International Women's Week Message from the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of State for Public Health
International Women's Week will be celebrated in Canada from Sunday, March 6 to Saturday, March
12, 2005 with the theme,"You Are Here: Women, Canada and the World." International Women's Day on
March 8 highlights the week.
The idea for International Women's Day began in the first part of the 20th Century as a way to draw
attention to the struggles of working women. In many countries, including Canada, March 8 has now
become a day to commemorate the past, to celebrate women's achievements and to reaffirm a commitment
to continued progress to improve women's rights around the world.
In the area of health, we have made important steps towards women's equality, we:
- created the Bureau of Women's Health and Gender Analysis in 1993. This allowed Health Canada to improve research and
policy for women's health.
- created the Women in Clinical
Trials Policy in 1996.
- developed the Women's Health Strategy, which identifies key areas for action to address the needs
and concerns of women.
- created the Women's Health Contribution
Program, to generate new knowledge and build women's
health research capacity. The Program funds the Centres of Excellence for Women's Health, the Canadian
Women's Health Network and Working Groups on Health Protection, and Health Care Reform.
- We developed the Gender-based Analysis
Policy, which helps to secure the best possible health
for the women and men, boys and girls of Canada by promoting legislation, policies and programs
that respond to sex and gender differences in health. Gender-based Analysis also requires a diversity
analysis.
- We created the
 CIHR Institute on Gender and
Health, which is researching how sex and gender interact
with health.
- We launched the Women's
Health Indicators project in 2002, which is developing indicators that
take gender and diversity into account, when reporting on health status and health outcomes.
- We issued the Women's
Health Surveillance Report in 2003, which provides information on determinants
of women's health.
- We are addressing the health needs of Aboriginal women and girls through such initiatives as
the Aboriginal
Women's Health Synthesis Report, establishment of the Aboriginal Women's Health
and Healing Research Group, and work towards a pan-Canadian action plan on the health of Aboriginal
women and girls.
We encourage you to join us in celebrating International Women's Week. For a listing of the special
events that are taking place, please visit the Status
of Women Canada's Web site for more information.s
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