Helping women get ahead

We all want B.C. to stand for fairness and equality, and that means we need action on women’s issues.

In 1970 I joined women travelling across the country in advocating for a woman’s right to choose, and to change the laws so that a woman’s safety and health was a priority concern.

I’ve been an advocate for childcare and raising the wages of low-paid women for a long time. And I’ve seen firsthand how governments can change lives for the better. That’s why it’s our new government’s priority to tackle the issues of affordable childcare and housing. The affordability crisis spiralled out of control, leaving women and families without the support they needed.

For far too long, people haven’t been able to get ahead, and that is especially true for women. Everyone wants to live in safe, supportive communities, and to have the opportunity to succeed — and our New Democrat government is taking concrete steps to make this a reality for women across the province.

I have heard time and time again how the childcare crisis put families in difficult situations. One woman told me that she had used her line of credit in order to pay her childcare fees. The problem didn’t go from bad to worse overnight – for over a decade parents and women called for action, but the then BC Liberal government wouldn’t listen. In fact, the BC Liberals took us backwards by making devastating cuts to services that women and families depended on. We’re doing things differently.

We’re committed to advancing gender equity each and every day, and we’re proving that with every investment we’re making in women and their futures.

Quality childcare is good for children, and their families. Our historic $1 billion investment in a made-in-B.C. universal childcare plan means that tens of thousands of parents, particularly women, won’t have to choose between their careers and their family. Having more parents in the workforce helps drive B.C.’s economy. And at the heart of the issue, this childcare plan is helping advance gender equity in this province.

For years we’ve been echoing the calls for safety in northern BC along highway 16, and have increased community transportation, so that women can travel knowing there is a safe link from point A to point B.

Since the New Democrats formed government, we’ve also invested $23 million to meet the demand for programs and services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and other crimes. We understand that having supportive housing for women fleeing violence is a necessary investment. And we’re already getting started, with 500 supportive housing units within the next three years, and 1500 over the next decade.

Safe and affordable housing has been particularly hard for senior women to access. As of 2014, one in three senior women living alone in B.C. lived in poverty, compared to 22.5% of senior men. Seniors deserve to live full lives, without having to worry about the cost of housing. We are helping seniors by increasing Shelter Aid for Elderly Renters, meaning eligible seniors will receive an average of $930 more per year.

The reality is 61% of minimum wage earners are women, and they are forced to make tough, unacceptable decisions for themselves and their family. We are moving forward with a $15 minimum wage, which will help the tens of thousands of women who work in low-wage jobs and liquor serving industries.

Having women at the table can make a world of difference in having these issues addressed. Premier Horgan’s cabinet is the first in B.C. history to achieve gender parity, with 10 women named to cabinet and one named minister of state, and women make up 46% of the New Democrat Caucus. And last spring we introduced a Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, who works hard day in and day out to advance equity issues.

I remember that drive across Canada like it was yesterday, and believe as strongly today in the rights of women as I did then. So when our New Democrat government announced in June that we were expanding the access zone for Vancouver Island Women’s Clinic to protect the dignity and privacy of staff and patients, I was so glad.

I was asked recently what kind of legacy I want to leave behind. While there is so much I want to do — especially around mental health and addictions — addressing the issues that disproportionately affect women is certainly top of mind as well. Talk is not enough, and that’s why I’m so proud that we are taking such bold, concrete steps. BC is leading the way. We are making long-term investments in women and their futures that will be felt for generations to come.