Oda firm on Status of Women funds

Ottawa Citizen - Fri 02 Feb 2007 Page: A5 - Section: News Byline: Norma Greenaway - Source: The Ottawa Citizen

An unapologetic Bev Oda rejected opposition demands yesterday that the government rethink its ban on funding women's advocacy and lobby groups as she announced the first project to win financing since the Conservatives took a sharp knife to Status of Women Canada.

Ms. Oda, the minister responsible for women's issues, told a Commons committee that money had been awarded to a group in Prince George, B.C., trying to get sex-trade workers off the street by providing refuge and training opportunities.

She said the project, which got about $49,000, is an example of the "meaningful" type of work the agency plans to fund.

She said future projects will be assessed on the basis of whether they will make a real difference in a woman's life and repeated the government will no longer funnel "taxpayers' dollars" to advocacy groups. She also said the government won't change its mind on closing 12 of the agency's 16 regional offices or cutting the agency's operating budget by $5 million.

Ms. Oda said there have been 56 applications for funding under the controversial new terms and conditions set out by the government for funding from Status of Women Canada, and she hopes the new system will encourage groups that had not previously sought funding from the federal agency.

Ms. Oda also announced she had agreed to meet a group of her provincial counterparts "as soon as possible" to discuss their concerns about the funding rules.