EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN

I have previously written a couple of articles on extraordinary Canadian women. One - Elizabeth May, whom I met only through email originally and later in Waterloo. Another - Maude Barlow I met personally in Quebec City, Ottawa and Red Deer, Alberta. This article is about other Canadian women that I file in my web site as Canadian Crusaders.

I met Adrienne Carr in Toronto at a fund raising dinner recently. She impressed me more than I was prepared for. Ms. Carr is a 50 year old woman who has taken control of the Green Party movement in British Columbia. The party had never achieved a vote in excess of 2% before Ms Carr became involved. She spearheaded the development and printing of a Green policy book which outlined the full scope of their policies. The Greens would no longer be called a one issue party.

She was determined to allow only quality candidates to run for office. There would be no "Full Slate" of candidates unless they were up to her standards and understood and believed in the policies.

With 2% of the budget of the other Parties she got 13% of the BC vote for the Green Party.

There are several more crusader quality women that I've met locally at the Council of Canadians. These women are as young as 18 and as old as 86. They all have one thing in common - they love their country and they believe that we are throwing it away to the control of trans-national corporations.

Interestingly, these women all have diverse interest affiliations but similar concerns. Environmentalists, Labour members and organizers, Green Party members, proponents of Proportional Representative government, and people just plain concerned about our future.

This past spring I spent a day in Quebec City protesting the FTTA. This past weekend, my wife and daughter, with her husband and I, went to protest again in Ottawa. Maude Barlow led our way in Quebec City. She became aware that marching peacefully and handing out pamphlets does not get media attention and chose to take a new route. The coordinators for our marches were mostly women. Armed with nothing but their walkie-talkies they led the way up and down the narrow streets of Lower Quebec City and again in Ottawa this past weekend.

First I followed Barb D. to Quebec. Then eighty-two year old Alison was the one who showed me the tenacity to become involved and to speak out. She did not try to convince anyone, including me, with her words - she convinced me with her determination. She clicked her way up the streets from the lower town to the upper town on two canes. She was tear gassed for her efforts and went back for more.

In Quebec, Barb D. of Cambridge wanted to see what was happening at the front and to get pictures. Her husband, Dale, and I, followed her through the cordite and gas haze and masses of people to the Wall of Shame. The line of policemen were there in an impregnable line - dressed like Darth Vaders. They appeared to say "here and no further folks". We gave peace symbols with our upraised hands.

I've spend my afternoon with Judy Greenwood-Spears in her campaigning efforts in Waterloo. I've done the same for Kathleen Morton here in Cambridge when she ran for the Green Party. I was asked to give the Remembrance day address at Forest Heights Collegiate by a female teacher. I said no. Another female teacher phoned me. I said no. The next day, I got a call from a female grade 10 student. I said yes finally, and am proud to have done it, even though I was shaking in my boots.

Just recently, a woman from Ottawa volunteered to design and upgrade my web pages. She is willing to sacrifice her income to help with any effort that will benefit the planet - just like every other woman I have mentioned here.

As I pondered this article I realized that I had been following women into confrontations and campaigns for some time now. I concluded that perhaps my father was right. He had often said "the hand that rocks the cradle will rock the world - mark my words."

Have a nice day.