“Inclusive education 

seeks to provide 
a welcoming 
environment for 
all students, not 
by ignoring gender, 
race, disability, or 
sexual identities, 
but by recognizing 
and validating 
difference.”

Heather-Jane 

Robertson

ETFO Provincial: Services Areas

For administrative purposes ETFO programs are organized into five service areas - Equity and Women’s 
Services, Communications and Political Action, Professional Development/Learning, Professional 
Relations Services, and Collective Bargaining. What follows are brief descriptions of the major programs 
and services offered to members.

Equity and Women’s Services (EWS)

ETFO is a leader among education unions on equity issues, particularly in its support for women’s 
participation and leadership. There are designated positions for women on the ETFO Executive (5 of 
14 positions), and constitutional guarantees that programs for women will be provided, with funding 
allocated for this purpose. These programs offer direct services to women members through courses, 
workshops, awards, and publications. Funding is also available to establish provincial and local 
partnerships with other organizations and to support groups that advance the status of women and 
women’s issues in society.

ETFO’s equity and women’s programs are offered in the context of the Federation’s constitutional object 
“to foster a climate of social justice in Ontario and continue a leadership role in such areas as anti-
poverty, non-violence, and equity,” and in the spirit of the statement and definition of equity adopted by 
the ETFO Executive:

It is the goal of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario to work with others to create 
schools, communities and a society free from all forms of individual and systemic discrimination . 
To further this goal, ETFO defines equity as fairness achieved through proactive measures which 
result in equality, promote diversity, foster respect and dignity for all .

Work incorporating these principles spans all service areas of ETFO. The particular issues of women 
members, Aboriginal members, racialized members, members with disabilities, and lesbian, gay, 
bisexual, and transgender members are included in women’s programs, addressed through standing 
committees, and explored through a range of other equity programs. Issues of poverty and classism are 
addressed throughout.

Some of the ongoing programs and initiatives offered through Equity and Women’s Services include:

O An annual women’s leadership conference, ... and still we rise, held in February;
O Leaders for Tomorrow: leadership training for diverse women;
O Workshops for teachers addressing a variety of equity issues including in-service sessions for the 

ETFO social justice focused curriculum resources;

O Workshops on disabilities and accommodation issues offered to locals;
O Workshops on confronting homophobia, and other exclusionary practices;
O Introduction of equity issues to pre-service teachers;
O Sisters in the struggle: Six day advanced leadership training for women leaders.

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