Change will happen when women get involved

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A four-day workshop at Simon Fraser University's downtown Harbour Centre, held Jan. 25, helped women with an interest in politics to learn the tricks of the trade.

Chief Sophie Pierre of the St. Mary's First Nation, B.C. was the keynote speaker at the opening reception. Viola Thomas, the first woman elected president of the United Native Nations, British Columbia, was among the list of scheduled presenters.

It's the third year for the Women's Campaign School, only the second non-partisan school of its kind in North America. Charlene Brisson, the president of the Canadian Women Voters Congress (the group that operates the school in partnership with the university) attended the non-partisan school at Yale University four years ago. She returned to Canada on a mission to give Canadian women the chance to improve their participation rate in politics.

Joanne Silver, the school chair, said women are still not fully participating in the various political processes across the country.

"Women are 52 per cent of the population and, I haven't got the stats from the last election, but prior to that, 21 per cent of all federal, provincial and municipal politics were women. And, as Viola [Thomas] pointed out to me, the First Nations women have an even bigger place to go," Silver said. "When the gender balance is there it will change the shape of politics."

Silver said the school is actively encouraging First Nations women to get involved for the first time this year.

"We address provincial, municipal and federal, but the part that was missing was the First Nations," she said. "So we talked to some women and invited them in and got our eyes opened. First Nations government is another segment of government in this land that is a player. So when these women come to the campaign school they're from all parties, from Reform to NDP. They're learning the same skills. They're creating a dialogue, so when they're elected they know each other. That, in addition to all of the skills."

Aboriginal women who attended the school found they could learn lessons from those with experience in mainstream politics that they can apply in First Nation politics.

"It's about mainstream politics but some of the same issues that women face in mainstream politics are faced by women trying to be elected within First Nations' governments," Silver explained.

Women believe they can change the face of established political processes by removing some of the confrontational attitudes, something Silver sees as a male approach.

"As we move forward in this century with land claims and self government, women who have networked together in learning campaign skills will be sitting across the table from each other doing land claims and doing respectful government - our government, your government. My vision is, by bringing First Nations government into our curriculum, the basis will be laid there for non-confrontational discussions as we go forward," Silver said.

"It's about changing the game. At our opening, the very first school, [Senator] Pat Carney spoke. One of the things she said is that when the percentage of women, which I didn't know, but when the percentage of women within a room at a meeting gets to be over 36 per cent, gender stops being an issue," she said.

"Even though there's that conflict that happens in the House, outside of the House, on committees, on boards, on working groups, women across parties just got together and got things done," she said.Campaign school adds Aboriginal component