Remarkable People

Is this your profile? Click here to recommend more solutions or organizations.

Michele Landsberg

An award-winning Canadian writer, social activist and feminist who wrote a column for the Toronto Star newspaper

Landsberg grew up in Toronto, acquiring values and grammar from her strict immigrant mother. After graduating with a bachelors degree in English from the University of Toronto in 1962, she worked for The Globe and Mail, raised her family, freelanced, and joined Chatelaine as a staff writer/editor. She joined the Toronto Star as a columnist in 1978, then wrote a weekly column for the Globe and Mail in the 1980s.

Landsberg has written three best-selling books: Women and Children First, a collection of her campaigning columns, Michele Landsberg's Guide to Children's Books, and "This is New York, Honey!" A Homage to Manhattan, with Love and Rage, a memoir of her time living as the spouse of Canada's ambassador to the United Nations. Other distinctions include two National Newspaper Awards, the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, the Dodi Robb award from MediaWatch, the Robertine Barry Prize, the Florence Bird Award from the International Centre for Human Rights, the Canadian Governor General's Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case and Democratic Development. She has also received several honorary degrees from such institutions as McMaster University.

Landsberg's writing tends to be both analytical and realistic, often including descriptions of physical experiences, from nursing an infant to dieting or quitting smoking. Some feel she detracted from the power of her message by resorting too frequently to name calling and stereotyping, e.g. she unfailingly referred to Conservative politicians with epithets such as "jack-booted Tories" and "Harris's henchmen". Her feminism includes strong expressions about the need to provide time and resources for maternal leave, and also excellent childcare programs. She also often devotes herself to in-depth analysis of facts that she feels have received an anti-woman spin by other media. A piece debunking coverage of a divorce decision, for example, can be found online.

In 2000, she especially angered transsexual activists with a column in the Toronto Star entitled "Rape crisis centre in B.C. endures assault", in which Landsberg remarks that "If a man cuts off his penis, pumps himself full of hormones, gets silicone breasts and electrolysis, and stuffs his feet into high heels is he/she a woman?" She also said part of her would always be "outraged.."that 'woman' could be defined as an outward set of physical characteristics - lack of penis, fake breasts - along with an ultra-sexist 'female impersonator' style of clothing and gesture."

Landsberg is married to UN Special Envoy Stephen Lewis. Their children are Ilana Naomi Landsberg-Lewis, Jenny Leah Lewis and journalist Avi Lewis, who is married to writer Naomi Klein.

In 2005, the Canadian Women's Foundation named a new award after Landsberg, to honour young women 18 to 30 who are outstanding in media and activism.

In 2006, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada.

(Profile information sourced from Wikipedia and other publicly available internet sources.)

Michele Landsberg on the web

Wikipedia: Michele Landsberg

My Recommended Businesses and Solutions, Products, Services

The Order of Canada

Rideau Hall, 1 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0A1

p: 613 993 8200
f: 613 998 8760

Email | Web

The Order of Canada

Organization

Orders

Orders recognize significant achievements and remarkable service.

The Order of Canada

Established in 1967 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Order of Canada is the centrepiece of Canada’s honours system and recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation. The Order recognizes people in all sectors of Canadian society. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and made a difference to this country. The Order of Canada’s motto is DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (They desire a better country)

The Companion of the Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of outstanding achievement and merit of the highest degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large.

Officer (O.C.)

The Officer of the Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of achievement and merit of a high degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large.

Member (C.M.)

The Member of the Order of Canada recognizes a lifetime of distinguished service in or to a particular community, group or field of activity

The insignia of the Order is a stylized snowflake of six points, with a red annulus at its centre which bears a stylized maple leaf circumscribed with the motto of the Order, DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (They desire a better country), surmounted by St. Edward’s Crown.

Level	Edging	Annulus Lettering	Maple Leaf Centre
Companion	gold	gold	red
Officer	gold	gold	gold
Member	silver	silver	silver

Maximum number of appointments per year, according to

Level	Appointments per Year
Companion	15*
Officer	64
Member	136
Non-Canadian (Honorary)	5
Total	220

*not to exceed 165 living Companions at any given time

The Canadian Women’s Foundation

133 Richmond St. W, Suite 504, Toronto, ON M5H 2L3

p: 416 365 1444

Web

The Canadian Women’s Foundation

Organization

ABOUT US

Who We Are and What We Do

The Canadian Women’s Foundation (CWF) is Canada’s only national public foundation dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls.

CWF raises money to fund, research and share the best approaches to:

Ranked as one of the ten largest women's foundations in the world, the Canadian Women’s Foundation has supported over 1000 programs across Canada since 1991.

We fund dynamic community initiatives: CWF funds innovative, grassroots programs in every province and territory, with a focus on helping women and girls who have the least access to resources and opportunities. CWF-funded initiatives go through a rigorous selection process which is informed by a national strategy on each issue. Applications are screened by a national panel of experts and community leaders, and only those initiatives that promise the greatest long-term impacts are selected.

We lead change for women and girls: The Canadian Women's Foundation brings together organizations to share research, skills and the most promising practices for ending violence against women, moving low-income women out of poverty and empowering girls.

We build communities of women helping women: From coast to coast to coast the Canadian Women's Foundation is creating communities of dynamic women helping women and girls. We connect women who are passionate about what we do and help them strategically pool their resources to produce powerful long-term change for women, girls and entire communities across Canada.

We are committed to careful stewardship of your investment: The Canadian Women's Foundation is a registered charity (as recognized by the Canada Revenue Agency), a member ofImagine Canada and a registered adherent of the Ethical Fundraising and Financial Accountability Code.

We uphold the highest ethical standards and are committed to careful stewardship of the Foundation’s resources. We ensure that administrative costs stay low so that the greatest possible amount of every donor dollar goes directly toward programs, research, and training from coast to coast to coast.
Charitable Registration Number 12985-5607-RR0001