Empower Women, Today & Every Day
It's International Women's Day, and this year’s theme celebrates women who are shaping the future in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and other innovative fields. Women like Terra and Kendra (above), medical students who are already getting involved with government and policy; business owners like Solita; and leaders in affordable housing like Martina and Lisa.
Since day one, our Liberal federal government has worked to advance gender equality. This includes:
Equal pay for work of equal value
We passed legislation for federal employees that would require them to have rules that ensure men and women receive equal work, and where salaries and benefits are evaluated in a gender neutral way. Gender equality is not only the right thing to do for Canadians, it is also the smart thing to do for the economy. Having more women in the workforce has driven economic growth, boosted family incomes, and helped families join the middle class
Affordable housing
Our National House Strategy investments include Calgary projects supporting women escaping violence, with two buildings already under construction. The first is the YW Hub in Inglewood, which will provide 100 women and their children fleeing domestic violence a safe space to call home. The funding will go towards developing the first and second floors of the new facility to include multipurpose rooms, classrooms, a community kitchen, fitness centre, childcare centre and an administration area, along with a secure outdoor space in an enclosed courtyard.
The second is the Maple, a safe and accessible building with 25 private suites where women can rebuild their lives. “Women’s homelessness is complex and often hidden. Women will often couch surf or remain in abusive relationships to avoid becoming homeless,” says Sue Tomney, CEO of YWCA Calgary. The YW will provide Maple residents with round-the-clock counselling and other support. Plus, a shared kitchen and other communal spaces will help build a sense of community, stability and friendship.
Better parental benefits
We've made major improvements to maternity and parental benefits, including 5 extra weeks of EI when both parents share benefits. This gives both parents an opportunity to build a stronger bond with their child and promotes greater gender equality at home. This is another way we’re working to build a Canada where everyone has a fair and equal shot at success
Better support for vulnerable seniors
Our government has increased financial support for low-income seniors, the majority of whom are women. We’ve made increases to both OAS and GIS, so that a senior in Canada can now receive up to $1,700 more per year compared to before we were in government. This will help nearly a million vulnerable single seniors, and restored the age of eligibility for OAS to 65 after the Harper Conservatives decided to raise it to 67. We have also made historic investments of $6 billion over ten years to provinces and territories to improve home and community care.
Career advancement
We have supported more women in pursuing rewarding and well-paid careers in underrepresented fields like STEM, entrepreneurship and skilled trades. We also unveiled a Women in Cleantech Challenge, which offers five women an extraordinary opportunity to develop their cleantech ideas into marketable world-class solutions and compete for a $1 million grand prize. The Challenge focuses on the development of new solutions in areas such as climate change, green growth, and applying new technologies to reduce negative environmental impacts.
Poverty reduction
Through our government's Canada Child Benefit, we have drastically reduced the rate of child poverty in Alberta, with the biggest change affecting single moms. While a 5% child poverty rate is still too high, it’s worlds better than 10%. It’s life-changing for Alberta families. It’s a historic low. And, it means more families have money in their pockets to contribute to the local economy.
And, as a Liberal government, we will always support a women's right to choose.