The Halifax International Security Forum (HISF) is underway this weekend, bringing in over 300 participants from 80 countries. The forum explores international security and challenges facing nationals now and in the future.
But on the agenda was an all-male panel discussion titled “Security solutions, Women’s contributions” which quickly raised eyebrows.
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“They have to have a woman in the discussion,” said Bonnie Jenkins, executive director of the Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and conflict Transformation (WCAPS). Jenkins has spoken as a panelist at the security forum in the past, and says organizers should take this as a “teachable moment.”
When asked how this happened, organizers said the panel was not an accident.
“We are hoping to have a meaningful conversation,” said Paz Magat, the director for Peace with Women in Fellowship with HISF.
“In order to really leverage the human capacity of all people involved, we still need the people in positions of power to be able to do that, and we’re hoping this panel will address some of the barriers and challenges that still impede women.”
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While security remains a male-dominated industry there are women in high ranking positions. Among them is Preident and CEO of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries, Christyn Cianfarani.
She says despite being in the minority women are huge contributors.
“We’ve got ladies in CEO roles and president roles. Everyone doing everything from services in Cyber technology in the Waterloo corridor to running businesses that run helicopter flight operations,” said Cianfarani.
She also says an all-male panel on women’s contributions doesn’t take from their voice.
“Ladies are here, and we do like to participate, that being said it is very important to hear a male voice in the conversation” said Cianfarani.
“Men have to be part of the conversation on women, our contributions, because they’re often our mentors, our sponsors in a male-dominated role.”
Jenkins believes organizers had the right intentions and that the male panel was created to be allies, but they still made an err in judgement.
“The concept is good, the goal is commendable, but all we’re saying is you have to have somebody on the panel who can represent the voice of the person or the group you’re talking about,” said Jenkins.
It’s something panel moderator Steve Clemons agreed with who raised concerns about the all-male panel and ultimately told organizers that if there was no female voice he wouldn’t moderate.
Organizers say they have listened to everyone’s concerns. Shortly after the the forum got underway Friday changes were made to the Sunday panel. The panel will now be moderated by Janice Stein, a professor of conflict management in the department of Political Science and Founding Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
They have also added Deputy Minister of National Defence, Jody Thomas, on as a panelist.
Both woman raise the total number of woman taking part in the main discussions to 16 out 48.
Cianfarani says while she would one day like to see gender parity when it comes to speakers at the conference she says having about 30 percent of speakers female is an accomplishment on it’s own.
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