The Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women (CACSW) emerged from the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (RCSW). The CACSW was established by the Canadian federal government in 1973 in order to educate and inform the public about women's concerns. The CACSW was also empowered with the task of advising the federal government as to the effect public policy had on women. Such direct access to government was significant in that it legitimized women's issues in large-P politics.