Statement made on 07 October 2009 by Senator Catherine Callbeck
Hon. Catherine S. Callbeck:
Honourable senators, I want to pay tribute to the eightieth anniversary recipients of the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case. Every year, five adult awards and one youth award are presented to women who have made outstanding contributions to the goal of equality for women in Canada.
Daphne Dumont from Prince Edward Island was the first woman admitted to study law at any of the Oxford men's colleges. She has spent her career advancing equality in legal affairs, from founding the Legal Education and Action Fund, and serving on the National Task Force on Gender Equality in the Legal Profession.
Jeannette Corbiere Lavell of Ontario is a well-known advocate for Aboriginal women. She helped found the Ontario Native Women's Association, the Native Women's Association of Canada and Indigenous Women of the Americas.
Bev LeFrançois of Ontario has helped establish multiple community centres, women's centres, rape crisis centres and shelters for battered women. She is a founding member of a number of active women's organizations.
Karen Messing of Quebec has worked for more than 30 years to promote equality for women in the workforce. She wrote the World Health Organization's fact sheet and booklet on gender and occupational health, and is currently Chair of the Gender and Work Technical Committee of the International Ergonomics Association.
Mary Scott of Manitoba has harnessed the power of the Internet to help women communicate, network and share ideas with each other. She is an active member of the United Nations Platform for Action Committee Manitoba and a co-founder of the Manitoba chapter of the United Nations Development Fund for Women.
Pauline Fogarty of Ontario is this year's youth award recipient. She has been actively involved with the Regional Multicultural Youth Centre in Thunder Bay, volunteers for Canadian Mental Health Association and works for the St. Joseph's Health Centre.
As the Famous Five before them, these six women have dedicated their lives to ensuring equality for women everywhere. Honourable senators, please join me in congratulating them on this well-deserved honour.