Equality for Women Beyond the Illusion THE EXPERT PANEL ON ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS FOR GENDER EQUALITY FINAL REPORT - DECEMBER 2005 The image on the cover of this report was inspired by the design of the 1970 Report of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women and expresses the continuity of efforts to achieve equality between women and men. [...] Equality for Women: Beyond the Illusion THE EXPERT PANEL ON ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISMS FOR GENDER EQUALITY FINAL REPORT - DECEMBER 2005 This document expresses the views and opinions of the members of the Expert Panel and does not necessarily represent the official policy or opinion of Status of Women Canada or of the Government of Canada. [...] Major milestones included: securing the right to vote; winning the historic legal case on the right to be considered "persons"; inclusion of equality provisions in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ; ratification of international agreements such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women ; and the right to equal pay for work of equal value. [...] Much of the work before this Low-income (%) status Panel, much of the work before the Government of certain populations of of Canada and much of the work before all of us Women and Men (2001) WOMEN MEN in our society is to find the means to empower all Canadian women to turn their constitutional right 36.4 to equality into the daily reality of equality. [...] We also had the opportunity to meet with the Standing Committee on the Status of Women and the caucuses of the various political parties represented in the House of Commons.