I personally think Barbara Gowdy is a great author too - Falling Angels is a great book.
I once took a course in University that only featured Female Canadian Authors Of Colour.
I figured all they needed was some disabled writers, and you'd have every minority down! It was a little much. (I didn't know that was the topic when I took it - the professors decide after you've already enroled).
I blocked it out a bit (the University of Guelph is a little feminist heavy) so I can't remember any of the authors we looked at, but surprisingly, there were a few!