B.C. Women call for systemic changes
Cariboo Press /Golden Star
24 May 2006
Letters -- by Golden Women's Centre
EXCERPT

I recently had an opportunity to participate in a women's conference in Victoria, organized by the B.C. Federation of Labour. The conference was attended by 120 women from across the province from a range of public and private sector unions, the Coalition of Childcare Advocates of B.C. and the B.C. Coalition of Women's Centres.

There were a number of meetings with MLAs and ministers where the following three recommendations for change were presented:

(1) That the B.C. government insist that the new Conservative federal government live up to the childcare agreements negotiated and signed with all the provinces -- including B.C. under the previous premier.

Restore the $40 million in provincial annual funding to childcare cut by the Liberal government in 2002. Other provinces have been fighting the Harper government to keep their federally promised childcare money, the B.C. government has been silent.

(2) That changes be made to Employment Standards Act including:

• the elimination of the $6.00/hr. training wage;
• increasing B.C.'s minimum wage; and
• increasing the minimum call-out from 2 to 4 hours.

(3) That the former free-standing Ministry of Women's Equality be restored as well as core funding for Women's Centres.

These recommendations met with a variety of responses. Some understood the impacts better and were willing to do their part to address the issues, others were not even respectful enough to listen to what the women had to say.

We know that these are changes that women need, that families need and that communities need in order to survive and contribute as equal members of society. We must continue to send the messages to Victoria.

While we have no illusions that the implementation of any or of all three of these recommendations will lead to overnight solutions, we know that the three taken together would provide valuable support and assistance to hundreds of thousands of women across B.C. as they struggle to win a better life for themselves and their families.

The Golden Women's Centre is asking everyone who supports the implementation of these recommendations to contact our MLA Norm Macdonald and the appropriate Ministers responsible for these areas and repeat the recommendations to them...