Gender Matters

Western Canada Addiction Forum Speaker List – February 26, 2019

WCAF 2019 Speakers February 2019

February 2019 – Email to WCAF

February 26, 2019 – Speaker count is 10 speakers – 9 males.

To: info@wcaforum.ca
From: conf@tvciglobal.com
Subject: WCAF – May – Kelowna – Speakers
Date: February 26, 2019 at 11:04 AM

Salut,

Recently I was turned on to the music of Olof Dreijer. While an amazing artist, he also performs only at events with equal gender representation in the lineup of artists – no more than 50% people who identify as male.

And that woke me up. If I do not question conferences where the lineup of speakers is overwhelmingly male and merely accept that as the status quo then I am not doing my part.

You know where I’m going with this:
https:// wcaforum.ca/2019-speakers/

Conferences that showcase ideas from all people bring more quality of data and discourse, and create models and solutions that are inclusive for everyone.

I wish to attend but I would like to hear your plans to bring, at least, an equal representation of female voices to the table for this year and future years.

Look forward to your thoughts,

Jayun Nic Dówell
CEO, The Vancouver Cannabis Initiative
604-345-6667
tvciglobal.com

March 2019 – Email to WCAF

March 12, 2019 – The same email sent in February was resent.

March 2019 – Phone Call to WCAF

March 26, 2019 – Speaker count is 18 speakers – 15 males.

Phone call from Jayun to WCAF to ask about attending conference if not a health care professional / student.

I was put through to the conference organizer who said that yes anyone could attend. She then brought up my emails of February and March. Her response regarding the issue of equal gender representation was disheartening.

Once off the phone I really didn’t know what to do and wondered if the organization supported her response. There was no email for the committee. On March 28 I sent an email to two members of the committee whose email addresses I could find.

On April 2, I called the WCAF asking if there was an email address I could use to contact the committee. I was told that I could use the info@.

April 2019 – Email to WCAF Attn: Committe

April 2, 2019 – Speaker count is 18 speakers – 15 males.

To: info@wcaforum.ca
From: conf@purepeyote.com
Subject: Email for WCAFD Committee Re 2019 Conference
Date: April 2, 2019 at 2:08 PM

Hello WCAF Committee,

Please find below this message an email I sent to your organization February 26 and March 12. I made a phone call regarding a different question on March 26 and at that time was put through to the organizer of the conference. I am sorry but I did not note her name.

After the phone call question, she brought up my email. It was disheartening. She excused the fact that you have 18 speakers and only 3 are women by saying:

1. You wanted the experts.
2. That you talk about gender in your other meetings.
3. That you have no plans to consider gender for future conferences.

I don’t wish to go into the reasons that I expected you to have a policy regarding gender or perhaps to hear that you are creating one — or even at the very least that my email had resonated.

One only has to search for ‘gender bias academic conferences’ and duckduckgo returns many articles. I am forwarding a link to one published April 22/23, 2018.

https:// theconversation.com/race-and-gender-still-an-issue-at-academic-conferences-92588

I really don’t know what to write at this point.
So I will just sign off.

Jayun Nic Dówell
PurePeyote.com
604-345-6667

*****************************************************
Original Email sent February 26 and March 12

Salut,

Recently I was turned on to the music of Olof Dreijer. While an amazing artist, he also performs only at events with equal gender representation in the lineup of artists – no more than 50% people who identify as male.

And that woke me up. If I do not question conferences where the lineup of speakers is overwhelmingly male and merely accept that as the status quo then I am not doing my part.

You know where I’m going with this:
https:// wcaforum.ca/2019-speakers/

Conferences that showcase ideas from all people bring more quality of data and discourse, and create models and solutions that are inclusive for everyone.

I wish to attend but I would like to hear your plans to bring, at least, an equal representation of female voices to the table for this year and future years.

Look forward to your thoughts,

Jayun Nic Dówell
CEO, The Vancouver Cannabis Initiative
604-345-6667
tvciglobal.com

To: conf@purepeyote.com
From: wcaforum@gmail.com
Subject: Re: Email for WCAFD Committee Re 2019 Conference
Date: April 3, 2019 at 4:40 PM

Dear Jayun, thank you for your email. Your email has been forwarded to the WCAF Committee as requested and will respond to you.

Thank you.
Susan Roberts, Project Manager
WCAF  

Western Canada Addiction Forum Speaker List – April 03, 2019

To: conf@purepeyote.com
From: “Dr. Mandy Manak”
Subject: Your inquiry into gender equality at WCAF
Date: May 2, 2019 at 5:23 AM

Dear. Ms. Nic Dówell,

Thank you for your email regarding gender balance in the Western Canada’s Addiction Forums (WCAF) line up of speakers for the forum this year. I am sorry that you feel that your interaction with the WCAF office did not meet your expectations.

The WCAF Committee has reviewed your concerns. As the female lead and co-chair of the WCAF, as well as a visible minority, I want to assure you that I take gender, racial, cultural and other diversity issues very seriously as do all of our committee members. When planning our conferences, we seek to bring in speakers with the highest level of expertise on the topics that we are presenting. We will continue to do so while working to assure that no speaker or participant is either ignored or denied an opportunity based on gender or any other diversity issue.

For reference, our committee is 50% women, and we do have over 10 women represented in the WCAF program. I can also personally vouch that, as a woman in medicine, I have been asked to speak at many conferences on a local, provincial, national, and international level and have never felt that I was either asked to speak because I was a woman, nor have I ever felt that I was denied opportunity because of my gender. In point of fact, I felt I was selected to present based on my knowledge and clinical expertise, and no other reason. Moreover, I would have turned down the opportunity if I felt that the only reason I was asked was because of my gender rather than what was in my mind.

As a physician who also provides gender-affirming care to transgendered individuals, I spend a considerable amount of time advocating for equal rights for my LGBTQ2S+ patients – whether they be male, female, two-spirit, asexual, or bisexual. I am saddened to know that you have elected not to attend WCAF as I believe we have tried our utmost to put on an excellent program, however, I do respect your decision not to attend given your stated views and accept your appraisal that perhaps this may not be the best conference for you.

Again, thank you for bringing this issue to our attention and if you have additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the WCAF committee members.

Best Regards,

Mandy Manak

__________________________________
Dr. Mandy Manak, MD, DABAM, FASAM, CISAM, CCSAM, MRO
Diplomate of the American Board of Addiction Medicine
Fellow, American Society of Addiction Medicine
Certificant, International Society of Addiction Medicine
Certificant, Canadian Society of Addiction Medicine
Medical Review Officer, AAMRO
Chair, WCAF 2019

Addiction Network Society of Canada
Hosting the 6th Annual Western Canada Addiction Forum
1087 Roosevelt Crescent
North Vancouver, BC V7P 1M4
Tel: 604.988.0450
Fax: 604.929.0871
Email: sroberts@congressworld.ca
Website: www.wcaforum.ca

May 2019 – Email to WCAF Attn: Committe

May 6, 2019 – Final Speaker count was 23 speakers – 17 males.

To: Dr. Mandy Manak” <DrManak@icdo.ca>
From: Gender Matters <gendermatters@psychedelicsunited.com>
Subject: Re: Your inquiry into gender equality at WCAF
Date: May 06, 2019 at 3:43 PM

Dr Manak,

We are taken aback that the Western Canada Addiction Forum is using the ‘expert’ rationale for lack of concern regarding equal gender representation. We remember that talk from the 1970s.

We see a dichotomy in your response: You go to great lengths to establish your equal gender legitimacy and then you say that gender equality doesn’t matter when you’re looking for expert speakers. Rings to us of the “It’s okay, I have a _____ friend” defence.

Without equal gender representation, no matter how many male experts you bring to your forum, the resulting perspective, discourse and solutions are biased.

In our opinion, you do yourself and all women an injustice by not accepting a speaking position because you are a woman. In this male gender skewed world, women and all identifying as non-male gender bring much more to the discussion than just their expertise. That’s been demonstrated by science and common sense.

Thank you for your response.

We will keep your remarks online so people may know the Western Canada Addiction Forum’s view on Gender Matters.

Should anything change at your end, we remain open to discussion.

Jayun for Psychedelics United
An ever-growing group of people of different genders; races; ages; health; knowledge; economic status; and musical tastes — all of them experts who believe everyone’s voice matters.

Western Canada Addiction Forum 2019

Final Speaker Count is 23 – 17 males