March
      25,
      1997
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Panther
      Prints
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Breast
      feeding
      case
     
     
      goes
      before
      human
     
     
      rights
      commision
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      SARAH
      GALASHAN
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      (CUP)
      —
      Six
      years
      after
      be-
     
     
      ing
      told
      not
      to
      breastfeed
      her
     
     
      daughter
      at
      work,
      Michelle
     
     
      Poirier
      is
      still
      fighting
      to
      make
     
     
      breastfeeding
      in
      the
      workplace
     
     
      a
      legal
      right.
     
    

    
     
      In
      a
      hearing
      that
      began
     
     
      March
      6,
      Poirier
      charged
      her
     
     
      former
      employer,
      B.C.’s
      Min-
     
     
      istry
      of
      Municipal
      A
      ffairs,
      with
     
     
      sex
      discrimination.
      Her
      pio-
     
     
      neering
      efforts
      to
      have
      the
      case
     
     
      heard
      by
      the
      BC
      Human
      Rights
     
     
      Commission
      will
      determine
      if
     
    
   
   
    
     
      women
      have
      the
      right
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      breastfeed
      their
      children
      at
     
     
      work.
     
    

    
     
      As
      a
      speech
      writer
      for
     
     
      the
      ministry,
      Poirier
      regularly
     
     
      breastfed
      her
      child
      at
      her
      desk
     
     
      over
      the
      lunch
      hour.
      And
      ini-
     
     
      tially,
      she
      said,
      she
      felt
      her
     
     
      colleagues
      accepted
      the
      situa-
     
     
      tion.
      “It
      hadn’t
      been
      a
      prob-
     
     
      lem.
      Everyone
      around
      me
      was
     
     
      really
      supportive
      and
      enthusi-
     
     
      astic,”
      Poirier
      said.
     
    

    
     
      After
      breastfeeding
      at
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      ministry’s
      public
     
     
      lunch-hour
      seminars,
      however,
     
     
      tension
      developed.
      Poirier
      was
     
     
      asked
      not
      to
      attend
      upcoming
     
     
      lectures,
      and
      told
      not
      to
      bring
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      her
      child
      to
      work
      because
      it
     
     
      made
      some
      staff
      feel
      uncom-
     
     
      fortable.
     
    

    
     
      “The
      beauty
      about
      hav-
     
     
      ing
      my
      child
      brought
      to
      my
     
     
      desk
      was
      that
      if
      I
      had
      a
      dead-
     
     
      line
      I
      could
      delay
      my
      lunch,
     
     
      pick
      up
      my
      childand
      breastfeed
     
     
      while
      I
      was
      working,”
      said
     
     
      Poirier.
     
    

    
     
      As
      a
      result,
      the
      former
     
     
      ministry
      employee
      —
      who’s
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘job
      change
      was
      in
      no
      way
     
    
   
   
    
     
      connected
      to
      her
      allegations
      of
     
     
      sex
      discrimination
      —
      was
     
     
      forced
      to
      take
      her
      infant
      to
     
     
      restaurants
      or
      shopping
      malls
     
     
      over
      the
      lunch
      hour.
     
    

    
     
      This,
      she
      said,
      was
      often
     
     
      an
      unpleasant
      experience.
      “I
     
     
      was
      in
      the
      Eaton’s
      cafe
      and
      an
     
     
      elderly
      woman
      came
      up
      to
      me
     
     
      and
      shouted
      ‘you
      should
      be
     
     
      doing
      that
      in
      the
      toilet’.”
     
    

    
     
      But
      despite
      people’s
      hos-
     
     
      tility
      towards
      public
     
     
      breastfeeding,
      Poirier
      said,
      the
     
     
      benefits
      for
      her
      child
      made
      the
     
     
      experience
      “unquestionably
     
     
      worth
      it.”
     
    

    
     
      “As
      far
      as
      I’m
      concerned
     
     
      there
      is
      no
      comparison
      be-
     
     
      tween
      breastmilk
      and
      formula.
     
     
      This
      is
      a
      health
      issue,”
      Poirier
     
     
      said,
      “and
      for
      me
      it
      was
      choos-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ing
      between
      health
      and
      em-
     
     
      ployment.”
     
    

    
     
      INFACT
      Canada,
      anon-
     
     
      profit
      organisation
      that
      pro-
     
     
      tects,
      supports
      and
      promotes
     
     
      breastfeeding,
      backs
      Poirier.
     
     
      According
      to
      INFACT,
     
     
      breastmilk
      can
      protect
      infants
     
     
      from
      infection
      and
      reduce
      a
     
     
      woman’s
      chances
      of
      develop-
     
     
      ing
      breast
      cancer.
     
    

    
     
      However,
      INFACT
      feels
     
     
      this
      natural
      form
      of
      child
      nutri-
     
     
      tionis
      still
      not
      widely
      accepted,
     
     
      despite
      the
      health
      benefits.
     
    

    
     
      “We've
      sexualized
     
     
      breasts
      so
      much
      in
      this
      cul-
     
     
      ture,”
      said
      Jean.
      Geary,
     
     
      fundraiser
      for
      INFACT
     
     
      Canada.
      “It’s
      got
      to
      the
      point
     
     
      where
      to
      expose
      your
      breasts
     
     
      for
      sexual
      purposes
      is
      perfectly
     
     
      fine,
      but
      to
      expose
      your
      breasts
     
     
      to
      love
      and
      nurture
      your
      child
     
     
      is
      seen
      as
      disgusting.”
     
    

    
     
      Poirier
      anticipates
      the
     
     
      hearings
      will
      take
      some
      time
      to
     
     
      be
      resolved
      but
      is
      anxious
      for
     
     
      an
      outcome
      that
      will
      affect
      the
     
     
      rights
      of
      all
      Canadian
      women.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      don’t
      think
      women
     
     
      should
      ever
      have
      to
      choose
     
     
      between
      the
      health
      of
      their
     
     
      child
      and
      a
      paid
      job,”
      she
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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