V-Day

This entry is dedicated to two new little unborn souls. May they grow gracefully in a world that values human beings equally.

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I recently watched the CBC series “The Greatest Canadian”. You may recall how these short documentaries on some of Canada’s Most Fabulous gripped the nerds of the nation back in the autumn of 2004. From Trudeau to Suzuki, Fredrick Banting to Terry Fox, I was humbled and inspired (and even got a little teary-eyed) by some of the “greatness” that has come from Canada.

But something was missing for me.

In the series, we had a minor amount of diversity in terms of religion, ethnicity and physical ability. We saw leadership from political, athletic, environmental and medical perspectives. But missing from the Top 10 Greatest Canadians were women.

Despite Canadian’s inability to recognize fabulous females, Canada has a history of innovative female leadership. If you have any doubts, I’ll name a few examples:

Geneticist Carrie Derick (1862-1941) fought against discrimination throughout her career, to become the first female professor in Canada, right here in Montreal.

Artist Emily Carr (1871-1945) made a monumental contribution to Canadian art through her paintings and literary works, while her appreciation for nature was unfashionable in a time of increasing industrialization. She was a woman ahead of her time.


Indigenous leader Mary John (1913-2004) of northern B.C. was a social activist and role model of integrity, strength and gentleness. She survived residential schooling to create aboriginal community programs, which aided in the preservation of Carrier language and culture.

The list could go on: Sandra Schmirler, Margaret Atwood, Andrienne Clarkson and Laura Secord have all made monumental contributions to our nation. Yet, as Canadians, we failed to recognize this when we placed our votes two years ago. Instead we voted Don Cherry into the Top 10, and consequently administered a metaphorical slap across the face to every female in this nation.

Many people will rationalize this by saying the lack of female representation was simply a reflection of the past, and these days we don’t have the same imbalances.

But really, how far have we evolved?


Gender inequity is evident in our current cultural and political systems. Music videos, the sonnets of our time, continue to objectify and exploit women. The recent wave of shows like Deal or No Deal and Show Me the Money (now thankfully extinct) are proof of equality de-evolution with women used as “sexy backdrops.” In advertising, soaps, sprays and other “feminine hygiene” products are continually marketed under the notion that a vagina is dirty and smelly. In Canadian political leadership, we still don’t have a balance of gender in Parliament or Senate.

Furthermore, the marginalized realities of transgendered individuals are symptoms of a gender dichotomy that is inflexible, a product of a patriarchic system that still exists. For some reason it continues to be an insult to refer to a male as feminine, thus implying that it is somehow substandard to be female. We still need to work to swing the pendulum back to the center.

Many may wonder how, as a male, I have an interest or even a right to vocalize my thoughts on these matters. To this, I reply with a quote from second-wave feminist Betty Friedan: “Man is not the enemy here, but the fellow victim."

As such, I am robbed by the lack of female representation in government, and wonder how international conflict and climate change would be different if women had equal access to leadership. I am sorrowed by nonsensical vulnerabilities to HIV, sexual abuse, and poverty that females experience disproportionately. And finally, I care because I am a brother, son and friend. When my loved ones are marginalized by a system that limits opportunity and development, I hurt with them.

Gender inequity leaves us all at a disadvantage.

So this V-day (February 14th), many of us will buy chocolates and flowers and pink heart-shaped Hallmark cards for our sweethearts. But what about thinking outside prescribed Valentine notions? What about taking the “flower-fund” and giving it to a local women’s shelter or gender advocacy center? Or getting tickets to a local production of Eve Ensler’s famous play “The Vagina Monologues”? Celebrate by recognizing that V-day goes beyond vaginas, and honour the contributions and leadership that women have given.

Canada, let’s learn from our failure to see greatness in its many forms. In the end, “The Greatest Canadians” will be those who fight for the rights, equalities and dignities of all.






V-day is a global movement to stop violence against girls and women. For more information visit: vday.org.