investment which produces
higher levels of productivity. Although the
training of workers is a critical factor in eco­
nomic development, this approach reduces
a complex social and political problem to a
purely economic one (see box). It is also an
approach which ignores the structural in­
equality of the labour market.

quiring minimal skills and job experience
to enter the labour market Feminists have
criticized these programs because they are.
poorly funded, short-term and most of them
have prepared women to enter low-paying
female job ghettos.

The idea for the recently announced

Supplying workers or addressing needs?
The Canadian Job Strategies and the Labour Force Development Strategy are exam­
ples of “supply-side” policy where the focus is on supplying the labour market with trained
workers. This approach is individualistic and blames the victim by locating the labour mar­
ket’s problem in the individual’s lack of skills or competence. These policies do not include
any effort to address the unequal power relations which produce the segregated labour
markets that ignore women’s skills and devalue women’s work.
In contrast, a feminist political economy perspective recognizes that the labour market
is shaped by political processes which are primarily driven by relations of power. A labour
market policy informed by such an approach would be both strategic, addressing struc­
tural problems, and practical, addressing women’s immediate needs such as child care, de­
cent training allowances and flexible job training programs. Women have been expected to
adapt to the labour market. Now, it’s time to reconstruct the work place so that women’s
diverse needs and multiple roles are recognized. As well, the labour market must change to
both encourage and enable men to do their fair sharing of parenting and household duties.
A feminist approach to labour market policy might include the following, to name only
a few:
• pay equity and employment equity programs that not only have tangible, enforceable
results, but actually alter the structure of the workplace

• on-site child care in training programs and at work
• flexible job training and work situations (eg. part-time, weekend programs)
• a minimum wage that is a living wage

• adequate pay for women’s skills and talents
• work-based and classroom-based ESL (English as a Second Language} training
• sufficient maternity and paternity leave
• government and business support for unionization of female-dominated occupations
For many years, government and busi­
ness have argued that community colleges
and technical institutions were not respond­
ing to the real needs of the labour mar­
ket for highly skilled, technologically com­
petent, flexible workers. As a result, the
government decided that business should be
more directly involved and responsible for
the training of workers. With the introduction of the Canadian Jobs Strategy (CJS)

CLFDB emerged from yet another plan
of the Mulroney government—the Labour
Force Development Strategy (LFDS) initi­
ated in 1989. This strategy was based on
two major changes. First, amendments were
made to the Unemployment Insurance Act
so that, among other changes, recipients
had to work longer and UI monies were re­
allocated to training. Second, consultations
were held with non-governmental labour

The government asked the Canadian La­
bour Market Productivity Centre (CLMPC)
.to manage the consultations. The CLMPC
is an organization governed by a joint board
with equal representation from the Business
Council on National Issues and the Cana­
dian Labour Congress. The consultations
included two phases. During Phase I only
three women’s representatives out of a to­
tal of thirty-nine members participated in
the task forces created to make recommen­
dations about training issues. During Phase
IL where only business and labour were in­
vited to participate, recommendations were
made for the creation of a national training
board, later renamed the Canadian Labour
Force Development Board.
Some parties to the Phase II consulta­
tion were actively opposed to equity groups
having representation on the new training
board, but the.government argued for their
inclusion: after all, these four groups to­
gether constitute over 60 percent of the
work force in Canada and they weren’t go­
ing to quietly accept being shut out.

Marginalized
This past December and January, in re­
sponse to concerns about the marginaliza­
tion of women within the LFDS consulta­
tions and the opportunity to have a voice
on the national board, CCLOW organized
meetings with 22 national women’s groups
concerned with education and training, in­
cluding business. Native, women of colour,
and disabled women’s organizations. The
purpose of the meetings was to determine a
consensus model for selecting the represen­
tative and to develop principles of fairness
and equity regarding CLFDB activities.
Three principles were developed. First,
equity must be a consideration for all parts
of the LFDS. Equal gender representation
and a full reflection of the diversity of our
society must be central considerations in
the creation of all national and regional
structures. Second, monies must be made
available so that equity representatives are
able to communicate with their constituen­
cies and for the required research and other
consultative mechanisms. Third, structures

See TRAINING page 8

TRAINING from page 7
must be put in place that would provide co­
ordinating assistance to the women’s repre­
sentative, and for smooth and effective com­
munication from community level organiza­
tions to the board.

Since those consultations, a reference
committee has been established consist­
ing of representatives from the 22 national
women’s organizations and representatives
from community-based training coalitions,
including the Women’s Employment and
Training Coalition (WETC) here in Van­
couver. The mandate of the reference com­
mittee, which will meet in Toronto in April,
is to develop communication strategies to
support the women’s representative and to
begin to put into place opportunities for
women’s groups across Canada to create a
women’s agenda on training.
Women also face barriers due to shrink­
ing resources and increasing demand. The
Tories’ recent budget cut $100 million from
CJS funding. Monies for training which
were to be reallocated from UI funds have
not materialized because of the recession
and high levels of unemployment. Given
shrinking -funds and increasing demands,
there is great risk of a divide and conquer
situation as different sectors struggle to
place their interpretation of training needs
and funding priorities on the table.

. KINESIS

There is also great potential to blame the
victim, to locate the source of troubles with
unemployed workers and people on welfare.
Although these people were identified as.
most in need of programs to be developed
from the reallocated funds, in reality, fewer
resources are now available to serve them.
Further tensions between employers, work­
ers and those who were to receive the ben­
efits of new programs are also likely as UI
premiums are increased to deal with the re­
moval of federal UI contributions.
If we are to see the changes to labour
market policy and job training that will
meet the needs of women, we must take this
opportunity to define, for ourselves, what
our interests and needs are. As Marcy Co­
hen states, women must be included and
must change the process. “Links are be­
ing made with other representatives on the
new CLFDB,” says Cohen. “We are becom­
ing an organized constituency which can no
longer be ignored. We must take the op­
portunity to ensure that women’s multiple
needs are heard, that women not only par­
ticipate, but contribute to a democratiza­
tion of the policy-making process.”
Shauna Butterwick is the BC rep­
resentative on the national board of
CCLOW and, as an active member of
WETC, will be representing the coali­
tion on the Reference Committee.

Glossary of Terms
Equity: a principle to ensure that citizens receive fair treatment, equal rights, and equal benefits
regardless or race, gender, class, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, geographic location
income, and age and ability. Mechanisms for achieving equity include policies and legislatioi
which ensure that the people who have historically been excluded from the decision-making
process are represented.

Decentralization: the transfer of some decision-making process from a central authority to :
regional or local authority. For example, in the Department of Employment and Immigratioi
some decision-making is being transferred from central headquarters to regional or local offices.
Democratization: a process whereby groups representing a diversity of interests have equa
participation and access to power and where the decision-making process is inclusive.

Labour Force Development Strategy: a set of policies and plan of action established by th<
government in 1989 to stimulate the commitment of employers and workers to skill:
development through programs that promote and reinforce private sector training, and thereby t(
strengthen the competition of Canadian industry.
Labour Force Partners: the term used by government to describe the groups involved in th<
creation of employment or employment-related training; these groups include organized labour
business, educational institutions, non-profit community-based training organizations, and socia
action or equity groups; government views business and labour as being the major labour fore
partners in its Labour Force Development Strategy.

Learning:
learning is the internalized acquisition of skills and knowledge and is a lifelong
enterprise. Learning takes place in a variety of settings as well as formal and non-forma
situations. Individuals can learn through experience, through skills developed at the workplaa
or in the home, or through demonstration, or by "doing".
Polarization: the clustering of groups in directly opposing positions on an issue based o:
philosophical, social and political differences.
Private Sector:
primarily business and industry; however, the government is includinj
voluntary and non-profit organizations in its current definition of the private sector; voluntary
organizations see themselves as part of a third sector of not-for-profit economic activity.

Privatization: the process in which activities or programs are moved into the realm of th<
private sector; activities may be completely or partially privatized; government believes tha
privatization is a cost-saving measure, involving the exchange of decision-making power for ;
reduction in financial support; as well, privatization reflects a value position which holds that thi
private sector ought to be responsible for certain types of activities.

Social Action Groups/Equity Groups: advocacy groups which represent and actively promote
the interests of people who have not historically had social, economic or political equality; these
groups represent women, aboriginal peoples, immigrants and visible minorities, and people with
all disabilities.
SAR: social assisstance recipients are sometimes referred to as ‘SAR’.

Underemployment: situation in which available jobs do not make full use of the capacity of the
labour force. For example, workers who want full-time jobs may be confined to part-time or
temporary positions; or workers with qualifications may be unable to find jobs which make use
of their developed skills and knowledge.

2

The Women’s Representative and The Reference Group
Background Information

The National Consultations:
The Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women (CCLOW) was invited by
Employment and Immigration Canada (EIC) to coordinate and host two consultations. The purpose
of the consultations was to select a women’s representative to the Canadian Labour Force
Development Board. CCLOW lobbied EIC for enough time and resources to make sure that
national women’s organizations engaging in education and training could be gathered together to
choose a women’s representative who could truly represent the interests and needs of all Canadian
women. After much effort and consultation with other women’s groups, CCLOW constituted a
Steering Committee for the consultations, including three women who had participated in the Phase
I Task Forces, and the Executive Director and President of CCLOW. Consultants were hired to
assist with logistics and facilitation. Representatives of 21 national women’s organizations were
invited to attend the consultations as participants. The Consultations were held December 2-3, 1990
and January 26-27, 1991 in Ottawa.

For EIC, the purpose of the consultations was to select a women’s representative. The 21 national
women’s organizations that met had an additional purpose: to identify strategies for ensuring that
the Canadian Labour Force Development Board (CLFDB) and its boards and committees would be
responsive to the particular needs and interests of women. The consultation participants insisted that
a formally recognized Reference Group be established, to advise and support the Women’s
Representative. The consultation also insisted that general resources be provided by the government
to support the communication work between the Women’s Representative, Reference Group and
broader women’s community. Because the 21 organizations stood behind this demand, we were able
to convince the government of the importance and validity of the request. The government has
committed a minimum of $150,000 for each of the next five years to the Women’s Representative
and the Reference Group to carry out the organizing work of establishing a national communications
network on women’s training and education issues.
EIC has accepted the Reference Group, but it still has not yet accepted another recommendation of
the consultations: that there should be an official alternate. The alternate would be available to fill
in if for any reason the Women’s Representative was unable to carry out her duties. Despite the
lobbying efforts of women’s organizations and other designated ‘social action’ groups, there are still
not official alternates.
At first, some participants were concerned that the consultation process would not respect the varied
needs and interests of women from across Canada. However, the consensus at the end of the
consultations was that the objectives had been met in a collaborative, open and mutually respectful
way.

Background Information

Twenty-one women’s organizations participated in the consultations. Organizations selected were
national voluntary, non-profit organizations with an established record of involvement in training,
education and/or human resource development issues. All selected organizations are committed to
working for equality as defined under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Twenty-one
of the 24 invited organizations were able to send representatives. Two organizations based in
Quebec decided not to come for political reasons1. The participating organizations included:
Association des femmes collaboratrices de leur mari
Association feminine d’education et d’action sociale
Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs/ Association canadienne des
femmes cadres et entrepreneurs
Congress of Black Women of Canada/ Congres des femmes noires du Canada
Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women/ Congres canadien pour la
promotion des etudes chez les femmes
Canadian Farm Women’s Network/ Reseau canadien des agricultrices
Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs/ Federation canadienne
des clubs de femmes de carrières liberales et commerciales
Canadian Federation of University Women/ Federation Canadienne des femmes diplômées
des universites
Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women/ Institut canadienne de
recherche sur les femmes
Les cercles des fermieres du Quebec
DisAbled Women’s Network (DAWN)/ Reseau d’action des femmes handicapées
Federation nationale des femmes canadiennes françaises
The National Action Committee on the Status of Women/ Comité canadien d’action sur le
statut de la femme
The National Council of Women/ Conseil national de la femme
The National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of Canada/
Organisation nationale des femmes immigrantes et des femmes appartenant a une minorité
visible du Canada
The Native Women’s Association of Canada
Nouveau Depart
Reseau national action d’éducation des femmes
The Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology
Women in Science and Engineering Corporation/ Femmes en Science et en Genie
WITT National Network - Women in Trades, Technology and Operations & Blue Collar
Work/ Reseau national WITT - Des Femmes dans les metiers, les technologies, et
l’exploitation industrielle et les cols bleus

\ The province of Quebec is not formally participating in any federally sponsored
activities.
2

Background Information

The Women’s Representative:
The Women’s Representative is Marcy Cohen. Marcy is a Vancouver resident currently studying
in Toronto. She has a long history of involvement in women’s employment and training issues:
•
In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s she was active in the first grass roots feminist
organization in B.C. - the Vancouver Women’s Caucus;
•
She was involved in organizing a country wide caravan to Ottawa to pressure the
government to remove abortion from the criminal code;
•
From 1971 to 1974 she co-authored a resource booklet on day care in B.C. and
was employed at the first day care centre in the province for children under three
years old;
•
For eight years she worked for the provincial government’s welfare department as
an employment and training counsellor. She worked with women from a number
of community agencies to develop support groups for single parent mothers on social
assistance;
•
She co-ordinated Tools for Change, a curriculum on women and work for women
re-entering the job market;
•
In 1985 she was a founding member of WomenSkills Development Society, a
community based women’s organization working on labour market issues;
•
She has researched and developed educational material on the impact of
technological change on women’s employment;
•
Over the past five years she has been active in the Women’s Research Centre and
in the National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) working mostly
on employment and economic issues;
•
She is also very involved in NAC’s organization review process, working to make
NAC structures more responsive to grass roots women’s organizations across the
country.

The Reference Group:
Marcy is supported in her work by a Reference Group. A list of the names, addresses and
organizational affiliations of the members is attached. The Reference Group meets twice a year in
order to discuss major policy issues and to engage in longterm planning. In between meetings,
much of its work is carried out by ad hoc sub-committees working on various tasks, via conference
calls, fax, the mail and a planned computer conferencing system.

The Reference Group has the following major responsibilities:
•
to advise the Women’s Representative on policy recommendations; and on ways to work
with the CLFDB, its committees, and the other social action groups;
•
to plan consultations including Reference Group meetings, an annual national consultation
with women’s groups and an annual consultation with the full Board;
•
to develop and direct special projects and research activities;
•
to network with other women’s organizations and with other organizations offering training
to women;
3

Background Information

•

•

to provide the Women’s Representative with a direct link to community-level learners,
trainers, and programs;
to evaluate the work of the Women’s Representative and to provide her with feedback on
her activities.

Right now, the Reference Group is working on the development of the Women’s Agenda on
Education and Training, and distribution of the first Resource Kit. We invite you to participate
in assisting the Reference Group in its work. Please see the attached list of members for the
address of the Reference Group member who lives nearest to you.

Preliminary Discussions on the Reference Group:
A first Reference Group meeting was held in April, 1991. Members decided to begin by talking
about the issues in training and education that are important to women in Canada. We decided to
do this by using a modified role playing exercise for small groups. One group acted out the
experiences of an immigrant women applying for a job at Canada Employment Centre. Another
group dramatized the competition between colleges, community groups and private training
organizations in applying for government funds for training projects. The third group told the
story of the experiences of one woman as she moved through the different stages of her life.

Some important ideas came out of the discussions that followed the role plays:
•

Starting from our strengths:
The training system needs to start from our strengths, recognizing the full value of the
skills and abilities which women have, and building on them. The training system must take
into account the diversity of women’s lives. In practical terms, this means that programs
must be able to meet a variety of individual needs for child care, income support during
training, assistance with integrating work and family life (including the particular needs of
displaced homemakers who may be older women with little previous experience in the paid
work force) and sensitivity to social and cultural differences.
Based on these
considerations, we talked about developing a Women’s Agenda on Training that would tie
together these diverse issues and make it possible for us to speak with one clear voice.

•

Bridging Programs:
The Reference Group also talked about bridging programs. Over the past fifteen years,
women’s groups have asked repeatedly for these programs. They are designed to assist
people, often women, who are entering or re-entering the labour force, to develop life skills,
career planning, job search skills and computer literacy. Often, academic upgrading is built
in, to allow for the development of entry level requirements for a chosen occupational field.
The idea is to create a ‘bridge’ from home, or minimal labour force attachment, to either
training or employment of some kind. WITT (Women in Trades and Technology) courses
take career exploration a step further for those women who think they are interested in more
4

Background Information

technical occupations but don’t know where to start looking. They focus as well on Labour
Market Trends and Employment Opportunities in Trades and Technology, actually
Developing Occupational Fitness, Safe Work Practices, and on theory and practical expertise
in a variety of trades and technical areas. In WITT courses, there are often tours of
construction sites and industrial workplaces, and films and discussions with women who
have effectively entered these occupations and dealt effectively with any barriers
encountered.
•

Community-based Training:
More recognition for the value of community-based training is needed. Training offered
in the community offers women a supportive environment for learning transferrable and
portable skills. The development of equitable forms of partnership between the public
college system and community-based training groups is one important aspect of the change
that needs to take place.

•

Recognition and Accreditation:
New mechanisms need to be developed to give people credit for learning acquired outside
formal educational institutions, either in community-based programs or through life
experience. Experience and education obtained in other countries also needs to be better
recognized.

•

The Whole Picture:
Finally, the Reference Group discussed the link between training and other feminist
strategies designed to improved women’s position in the labour market. These include pay
equity, employment equity and job creation - strategies that are aimed at reducing the wage
gap, unemployment and underemployment for women.

The Reference Group also drafted a preliminary set of principles which members believe should
guide the development and delivery of women’s training and which must be applied equally to all
groups in society, regardless of gender, age, race, income, ethnicity, culture, ability, level of
education, or region. The Reference Group feels that funding at the local level should depend on
following these principles. If these conditions are not met, funding should be terminated.

Defining these principles in practice will require further work. Your involvement and assistance
is needed to define our shared interests, and to help us to realize these principles in action. As a
start, please read the list of principles at the end of this section and let us know what you think.
Do they address the issues listed above? Are there experiences or issues which are important to
you which have not been identified or included adequately in our statement of principles?

5

, Background Information

To be able to pressure for real changes, we need:
•

specific examples of the barriers that women face in gaining access to training
programs;

•

stories of women’s experiences in training

•

and information about how program criteria are undermining women’s efforts
to obtaining access to quality employment opportunities. -

—

This documented experience is a very important aspect of our organizing work.
Usually policy decisions are divorced from the real experiences of women’s lives. If this
is to change, we must use our women’s representatives on the new national, regional and
local committees and boards to bring the real experiences of women to the table. Call or
write us with your stories and let’s work together.

6

Background Information

PRINCIPLES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND DELIVERY
OF TRAINING AND EDUCATION FOR WOMEN
Preamble: The position statement endorsed by the 21 national women’s organizations which
selected the Women’s Representative to the Canadian Labour Force Development Board, states
that the success of the CLFDB and the Labour Force Development Strategy rests on the
implementation of an enabling policy framework and supporting regulations which address three
basic principles:
equity in representation at all levels;
- resources allocated which are adequate to allow for informed representation and effective
communication;
- enabling structures allowing for systematic, frequent and efficient consultation with regional
and local level groups.
Further, the Women’s Representative and the Reference Group believe that it is essential that local
Boards be governed by principles, guidelines and operating procedures which ensure that
accountability be maintained and that historic patterns of systemic discrimination be eliminated.
Principles, guidelines and operating regulations must be established by the CLFDB in the following
areas prior to the establishment of local Boards. These principles must apply equally to all groups
in society, regardless of gender, age, race, income, ethnicity, culture, ability, level of education,
or region.
ACCESS: It is essential that the needs of traditionally under-served groups be adequately addressed
and that specific resources be allocated to serve the training needs of the employed, unemployed,
underemployed and social assistance recipients. For example, people with all forms of disabilities,
immigrant and visible minority people, aboriginal people and women must have equitable access to
training and education. Geographical barriers which put rural and isolated communities at a
disadvantage must also be addressed with respect to equitable access to training.

EQUITY: Mechanisms must be in place so that women, aboriginal peoples, francophone groups,
immigrants and visible minorities and people with all forms of disabilities are represented adequately
in decision-making. In addition, within programs, systemic barriers must be removed, equity targets
established, and a mechanism for monitoring agreed upon.
RIGHT TO BASIC EDUCATION: Training resources must be directed to general education and
skill training programs which lead to accreditation. In particular, literacy, language training for
people lacking facility in English or French, academic upgrading for people with less than high
school completion and bridging programs for women in all areas including trades and technologies
must be priorities. These programs must be provided as part of a continuum of training to ensure
that learners are equipped with portable skills that are broadly recognized by post-secondary
educational institutions as well as employers.
7

Background Information

PORTABILITY/TRANSFERABILITY: Mechanisms are needed to ensure that skills acquired and
accreditation received are portable and transferrable from one level and type of learning and from
one location to another. Learners should not be required to duplicate training in order to receive
recognition for skills and knowledge which has been acquired in other regions, provinces, or
countries.

QUALITY: Programming must be reality-based, addressing the real needs of people for training
which leads to ‘good jobs’. Programs must be client-centred, based on the needs of those actually
being served, and involving the active participation of clients in decision-making with respect to
program development and implementation. The planning of education and training programs must
be done from a developmental perspective, taking into account the varying needs and interests of
people who are at different stages in their lives.
EVALUATION: Boards and committees must be held accountable for their activities. Allocation
of resources should be made contingent on demonstrated compliance with the principles identified
above. Client participation in evaluation and monitoring should be a requirement. Examination of
outcomes, that is, of how effective the link between training and employment is, must be a central
part of evaluation activities.

8

Background Information

Reference Group Members:
Barbara Anderson
National Action Committee on
the Status of Women
217 Rusholme Road
Toronto, Ont.
M5N 1E3
Res: 416-535-5455

Margot Cardinal-Dallaire
La Federation national des
femmes canadiennes françaises
954 Grandview
Sudbury, Ont.
P3A 2H2
Bus: 705-566-8101,
ext. 7431

Bernadette Landry
New Brunswick Advisory
Council on the Status of
Women
95 Foundry St., Suite 207
Moncton, NB
EIC 5H7
Busr506-853-1088

Claudette Baines
Advocates for Community­
based Training and Education
for Women
Focus on Change
YWCA of Toronto
80 Woodlawn Ave., E.
Toronto, Ont.
M4Y ICI
Bus: 416-961-8100

Patricia Diaz-Reddin
National
Organization
of
Immigrant & Visible Minority
Women
P.O Box 2012
Charlottetown, PEI
CIE 1E6
Res: 902-892-7676

Joan Lloyd
Congress of Black Women
24 Winslow Drive
Winnipeg, Man.
R2M 4M9
Bus: 204-886-8346

Mary Jamieson
Native Management Services
P.O. Box 185
Ohseweken, Ont.
N0A 1M0
Bus: 519-445-4699

Marcia Braundy
WITT - National Network
RR#1
Winlaw, BC
VOG 2J0
Res: 604-226-7624
Shauna Butterwick
Women’s
Employment
Training Coalition
2586 West 12th Ave.
Vancouver, BC
V6K 2P3
Res: 604-733-7480

Marcy Cohen
Women’s Representative
CLFDB
65 Roxton Road
Toronto, Ont.
M6J 2Y3
Res: 416-535-2006

to

Judi Johnny
Disabled Women’s Network
203 Range Road, Apt#35
Whitehorse, YT
Y1A 3A5
Res: 403-667-4122
Marilyn Kenny
CCLOW
47 Main Street
Toronto, Ont.
M4E 2V6
Bus: 416-699-1909

9

Patricia Rustad
National Council of Women
331 Boutiliers Road
RR# 1
Boutiliers Point, NS
B0J 1G0
Res: 902-826-1526
Lily Stonehouse
Business and Professional
Women’s Association
Dean, Ext. & Development
Div., Kelsey Campus, SIAST
P.O. Box 1520
Saskatoon, SK.
Bus: 306-933-8354

The Women’s Agenda on Training
A Call To Action
Introduction:
Women’s training groups have been highly successful at organizing on the community level,
developing models and programs that recognize systemic barriers and that work effectively to serve
the interests of specific and diverse groups of women. To a large degree, however, these initiatives
have been isolated. Women’s groups have had to work on their own. We have had few networks
for women’s training and little opportunity to build a collective vision of training and education that
really works for women. We need a Women’s Agenda on Training - a collective statement of our
own analysis regarding what we believe is needed and how it needs to happen.
The Women’s Agenda will be a position statement. It will be written in consultation with groups
and organizations involved in women’s training from across Canada. The Women’s Agenda will
include:
a set of general principles which should guide training for women;
- practical examples of how these principles can be used to shape policy and program
development;
-descriptions of program models which effectively address women’s needs.
We invite you to participate in setting the Agenda!

Why a Women’s Agenda?
The Women’s Agenda will be used as:
• a guide for women actively involved with the Canadian Labour Force Development Board
(CLFDB) and its associated local Boards and subcommittees;
• an educational tool written by women, about women’s training issues, for women who
want to know more about what women want from training and how they can get it;
• an advocacy tool to use in educating and informing others about what needs to happen if
training is to serve the interests of women.

How WHI it Happen?
The Reference Group for the Women’s Representative to the CLFDB wants the Agenda and the
process used for creating it to be:
- inclusive, involving a wide range of opinions and encouraging individual women to voice
their own needs;
open-ended, changing over time and able to accommodate different situations;
collaborative, based on dialogue;
- building on our strengths, recognizing good work which has already been done and
including practical examples of ‘good’ training;
focused on a group of critical issues;
- valuing diversity, recognizing regional issues and interests and acknowledging the
contradictions and differences among various interests.

A Call To Action

How Can I Participate?
There are several ways to participate:
•Send us position papers, case studies, reports or other existing documents which talk
about what women want and need from training.

•Write us a letter, telling us about your own experience with training, as a trainer, a
participant, an employer, an advocate, or....
•Write us a short 1-2 page position statement of your own: What do you think that a
Women’s Agenda on Training should say?

•Organizing regionally....(see the section on Organizing for Women’s Training)

•At a meeting or workshop try out one of the exercises suggested below....

Respecting Differences, Finding Common Ground
When Reference Group members have discussed the Women’s Agenda, we have found ourselves
talking about....
Access...Equity...Portability...Democracy...Quality...Empowerment...Learner-Centred...Regional
services...the Training-Employment Link...Collaboration vs Competition...‘Good’ training for
‘good’jobs...Support systems....
What we need in order to make these words come alive in the Women’s Agenda are the stories
and experiences of women like you. If the Agenda is to be useful, it must talk about how we can
respect fully the ways in which women are different, as well as what we have in common regarding
training needs. The Reference Group wants to be sure that the Women’s Agenda discusses issues
important to all women in Canada, including immigrant and visible minority women, aboriginal
women, women with all disabilities and francophone women.

Please send us your stories, concerns and experiences so that we can include them.

2

A Call To Action

Below we have made a start at identifying some of the particular concerns of these groups.
•

Immigrant Women:
"The 5 months provided by the government for English language training is too short.
As a result of this limited time, English skills of new immigrants remain low, limiting
employment to job ghettos (eg. garment and farm work) where the workers all speak the
same language (not English). Grade 10 English is required for most certified training
programs and it is impossible for most immigrants to attain this level in 5 months. They
need access to on-the-job language training, need flexible programs (eg. part-time,
weekend, evening) with child care and help with transportation. Many women have little
support from their families for pursuing language training, some face hostility and threat
of violence from spouses, it is very important to provide special services and programs
for immigrant women. Not focusing on women by developing programs and policies
for both men and women would not address many immigrant women’s needs."

•

Visible Minority Women:

"I left my country with the purpose of to get somewhere to live in peace, safety and
getting more opportunities for me and my three children. And I think this will be the
best change to our life because this country is giving opportunities to the persons who
want to progress, they can do it. I do not know how to write about my life since I
came to Canada. It is a sad time for me. The days I was lonely, depressed...! have
nothing to depend on that’s why I must drop off english class and look for job. I
worked for a cleaning company for three years. I got hurt. After I was recovered my
boss did not want to change me to another job. I’m looking for job but everywhere I
went to apply for they turned me down. I hope I can get into this course so my life will
be better."
(Soledad)2
Women who may have lived for many years - or their whole lives - in Canada are often referred to as
immigrants, simply because of the colour of their skin or because they speak with an accent. They
find that people assume that they are poorly educated or only suited for certain types of training, and
that when they go searching for jobs, their knowledge, skills and experience are not recognized or
respected.
•

Women With All Disabilities:

Disabled women, for example, often need transportation, special communication supports (such as
interpreters for the deaf or large print texts for people who have limited vision) and an accessible
physical space (including ramps, elevators and washrooms that accommodate wheelchairs). Without
these supports, they cannot make use of opportunities for training. Like visible minority women,
disabled women find that they are refused jobs or discouraged from taking training because people

\ Extract from Minutes, April 24, 1991, Women’s Employment and Training Coalition, Vancouver, British
Columbia.
2. Source: Participant, Job Training Program, British Columbia.
3

A Call To Action

discriminate against them. Employers or educators sometimes assume that disabled women are not
suited for training or work without bothering to find out what we really do have to offer.
•

Aboriginal Women:

Aboriginal women, despite their position as First Nations people, are also not respected for who
they are. Many aboriginal women live in small communities in remote locations. For them,
distance education networks are essential. Other aboriginal women are living in urban areas on very
limited incomes. They need training programs which are accessible to women who do not have
much money. All aboriginal women need training programs which honour and respect Native
cultures, languages and customs. In some situations this means special programs for Native women.
In others, it means changing the course content of training programs and the way it is presented in
order to respect and accommodate Aboriginal participants.

•

Francophone Women:

Francophone women too have their own language, culture and history in Canada. For many
francophone women it is particularly important that training programs and educational materials be
made available to them in French. Training programs also need to recognize that francophone
women living outside Quebec are a linguistic and cultural minority. Special consideration needs to
be given to making sure that training programs strengthen and respect the language and culture of
French-speaking Canadians.

Schedule:
The Reference Group will be gathering information for the Women’s Agenda for the next several
months. Early in 1992, we will summarize major themes and priorities and mail the summary to
all of you who contributed, for your comments. We will have a draft of the statement available
for comment and discussion in March or April of 1992. Once we have completed the initial
statement, we expect to revise it annually.

To Participate:
To send us your ideas, or for more information, or to enquire about the Women’s Agenda, contact:
Marcy Cohen, Women’s Representative
CLFDB
c/o CCLOW
47 Main St.
Toronto, Ontario
M4E 2V6
Tel: 416-699-1909
Fax: 416-699-2145
4

A Call To Action

Workshop Ideas

1.

The following exercise was used at the Annual General Meeting of the National
Action Committee on the Status of Women, to generate some ideas for the Women’s
Agenda. We are hopeful that other groups might want to try it too. This exercise
takes about 1 1/2 hours and is designed for a group of 12-18 people working in
three small groups:
Roundtable:1 Each participant introduces herself and talks about her interest in or
questions about women’s training. (30 minutes)
Brainstorming:2 What should be included in a Women’s Agenda on Training? List
the ideas on flip chart paper or a black board. (30 minutes)

Priorizing: Each participant uses three coloured dots to identify the three most
important issues for her, placing them on the paper or board. The places where the
dots are clustered indicate where each small group’s priorities lie. Results are
brought back to share with members of the other two groups and to be discussed.
(30 minutes).
Sending: Send us the results of your work!

2.

At a Reference Group meeting, we used roleplays as a way to discuss the Women’s
Agenda. This exercise requires about 3-4 hours for up to 20 people. A facilitator
should be available to guide discussion of the roleplays and to keep the exercise
moving along.

Introductions: Participants form three small groups. Each group member quickly
suggests 2 important ideas, issues, or experiences related to women’s training. The
group then chooses one to create a scenario around. One group member should
describe the scenario briefly, another summarizes and repeat it back in order to be
sure that the idea is understood in the same way by everyone. (20 minutes)
Making a Roleplay: Each group develops a 5 minute role play, based on the chosen
scenario. The roleplay can include some discussion or description of the issues or
questions that need to be addressed in the chosen situation, and of alternative
strategies for addressing the situation. (40 minutes)
Presentation: Each group makes its presentation. Afterwards, players discuss briefly
how it felt to be their ‘character’ and what it was that they wanted to portray.
Audience members ask questions and offer their reactions. (60 minutes)

1. Roundtable rules: No one speaks twice until everyone has had the opportunity to speak. Some groups choose
to pass a stone or stick from hand to hand as each person speaks. The one who holds the stone or stick has the
right to speak uninterrupted and to be listened to until she chooses to pass it on.

2. Brainstorming rules: a. Say whatever comes into your head, don’t censor. No idea is stupid or inappropriate,
b. No discussion or criticism. Questions of clarification only, in order to be sure that each person has been
understood, c. Everyone should be encouraged to speak.
5

A Call To Action

Synthesis/ Debriefing: Each participant comments briefly on what the role plays said
to her about a women’s agenda on training. The best approach is usually to go
around the circle, asking each person to comment in turn. The facilitator and/or a
recorder keep track of people’s comments. The facilitator then summarizes,
identifying some of the common themes and ideas being expressed, and any
contradictions or differences of opinion that seem to exist. Group members add to
or change the facilitator’s summary. (60 minutes)
Sending: Send us your summary - and a description of the scenarios, if you can!
In any form available - audio tape, drawings, mind maps, etc..

3.

Here is another exercise that works well for larger groups of up to 60 people, but
is also useful with smaller groups. It takes about an hour:
Introduction: Three people speak about their own experience with women’s
education and training to the whole group, taking about 5 minutes each to ‘tell their
story’. (15 minutes)
Write a letter, draw a picture: All participants reflect on their own stories, or
those of people they know. Each person takes a piece of paper and pen or coloured
pencils and writes a letter or draws a picture to be sent to: a participant in a training
program, a trainer, an administrator or a funder sharing some important thoughts
about how to benefit from training, or giving some advice about how best to serve
women’s needs. Letters should be about one page long. (20 minutes)

Sharing: Share your letter or drawing with a person sitting near you. No criticism
is allowed, discuss with your partner what it was that you were really trying to say
and find out if it was clearly expressed in your letter or drawing. You may wish to
add a note of explanation as a ‘P.S.’ or caption, after your discussion. (15 minutes)
Posting: Each participant posts her letter or drawing on the wall, so that others can
circulate and read it. People are encouraged to browse along the wall at breaks and
after the meeting is over. (10 minutes)

Sending: Gather up your letters and drawings and send them to us, or send us
copies.

6

The Canadian Labour Force Development Board
Background Information

In January 1991, the Minister of Employment and Immigration, Barbara McDougall announced the
creation of The Canadian Labour Force Development Board (CLFDB), a new body for making
decisions about training policy in Canada. The Board is funded by the federal government, through
Employment and Immigration Canada (EIC), but operates independently, as an ‘arm’s-length’
organization. It has 22 members, representing organized labour, business, educational institutions
and four ‘social action’ groups: women, aboriginal peoples, immigrants and visible minorities, and
people with all disabilities1. According to McDougall, the CLFDB is established to serve "all of
our interests". For Canadian women who historically have not had a voice in government decision­
making, this new Board presents both new opportunities and challenges.

Why Labour Force Development?
The federal government believes that Canada must develop its labour force in order to compete
successfully with other countries. Most people agree with the government that Canada should
develop its labour force. People should be able to get the training they need to become as skilled,
as flexible, as creative and as productive as possible. Various groups do not agree, however, on
how to do this. Women’s organizations are concerned that those who have traditionally been left
out will still be denied access to needed training, unless we can be a strong voice at the CLFDB
table.
How was the Board Established?
In April of 1989, the Minister of Employment and Immigration announced the Labour Force
Development Strategy. This strategy had two components. First, changes were made to the
Unemployment Insurance Act (Bill C-21) which meant that many people now receive less
Unemployment Insurance (UI) than they would have before. Now UI recipients have to work
longer in order to receive UI. The UI monies which are ‘saved’ will go to training, instead of to
helping people maintain their incomes during times when they have no work. This is against the
recommendations of both Business and Labour.

The second part of the strategy involved consultations which were managed by the Canadian Labour
Market Productivity Centre (CLMPC). The CLMPC is an independent organization governed by
a joint Board of business and labour from various sectors.2

*. These groups have been called ’social action’ groups and have been designated as equity groups by the
federal government, because they are in an unequal position in the labour force.
2. Nominations for the business seats are made by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Canadian
Manufacturing Association (CMA), and the Business Council on National Issues (BCNI). Labour seats are
nominated by the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the Canadian Federation of Labour (CFL). In addition
there are two seats for educational representatives, nominated by the Association of Canadian Community Colleges
(ACCC) and the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) and several ex officio seats for
federal and provincial government representatives.

Background Information

The consultations were in two phases. In Phase I, seven task forces were established, including
representatives from business, labour and community groups which look at: programs for older
workers, programs for people on Unemployment Insurance, programs for people receiving Social
Assistance, human resource planning, co-operative education, apprenticeship, and entry-level
training. Only 9 out of the 64 task force members were women. The Phase I final report was
presented in March of 1990.
During Phase II, only Business and Labour were invited to participate. The Phase II report was
released in July of 1990. It recommended the creation of a national training board with 22 seats.
Although some people were opposed to allocating 4 seats to social action groups, the government
argued that equity is an economic necessity if the Canadian economy is to remain competitive
internationally. The women on the Task Force also supported the participation of the social action
groups on the board. After several months of further consultation, the formation of the Canadian
Labour Force Development Board (CLFDB) was announced in January of 1991. It held it first
meeting in May of 1991.
At the same time, a parallel system of aboriginal training Boards is being established. The
aboriginal representative to the CLFDB is nominated by a National Board for aboriginal training
which answers to local aboriginal training boards. The new aboriginal system is described in
Pathways to Success.3
Who Sits On The Board?
The Board members have been selected by the groups they represent. Eight Board members come
from business organizations, 8 from organized labour, 2 from educational institutions and one each
from the 4 social action groups: women, people with all disabilities, aboriginal peoples and
immigrants and visible minorities. In addition, the federal government has 3 ex officio federal
deputies from EIC, and one ex officio each from all provinces and territories. Marcy Cohen is the
Women’s Representative. She was selected at consultations involving 21 national women’s groups.
For more information on our representative and the process in which she was selected, see The
Women’s Representative and The Reference Group.
The co-chairs of the Board were announced in April, 1991: Gerard Docquier, Canadian National
Director, United Steelworkers of America, and J. Laurent Thibault, President of the Canadian
Manufacturer’s Association. These are full-time positions.

What Will The Board Do?
The official mandate of the CLFDB is to identify labour market needs and design programs to train
Canadians to meet those needs. The CLFDB will also be responsible for carrying out the
recommendations of the Phase One Task Reports. The recommendations from the reports on Social

3. Aboriginal Employment and Training Working Group, Pathways to Success: Aboriginal People and the
Labour Force Development Process. (Ottawa: Aboriginal Employment Training Working Group, June, 1990).
2

Background Information

Assistance Recipients and Apprenticeship Training are particularly important for women4. The
Reference Group believes that the CLFDB should also make decisions about job creation, economic
development and how to make sure that jobs are available to people who need them. So far, these
responsibilities are not part of the mandate.
The CLFDB will meet on a regular basis to advise the federal government on all national training
policies and programs. The Board is also responsible for establishing standards to ensure that "the
training provided to workers is of high quality, accessible, broadly-based and portable".5 One
important task will be to make sure that the federal government is aware of the diverse needs and
interests of people across Canada. Much of the Board’s work will be carried out in subcommittees.
These committees will work on issues such as apprenticeship, programs for social assistance
recipients, and the concerns of various industrial groups or ‘sectors’. The CLFDB will also work
with about 60 local Boards across Canada. Women’s organizations need to be concerned not
only about what takes place at the CLFDB table, but also with the sectoral committees and
local Boards where much of the ‘action’ will take place.

Why Was The Board Established?
In Canada, the federal government has always been an important sponsor of training. No one has
ever been completely satisfied, however, with how decisions about training were made. Now, the
federal government wants the private sector to play a more active role in making decisions and in
the provision of training in Canada. Government and business argue that public educational
institutions such as the community colleges and technical institutions are not responding to the "real"
needs of the labour market for highly skilled, technologically competent, flexible workers.
However, many women’s groups believe that school boards and community colleges, and
community-based programs are good vehicles for women’s training. These public sector-sponsored
groups know the needs of their constituents better than private sector trainers do and as a result, the
public sector-sponsored groups can match the content of their training to the varying needs of
individual trainees in a way that most private sector sponsors cannot. Public sector and communitybased groups are also accountable for the quality of the training they provide, to their Boards, to
their communities and to their trainees in ways that private sector organizations are not. Many
women’s groups feel strongly that public sector sponsored training is better for women.
In spite of these and other objections, the federal government is committed to ‘privatization’ putting training in the hands of the private sector. The government believes that business - the
private sector - should be responsible for the training of workers. In 1985, the federal government
redirected some of the funds from community colleges and other training schools to employersponsored and private, for-profit training programs. Since then, a number of other initiatives - such

4.
1990).

Canadian Labour Market and Productivity Centre, Report of the CLMPC Task Forces (Ottawa: CLMPC,

5. Canadian Labour Market and Productivity Centre, Phase II Task Force Report, July, 1990, p.7.
3

Background Information

as the passing of Bill C-21, regarding changes to the Unemployment Insurance Act, have continued
this process. The formation of the CLFDB is one more step toward further privatization of training.

Questions and Concerns about CLFDB
Privatization continues...
The CLFDB presents new opportunities and new challenges. The central question is whose needs
will this Board serve? The CLFDB continues a trend toward privatization which has not served
women’s interests very well. Unemployment Insurance is now completely funded by employers and
employees. The federal government no longer makes any contribution other than administering the
plan. All training funds for UI recipients will come out of UI funds. This means that all training
for UI recipients will effectively be funded through private dollars. At the same time EIC has cut
back on the amount of money it gives to training from its general revenues. The result is a
reduction in the total amount of federal money available for training. This may force women’s
groups and the other sectors represented on the CLFDB to compete more fiercely for declining
amount of training money. The Reference Group is concerned because recent EIC policies seem
to be promoting fragmentation, competition, and polarization of training programs in Canada.

Privatization is not necessarily bad. But when it results in a loss of accountability, the shutting
down of valuable programs at community colleges, a focus on specific rather than generic or
portable skills and a tendency to ‘go with the winners’ - with those who are already doing well
under current conditions, then it is a problem. Many women’s organizations believe that these have
been effects of privatization so far. If the interests of women are to be well served, the decision­
making process will have to change.
Who gets left out...
The majority of CLFDB seats are for Business and Labour. This suggests that the emphasis is on
training for the employed work force. The implication here is fewer training dollars for the
unemployed, the underemployed and those on social assistance, women, immigrant and visible
minority people, aboriginal people and people with all disabilities.
Decentralization...
EIC’s plan for the CLFDB and its ‘machinery’ involves decentralization - moving decision-making
down to the local level. So far, there is no indication that decentralization, as it is defined by EIC,
will ensure equity, quality training standards, transferability, or recognition of accreditation. The
Reference Group believes that the result could be further fragmentation of training programs, and
of the lobbying efforts that make a difference in ensuring quality and equity. In addition, the EIC
plan totally ignores the provinces even though public education and training institutions are
provincial responsibilities. Co-operation from all levels of government will be necessary if we are
to make any significant change to our education and training system.
4

Background Information

Process..,
The present process being used by EIC to implement the CLFDB and its associated committee and
local Boards does not follow the joint recommendations of the business, labour and community
groups involved in the Phase One Task Forces. All 7 Task Forces recommended that UI funds be
devoted solely to income maintenance and that training costs be paid out of other federal and
provincial funds. Despite this recommendation, EIC has moved some UI funds to the private
sector for training purposes. In addition, EIC has started creating local Boards before the CLFDB
is firmly in place, and without clear guidelines. The Reference Group believes that EIC’s use of
some local organizations which do not have true community representation as the starting point for
setting up Local Boards is a mistake.

What Can We Do?

If we want the CLFDB to create training policies and programs to meet the needs of
women, we must define for ourselves and for the Board what our needs and interests are.
We need to create a Women’s Agenda on Education and Training. As well, we need to
work with other representatives on the Board. Our task is to create an organized
constituency which cannot be ignored. We have to work together to ensure that the Board
is informed about and acts on the diverse needs of women. We need to make sure that
decision-making at the CLFDB table and within its related Committees and local Boards is
democratic, so that equity is a reality. We need your participation, energy and input.
Sections on The Women’s Representative and the Reference Group to Working Together
in Women’s Training include ideas and strategies on how you and your organization or
group can participate.

For Further Reading:
Employment and Immigration Canada has produced a number of documents of interest:
•
EIC on the Move to Meet the Employment Programming Objectives of the Labour Force
Development Strategy discussed Employment and Immigration Canada’s plans to change
its programs in response to the recommendations of the first Report of the Task Forces.

•

Pathways to Success: Aboriginal People and the Labour Force Development Strategy, is a
discussion of the plan for aboriginal training boards.

•

The Labour Force Development Strategy Phase II Report is a discussion of the
recommendation for a new national training Board.

•

The Report of the CLMPC Task Forces on the Labour Force Development Strategy is the
report of the seven task forces, described above.

•

Success in the Works describes how changes to the Unemployment Insurance Act will impact
on training programs.
5

Background Information

These documents are available through your local Canada Employment Centre, or by contacting:
Employment and Immigration Canada
Employment
Strategic Policy and Planning Branch
Place du Portage, Phase IV, 8th Floor
Hull, Quebec
KIA 0J9
or, for the two Labour Force Development Strategy reports:

The Canadian Labour Market and Productivity Centre
6-66 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada. KIP 5H1
Tel: 613 234-0505 Fax: 613 234-2482

Below is a list of the names and addresses of the members of the Board:
Co-Chairs:

Mr. Laurent Thibault, Pres.
Canadian Manufacturers’ Association
c/o CLMPC
6-66 Slater St.
Ottawa, Ontario
KIP 5H1

Mr. Gerard Docquier, National Director
United Steelworkers of America
c/o CLMPC
6-66 Slater St.
Ottawa, Ontario
KIP 5H1

Business:
Mr. Jim Bennett, V-Pres. & General Mgr.
Canadian Federation of Independent Business
4141 Yonge St
Willowdale, Ontario
M2P 2A6
Tel: 416-222-8022, Fax: 416-222-7593

Mr. Thomas R. Hall, Pres.
Stora Forest Industries Inc.
P.O. Box 59
Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia
BOE 2V0
Tel: 902-625-2460, Fax: 902-625-1105

Mrs. Jean A. Bernard, V-Pres.
Personnel, Bell Canada
1050 Beaver Hall Hill
Montreal, Quebec
H2Z 1R9
Tel: 514-870-4063, Fax: 514-391-4684

Mr. John Keenan, V-Pres.
Human Resources, Falconbridge Limited
Commerce Court West
Toronto, Ontario
M5L 1B4
Tel: 416-863-7161, Fax: 416-364-8986

6

Background Information

Mr. James A. McCambly, Pres.
Canadian Federation of Labour
107 Sparks ST., Suite-300
Ottawa, Ontario
KIP 5B5
Tel: 613-234-4141, Fax: 613-234-5188

Ms. Anne Stewart, Dir.
Human Resource Development & Corporate
Training
Cara Operations Ltd.,
230 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, Ontario
M5S 1T8
Tel: 416-969-2553, Fax: 416-969-2548

Mr. Fred Pomeroy, Pres.
Communications and Electrical Workers of
Canada
350 Sparks St., Suite 307
Ottawa, Ontario
KIR 7S8
Tel: 613-236-6083, Fax: 613-236-0287

Mr. J.T. (Jake) Thygesen, V-Chairman
Board of CCA; Chairman, Fuller & Knowles
Co. Ltd.
7267- 18th St.
Edmonton, Alberta
T6P INI
Tel: 403-440-2022, Fax: 403-440-4716

Ms. Nancy Riche, Exe. V-Pres.
Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)
2841 Riverside Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1V 8V7
Tel:613-521-3400, Fax: 613-521-4655

Mr. Robert V. Wilds, Pres.
CEO, BC Maritime Employers Association
45 Dunlavy
Vancouver, BC
V6A 3A3
Tel: 604-688-1155, Fax: 604-684-2397

Ms. Diane Wood, BCGEU-NUPGE
BC Government Employees’ Union
4911 Canada Way
Burnaby, BC
V5G 3W3
Tel: 604-291-9611, Fax: 604-292-6030

Labour:

Ms. Susan Giampietri, Exe. V-Pres.
Public Service Alliance of Canada
1100-233 Gilmour St.
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 0P1
Tel: 613-560-4330, Fax: 613-563-3492

Education and Training:
Mr. Thomas Blacklock
Universalis Management Group
2086 Tupper St.
Montreal, Quebec
H3H 1N8
Tel: 514-935-9502, Fax: 514-935-4654

Mr. Basil Hargrove, Asst, to Pres
National Automobile Aerospace and
Agricultural Implement Workers’ Union of
Canada
205 Placer Court
Willowdale, Ontario
M2H 3H9
Tel: 416-497-4110, Fax: 416-495-6552

Ms. Susan Harbin
Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA)
79 James St., S.
Hamilton, Ontario
L8P 2Z1
Tel: 416-529-6698 (0699),
Fax: 416-529-4485

Mr. Les Holloway, Sec. Treasurer
Marine Workers’ Federation
3700 Kept Road, Suite 200
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3K 4X8
Tel: 902-455-7279, Fax: 902-454-7671

7

Background Information

Women’s Groups:

Mr. Fernand Boudreau, EIC
140 Place du Portage, Phase IV, 13 Floor
Hull, Quebec
KIA 0J9
Tel: 819-994-6205, Fax:819-953-8991

Ms. Marcy Cohen
65 Roxton Rd.
Toronto, Ontario
M6J 2Y3
Res: 416-535-2006

Mr. Peter Doyle, EIC
140 Place du Portage, Phase IV, 13 Floor
Hull, Quebec
KIA 0J9
Tel: 819-994-6205, Fax: 819-953-8991

Aboriginal Communities:
Mr. Roy Mussell
7201 Vedder Road
P.O. Box 310
Sardis, BC
Tel: 604-858-3366 (w), Fax: 604-858-4790
604-792-1073 (h)

Provincial Ex-Officio Members:

Mr. Wayne Doggett
Exe. Dir., Planning & Evaluation Division
Dept, of Advanced Education and Job
Training
Government of Nova Scotia
P.O. Box 2086, Station M
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 3B7
Tel: 902-424-5631

Disabled Communities:
Ms. Sandra Carpenter
25 Elm St. #1205
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 2G5
Tel: 416-593-5409 (h)
416-326-0211 (w)

Ms. Joyce Ganong
Assist. Deputy Minister
Job Training, Apprenticeship and Labour
Market Services
Ministry of Advanced Education, Training
and Technology
Government of British Columbia
2621 Douglas St., 2nd Floor
Victoria, British Columbia
V8W 1E4
Tel: 604-387-1074

Visible Minorities:

Mr. Navin Parekh
111 Colonnade Road, Suite 206
Nepean, Ontario
K2E 7M3
Tel: 613-727-1983 (w), Fax: 613-727-1946
613-224-8174 (h)

Ms. Catherine Gogan
Assist. Deputy Minister, (Employment &
Career)
Dept, of Employment and Labour Relations
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
P.O. Box 8700
Confederation Building, West Block
St. John’s, Newfoundland
A1B 4J6
Tel: 709-729-5674

Employment & Immigration Canada:

Mr. Arthur Kroeger,
Deputy Minister & Chairman, EIC
140 Place du Portage, Phase IV, 13th Floor
Hull, Quebec
KIA 0J9
Tel: 819-994-4514, Fax: 819-994-0178

8

Background Information

Mr. Joseph Handley
Deputy Minister
Dept, of Education
Government of the Northwest Territories
Box 1320
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
XIA 2L9
Tel: 403-920-6240

Mr. Barry Curley
Dir., Human Resource Development
Dept, of Industry
Government of Prince Edward Island
P.O. Box 2000
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
CIA 7N8
Tel: 902-368-4470

Dr. Eleanor Rourke
Deputy Minister
Saskatchewan Education
Government of Saskatchewan
2220 College Ave.
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4P 3V7
Tel: 306-787-5586
Mr. John Roushome
Deputy Minister
Dept, of Labour
Government of New Brunswick
Box 6000
Fredericton, New Brunswick
E3B 5H1
Tel: 506-453-2343

9

NEWSFLASH

The proposed amendment to Canada's constitution to give the provinces
and territories jurisdiction over labour market training makes regional
and local organizing by women even more important!
We need the Women's Agenda on Training to help us to outline standards
which will guide Canada's training policy and ensure equality of
training across the country.
We need to hear from you!

Organizing for Women’s Training
A Call To Action

Introduction:
There are many ways women can work together on training issues. One is through women’s
groups. A second is by documenting women’s stories. Another is by organizing regionally.

Regional organizing is important, but it is not for everyone. It takes time, effort and resources.
Not everyone has these available at any particular time. The Reference Group and the Women’s
Representative are eager to work with women who are interested in regional organizing, but we do
not expect that everyone will be. There are many other ways to work together - on information
exchange efforts, such as the one we begin with here, on developing the Women’s Agenda on
Training and on specific issues or problems that come up from time to time. The Reference Group
wants to hear your stories.
Please share your experiences and ideas with us!
Documenting Your Experiences with Training Programs:
One of the committees that has been formed by the Canadian Labour Force Development Board
is an Employment Priorities Committee. It is a permanent committee of the Board and is
responsible for reviewing how Employment and Immigration (EIC) has responded to the Task Force
Reports in Phase I of the Labour Force Development Strategy. It is also going to make policy
recommendations on EIC programs.
Marcy is representing women on this committee. She needs to know how Employment and
Immigration’s new policies are affecting women. For example, in response to the criticism in the
Task Force Reports that the eligibility criteria were too rigid, EIC has made entrance requirements
for training programs more flexible. How has this decision affected women applying for training?
Who is being excluded and on what basis?

Please document how these changes have affected women in your area. To assist you in this
activity, we have included a survey tool (attached at the end of this section) which you and your
organization can use to record this information over the next few months. Please send this
information to Marcy Cohen by Christmas 1991.
Working with Women9s Groups:
There are women’s organizations all across the country which are involved in training and education
for women. Some offer training programs, some are groups of learners, some are engaged in
lobbying and networking. If you would like to know more about some of these organizations and
what they are doing, get in touch with the Reference Group member who lives closest to you. A
complete list of the names, addresses and organizations of Reference Group members is included
in the section of the Resource Kit, entitled The Women’s Representative and the Reference
Group.

A Call To Action

Regional Organizing:
The Canadian Labour Force Development Board will work with a series of local Boards, to be
established in regions and communities across the country. If we want to be sure that those
Boards act on women’s needs and interests, we need to get organized locally and nationally,
be visible and speak with a loud voice about what it is that we need and want.
Regional activity can create a forum and opportunity for local women’s groups to communicate their
experiences, interests and needs to the Women’s Representative and the Reference Group. The
Reference Group would like to work with local ‘organizing committees’ to set up regional
workshops. The objectives of these regional workshops will be to discuss ideas and models for
regional coalitions and ways to communicate between the Women’s Representative, the new
Reference Group and the regional coalitions. It is also a way for women’s groups in regions to
contribute to the Women’s Agenda on Training. The Reference Group wants to work with the
existing regional coalitions and help to start new ones. Below are some examples of coalitions
which have already been established.

Regional Coalitions
The Reference Group would like to encourage women’s groups across Canada to participate in
creating and/or supporting regional coalitions. Regional coalitions are emerging in several locations.
They provide the opportunity for effective networking, lobbying and coordinated action among
groups with limited resources. The Reference Group is working actively with the two coalitions
described below, and wants to work with other coalitions, as they emerge.
Regional coalitions of women’s training organizations currently exist in Ontario, British Columbia
and Manitoba. In Ontario, ACTEW - Advocates for Community-based Training and Education for
Women is a 50-member organization of community-based training groups. In British Columbia,
WETC - the Women’s Education and Training Coalition is a more loosely organized "permanent
ad hoc committee" of 15 member groups. In Manitoba, a new coalition was in the process of
getting organized in the spring of 1991. Below, we give you ‘snapshot’ pictures of ACTEW and
WETC, as examples of what is possible.

ACTEW
ACTEW was incorporated in 1985 as a provincial coalition of community-based programmes that
combine skills training, life and language skills, literacy, interpersonal communications training
and job search skills. These not-for-profit programmes have been funded through the federally
sponsored Canadian Jobs Strategy programs of Employment and Immigration Canada (EIC), as well
as through provincial, municipal and private sources.
Individually, ACTEW’s member programs do not have the resources to undertake advocacy and
public education work. ACTEW, as an umbrella organization, takes on this work on behalf of its
member organizations. ACTEW also works as a member of other networks and coalitions and
2

A Call To Action

with groups and organizations which share its interests. ACTEW aims to enhance opportunities for
women, by supporting existing education and training programs through: networking and
information-sharing, staff and curriculum development, government consultation, public education,
research and advocacy.
ACTEW’s objectives are:
•
to advocate and lobby on behalf of low-income, immigrant, visible minority and
Native women, so as to improve their educational, occupational and economic
opportunities.
•
to promote employment equity for women.
•
to advocate in support of existing pre-employment education and skills training
programmes for all women of Ontario and to provide them with consultative services.
•
to encourage and assist in the development of new and innovative training initiatives
for women, with a particular focus on non-traditional employment and on
programmes that meet the specific needs of women who are older and/or facing
displacement in the labour market.
Services to member organizations include a newsletter, a resource centre and monthly information­
sharing meetings. ACTEW’s advocacy and public education activities and independent research
projects have resulted in the production of a number of publications which are available for sale at
cost plus postage.

ACTEW is an independent incorporated non-profit organization. Finding funding to support
ACTEW’s work is a continuing problem. Presently ACTEW has a Coordinator and an
Administrative Assistant (who is a placement student from a member organizations) as staff.
However, it is the voluntary participation of members (on ACTEW’s Board, committees and at
monthly meetings), giving their time and expertise, that contributes to ACTEW’s success and
ongoing survival.

WETC
The Women’s Employment and Training Coalition (WETC) started in 1985. Its members got
together to present issues and concerns regarding women’s training and employment to Flora
MacDonald, then federal Minister of Employment and Immigration. The coalition found that
working collectively was a powerful way of making their concerns heard. Since then, the coalition
has continued to develop its membership base and expand its activities. An average of 15 core
members representing community-based training, college, immigrant and visible minority agencies
and other women’s organizations attend bi-monthly meetings. Information is mailed to another 25
groups and agencies. WETC participates in federal and provincial government commissions,
submitting briefs and sending representatives, writes letters of concern to various government
agencies on behalf of women and develops proposals to advocate for improved services to women,
such as core funding for bridging programs. In 1989 WETC together with senior officials of the
BC and Yukon region, established the Women’s Employment Advisory Committee (WEAC).
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A Call To Action

WEAC, with a core membership of three WETC members and three senior CEC officials, meets
four times a year to review policy and make recommendations to improve,services for women.

WETC works on a completely voluntary basis with no government or agency funding or paid staff.
It operates with the support of the Women’s Centre at Douglas College and the assistance of other
individuals and organizations such as CCLOW who give their time and skills to provide services
in kind, such as the preparation and distribution of minutes, information packages and proposals.

To learn more, contact:
ACTEW
801 Eglinton Ave. West,
Suite 301
Toronto, Ontario.
M5N 1E3
Tel: 416-783-3590

WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING COALITION
c/o Elizabeth Wilson
Women’s Resource Centre
Douglas College
P.O. Box 2503
New Westminster, B.C.
V3L 5B2
Tel: 603-527-5486

or
Shauna Butterwick
2586 W. 12th Avenue
Vancouver, B.C.
V6K 2P3
Tel: 604-733-7480

A Call To Action

Suggestions for Organizing

• Why not have an initial meeting with a small group of people and talk about how to get
other groups in your area involved in a second, larger meeting? This Resource Kit can be
used as the starting resource and information kit in this meeting to discuss women’s education
and training issues.

• Identify existing networks and coalitions and contact the member(s) of the Reference Group
in your area to find out what other organizations and groups might be interested in meeting
with you to talk about organizing a regional coalition.

• Contact your provincial Federation of Labour, Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Federation
of Independent Business, Canadian Manufacturers’ Association, and/or Employment
Immigration Canada to find what they are doing about education and training for women, and
what plans have been initiated to establish the Local Boards.

• Organize a session to discuss what the Women’s Agenda should be, using the exercises
suggested in the Women’s Agenda paper (lavender). Build in some time to talk about getting
together again to continue the discussion and to arrive at a common position on values and
principles. The results of the discussion should be sent to the Reference Group and/or Marcy
Cohen.

• Use a prepared document, either a short position paper written by a member of your group,
or something that someone has read and liked and talk about how your group’s values and
principles are the same or different than those discussed in the paper.

• Contact a member of the Reference Group in your area to discuss organizing a workshop
which could include an opportunity to examine shared values and principles.

A Call To Action

Survey Tool for Documenting How EIC’s Policies Affect A

1.

How many intakes do you have each year? __________

2.

What are the intake dates?

3.

During your last intake for participants:
A. how many applicants did you have? ______
B. how many spaces did you have
available?

4.

Do you keep waiting lists?
_______ Yes (go to 4A.)

____ NO (go to 4B.)

4A. How many are on the list? Number
(Please go on to question 5 below)
4B. Why do you not keep waiting lists?
Please explain (and then go on to question 5):

\ Source: Advocates for Community-based Training and Education for Women, Toronto, Ontario.
6

A Call To Action

5.

Of those who were accepted into your programme, how did learners find out about it?

Give number:
Canada Employment Centres:
Community based employment services:
Employment Support Initiatives, ie
welfare workers:
Word of mouth:
Posters in the community:
Advertisements:

Other (please specify source and number):

6.

Many women either do not have access to training or, for a number of reasons, cannot
complete the selection and training process. In order for us to identify who is screened out
and why and when this happens please fill in the form below.

a)

In your last intake how many women:

Phoned/
walked in ( )

b)

Came to information/
orientation ( )

Were
Selected ( )

Graduated ( )

How many were unable to continue and at which stage of the intake/selection process?:
(Please give actual numbers for each of the categories below. If you are "guess-timating"
indicate by place a"?" beside the number.)

Due to:

After phoning/
walk in

Inadequate Training
Allowance
Lack of
Childcare
Transportation
Difficulties

Funding criteria:
SAR
SED (name the
designated group)
Employment Status
Parental status
(eg. sole support parent)
Other: (please name)

7

After information/
orientation session

A Call To Action

Programme Criteria:
Employment status
English level -too high
-too low
(ESL)
Math level
-too high
-too low
Formal Educ. -too high
-too low
Other: (please name)

7.

Does your programme do any follow-up with those women who were not accepted into the
programme?
Yes _____ No ______

Please explain and give examples where appropriate:

8.

Does your programme do any follow-up with your graduates?
Yes_____

No_____

Please give details of what this involves and examples where appropriate: