Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Rita MacNeil -- A Canadian Mata Hari?

This is totally bizarre -- Rita MacNeil?!? Seriously, in the time of the FLQ and the Weathermen the RCMP spies on her! Makes you wonder if CSIS is better at picking targets now? (And there are some legitimate targets out there).





RCMP spied on Rita MacNeil; Feminist singer of 'women's lib songs,' among

dozens under scrutiny in early '70s



Jim Bronskill

The Toronto Star, Aug. 5, 2008



RCMP spies infiltrated the women's movement in the early 1970s, monitoring

marches and rallies to keep an eye on feminists including Rita MacNeil, who

would become a much-admired Maritime songstress.



An undercover source reporting on a March 1972 gathering of women's

liberation groups in Winnipeg compiled biographical sketches of several

delegates, noting MacNeil was in attendance from the Toronto Women's Caucus.



"She's the one who composes and sings women's lib songs," says the RCMP

memo, portions of which remain secret.



MacNeil, who lent her musical talents to the feminist cause before turning

to music full-time, was among dozens of women from across the country who

came under Mountie scrutiny, new research reveals.



Full story here:



http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/472240

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

goodness! It's hard to imagine that was only 35 years ago!Imagine if woman viewed a conference where men were gathered together as a threat and spied on them????