Come and hear what the UN Committee on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) has to say about the Canadian and BC Governments.
Wednesday April 1, 2009
6:30 – 9pm at the Vancouver Public Library
For more info, download the poster
More about BC CEDAW – The B.C. CEDAW Group
December 17, 2008 letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Re: Stimulating the Economy by Investing in Women: Smart Approach to Economic Recovery [EXCERPT]
Child Care
Invest in a national child care program will provide needed early learning for children and allow for women’s fuller participation in paid employment. As the December 2008 UNICEF report and others have pointed out, Canada ranks last in child-care provision among developed countries.
Budget 2009 should provide:
- Adequate and sustained transfers to provinces and territories to increase access to quality, affordable child care spaces and services;
- Accountability mechanisms with provincial plans, timelines and targets for lowering parent fees and adding public or community-owned spaces. In addition, federal transfers should raise wages for trained staff, alleviating the current recruitment and retention crisis in Canada by providing a living wage and raising service quality accordingly;
- It is important that training and adjustment programs are accessible to women and extend beyond the industries immediately impacted. Spending on training for child care and other services should also be part of any training initiative.
Sincerely,
Joanna A. Czapska, on behalf of The B.C. CEDAW Group: Carrie Humchitt, Aboriginal Women’s Action Network; Susan Harney, Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC; Alison Brewin & Kasari Govender, W. Coast Women’s Legal Education & Action Fund; Annabel Webb and Joanna A. Czapska, Justice for Girls; Narmeen Hashim & Leilani Farha, Women’s Housing Equality Network (Canada)