Statement by the President of the Douglas-Coldwell Foundation, Karl Bélanger
It is with great sadness that we learned yesterday of the passing of Shirley Douglas, an impassioned activist, daughter of Tommy Douglas, a patron and long-time supporter of the Douglas-Coldwell Foundation.
Shirley Douglas was an extraordinary woman who led an extraordinary life, supporting a variety of political and social causes throughout her life, including her relentless fight to protect our public health care system.
I had the chance to spend some time with Shirley Douglas on the campaign trail with Jack Layton. She was a fierce campaigner and quite a story teller. Wherever she went, she was stealing the spotlight without even trying. She took her causes seriously while not taking herself too seriously. It was an honour and a privilege to have been able to witness her in action, ardently defending the health care system her father brought to Canada.
Our hearts and condolences go out to her family and friends, and we know that Canadians are joining us in thanking them for the sacrifices they had to make while Shirley Douglas was splitting her time between caring for her family, pursuing a stellar acting career and her inspiring and spirited defense of the causes she believed in.
Shirley Douglas strongly believed that “if you see something that offends you morally or any other way you have to follow that and take it up.” She lived up by her words and for that, we will always remember her and her contribution to Canada. One thing we all learned about Shirley Douglas was that she never gave up the fight for social justice and equality. The best tribute we can pay to her is to redouble our own efforts to build a fairer world.
Blog Post
Ottawa
Today is International Women’s Day; a day which I am truly thankful for all the women who have worked tirelessly, past and present, towards a more equitable world where all voices are heard. I take this day to reflect on the women that came before me and the work that we have to continue to do in their honour.
Blog Post
Ottawa
As promised we’ve got lots of news to share with you this month. The Douglas Coldwell Layton Foundation had a banner year in 2023. We produced more special events, original content, research projects, and educational materials than ever before!
This year we’re building from that success. You’ll see us in more places with more exciting programs for you to participate in throughout the year. All of this growth is thanks to our supporters like you.
We hope you enjoy our update this month.
Blog Post
Ottawa
We hope you have had a good start to the year. We’ve got lots of important information and event announcements to share with you this month.
Thank you to those who supported us last year with a donation and helped us advance social democracy! You allow us to continue the important work we do, being the only charity in Canada to promote social democracy and carry on our founders' legacies. With your support we were able to create new research, establish an annual lecture series, new scholarships, new training for activists, and an interview series with social democrat leaders. And, this year we have even more content to deliver and special event plans to share with you.
Your charitable tax receipts are on the way!
