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In this Edition:
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THANK YOU to all who enjoy the benefits and privileges of being a CFUW member of book groups, hiking groups, lunch or supper groups, social bridge or singing groups in your Clubs! Pure enjoyment and volunteer effort shared among members and potential members affirm what we do and who we are. Money raised by Clubs in unique fundraising drives for scholarships and bursaries at universities, colleges and secondary schools are precious resources that launch the next generation of women into professions that will transform the world. And isn’t that our mission? By paying your annual dues, your support becomes invaluable. With your membership, you support Advocacy in your community - outreach projects to shelters, feminine hygiene donations or food banks. And so many other programs/projects that make a difference in our communities both near and far-reaching. Brava! |
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Information re: upcoming CFUW Advocacy Grant 2025-26 |
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An opportunity to become involved with projects on long and/or short-term projects! |
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Guests are Welcome at all Standing Committees or Sub Committees. If you want to ‘drop in’ to find out what the committees are thinking about and planning, just check the Calendar of Events on cfuw.org, contact the committee chair and get the zoom link to the next meeting or contact:
for more details on Canadian and/or International Education and Advocacy. |
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Fall Advocacy Package |
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Our July AGM produced seven new resolutions:
The Fall Advocacy Package will be released by October 1, with Template Letters for you to address whichever Resolution you wish to pursue. When you write a letter to a local decision maker, please copy the National Office at advocacy@cfuw-fcfdu.ca |
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16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence |
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A comprehensive package of terms to know, actions to take and resources on GBV will be provided to all Clubs, around October 31st. Take photos of any activities you host during those 16 Days - marches, vigils, etc. and please share them with the National Office at advocacy@cfuw-fcfdu.ca |
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International Women’s Day Film Access |
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A Film from Ciné-Action or the NFB will be reserved for CFUW Club use by reservation for the two weeks surrounding March 8, 2026.
If you wish to build an event around a public or member only showing of this film, please let the National Office know at your earliest convenience. The film we booked last year “sold out” its seating capacity, so we’d like to know in advance to anticipate interest and book accordingly.
Contact Camila Taipe at advocacy@cfuw-fcfdu.ca for more information. |
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Do CFUW Resolutions make a Difference? Yes, CFUW has influenced 125 policy, laws and legislation over our 105 years. INPUT or IMPACT on legislation means these resolutions had CFUW advocating for a change in government policy, an implementation of government policy or to have government study an issue.
ATTRIBUTED LAW CHANGES means these resolutions had CFUW advocating for a new law or a change in the current law. |
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TOPICS RANGE FROM:
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TOPICS RANGE FROM:
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CFUW’S ADVOCACY WORK IS NOT DONE
With every year, new resolutions invite CFUW members to make a difference, as proposers, amenders and advocates.
Thank you for stepping up and helping Canada’s decision makers make smarter decisions for women and girls. |
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What does Advocacy Mean? |
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Advocacy is responsible for many things we now take for granted such as universal Medicare in Canada, women's voting rights, matrimonial property rights and paid maternity leave.
In the context of CFUW, Advocacy means:
Advocacy is a core function of CFUW and is at the heart of the mission and vision of CFUW. |
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Advocacy’s Priorities |
Advocacy is organized under three Clusters |
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Education: SDG 4 - Quality Education. Education is an all-encompassing Cluster for local, regional, national and international advocacy activities and comes in advance of any advocacy action. We cannot act until we raise our own awareness and understand the issue. This cluster includes lifelong learning and member education. Goals include Increasing organizational and members’ knowledge about issues related to advocacy priorities - our adopted resolutions; increasing access to issue-related research; providing opportunities for learning from experts, and each other. Among its priorities are Diversity, Equity inclusion, Indigenous Reconciliation Support and Artificial Intelligence and Digital Education. Equity and Social Justice: SDGs 1- No Poverty; 5 - Gender Equality; 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth; 10 - Reduced Inequalities. This cluster includes both national and international advocacy concerns, such as gender-based violence in all its forms, gender equality, poverty, homelessness and basic income; Goals include identifying and connecting with allies who can contribute to equity/equality and social justice in these areas. This cluster empowers VPs regionally to work at provincial level to identify and connect with allies to make a difference in these areas. At national and international levels, we work with coalitions to reduce violence against women, to reduce poverty in communities, to achieve gender equity and to improve the health and housing of families, especially women and children. Safe and Healthy Communities SDGs 13 - Climate Action; 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. Again, this cluster includes both national and international advocacy concerns. Ageing in place, older persons’ rights, long term care come under the National Study Group who are working toward ensuring funding for community care; supporting aging in place; a senior’s advocate in each province and a declaration of older persons’ rights for Canada. There is another Study Group working to make Canada’s Public Healthcare system more effective. The Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee promote: a green economy; anti-pollution policy; policy reducing plastics, and: takes a stand on the equitable phase out of fossil fuels. |
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Hello CFUW! My name is Camila Taipe, and I am so excited to start my role here as the new National Advocacy and Policy Specialist. Before joining CFUW, I worked for four years at Women and Gender Equality Canada in Program Policy and Strategic Policy. I have a Master's in Public Administration with a specialization in Gender and Feminist Studies from the University of Ottawa, and a BA (Hons) in International Relations and Gender and Women's Studies from York University. I have always been very interested in and passionate about the intersection of gender equality and public policy, and I feel fortunate to continue working in this field.
I have experience in researching a variety of topics relating to public policy, in both academic and professional settings, including Menstrual Equity, Mental Health, Indigenous Child Welfare and Self-Governance, the Pink Tax, Polarization, Women in STEM, and Labour Policy in Ontario.
I am looking forward to connecting with everyone and working together to continue the vital advocacy work that CFUW does so well.
As the National Advocacy and Policy Specialist, I have a few areas of focus for my day-to-day tasks, and some larger projects that accompany CFUW's annual activities. I am tasked with following the news about politics and emerging issues relating to CFUW's national priorities. This includes monitoring newsletters and social media for news about partners' campaigns and advocacy work. I will also be tracking relevant bills and parliamentary committee work and identifying opportunities to participate in consultations and submit briefs to House and Senate Committees to ensure that CFUW's policy perspectives are voiced and heard. Some of the larger tasks I will be working on include the Fall Advocacy Package, 16 Days of Activism, UNCSW, and Resolutions.
As some of you have already seen on the CFUW website, writing and sending letters is an essential component of the NAPS position. I will be preparing letters for National President Linda Sestock to send on behalf of CFUW on topics of national importance to our organization. So far, I have written about the proposed cuts to Women and Gender Equality and about the proposed National Pharmacare Agreements.
I look forward to working with your clubs and councils over the next few months as I learn more about CFUW, their wide-ranging advocacy work, and our influence. |
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How to Join Study Groups |
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It’s Simple! Just contact either Audrey Hobbs-Johnson or Heather Oxman and tell them you are interested.
Audrey organizes the Long-Term Care/Older Person’s Rights National Study Group. Reach her at vpeducation@cfuw.ca
Heather organizes the Saving Canada’s Public Healthcare System National Study Group. Reach her at vpadvocacy@cfuw.ca
Even if you just want to ‘drop in, listen and find out what the Study Group is doing, we welcome your attendance. Study Groups meet every other month - beginning in October.
Dates for the meetings can be found in the Event Calendar on cfuw.org |
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How to Start a National Study Group |
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There are lots of possibilities for topics to explore on a nation-wide scale… with club members who share your passion for the same issue.
A National Study Group can have a long or short life. They can be large or small. It is usually devoted to discussion, research and learning more about a particular topic/issue and then coming to some action/conclusion. Some issues discussed in the past have included:
Some of the Study Group’s work became resolutions for consideration by the membership. Several research reports were written based on work done by Study Groups, notably, Women in Universities (1992, 2018) and Sexual Violence and Harassment Policies in Post-Secondary Institutions in Canada (2019). Additionally, two Study Groups evolved into formal subcommittees of board members for Education and Advocacy.
If you are interested in exploring initiating a National Study Group on a topic, please connect with VP Education and VP Advocacy to talk about it and get started. We are happy to help. |
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Coming Attractions: |
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All event dates/meetings are on the Events Calendar on cfuw.org with contact names for links to those events.
Remember, you can join a meeting as a guest at any time. Find out what it’s like to be part of a committee, take part in discussions and bring issues to the table. Explore now for next year - you could become a board member or committee member in the next biennium.
Watch for these events: Committee meetings usually happen on these days of the month:
October - Women’s History Month Fall Advocacy Package Release International Service Project 2025-27 Presentation: October 1 National Webinar on Financial Literacy and Marginalized Women: October 8 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence Package Release: before end of October Resolution Intents due: October 23
November Webinar series #1 Collective Impact for Gender Based Violence - Nov 13 International Alliance of Women Triennial - Virtual - Nov 22-24 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence -Nov 25- Dec 10 Membership Grant Application due - November 19 Advocacy Project Grant Application due - November 30
January Webinar series #2 Collective Impact for Gender Based Violence - Jan 15
February - Black History Month Heart Health National Webinar - February 11 Webinar series #3 Collective Impact for Gender Based Violence - Feb 19
March CSW - March 9-20 Post CSW Drop-in to hear about CSW Experiences of delegates March 31
April Earth Day - April 22 Applications for Board and Committee positions - Biennium 2026-28
May - Asian History Month Elder Action Day - National Public Webinar - May 1
June - National Indigenous Month
July AGM in Montreal - July 20-24 |
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Information re: upcoming CFUW Advocacy Grant 2025-26 |
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