Labour group sends 'lip service' chocolates to MPs over budget
February 11, 2009
CBC News

The Canadian Labour Congress is sending a bittersweet message to MPs on Valentine's Day to voice their displeasure for not addressing women's issues in the recent budget.

Barbara Byers, executive vice-president of the CLC, said to get their point across, they sent each MP a pair of chocolate lips with the message "women are tired of lip service."

"Valentine's Day this year is not a hallmark day for women in Canada. Valentine's Day is traditionally the day that you tell the woman that you love you care. But the women of Canada aren't seeing much love from the Parliament of Canada these days," Byers said.

Byers said the budget contains less than nothing for women and provides them no help.

"It's as if the budget was actually designed to leave women behind."

Byers slammed the budget for its lack of support for a national child-care program, saying that the development of child-care spaces would help open up jobs for women.

She said a lot of women work in part-time, casual and temporary jobs because the government refuses to provide care for children.

Byers also said the five-week extension of employment insurance included in the budget doesn't address the "gender bias" of the program. She said 70 per cent of women who pay into the program can't receive benefits if they lose their jobs and that three times as many men as women qualify for benefits.