Calgary & Southern Alberta

The Honourable Florence Bird: Named to the Companions of the Order of Canada
in 1984. Appointed in 1971 for her service as journalist, broadcaster, Senator, and Chairman of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women in Canada.
Courtesy of the Harry Palmer Gallery

The Royal Commission had a general mandate to "inquire and report upon the status of women in Canada, and to recommend what steps might be taken by the Federal Government to ensure for women equal opportunities with men in all aspects of Canadian society." Headed by Florence Bird, the commission also included Jacques Henripin, a well-known Canadian demographer, and John Humphrey, a lawyer. Reporting in 1970, the commission spelled out four principles:

1) women should be free to choose whether or not to take employment outside their homes

2) the care of children is a responsibility to be shared by the mother, father, and society

3) society has a responsibility for women because of pregnancy and childbirth

4) in certain areas women will, for an interim period, require special treatment to overcome the adverse effects of discriminatory practices