News flash! Equal… but no equality

Harper's “New Government of Canada” believes women's equality has been achieved. So in October 2006, they removed “equality” from the mandate of Status of Women Canada (SWC).

In the words of Bev Oda, Conservative Minister responsible for the Status of Women, “This government does fundamentally believe that women are equal. The charter is there. We recognize that women are equal under the charter and under any democratic society.”(Presentation to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, October 5, 2006)

Reality check: It's the facts that matter

It's the results, and the facts, that matter. And while women may be equal in theory and under the law, women haven't yet achieved equality in Canada.

Here are some facts:

On average, women still earn 71 cents for every dollar earned by men in Canada.
Women are also more likely to work part time.
Women are more likely to be poor.
Women are more likely to be victims of violence

Cutting the chances for women's equality

Harper's government believes it's working for women. In the words of minister Bev Oda: “I believe that I have been effective and and in eight short months this government, together as a government, has done more in real action to help women in Canada than the previous government.” (Standing Committee on the Status of Women, October 5, 2006.)

Reality check: Why we disagree

In the past eight months, Harper's government has:

Cut 43% of the operational budget of Status of Women Canada, the federal agency responsible for advocating for women within and outside government

Eliminated “equality” from the mandate of Status of Women Canada (remember? women are equal!)
Scrapped the federal-provincial agreements for a national childcare program, and replaced them with a taxable allowance of $100 per month per child under age 6
Scrapped plans to enact proactive federal pay equity legislation
Eliminated the Court Challenges Program, which contributed to test cases dealing with equality and language rights

These cuts were announced the very day the government announced a $13 billion surplus. They considered these cuts “fat” that deserved “trimming”.

But these cuts and Harper's spending initiatives are about choices. Choices about what the “New Government of Canada” thinks are important to the women and men of this country.

Cutting women's equality from the agenda of government isn't our choice. This New Government of Canada doesn't speak for us! We did not vote for that!

Please, read the Submission presented by the PSAC on December 15 to protest the cuts at Status of Women Canada.

Choices for women's equality

Read more on what we believe the government should do.

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Page updated: 06/03/08