EDITORIAL This is my final message as President since my term will end at our Annual Meeting on June 21. This has been an exciting, busy year for us as an organization, highlighted by activities at the national and provincial levels which increased both our visibility and our impact on policy makers. We have been able to make politicians and civil servants aware that we know and understand the issues, and that we have the knowledge and skills to provide expert input into the development and implementation of policies. We are recognized for our understanding of women's learning, our ability to practice what we preach, and moreover, to blend theory and practice meaningfully and joyfully, as demonstrated by our very successful national conference last August. Even though it has always been our role to point out the gaps in the provision of education and training, this year, for the first time, we were asked by government to provide this type of information. Such consultation requires a different kind of advocacy to that used when we attempt to convince government to change actions or redress grievances. The advantage of being in such a position is that we are informed of the intent of government and are then able to predict the impact on women. This is not to say that this form of advocacy is better than working from the outside in, just that it must be complementary. Since February, CCLOW has been involved in consultations with CEIC on the new Labour Market Strategy. Most of the six strategies will be in effect shortly, affording us the opportunity to measure the effectiveness of our advocacy work. There are a number of tactics we can use:
Let us continue to be visible and influential. Finally, the best of luck to Joan Brown-Hicks, our new President, and to the new members of the Board. Lisa Avedon |
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