Funding cut appalling
The Grand Forks Gazette
06 Dec 2006
Letters to the Editor -- By: Suzanne Lee
EXCERPT

Editor, The Gazette:

Our Conservative governments' announcement in September to cut $5 million in funding to Status of Women Canada (SWC) is appalling and will have serious consequences for all Canadian women, and the Conservative track record on women's equality has been disturbing.

So far, the Conservative government has dismantled the national child care program, refused to move forward on pay equity, eliminated the Court Challenges Program and changed the terms and conditions of the Women's Program to prevent grant recipients from lobbying or advocating for women.

In January, 2006, Mr. Harper stated: "If elected, I will take concrete and immediate measures, as recommended by the United Nations, to ensure that Canada fully upholds its commitments to women in Canada."

But once again, our Prime Minister is failing to live up to his words.

Is this surprising? No.

The $5 million dollars represents a cut of 40 per cent to the operational budget of SWC.

Cuts of this magnitude are great and they cut through the core of the agency's budget.

It is clear that the capacity of SWC will be severely weakened in the future.
As for women living in B.C., it will likely mean that the provincial SWC office will be closed as of April 2007.

By leaving women's voices unheard by our government, women's equality will be decided without any involvement of women themselves.

I urge each of you to lobby our government, to take a stand.