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The faculties of arts on the UNB Fredericton and Saint John campuses will host a special virtual panel event on the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW) on Monday, Nov. 23.

The Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada was established in 1967 and issued its final report in 1970, which included 167 recommendations to reduce gender inequality in Canada.

“When the Royal Commission on the Status of Women tabled its report on Dec. 7, 1970, it set an ambitious agenda for the achievement of women’s rights for the next half century,” says Dr. Joanne Wright, dean of arts on the UNB Fredericton campus. “At the 50th anniversary of this historic undertaking, we reflect on what was accomplished, what was missed, and what remains to be done to advance women’s equality.”

“The RCSW is part of UNB’s history,” says Dr. Heidi MacDonald, dean of arts on the Saint John campus. “Many UNB faculty and students were engaged in the fight for women’s equality and attended the hearings of the commission held in Fredericton in the late 1960s. UNB law grad and juvenile court judge Doris Ogilvie was one of the original seven commissioners, and after the report was published, the Chair, Florence Bird visited UNB and gave a well-attended lecture.”

The panel event will feature four experts on women’s history and gender equality:

• Dr. Gillian Thompson, Professor Emerita of History, UNB Fredericton, Introduction: The RCSW in Fredericton
• Dr. Gail Campbell, Professor Emerita of History, UNB Fredericton, Interwave/ Inter-Generational Feminism and the RCSW
• Dr. Lisa Pasolli, Assistant Professor of History, Queen's University, Childcare and the RCSW
• Dr. Kate Bezanson, Associate Professor of Sociology and Associate Dean of Social Sciences, Brock University, Fulfilling the promise of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women: Childcare for Rebuilding, Recovery, and Renewal

The virtual panel will take place at 4 p.m. (AST) on Monday, Nov. 23. It is open to the UNB community and members of the public. To register for the event, contact Tabatha Armstrong at t.armstrong@unb.ca.

Photo credit: Dominion Wide Photographs Limited, Library and Archives Canada