President's Message

The Council of Education Ministers recently held a national conference to look at issues and trends confronting post-secondary education in Canada. This conference was a first in Canada. There were 400 invited participants from a cross-section of institutions, government, teachers, administrators, students, business people and interest groups, such as CCLOW and CAAE.

CCLOW prepared a background paper in preparation for this conference called "An Overview of Women Students in the Post-Secondary System in Canada". This paper is available from the national office.

After much lobbying at the provincial level, CCLOW was asked to react to the panel that addressed the issue of Access to Post-secondary Education. We were very pleased to be asked, not only because we were from a community organization, but also because we represented women's perspective. As you can imagine, there were very few women present at the conference.

In our response to the Access panel we reaffirmed that "equal access to education, training and employment is a right to which women are entitled". We charged the post-secondary institutions with the responsibility for re-training women effected by technology. "We believe it is incumbent upon all policy and decision makers to be accountable for and responsible for women's equal participation in all areas of post-secondary education".

We told the conference that "in order to access new training, women will need a variety of special measures including equal opportunity legislation".

I believe that we are in a situation that requires some very urgent measures. The gap between people with training and those without is getting wider. Women must not be caught in this gap disproportionately.

On a more pleasant note, CCLOW has been asked to represent Canadian women at an International Exchange program at the National Women's Education Centre in Japan. The seminar will hear reports from six countries on "Women's Participation in the Decision-Making Process in My Country". I am very honored to be able to present to women from other countries how Canadian women fought for and won equality in our Charter of Rights. We have much to be proud of..

Sincerely,

Lenore Rogers