Fight for equality persists in Alberta on International Women's Day

Jan Reimer knows what it's like to be different.

She recalls headlines in the media like, "Can she be a mayor and a mother?" when she was running to be Edmonton's mayor in 1989.

Reimer won the election and became the city's first female mayor, a result many at the time didn't expect.

• Oct 17, 1989: Jan Reimer elected Edmonton's first female mayor

"I remember being on a plane one time, sitting next to somebody, and he says, 'Well, what do you do?' And I said, 'Well, I'm mayor of Edmonton'," Reimer said. "And he says, 'Yeah, and I'm Harrison Ford.' "

More than 25 years later,Reimer, now executive director of the Alberta Council of Women's Shelters, said society continues to scrutinizewomen in politics differently from their male counterparts.

"There was always, I think, a different lens through which women are viewed."

Wednesday is International Women's Day, a global United Nations event celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day is also a call to action for accelerating gender parity.

From high rates of domestic violence and sexual assault to the persistent practice of victim-blaming, Reimer was reluctant to commit to the idea that women have made great gains in society.

"When we see some of the horrible, misogynistic comments that are being made against female politicians, you sometimes wonder," she said.

That idea was highlighted this week when a member of the student group Wildrose on Campus Calgary, in an email to its membership promoting a film, referred to feminism as cancer.The group fired its communications director and cancelled the planned film screening at the University of Calgary.

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The negative message was quickly lambasted by Wildrose MLAs, including leader Brian Jean.

"The word feminism gets co-opted into meaning something that we really don't believe it means," suggested Alison Poste, co-organizer of the Women's March on Washington in Edmonton.

"Feminism is simply very simply the recognition that women and men are equal. Full stop."

Political commentator Dave Cournoyer also countered the Wildrose on Campus messaging on his blog and Facebook.

"To call something as basic as feminism as equality between men and women to call that a cancer is a pretty disgusting statement," Cournoyer said.

He said he's noticed an "unhealthy" reaction in the past two years to the fact Alberta has a female premier, Rachel Notley.

"Men play a huge role in terms of trying to encourage women, women they recognize and women they know who are interested in politics and support them," Cournoyer said.

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That's more of whatReimerwants to hear.

"It's important that men stand up and take a leadership role when it comes to advancing women's rights, not just playing lip service to it," she said. "It's not about men giving up power, it's about sharing power."

Reimer said she likes the UN's theme for this year's International Women's Day: "Be Bold for Change."

"I think people lose sight that if you make things better for women, you're making things better for the entire community."

Several local events are planned for Wednesday, including a program starting at 10 a.m. in the City Room at City Hall with Coun. Bev Esslinger and Stephanie McLean, Minister for theStatus of Women.