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Subjects: AWD, WOM

Governor General of Canada and Minister Monsef recognize great contribution of six Canadian women to gender equality


OTTAWA, Oct. 18, 2018 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Status of Women, announced the recipients of the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case for 2018. These outstanding Canadian women are:

Persons Day occurs annually on October 18th. This annual celebration marks the pivotal moment in 1929 when five Canadian women ? Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby, and Nellie McClung ? won the right for women to be legally recognized as "persons" under the law and thereby be appointed to the Senate.

The Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case were created in 1979 to mark the 50th anniversary of the ground-breaking Persons Case. In 2000, the Youth Award was introduced to recognize the achievements of those between the ages of 15 and 30 years of age who are making a difference to advance gender equality.

Quotes

"The Famous Five were trailblazers who helped remove barriers to gender equality. Almost 90 years after their historic victory, it is my pleasure to pay tribute to them and to recognize women who are making a difference in Canada today to advance gender equality. I am honoured to share this year's occasion with Governor General Julie Payette, and congratulate the six recipients for their incredible dedication, passion, and commitment to making their country and the world a better place. Their leadership and stories are reminders that together, we can make gender equality a reality."

The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C., M.P.  
Minister of Status of Women

Quick Facts

Associated Links

Biographies of Recipients

Rina Arseneault
Fredericton, New Brunswick

Rina is recognized as a social worker, researcher, activist, organizer, author and educator.

She has a Masters in Social Work and is a Registered Social Worker.  She has been the Associate Director of the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research since November 1993. With MMFC she has completed and documented extensive research, organized and delivered numerous regional, national and international training sessions and workshops on the subject of violence. She has contributed to the development of the accredited UNB Certificate Program in Family Violence Issues program and has taught courses in the program.

In 1997, she has been honored with the NB Advisory Council on the Status of Women Recognition Award for her contribution to improving the status of women in New Brunswick and in 2002, received the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation Award, for her work in violence against women and family violence.

In 2014, she was appointed to the Order of Canada and in 2016 received the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW) Distinguished Service Award. In 2018, she was presented with the Social Work Education Field Instructor Award by the New Brunswick Association of Social Work for exceptional commitment to the academic and professional development of students.

Rina currently resides in Fredericton, NB with her husband Dan. She loves to spend time with family.

Shirley Cuillierrier
Ottawa, Ontario

Shirley Cuillierrier, a member of the Mohawk Nation from Kanesatake, Quebec, joined the RCMP in 1982. After 15 years serving in Atlantic Canada, she became a member of the Prime Minister's Protective Detail in 1996.

In 1998, she transferred to RCMP National Headquarters and in 2004 was named the Officer in Charge of National Aboriginal Policing Services.  In 2010, she led the National Human Trafficking Coordination Centre and currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, a national charity.  Shirley has received numerous commendations and is a recipient of both the Queen Elizabeth II Golden and Diamond Jubilee Medals.

In 2017, Assistant Commissioner Shirley Cuillierrier was appointed Senior Advisor on Reconciliation and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, a national charity.

Rina Fraticelli
Toronto, Ontario

Rina Fraticelli has devoted her career to addressing gender inequity issues, particularly in Canada's arts and cultural industries

Since the late 70's she has worked to strengthen opportunities for women in the fields of theatre, literature, media and public life. She authored a highly influential report on the status of women in Canadian theatre to the Applebaum-Hebert Commission. She  led two NFB Studio's - Studio D, the Women's Studio in Montreal, where she oversaw a number of innovative projects including New Initiatives in Film to advance opportunities for Indigenous and racialized minority women; and the B.C. and Yukon Studio where she expanded activities increase the profile of Indigenous filmmakers and people with disabilities.

In 2008, Rina co-founded Women in View, a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving gender and racial diversity on and off screen. With WIV, she authored five influential reports (with the sixth about to be released) tracking the employment of women in publicly-funded Canadian media. In 2015 Women in View launched Directing Change, a three-year initiative sponsored by the Status of Women Canada to shift the Canadian media landscape towards greater equity.

In 2018, Fraticelli left Women in View to take on the role of Director of The Socrates Project, McMaster University's ambitious new forum for artists, scholars and the wider community to come together to engage with the critical issues of our time.

Charlotte Hrenchuk
Whitehorse, Yukon

To come.

Hélène Lee-Gosselin
Ste. Pétronille, Québec

Hélène Lee-Gosselin is a full professor in the Faculty of Administrative Sciences and director of the Institut Femmes, Sociétés, Égalité et Équité at Laval University.  Prior to that, for over 10 years, she held the Claire-Bonenfant Chair ? Women, Knowledge and Societies. 

As a researcher involved in the community, she has conducted many studies in cooperation with the communities and organizations on equity and diversity in the workplace, pay equity, women's entrepreneurship, and women's place in decision-making bodies and academic institutions. She is committed to disseminating the results of those studies to practice settings in order to advance thought and action towards true equality and equity.

Hélène contributed to, among other things, the creation and monitoring of Quebec's Pay Equity Act; she was a member of the committee that, in 1996, consulted with unions, employers and community groups, and made recommendations regarding the content of this innovative legislation. Since then, she has contributed to the overseeing of its application by participating in the Committee of Partners to the Commission sur l'équité salariale.  She has also worked with various organizations, including Femmessor and the Table de concertation de la Capitale Nationale en Condition féminine.

She has been a member of the Comité scientifique du Réseau québécois en études féministes since it was first established; she is also a recognized champion of sex and gender issues in Canada's health research institutes; she uses her expertise to ensure that gender and sex aspects are adequately incorporated into applied research.

Alana Robert
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Alana is in her final year of studies at Osgoode Hall Law School where she focuses on advancing the rights of marginalized groups in Canada.

Alana founded Justice For Women in 2013, to combat gender-based violence on campus through designing educational programming and developing a policy that mandates this training for students across all faculties at the University of Manitoba. Alana has testified on this work to the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

In 2017, she interned with the UN International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague, where she worked on victim and witness protection.

As a National Network Leader for Equal Voice, Alana developed an electronic toolkit that offers strategies to address gender-based violence. In March 2018, Alana represented Equal Voice at the UN Commission on the Status of Women where she accompanied Minister Maryam Monsef to advocate for equitable access to resources for Indigenous women and girls from rural and remote communities.

As a Métis woman, Alana is passionate about eliminating violence against Indigenous women and girls, and has received the Helen Basset Commemorative Student Award from the Native Women's Association of Canada.

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SOURCE Status of Women Canada



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