The Backlash! - August 1996
Organization News - MenCan
Headquarters: 117 Carruthers Ave, Ottawa K1S 5Y4
National: (613) 729-1106
News from MenCan
The office of Canada's first nationally chartered men's organization will be open
each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
MenCan is seeking to make a presentation to the Canadian
Finance Committee on the forthcoming tax increase on separated families. We
have also asked the Justice Committee for permission to make a presentation about
the proposed amendments to the divorce act and other acts on the Federal
Government's initiatives on child support and enforcement. This presentation will
be done in association with the National Alliance for the Advancement of Non-
Custodial Parents. (NAANCP). Part of our position on the initiative was picked up
by Canadian Press and reported across Canada.
MenCan is working with Men's Health Network of Canada on a series of
brochures on men's health concerns. These will be made available on the Internet.
We are seeking volunteers for a variety of tasks. We have established links with
men's organizations in other countries, such as the U.S., England, and Australia.
We need people to expand these links so we can learn from their experience and
they from ours. Since we are gathering research and data on men's issues, w e need
guys who can help us organize our files and information, particularly those with
computer skills. We are trying to organize a cross Canada Internet Phone chat to
build co-operation among groups in other provinces. Another project is a Men's
Radio station. We are looking into creating a radio station devoted to men's
issues, folk music and politically incorrect concerns. We hope to broadcast both
low power locally and through the Internet.
Our main aim is to act as a secretariat to help men's groups across Canada get in
touch with each other, inform each other on issues and present these view to the
federal government.
MenCan is dedicated to producing books as tools to help men understand
themselves and society from a male perspective, without engaging in unproductive
woman bashing or blame. In fact we have a woman on our Board and seek women
who want to work with men as full partners to tackle the problems of gender
warfare and victim sexism.
One problem is to find our own "voice" and not simply reverse or mimic the
"feminist voice" which might find us trapped in the same psychology. Another
problem is to reach men not normally open to these issues:
- young men, immigrants, disabled men and those silenced by threats from the
legal, state, or employment authorities.
- The federal government has a new policy requiring all new policies and
legislation to be subject to "gender-based analysis." This means, apparently,
'consultation with women and men" and "impact on relations between men and
women" and well as the impact on women's equality. This has the potential, if the
government follows it, to make government departments consult with men's
organizations equally as they have done in the past only with women's
organizations.
- We will be tackling issues such as men and violence, men and disabilities,
men's parenting, men's health, gender reconciliation and boys and education.
This is a long term project: the problems at too big and too well-entrenched for
easy solutions. We receive no state funding: we must be self-sufficient. Volunteers
must expect hard work, no pay, and hostility from government and traditional
media. The size of the task is a measure of the man.
Child Support
Responses to regulations on Child support guidelines and enforcement required by
October 15th, 1996.
You can send us your comments by E-mail or send them directly to Child Support
Initiative, Room 757, Department of Justice, 239 Wellington, Ottawa K1A 0H8
How to Get a Copy: call 1-800-343-8282 and request the Information Paper "A
Working Draft of the Federal Child Support Guidelines" (contains the tables for
support amounts by income for each of the provinces and territories) and "The
Fact Sheet New Child Support Strategy."
Men's Health Network of Canada
We held the first press conference on Parliament Hill devoted to men's issues on
June 13, 1996 in the Centre Block on the issues of men's health and longevity. It
was broadcast through the parliamentary channel to all MPs and Senators. We
have developed a consulting council of medical professionals and are open to more
volunteers. We work with groups from England, US and Australia who are
concerned about men's health. We sent letters to all MPs, Senators and to cabinet
members (personalized) asking for a national study of men's health and
appointment of at least one person at the federal level responsible for men's health.
We sent all MPs, and senators a copy of Jeffrey Asher's analysis of higher Suicide
in Men. We are building a library of material on men's health and working with
existing organizations.
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