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October 2004

Rosemary Speirs and the 2004 Governor General's Awards

Equal Voice Chair Rosemary Speirs and six other exceptional women from across Canada were presented with the 25th Anniversary Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Person's Case by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson at a moving ceremony at Rideau Hall on October 21st.

During the ceremony, Rosemary's leadership and achievements were singled out with the following words:

One of Canada's leading political journalists. Rosemary Speirs is also the founder and chair of Equal Voice. This is an influential national advocacy group for the election of more women to every level of government in Canada. Equal Voice members include elected politicians and political activists in every major political party and every region of the country. Ms. Speirs also founded the Women's Political ConneXion linking women's groups and prominent individuals across Canada to support the cause of electing more women. In representations to the Law Commission of Canada, Ms. Speirs called for electoral law reforms to create a fairer Parliament based on proportional representation. On behalf of Equal Voice she also pressed for voluntary affirmative actions by political parties to greatly increase the number of women nominated to run for political office. In 1994, Ms. Speirs wrote the brief to the Electoral Reform Commission of Canada that was later reflected in election financing reforms in 2003. Through her continued work, Ms. Speirs and Equal Voice make Canadians aware of successes achieved and the many barriers to equal representation that still remain”.

On receiving the award, Rosemary focused her remarks on urging the many women MPs, Senators and other leaders present to redouble their efforts to achieve an equal voice in government in Canada:

Thank you your Excellency, Madame Minister, and all you wonderful feminist troublemakers” in this room today. I'm pleased my son Murray is among us and some of my co-conspirators in the cause of electing more women Donna Dasko, Libby Burnham, Kiloran German, Patricia Dumas, and Trish Waldron.

They know I'm blushing a bit standing up here with a medal slung around my neck. I'm a retired journalist and journalists are supposed to be too cynical for ceremonies and honors.

But I'm proud too because this medal is really recognition of Equal Voice, the ginger group we founded three years ago and have built into an influential national advocate for electing women.

This medal is for the volunteers who run Equal Voice out of their own pockets and hard work. And it's for the female MPs, MLAs and city councilors and the backroom party activists who have done what is so hard for political partisans. They've reached across party lines to speak together for reforms that would level the playing field for women aspiring to political office.

We've worked hard together for three years, banging on the closed doors of the male club. On the night of last July's federal election when only 65 women were elected to the Commons the same old 21 per cent, I felt like pulling my pillow over my head.

But if we haven't yet increased the numbers, I believe we have succeeded in raising awareness of the systemic discrimination against women at all levels of Canadian politics.

Equal Voice will keep on plugging away at our cause. I just hope it will be us, and not our granddaughters, popping champagne corks on that fine day when we finally see that critical mass of women in Parliament.

I want to thank you for honoring Equal Voice with this award at a somewhat discouraging time. You have lifted our spirits and for that I am truly grateful.

Rosemary and the other award recipients were honoured in the House of Commons following the ceremony, where Prime Minister Paul Martin led all members in the House in a standing ovation. The Prime Minister also wrote a letter of congratulations directly to Rosemary:

For more information on the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Person's Case, visit the website of Status of Women Canada at www.swc-ccf.gc.ca