No Political Will = No Equality For Women

An expert panel on Accountability Mechanisms For Gender Equality filed their final report" "Equality for Women: Beyond the Illusion" in December 2005.

December 2006 Harper announced the closure, defunding and stifling of Status of Women Canada; the end of provincial/federal agreements on child care; death of the Court Challenges program and refused to initiate any of the expert recommendations on pay equity

Apparently Harperites feel that these recommendations from 2005 should be ignored and that women should go back to their kitchens where they belong!

Women need to use their votes to "Dethrone King Steve"

"it became obvious that use of the word "gender" rather than "women" gave many people the impression that women had somehow achieved equality in Canada. This was a recurring theme in our discussions and it is, therefore, one we take seriously. The simple reality in Canada is that, while women have made enormous strides towards equality, the job is not yet finished."

A number of themes struck familiar chords in the Panel's discussions and review of materials:

• the need for strong leadership from elected leaders and top public servants, which would include the setting of priorities for gender-based analysis in the Speech from the Throne;
• the need for the Government's activities and actions to be more focused in order to achieve substantive equality;
• the importance of integrating the goal of equality for women into the Treasury Board Secretariat's systems of management accountability;
• the lack of understanding within the Government about the value of gender-based analysis, and the lack of substantive results to date;
• the need for those inside government to seek advice on an ongoing basis from experts outside government, consistent with the Government's approach on the Voluntary Sector Initiative (ANNEX F);
• the capacity of non-government organizations to engage fully is hampered by insufficient funding;
• the need to focus more on the inequality of immigrant women, Aboriginal women, lone-parent women, seniors living alone, visible minority women and women with disabilities; and
• the need to strengthen the role of Status of Women Canada.

LINK: Photo credit: Dethrone King Steve