Equality challenge issued
Women's groups call on public to post results
of Gender-Based Analysis Plus training on social media
Jessica Davey-Quantick
Northern News Services
Friday, July 1, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Several women's groups in Yellowknife have thrown down the digital gauntlet.
Caroline Cochrane, the minister responsible for the status of women, displays her certificate after completing the Gender-Based Analysis Plus training. - photo courtesy of Caroline Cochrane |
They have challenged as many people as possible to complete a one-hour online course on diversity and equality by Canada Day, and post pictures of themselves on social media to prove it.
Members of the Status of Women Council, the Native Women's Association, the Yellowknife Women's Society and the YWCA of Yellowknife have taken to social media to share results of their Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) training.
"The training is an online tool that measures how we look at policies and procedures in reference to gender," said Lorraine Phaneuf, executive director of the Status of Women Council.
The training is focused on re-framing how people understand inequality they may not even notice - which includes what comes to mind when they hear the word "gender."
"It not only measures gender, it measures diversity, inclusion, all the things that make policy equitable or not equitable," said Phaneuf. "GBA+ is not just about women. It's about a society that's equal and equitable. Because often times, when we think gender, people think women, but gender can be men or women."
According to the Government of Canada website that hosts that training course, GBA+ is an analytical tool to assess the impacts of policies, programs, services and more, which goes beyond gender to include a range of identity factors like age, education, language, geography, culture and income. Phaneuf said training like this will help people view issues and policies - from poverty to heart disease to parental leave - through a more equitable lens.
GBA+ first came on the scene in 1995, when the federal government committed to using it to advance gender equality, as part of the ratification of the United Nations' Beijing Platform for Action. But even though it's been around for over a decade, there's still work to be done.
"Within the Northwest Territories especially, 51 per cent of our population is aboriginal, 50 per cent of our population are females, and we have a lot of new Canadians and immigrants that are coming to our territory," said Caroline Cochrane, the Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. "We have to recognize that not everyone is the same, we all have different situations, and different ways of working, different ways of thinking. You have to recognize when you implement a policy how it effects each different groups because it does effect us differently."
Cochrane challenged all federal MPs and territorial MLAs to complete the training. The first one to post a photo? Minister Glen Abernethy.
"If we don't get men involved, then society will never change," said Cochrane. "When we get men involved, it creates a different atmosphere because men challenge each other. You can't patronize a male when he's challenging you because he's at the same level as you are."
Phaneuf agrees.
"We've always been looking at ways of bringing in an inclusion lens of some sort into the Northwest Territories ... If there is buy-in from the public, then there's buy-in from the politicians," said Phaneuf. "If there's political will, then things start to happen."
The training is free and can be completed online. Graduates are challenged to get as many people as possible to complete the training, and post a photo of themselves with their certificates on social media, tagging any of the women's
groups.
