Women Against the Budget Stone Soup Rally

Lorri Rudland (Women Against the Budget) [00:00:01] Well, Women Against the Budget announced this event. The stone soup event was going to be held at the home of Grace McCarthy at her expensive Shaughnessy neighbourhood, and was immediately opposed by the leadership of both Operation Solidarity and the Solidarity Coalition. There was an unwritten rule in protest organizing that you don’t demonstrate in front of people’s homes and we were going to break that rule. We didn’t, I don’t even think we knew there was that rule, but we didn’t care. There was no way the predominantly male leadership of Operation Solidarity was gonna tell us we couldn’t do it. So we would just went ahead and there was, it was, a mixed street theatre, a soup line, music and variety of things like that. I asked Marion if there was a truck there. She said it was. I think I’m the one who drove the truck. I know I drove a truck. A big truck, because I could drive a 22 foot van, because that had been one of my previous jobs. So, to the best of my memory. I also know, because I looked at a photo in Kinesis and there was a person I knew smiling who had just placed a wreath at Grace’s door to symbolize the end of Social Services. I recognized her and I was ahead of her. So I think I placed a wreath at Grace, at Gracie’s door.

Marion Pollack (Women Against the Budget, postal worker) [00:01:28] I remember it. I think I did trade days off to get it off. But what I remember, or take leave without pay, what I remember. Yeah, I remember that the labour movement said we shouldn’t do it, we shouldn’t do it, we shouldn’t go to people’s houses, right. And I remember us saying that these, being really clear, that these cuts are affecting women in their own houses and that’s why we’re going. So you know. And that was really clear. That’s what we kept saying, you know, these cuts are affecting women in their own houses. So we’re going to go to going to Grace’s house to tell her that. What I remember is a couple things, other than that. I remember the day, or before the weekend before we went, we handed out leaflets or we put leaflets in mailboxes in every house around Grace’s, around Grace’s house, saying, we’re not there against you. We don’t intend to cause disruptions, but we’re so angry with the budget that this was what we’re doing. And I remember that really clearly so, so we, you know, we tried to address the concerns of the labour movement by doing that. I also remember being in Jackie’s very small apartment on Commercial Drive cutting up vegetables, like for a whole day, like crazy, you know. Right. You know we were cutting, and cutting, and cutting to make the soup. I have no idea how the soup tasted, or even if… But I think people ate it.

Marcy Toms (teacher, community activist) [00:02:58] There were a number of connections that particularly women on the BCTF Status of Women committee had. So Jane and I went to the meetings and helped plan the event. I do recall that the B.C. Federation of Labour it was not happy that we were planning that event. I do recall that one of the B.C. Fed’s communicators came to the meetings and tried to talk us out of doing the Stone Soup rally. The rationale being that we ought not to be targeting anyone’s private home. But we weren’t buying that. And the argument that was put forward probably very cogently and articulately by Francis was the private lives of women and children across the province are being targeted. So, we won’t be standing on Grace McCarthy’s lawn or bothering her tulips, but we will be on public property protesting. And that’s what we did.

Ken Novakowski [00:03:54] And what was your view?

Marcy Toms [00:03:56] It was, it was one of those kinds of things where you’re always really nervous. Is anybody going to show up? Are there going to be counter protesters? It was a great success. A considerable number of people, most of whom I did not know. We had the women from the band Ad Hoc, which is also known as the Ginger Group and Communique. Julius Fisher, Alan Sussman, who are both still active or involved in it, but the women came and did the entertainment. There were speeches. We did have stones and a soup can, tin or something, but I don’t recall eating any of the stone soup. I thought it was a great success.