Posted: Monday, 2 March 2009

Budgets..... as if women matter
International Women's Day is supposed to be a day of celebration, but lately women have little to celebrate.

The economic crisis is in full swing and women workers in Canada are bracing themselves for the worst economic turmoil in decades, without the support they need to weather this storm.

If the recent federal budget is any reflection of what we have to look forward to, women are in big trouble. The budget didn't just leave women out; it was carefully crafted to deliberately attack and undermine women's equality.

The Canadian Labour Congress says the federal government cannot continue to ignore the women of Canada, who have waited long enough for equality.

Over the last couple of years, Canadians have witnessed a series of attacks on women by the federal Conservative government, which has put equality at the bottom of its list of priorities.

The budget proposals on "pay equity" put women in a worse place than they were to begin with. Women who work for the federal government will have their rights to approach human rights processes removed. Federal "pay equity" is to be subject to market forces - the very forces which create pay inequities in the first place. This is unacceptable.

The budget did nothing to change the fact that six out of 10 unemployed women can't access benefits. Unless EI eligibility requirements are changed, women and other vulnerable workers will bear the brunt of economic hard times with no safety net.

Our demand for a national, affordable, accessible child care program has fallen on deaf ears once again. In the coming months, child care programs across the country will be closing as federal money runs out. Canada, already the lowest ranked of advanced economies on child care, will fall further behind.

Announced tax cuts won't help. Fully 40% of women who file tax returns, pay no taxes because their incomes are too low. When women have an average annual income of $27,000 a year compared to men's $45,000, tax reductions in the higher tax brackets are of little help.

There is much to do. This International Women's Day, the Canadian Labour Congress continues its economic equality campaign with the launch of a new workshop called "Skills for Change". International Women's Day provides an opportunity for women to organize together to challenge this anti-equality federal agenda.