Advocacy in Action,
Education Fund
Education Fund
The NCWC Education Fund was set up as a charitable foundation in 2001 to work with the National Council of Women of Canada through research and public education regarding the environment, social, mental, physical and health needs of women, families, and society.
Patricia Leson, President
The Education Fund is delighted to welcome Marie-Josee Houle, the Federal Housing Advocate. She will focus on The Right to Safe, Adequate and Affordable Housing for Women, Two Spirit, Trans, and Gender-Diverse People, and the Government’s Duty to Uphold this Right. REGISTER HERE TO ATTEND THE June 11th ONLINE EVENT HOSTED BY THE NCWC EDUCATION FUND
Canada’s Healthcare at a Crossroads
Tuesday, March 24 @ Noon Eastern
Online Event
PANELISTS
Andrew Longhurst
Senior researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Andrew Longhurst is a senior researcher and political economist, with a focus on health policy, at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. He holds an M.A. from Simon Fraser University where he is also a doctoral candidate. His work has been published in academic journals and by research institutes, including Canadian Journal on Aging, Political Geography, the CCPA, and the Parkland Institute. His commentaries appear regularly in news media across the country.
Recent Publications:
· The end of Canadian Medicare? Alberta legislation opens the door to U.S. health care - CCPA
· Fact check: Alberta’s new two-tier system is not “European” health care - CCPA
· In Ontario, it’s a time of plenty for private health care while public hospitals starve - CCPA
· Hollowed out: Ontario public hospitals and the rise of private staffing agencies - CCPA
· Rejecting the high costs of tax cuts and austerity toD our health - CCPA
· The concerning rise of corporate medicine: Public contracts with private clinics top $393 million over last six years – CCPA
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Dr Jarol Boan
Director of Educational Programs at the Virtual Health Hub.
Dr Jarol Boan serves on the Board of Directors Canadian Doctors for Medicare with the portfolios of Vice Chair, Fundraising & Membership. She is the Director of Educational Programs for the Virtual Health Hub, an Indigenous led nonprofit in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, the birthplace of Medicare and is a professor with the University of Saskatchewan.
She has been featured on several television and radio programs for her insights on preventable chronic diseases and institutional racism. Her award-winning book The Medicine Chest: A physician’s Journey towards Reconciliation is a personal story of learning about Indigenous perspectives on wellness and healing in Saskatchewan, where she weaves in historical data about the devastating effects of colonialism. She has over twenty-five years of experience as a speaker in the healthcare field with a focus on advocacy, cultural diversity, and empowerment; she is also a skilled educator, writer, and consultant. With her exceptional ability to captivate audiences through her poignant stories and motivational messages, Dr. Boan has earned recognition throughout North America advocating for an equitable health care system. Her engaging style and captivating approach have gained national attention.
Garth Materie
Moderator. Host of Blue Sky. 42-year radio career
Moderator: Garth Materie
Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Materie began his career in private radio in Yorkton in 1982. He worked in Regina and Swift Current before moving to Saskatoon in 1988 to work for CBC. Over the next decade-plus, he covered general news, politics and the Indigenous beat. Materie helped set the provincial conversation in 2008 when he took over hosting Blue Sky, a popular noon time phone in show and the Afternoon Edition, a two-hour prime time show where he interviewed national and international guests on relevant topics. Materie hosted the show for 15 years, inviting listeners in with a velvety voice that carried both steel and a wonderful sense of whimsy. "Your ability to ask challenging questions and demand straightforward answers can be squirm- inducing for politicians, and sometimes for producers as well!" said Michelle McCaw, the first of Materie's nine Blue Sky producers. Materie retired on December 15th, 2023, after a very successful 42-year career in radio where he was welcomed into many homes, giving voice to his listeners' triumphs and concerns with wit, charm, and grace.
NCWC Education Fund: 50TH ANNIVERSARY ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN November 29, 2025
For the past two decades we have worked with NCWC on Joint Common Programs, exploring an amazing variety of important topics and tapping into a wealth of internal and external expertise.
Some of those programs were:
- Young Women and Violence Prevention
- Securing our Future - the economics of later life action plans/curricula developed to help young women plan for a healthy economic future
- Canada's Water - an exploration of threats to its security such as water shortages, impacts of mega dams, drought, mining, deforestation, and the need for a National Water Strategy.
- The Water/Energy Connections Project - Funded by the Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation. Programs, articles, public meetings, etc., dealt with the Great Lakes, Nuclear, Soft Water/Energy Paths, Climate, Cross-Canada Survey on water/energy use and public opinion on government energy and water policies.
- Women and Mental Health - a three-part comprehensive exploration of women's unique mental health experiences, featuring speakers from advocacy groups, individuals, government, youth, aboriginal groups, and consumers.
- Listening to, learning from, acting on the recommendations of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Commission - programs with speakers such as Dr. Pamela Palmater, Senator David Arnot, and Ms. Qajaq Robinson. This will continue until mid-2023.
2023-2025 "Housing is a Human Right"
Our current Common Program, centred on "Housing is a Human Right" since May 2023 continues through to June 2025. It has been a pleasure to host five important conversations that presented a wealth of proven ideas and innovative concepts to address the complex challenges of housing and homelessness. These discussions emphasized the importance of cooperation and coordination among various governmental entities to ensure that housing, as a human right, becomes a reality for everyone..
Here’s a brief synopsis of the presentations:
- Guest speaker Kaite Burkholder Harris spoke to Ending Homelessness 101: How We Get There. Kaite is the Executive Director at the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa.
- Another engaging webinar entitled Social Housing and Human Rights: Mobilizing for Change presented guest speaker Kirsten Bernas, a coordinator of the National Social Housing and Human Rights Campaign, Director of policy advocacy at West Central Women's Resource Centre in Winnipeg, and Chair of the Provincial Working Group, Manitoba Right to Housing Coalition. To Access Recording Please Click Here Passcode: yM8Hny$4
- Ricardo Tranjan, a political economist and senior researcher with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), who had previously managed Torontos Poverty Reduction Strategy and taught at universities in Quebec and Ontario, gave us an insightful presentation, The Tenant Class.
- Our panel discussion titled Housing Our Most Vulnerable: One Size Does Not Fit All featured Chief Brendan Mitchell, regional Chief for Newfoundland with the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), Tim Richter, President and CEO of the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEF), Donna Brooks, CEO of the Prince Albert YWCA, and our moderator was Stefani Langenegger, the host of the Morning Edition on CBC Saskatchewan.
Every year your generous donations help to fund our programs.
If you wish to donate, please mail cheques to:
NCWC Education Fund, c/o Treasurer
878 Goulding Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3C-2S8