Just wanted to write a quick post about the EV reception held on October 19th at Hy's in Ottawa.
Tonight's reception was superb. Never have I been surrounded by so many important women and role models. Carolyn Bennett, Oni Joseph, Jennifer Hunter and so many more.
The event was well attended. The speeches made we graciously and cordial. We were informed that EV's "Talk Tough not Rough" campaign to have a day to "elevate debate in the House" went well. The debate in Question Period today was different than others in that it was respectful. This can be attributed to EV and the fact that EV brought a group a young girls to the public gallery!
Hooray for Women in Politics!
As promised, these are my thoughts on Belinda: The Political and Private Life of Belinda Stronach by Don Martin. I should note here at the beginning, before you read further that I am by no means an English student, book reviewer or writer. As I said in my description (on the right hand side of this page) I am simply a Canadian politics junkie and an avid reader. These are my thoughts, if you've read the book I encourage you to share yours.
"She is all about glamour, the glitz, the controversy, and yes, the sex appeal of Stronach’s dabbling in politics… Certainly, Stronach hasn’t done politics the Old Boys’ way and she has dared to be different.”--- Winnipeg Free Press
Daring to be different, ahhh what a great thing that this.
Hard at times but also wonderful.
Being a female politician is often viewed as different considering the average of women in the House of Commons compared to men. Yet here is a woman who not only got elected but ran for Leadership then crossed the floor.
Belinda Stronach's biography is entertaining and intelligent. It takes you into her life and the world of the rich and famous. You experience first hand the events and thought process behind her crossing the floor from the Conservative Party of Canada to the Liberal Party of Canada. An action that she was highly criticized for. Most will argue she was attacked more viciously than any man that has crossed the floor. The book describes her feelings toward the same sex marriage vote and being in caucus with Stephen Harper.
The book covers many aspects of Stronach changing parties including the role of Martha Hall-Findlay (who went to my high school in Meaford, how cool is that!?). Findlay had won the candidate nomination in that riding but stepped aside when Stronach crossed the floor. An honourable yet, I imagine, very difficulty thing to do. Findlay is now the MP for Willowdale and continues to be a strong female politician and activist.
After crossing the floor Stronach was called a dog by her ex-boyfriend Peter MacKay. This biography also has juicy details about their conversation the night before she switched parties and her reaction to MacKay's heartfelt media filmed response to her actions.
However, MacKay wasn't the only Tory to make comments about Stronach. Here is a FUN FACT: After the leadership race was over Belinda donated money to Tony Clement because he was in so much debt from campaigning against her and Stephen Harper. He then ungraciously, after accepting thousands of dollars, made rude comments about her switching parties. Wowzaaa.
Although Belinda Stronach may be scandalous, her biography is absolutely worthwhile. I would encourage anyone interested in the private aspect of our public servants to pick up a copy.
- Kaisha Thompson
Yo Internet. What's up? Mmm right, you can't respond. Oh well that gives me a chance to introduce myself and explain what this blog is. My name is Kaisha Thompson. I'm a 3rd year Political Science student at Carleton University and the Director of Social Media for CEVC. I work part time at Parliament Hill in Ottawa and have been working hard on the federal campaign in my home riding. I also happen to be an avid reader and a Canadian politics junkie. Which brings us to this blog. . .I will be using this space to write my thoughts on books that I read. Books about women in Canadian politics specifically. If you have recommendations, write to us on the Contact Us page. We will add your book to our list and hopefully I can read and write about it. And that's all folks, comment away. I'll post my first book review/comments soon. SPOILER ALERT: It's Belinda Stronach's biography
If you are interested in reading more about women's involvement in Canadian, here are a few of our suggestions. Have a book that you want to add? Just drop us a line.
1) Women, Politics, and Public Policy: The Political Struggles of Canadian Women
Jacquetta Newman and Linda White ISBN 10: 0-1954-1805-0
ISBN 13: 978-0-1954-1805-7
Oxford University Press, USA, 2006.
2) Women and Electoral Politics in Canada
Edited by: Manon Tremblay and Linda Trimble
ISBN 10: 0-1954-1744-5
ISBN 13: 978-0-1954-1744-9
Oxford University Press, USA, 2003.
3) Still Counting: Women in Politics Across Canada
Linda Trimble and Jane Arscott
ISBN 10: 1-5511-1374-0
Broadview Press, Peterborough, 2003.
4) Women and Political Representation in Canada
Edited by: Maron Tremblay and Caroline Andrew
ISBN 10: 0-7766-0451-1
University of Ottawa Press, Ottawa, 1998.
5) Canadian Women's Issues: Volume I: Strong Voices
Ruth Roach Pierson, Majorie Griffin Cohen, Paula Bourne, and Philinda Masters
ISBN 13: 978-1-5502-8415-7
James Lorimer & Company Ltd, Toronto, 1993.
6) Gender and Global Restructuring
Marianne Marchand and Anne Runyon
ISBN 10: 0-4152-2174-9
Routledge, London, 2000.
7) Gender Politics in Global Governance Mary K. Meyer and Elisabeth Prugl
ISBN 13: 978-0-8476-9161-6
(US: Rowman and Littlefield, 1999).
8) Federalism, Feminism and Multilevel Governance
Edited by: Melissa Haussman, Marian Sawer, Jill Vickers
ISBN 13:978-0-7546-7717-8
Ashgate, London, 2010.
9) Globalizing Women. Transnational Feminist Networks. Val Moghadam
ISBN 13: 978-0801880247
John Hopkins Press, Baltimore, 2005.
10) Women, Power, Politics: The Hidden Story of Canada’s Unfinished Democracy
Sylvia BashevkinISBN 10: 0195431707
ISBN 13:9780195431704
OUP Canada, 2009.
11) Representing Women in Parliament: A comparative Study (refer to Chapters 2 and 6)Edited by: Marian Sawer, Manon Tremblay, Linda Trimble
ISBN 13: 978-0-415-47952-3
Routledge, London, 2008.
12) Reinventing Canada: Politics of the 21st Century
Edited by: Janine Brodie and Linda Trimble
ISBN 13: 978-0130826343
Pearson Education Canada, Scarborough, 2003.
13) Women's movements and state feminism: integrating diversity into public policy(autrement connu: Les Mouvements de femmes et le feminisme d'état : integrer la diversite a l'elaboration des politiques gouvernementales)L. Pauline Rankin and Jill Vickers (Research assistance of Ann-Marie Field)
ISBN 10:0-662-65775-6
Status of Women Canada, Ottawa, 2001.
http://www.rwmc.uoguelph.ca/cms/documents/88/Rankin_1-68.pdf
14) Journal Article: “We Are All Equal Now: Contemporary Gender Politics in Canada”
Janine Brodie
Feminist Theory, 2008. 9:2 pp. 145-164.
15) Journal Article: “The Disciplinary Boundaries of Canadian Identity After September 11: Civilizational Identity, Multiculturalism, and the Challenge of Anti-Imperialist Feminism”.
Sedef Arat-Koc.
Social Justice, 2005. 32:4 pp. 32-49.
16) Canadian Politics: Critical Approaches (5th Edition) - Rand Dyck
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