Mr. Speaker, ten years after its first forum on women, the Centrale de l'enseignement du Québec is organizing its second gathering, this week, under the theme: "Power, a non-traditional job".
Aware of women's limited access to the various forms of power, the participants will cover four themes: women's ability to act in their personal lives, their perception of autonomy, political power and the economy.
Despite the vitality of the women's movement, women have yet to be recognized as a social force that cannot be ignored. Thérèse Casgrain deeply believed that women's power had to be gained alongside and not in opposition to men's. So, men will be invited to attend on the final day and take part in special workshops.
Women's power to be, act and imagine is a major asset to the development of our society. Women must take their rightful place.