History of Council

Through the Years (from The Golden Glimpses: A History of the first 50 years of PCWM)

The Provincial Council of Women of Manitoba, Inc., (PCWM), resulted from the foresight of three local councils, Portage la Prairie, Dauphin and Winnipeg in 1949. The purpose was “to unite all provincial women’s organizations and Local Councils of Women (federates) enabling them to be a definite force to work through the government for better standards of living in the community.” The key was working in harmony with other Councils and Provincial organizations (Federates) toward the objectives of education and advocacy. Provincial councils are responsible for issues under provincial jurisdiction. We prepare an annual Brief to the Provincial Government, and Opposition Parties, based on our Resolutions.

Some of the issues that we have worked on over the years:

1949 Fair division of marital property
1951 Women to serve on juries
1956 Establishing the Elizabeth Fry Society
1958 Safe storage of hazardous materials
1961 Licencing of driving schools
1962 Teacher training at the University of Manitoba
1963 Parks to preserve native flora and fauna
1968 Implementation of maintenance orders
1970 Raising age of eligibility of children for family maintenance
1972 Employment training programs and dollars for women, including non-traditional trades
1973 Non-taxation of estates
1977 Facilities to support elderly persons
1980 Control of heavy metals in the environment
1983 Native language promotion of breast feeding
1983 Removal of abortion from the criminal code
1986 Midwifery education and licencing
1990 Access to resources to reduce elder abuse
1992 Water and Free Trade
1993 Integrated decision-making in land use planning, environmental management and protection
1996 Canadian History as a compulsory subject in senior 3 (grade 11)

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