In an effort to portray the Conservatives as the party that cares about women's rights, Tory Leader Joe Clark called on a staunch advocate of gender equality - his wife.

Maureen McTeer joined Clark on a campaign swing through the Greater Toronto Area. At one stop, McTeer reminded the audience that it was a Conservative government that introduced employment equity laws in the mid 1980's.

This is the first election of this new century and the most important one since all of us began the struggle for equality, justice and fairness for women, McTeer said. Your leader has always been there for us. We need him to be there for us again. That is our challenge. That is what Canada needs.

In recent weeks, McTeer, a noted author and former politician, has been working hard to promote the Tory agenda. While she has focused her efforts on Calgary Centre, the riding where Clark is in a tight race for re-election, the couples' daughter, Catherine Clark, has been a fixture on the national campaign trail.

Both women will accompany Clark on a weekend campaign trip through southwestern Ontario, where the Tories boast several women candidates.

Marie Adsett is considered a strong contender in the Guelph-Wellington riding. The 28-year old television newscaster says she's getting the sense that more and more women are leaning towards the Conservatives.

Out knocking on doors, the majority of women that I meet - they just love Joe, Adsett said.

Women fear, so much, the emergence of the Canadian Alliance. And look at the Liberals record on health care. They gutted the system. Who are the care providers? Women. Whether they're nurses or whether it's in the home, it's women. They're the ones profoundly affected.

Adsett, a first-time candidate says the Conservative Party has been amazingly supportive during the campaign. On Saturday, Joe Clark will pay a visit to Guelph to give local Conservatives a boost.

He'll probably be the only national leader to visit the riding this campaign, Adsett points out.