Conclusion

Designing Our Future: Women's Education and Training in Canada, 2000 and Beyond created an important moment in Canadian women's history. It brought together a diversity of women from across Ontario and Canada; women who by no other means would be able to meet, discuss issues at length, learn from each other's experiences and expertise, give and receive personal support or have access to such a wealth of resources over such a short period. In both the on-line discussions and the face to face conference, CCLOW facilitated the networking, collaboration, support, learning, growth and inspiration of some of Canada's most active, experienced, knowledgeable and thoughtful women, and through this work identified numerous critical issues in women's learning, education and training, as well as a significant list of recommendations.

These women also took it into their hands to direct, in part, the future of the women's movement in Canada by mapping out the possibilities for a merger between two national feminist organizations. That this merger will not proceed does not indicate a failure of the process but rather a successful and careful consideration of all relevant questions. Though an important recommendation out of this conference is for groups to collaborate in order to maximize resources and expertise, such collaboration or consolidation cannot take place simply for its own sake, nor at the expense of critical issues and vision that have been the driving force of one or the other organization for the duration of its existence.

Two enormous successes of Designing Our Future are the identification of critical issues and the list of recommendations for further action. At minimum, these issues and recommendations indicate the significant amount of work still to be undertaken to achieve equality for women in learning and education. An important point worth highlighting here is the inadequacy of having educational and training systems tied principally to labour market participation. While successful, sufficient and meaningful employment is important for all citizens, including and especially women, education and learning are fundamental to fulfilled and active existence in all aspects of society, beyond employment. This is important to note with respect to the divergent mandates of NWRG and CCLOW and that conference discussion in this area weighed towards the need to distinguish between the two spheres. This is also particularly relevant for women whose participation in the labour market may be limited, such as older women, women with dependents and women with disabilities.

The motivation and scheme for this congress were drawn in part from CCLOW's founding congress in Banff, 1979. At that time, women from across the country gathered to identify important concerns for women's education and learning, and to devise a plan for a national organization that would address them. Twenty years later, much has been achieved. Important resources have been developed; issues previously not linked to education, such as violence and poverty, have begun to be addressed; policy makers in Canada have begun to acknowledge that women's equal access to education and learning means a great deal more than providing them with seats in a classroom; and women themselves have begun to demand educational experiences that are safe, empowering, relevant and useful.

But much work remains to be done. It is imperative that a co-ordinated, national body continue to advocate for equitable learning and education for women. Those who gathered in Toronto in March, 2000, were diverse, dedicated, concerned and committed to the advancement of women's equality in all its manifestations. Through their work and participation they have indeed begun to design the future for women's learning, education and training in this country, and have, in the identification of priority issues and recommendations, created a blueprint for progress.