The Honourable Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Honourable Lisa Dempster, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, hosted the inaugural meeting of the Premier’s Roundtable on Gender Equity today (Tuesday, December 15).

This virtual meeting was an important step to address barriers to gender equity, map priorities, and collectively deal with those barriers.

The Premier’s Roundtable on Gender Equity is outcome focused, multi-departmental and composed of key Indigenous leaders, opposition parties, community stakeholders and advocates, and those with lived experience. Information on the organizations represented on the roundtable and its members can be found in the backgrounder below.

The Premier’s Roundtable on Gender Equity will meet again early in the New Year.

Quotes
“The changes we look to make in terms of gender equity for all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians will be transformational, and they are long overdue. I am pleased to have such an interesting and diverse group of passionate, knowledgeable and forward-thinking individuals be part of this roundtable where we can openly discuss the complex issues and develop solutions.”
Honourable Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

“The work we undertake at the Premier’s Roundtable on Gender Equity will be comprehensive. We will look at concrete solutions to issues that impact people’s lives every day, and begin the process of change.”
Honourable Lisa Dempster
Minister Responsible for the Status of Women

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Media Contacts

Meghan McCabe
Office of the Premier
709-729-3960
meghanmccabe@gov.nl.ca

Nancy Hollett
Office for the Status of Women
709-729-4932, 725-6078
nancyhollett@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER

Information on the Premier’s Roundtable on Gender Equity

Nunatsiavut Government
Nunatsiavut Government was established by the Labrador Inuit Land Claims Agreement, and represents the interests and treaty rights of the Labrador Inuit, most of whom reside in one of the five Inuit Communities of Nain, Hopedale, Postville, Makkovik and Rigolet. The Nunatsiavut Government has authority over many governance areas including health, education, culture and language, justice, and community matters.

Innu Nation
Innu Nation represents the Innu of Labrador for the purpose of negotiating a land claim with the Federal and Provincial Governments. The Labrador Innu primarily live on the two federal reserves of Sheshatshiu (Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation) and Natuashish (Mushuau Innu First Nation).

NunatuKavut Community Council
NunatuKavut Community Council is the representative governing body for members residing in Southern and Central Labrador. The NunatuKavut Community Council has filed a claim with the Federal Government asserting Aboriginal and treaty rights and identifying as the Southern Inuit of NunatuKavut.

Miawpukek First Nation
Miawpukek First Nation was the first First Nation created in Newfoundland and Labrador by the Federal Government. The Miawpukek Mi’kamawey Mawi’omi First Nation Reserve is at Conne River. Approximately 850 members of Miawpukek First Nation live at Conne River, on the south coast of Newfoundland, with an additional 2,000 members living off-reserve.

Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nations Band
Qalipu First Nation is a Mi’kmaq First Nation Band established in 2011 as an Indian Act Band. Qalipu First Nation are one of the largest First Nations in Canada with approximately 23,000 members mainly spread across 67 communities in Western and Central Newfoundland.

Choices for Youth
Choices for Youth is a non-profit, community-based agency that provides housing and lifestyle development supports to youth and young families. The organization was founded in 1990 as a result of an identified need among youth, the community and government to have an empowerment-based program available to young people for whom ‘home’ was not an option. Through innovative programs and social enterprises, Choices for Youth now supports over 1,100 youth and young families every year, helping them access housing, education and employment, while working towards improved health and family stability.

Equal Voice NL
Equal Voice is a multi-partisan, not-for-profit organization dedicated to electing and supporting women to all levels of political office in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women (PACSW)
The Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women Newfoundland and Labrador (PACSW) is a legislated body with a mandate to advise the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador on matters relating to the status of women as well as inform the public on these matters of interest and concern. PACSW consists of 11 women with diverse backgrounds from across the Province. They work closely with the Office for the Status of Women and with women, women’s groups, community agencies, industry, and other equality-seeking organizations that share an agenda to advance women’s equality.

Provincial Action Network on the Status of Women (PANSOW)
Provincial Action Network on the Status of Women (PANSOW) applies a provincial lens to issues of equality and ensure a public voice for women from a non-partisan, grassroots, and feminist perspective. PANSOW consists of the Executive Directors of all nine Status of Women councils in Newfoundland and Labrador. PANSOW’s mandate is two-fold: to educate and build awareness on broad issues related to gender equity and justice in the province; and to advocate for change in government policy and legislation that facilitates gender equity and justice.

Stella’s Circle
Stella’s Circle has a mission to transform lives by offering housing, various counselling programs and employment services. Programs and services are offered to people who face many barriers from fully participating in their community. These barriers include mental health challenges, addictions, poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, criminal justice involvement and long periods of employment. The organization has two programs that specifically work with women. Naomi Centre is a homeless shelter for young women aged 16-30. The Just Us Women’s Centre works with criminalized women at the Correctional Facility for Women in Clarenville and in the community at their location at Rawlin’s Cross.

Transition House Association
The Transition House Association of Newfoundland and Labrador is a voluntary, non-profit community-based organization whose mandate is to strengthen and support the network of provincially funded shelters and services for women – with or without children – affected by relationship violence. The mission is to ensure that women and their children have access to safety, security, services, and advocacy to support them in their communities and homes in moving toward a life free from abuse.

Peggy Bartlett
Peggy Bartlett’s career path has taken her through community nursing, independent business, and municipal politics.

She is president of Bartlett Enterprises Inc., a private consulting and business investment company in Grand Falls–Windsor.  Peggy is a long time community volunteer and advocate. She currently serves on the boards of The Status of Women Central (GF-W), Gander International Airport Authority, Grand Falls House Foundation, The Innovation and Business Investment Corporation, NLOWE and The Independent Appointments Commission.

Peggy is passionate in working to advance issues of female equality, women in business and community engagement. She believes that positive change will happen when we become active at the community level to influence good decision making – helping our communities and our province to be a better place for all.

Dr. Suzanne Brake
Dr. Suzanne Brake (BSW ’79); MSW (’98); PhD (2010) has a lengthy history of involvement in the area of aging and seniors. She has clinical, managerial, administrative, teaching, research and policy experience. In 2015, Dr. Brake was awarded the Canadian Association of Social Workers Distinguished Service Award. Her past work, volunteer experiences, education, personal involvement with family and her role as Director, Seniors and Aging Division; and Provincial Director, Adult Protection, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, have prepared her to be the inaugural Seniors’ Advocate of Newfoundland and Labrador, a position she was appointed to on November 7, 2017.

Denise Cole
Denise Cole (she/her) is the SHIELD Project Coordinator at the Labrador Friendship Centre. SHIELD is a sexual health project that uses art, culture and technology to create safe spaces for youth to learn and share. She is a Two Spirit Inuk, living in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, from southern Labrador. She is on multiple boards and committees including Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, AIDS Committee NL, Safe Alliance (2SLGBTQ+ focus), Provincial Harm Reduction Collective, and the Sexual Health & Harm Reduction Working Group led by Labrador Grenfell Health. With 20 years of experience in nonprofits, her passion is in working with community.

Ailsa Craig
Ailsa Craig is a cultural sociologist with interests in cultural economies, gender and sexual diversity, and inequality. Dr. Craig’s work includes research on poets and poetry communities that addresses field-specific questions and concerns regarding contemporary poets’ lives and contexts.

Kaberi-Sharma Debnath
Kaberi-Sharma Debnath holds a Masters Degree in Social work and is the Executive Director of the Multicultural Women’s Organization of Newfoundland and Labrador (MWONL). She has 25 years of experience in gender-based work in women’s equality, empowerment, violence prevention, employment challenges, and newcomers’ social integration.

Prior to joining the MWONL, Kaberi worked with the Health and Community Services and as a university professor in South-east Asia. She has published two books and produced articles.

She is a past board member of the St John’s Status of Women, Newfoundland and Labrador Elder Abuse Committee, Newfoundland and Labrador Association for Social Workers and many more. Currently, Kaberi has been serving as the provincial representative with the RCMP Commissioners Diversity Advisory Committee (CDAC). She was the one of the nominees for 2017 YWCA Women of Distinction Award. Kaberi credits her mother and family for laying a foundation of her feminist and empowerment work.

Bernice Hancock
Bernice Hancock lives in Stephenville and works as the Executive Director of the Community Education Network for Southwestern Newfoundland. Her volunteer work includes serving as the Co-Chair of the Bay St. George Status of Women Council and Bay St. George Coalition to End Violence. Her educational background is in the field of community studies and adult education. Throughout the past 35 years Bernice has worked and volunteered for a variety of community-based organizations to collaboratively address systemic gender inequities and to promote equality, justice, and peace.

A Powell
A is a queer, Buddhist, advocate. Raised as female, they identify as non-binary. For over twenty years, A has worked in the non-profit sector within Canada, Austria, and Scotland. Their work has spanned the areas of environmentalism; arts; education: immigration; disability; and mental health. Some of the many organizations they have volunteered with are the St. John’s Women’s Centre, Memorial’s Women’s Resource Centre, Universal Design Network, and the Human Rights Association.

A has a Master of Education in Counselling Psychology and brings an intersection of lived experiences: single parent of a 6 year old; wheelchair user; living with ADHD; living on low income; navigating various government programs; as well as living with a physical disability and mental health issues.

Colton Purchase
Colton Purchase is an advocate for youth voice and lived experience. They use their own experiences as a 2SLGBTQIA+ identifying person and formerly homeless youth to help others and put forward change in our province.

Colton is active in the community of St. John’s as the Coordinator of the Youth Leadership Council, which is parented by Choices for Youth. They are also a dedicated volunteer on a number of other advisory councils and volunteer projects; such as Heart to Heart NL, a virtual platform for youth voice and peer support that launched in the fall of 2020.

Twila Reid
Twila Reid, ICD.D is a partner in the St. John’s office of the law firm Stewart McKelvey and a mother of two school aged children. Twila represents employers in all legal issues involving workplace. Twila is also the Public Complaints Commissioner for the Royal Newfpundland Constabulary. Twila is a member of a variety of organizations both inside and outside her community, including the Judicial Advisory Committee, and the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers’ Council.

Constanza Safatle
After attending university to earning her law degree, Constanza left her practice in Chile, where she worked with at-risk women, to immigrate to Newfoundlandand Labrador with her husband.

Constanza began working at a coffee shop in the capital city, where she picked up the English language. A few months after settling in St. John’s, she learned she would have a baby. That inspired her to create “Newbornlander” Baby Store.

She also started to coordinate and teach sewing to newcomer women (at the Creative Sewing Atelier program by RIAC) for two years. She is currently the Newcomer Service Coordinator at YWCA.

Mary Shortall
Mary Shortall was first elected President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL), in October, 2013. Mary represents the interests of workers in the broader political arena, as she works to bring about legislative and policy changes that create a more equal, fair, and just society and economy for all workers.

She has been an activist, leader, facilitator, and curriculum developer throughout her 40-year involvement in the labour movement and sees education and political action as the key components of activism and change.

Currently, Mary sits on the Board of Directors of the Collaborative Applied Research in Economics (C.A.R.E.) Board at Memorial University, and MUN’s Masters of Employment Relations (M.E.R.) Advisory Committee. She is a former board member and chair of the St. John’s Status of Women’s Council.

Mary defines herself as a feminist, a political activist, and a human rights and workers’ rights advocate who is proud to work with so many others of like mind to “be the change she wants to see in the world.”

Official Opposition and Third Party
Additionally, the Official Opposition and the Third Party hold seats on the Premier’s Roundtable on Gender Equity.