Minister's Message - International Women's Day

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

International Women's Day – held every year on March 8 as part of International Women's Week – provides an opportunity to reflect on progress in advancing women's equality, and to address the challenges still facing women today.

The Canadian theme for International Women's Week 2006 is "Beyond Laws: The Right to Be Me". In Canada, legal foundations such as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantee women and men equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities. However, equality cannot be addressed through legal avenues alone. Women's emotional, social and physical well-being is shaped by a number of determinants including their biology and social circumstances. For example, issues such as violence and poverty continue to have a significant impact on women's experiences of health. Health Canada is committed to exploring these broader determinants of health in order to help maintain and improve the health of the women and girls of Canada.

The Health portfolio has made important strides regarding women's health equality, for example, through the creation of Health Canada's Women's Health Strategy, which guides Health Canada's work and ensures that the needs of women are addressed in the Department's policy, program and legislative development. As we work towards a national cancer strategy and a patient wait times guarantee, I am committed to ensuring that women's particular issues, for example breast cancer, are addressed appropriately.

Although there is still work to be done to achieve full equality, voices of women are being heard throughout the world. International Women's Day provides an opportunity for us all to pay tribute to the achievements of women and to highlight their needs and concerns on national, regional and global agendas.

As Minister of Health, I encourage you to join me in celebrating International Women's Week to commemorate the gains of those extraordinary women from the past and present as well as the women in your own life.

Tony Clement
Minister of Health

For a listing of the special events that are taking place during International Women's Week, or for suggestions as to how you can mark this special event please visit  Status of Women Canada's web site for more information.