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National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC)

Type:

Canada-based Women’s Advocacy Non-Profit
Formation:

1971
Founder:

Laura Sabia
President:

Dolly Williams

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National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC) was Canada’s first and largest national women’s organization and operated from 1971 to 2007. 1 It originally focused on lobbying in support of the recommendations generated by the Canadian Royal Commission on the Status of Women, then expanded into advocacy for women’s voter participation. The Canadian government decreased its funding throughout the 1990s and NAC disbanded in 2007. 2

History

In 1966, the president of the Canadian Federation of University Women, Laura Sabia, formed the Committee for the Equality of Women in Canada, a coalition of about 30 women’s organizations, to lobby the Prime Minister for a royal commission to study women’s issues. In 1967, then Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson formed the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada. The resulting report was completed in 1970 with a total of 167 recommendations on women’s issues, including day care, birth control, maternity leave, family law reform, education, and pensions. 3

In 1971, the members of the Committee for the Equality of Women in Canada met and agreed to form the National Action Committee on the Status of Women, focused on lobbying the government to act on the recommendations of the Royal Commission Report. Its first conference called Strategies for Change took place in April 1972. 4

NAC began with 30 member groups. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s it continued to grow and was the main feminist organization lobbying the Canadian government. 5 By 1996 there were over 600 member groups made up of larger national women’s organizations; unions; YWCAs; and professional women’s groups; women’s service organizations such as rape crisis centers, women’s shelters, and immigrant and disabled women’s centers; and politically oriented feminist groups and women’s caucuses. 6

The NAC received most of its funding from government grants. In 1989, its government funding was cut in half. 7 Throughout the 1990s, the government gradually reduced its funding. By the early 2000s, the NAC was in debt and suspended its activities. 8 It claimed that the Canadian government wanted to “kill the group.” In 2005, Status of Women Canada, which was the federal government department tasked with working to advance women’s equality, 9 granted NAC $150,000 to restart and restructure. It was leveraging members’ dues, private donations, project grants, and fundraising events for funding. The group dissolved in 2007. 10

Focus Areas

The National Action Committee on the Status of Women set its priorities at the annual general meeting, initially focused on the recommendations of the Royal Commission Report. The Report’s 167 recommendations were focused on eight categories, including women in the economy, education, women in the family, taxation and childcare allowances, poverty, participation of women in public life, immigration and citizenship, and criminal law and women offenders and were meant to increase women’s independence and equal status to men. 11

The NAC lobbied to ban discrimination by reason of sex, marital or family status, pregnancy, or sexual orientation and in support of government funding for birth control education and access to abortions. 12

NAC expanded its focus to include issues such as violence against women and racism as well as global women’s equality. 13

Political Policies

Since the National Action Committee on the Status of Women was funded primarily by the Canadian federal government, it tended to avoid partisan politics. It focused on activism and lobbying to impact public policy. 14

NAC was at its strongest in 1982 when it successfully lobbied for gender equality in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Canadian Constitution. In 1984, it organized a nationally televised debate between party candidates on women’s issues during the federal election campaign. 15

The organization became more involved in federal elections, encouraging women to vote, and in consulting with the federal government on women’s issues. Issues addressed included abortion, issues related to Canada’s First Nations, affirmative action, sexual orientation, refugees, unemployment insurance, and pensions. 16

Presidents

There were 16 National Action Committee on the Status of Women presidents from 1971 to 2007. Laura Sabia was NAC’s founder and first president from 1971 to 1974. 17 Sabia was a feminist social activist in the 1960s. Before becoming NAC’s first president, she was president of the Canadian Federation of University Women. She was a city councilor in St. Catharines, Ontario from 1963 to 1968, and ran in two federal elections as a Progressive Conservative Party candidate. 18

Dolly Williams was NAC’s last elected president in 2006. 19 Williams is a member of the Congress of Black Women of Canada and a board member of the Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia. 20

References

  1. Cheryl Collier. Not Quite the Death of Organized Feminism in Canada: Understanding the Demise of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Canadian Political Science Review Vol 8, No. 2, 2014. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://ojs.unbc.ca/index.php/cpsr/article/view/383/544
  2. Doris Anderson, Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Published February 7, 2006. Last Edited February 22, 2017. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women
  3. Doris Anderson, Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Published February 7, 2006. Last Edited February 22, 2017. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women
  4. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC).” Rise Up! A digital archive of feminist activism. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://riseupfeministarchive.ca/activism/organizations/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women-nac/
  5. Doris Anderson, Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Published February 7, 2006. Last Edited February 22, 2017. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women
  6. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC).” Rise Up! A digital archive of feminist activism. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://riseupfeministarchive.ca/activism/organizations/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women-nac/
  7. Cheryl Collier. Not Quite the Death of Organized Feminism in Canada: Understanding the Demise of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Canadian Political Science Review Vol 8, No. 2, 2014. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://ojs.unbc.ca/index.php/cpsr/article/view/383/544
  8. Doris Anderson, Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Published February 7, 2006. Last Edited February 22, 2017. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women
  9. Leah Hendry. “Women’s group fumbles funding applications.” Capitalnews Online. May 12, 2001. Captured by WayBackMachine. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20010512005144/http://www.carleton.ca/Capital_News/04121998/f5.htm
  10. Doris Anderson, Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Published February 7, 2006. Last Edited February 22, 2017. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women
  11. “Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada.” Women and Gender Equality Canada. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://women-gender-equality.canada.ca/en/commemorations-celebrations/royal-commission-status-women-canada.html
  12. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC).” Rise Up! A digital archive of feminist activism. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://riseupfeministarchive.ca/activism/organizations/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women-nac/
  13. Gillian Dunks. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women.” UBC AtoM. Created in February 2017. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://rbscarchives.library.ubc.ca/national-action-committee-on-status-of-women
  14. Doris Anderson, Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Published February 7, 2006. Last Edited February 22, 2017. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women
  15. Cheryl Collier. Not Quite the Death of Organized Feminism in Canada: Understanding the Demise of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Canadian Political Science Review Vol 8, No. 2, 2014. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://ojs.unbc.ca/index.php/cpsr/article/view/383/544
  16. Anne Molgat with additions by Joan Grant Cummings. “ “An action that will not be allowed to subside.” NACs first twently-five years.” Herstory. Captured by WayBackMachine.  Accessed March 6, 2024. http://www.nac-cca.ca/about/his_e.htm
  17. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC).” Rise Up! A digital archive of feminist activism. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://riseupfeministarchive.ca/activism/organizations/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women-nac/
  18. “Laura Sabia.” Women and Gender Equality Canada – Commemorations. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://women-gender-equality.canada.ca/en/commemorations-celebrations/women-impact/politics/laura-sabia.html
  19. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women (NAC).” Rise Up! A digital archive of feminist activism. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://riseupfeministarchive.ca/activism/organizations/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women-nac/
  20. Doris Anderson, Maude-Emmanuelle Lambert. “National Action Committee on the Status of Women.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Published February 7, 2006. Last Edited February 22, 2017. Accessed March 6, 2024. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-action-committee-on-the-status-of-women
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