OH CANADA!Recently, the government of Canada, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has made some poor decisions. Below you will find an outline:
"The word "equality" has been removed from the language of the current federal government. There are things happening in Ottawa that will have serious consequences on women's lives.
Status of Women Canada (SWC) is a federal government agency that was dedicated to advancing women's rights and to promoting equality. It has funded groups to do community-based research into equality related issues including follow-up to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and other UN-related agreements.
On November 28, 2006, over half of the SWC staff nationwide - the majority of whom are women - received job dismissal notices. The next day, 12 of the 16 SWC regional offices - a cut of 75 percent - were put on notice of closure to take effect March 31, 2007. The Edmonton office of SWC will then cover the whole area from the west coast, to Arctic Ocean to the Ontario border. The other three offices will be in Ottawa, Quebec
and Moncton. These closures will make it harder for women to access programs.
Some of the cancelled federal programs include:
-The Court Challenges Program - funding to women and minority groups to launch legal challenges regarding their rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights
-Childcare and Early Learning - agreements with and funding to the provinces for pan-Canadian, quality childcare and early learning services
-The Canadian Volunteer Initiative - training and other support mechanisms
-Youth Training Programs
-Adult Literacy Initiatives - essential training due to high immigration
-The Pay Equity Review
-The Law Reform Commission
Gender-Based Analysis has been dropped from governmental decision-making. Research and work for policy changes in the fields of women's political, legal, and economic quality are all affected and some groups are struggling to survive."It is imperative to let your voice be heard if you are not in agreement with these actions. You need to write the Prime Minister and your MP to let them know that these decisions erode women's capacity to participate in the democratic process, and jeopardize our equality and human rights. They are an affront to all Canadians who care about a fair and just society.
Finally, these decisions further tarnish Canada's reputation as an international human rights leader. I have sample letters available. Please email me if you would like one.
The Prime Minister can be reached at
pm@pm.gc.ca or
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
You can contact your MP via
http://canada.gc.ca/directories/direct_e.html#mpIf not now, when?
If not you, who?
