[opirgyork] TOMORROW! DAY OF ACTION AGAINST DISCRIMINATORY BILL 94!!

[aruna at opirgyork.ca]

Will you allow your government to deny essential services to women based
on what they wear?

TAKE ACTION ON MAY 18th: SAY NO TO BILL 94!
SAY NO TO QUEBEC ’S ATTACK ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS!

Facebook event http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120883174607903&ref=ts

Take Action to stop Bill 94 from becoming law.

RALLY at the Bureau du Quebec at 20 Queen Street West on Tuesday
 May
18th 1:00 - 3:00
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=116633615040772&ref=ts

Press Conference 9:30 - 11:30 at Newcomer Women's Services Toronto (NEW)
745 Danforth Ave., Toronto ON. Contact Anita Khanna anita at cassa.on.ca
or 416-788-3439 for more information

Speak up! Write, email, phone, fax Quebec Premier Jean Charest, along
with Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities Yolande James,
Minister of Justice Kathleen Weil, and Minister of Culture,
Communications & the Status of Women Christine St-Pierre to voice your
concern regarding the discriminatory Bill 94. CC us at
nonbill94 at gmail.com along with your Member of
 Parliament,
 Member of the
Legislative Assembly, and Member of Provincial Parliament. Send a
message to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff, M.P.,
Liberal Leader. Contact information for the above can be found here:
http://nonbill94.wordpress.com/contacts-talking-points

Organize! Endorse the No Bill 94 Coalition’s statement found here
http://nonbill94.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/hello-world/. Circulate this
call to action widely to your networks. Have conversations with them
about your concerns about
 Bill 94 and refer
 them to articles on the
proposed legislation.

Get Creative! Host an action in your community, make a video, hold a
press conference, run a workshop, throw call-in parties, letter-writing
events & blogathons, to ensure that our voices are heard. Email us your
creations and actions at nonbill94 at gmail.com

Use Media! Use social media outlets. Make your profile pic to one found
here: http://nonbill94.wordpress.com/resources. Change your Facebook
status or tweet - “Will you allow your government to deny services like
emergency health care, education, legal assistance & day care to women
based on what they wear? TAKE ACTION on May 18! Say No to Bill 94!”

Post and re-post
 interesting
 articles talking about Bill 94 anywhere you
can – Facebook, Twitter, blogs, websites etc.

******************************************************

MORE ON BILL 94:

An Attack on Human Rights
This bill acts in direct conflict with the international covenant of
international human rights, the Quebec human rights code, the victim’s
bill of rights, and sections 2, 15, and 28 of the Canadian charter of
rights and freedoms. While supporters of the bill make arguments about
government’s role in protecting secularism and gender equality, this
bill actually denies Canadian Muslim women their rights to freedom of
religion, association and expression, while denying them access to
public service.

Gender Equality
Women’s rights and empowerment is directly linked to having proper
access to social services. Despite being touted as a step toward gender
equality, if approved, Bill 94 will
 actually work to further marginalize
women belonging to Muslim communities in Canada by legislating control
over their bodies, and limiting their access to essential public services.

I’m not from Quebec . This doesn’t affect me
Both the federal Conservative and Liberal parties have expressed support
for Bill 94, which raises the very real possibility of similar
legislation being proposed in other parts of Canada . As Canadians, we
should be concerned about legislation that limits an individual’s access
to education, employment, and social services solely based on race,
gender or religious practices.

***No Bill 94 Coalition is made up of concerned individuals,
organizations and grassroots movements that are demanding that the
proposed Quebec legislation, Bill 94, be withdrawn immediately.

The No Bill 94 Coalition is endorsed by: AQSAzine, Assaulted Women's and
Children's Counselor/Advocate
 Program at George Brown College, The
Centre for Women and Trans People University of Toronto, Ryerson
Students' Union, The Centre for Women and Trans People York University,
Coalition of concerned women of Kitchener Waterloo, The Council of
Agencies Serving South Asians, Frontline Partners with Youth Network,
The Miss G__ Project for Equity in Education, Metropolitan Action
Committee on Violence Against Women and Children, Metro Toronto Chinese
& Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, Muslim Students' Association, University
of Toronto, The Native Youth Sexual Health Network, Newcomer Women's
Services Toronto, Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group, Ontario
Women's Justice Network, Ontario Public Interest Research Group York,
Ontario Public Interest Research Group University of Toronto, Ontario
Public Interest Group Kingston, Quebec Public Interest
 Research Group
McGill, Quebec Public Interest Research Group Concordia, Parkdale
Community Legal Services, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario,
Springtide Resources, Urban Alliance on Race Relations, Toronto Women of
Colour Collective, Toronto Coalition to Stop the War, The Canadian Arab
Federation, York Federation of Students, University of Toronto Students’
Union
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