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Election 79 The parties ... and their promises by Esther Shannon and timetables make this kind at home with your parents. Liberal moves to force in the PC - parfY, says that Liberal party policies "assume 'Of Canada's three major of "progress" inevitable. As well the Liberal women out of the work force The PCs propose to that the influx of women into political parties with any government has removed apparently stem from their "accelerate the movement of hopes of a hand on the levels women as a target group for belief that women still work women to an equitable share the job market is a temporary of power for the next five government employment for extras. Forty per cent of of middle and senior public phenomenon." The presitigi years, only one, the New strategies. The most telling women who work are single, service positions through ous C.D. Howe Institute has Democratic Party has consequence of this has been improved training." No warned Canadians this is not identified women as an the cuts in the Canada quotas, no target dates and no the case. The great majority of election issue. The Liberals Manpower Outreach pro mention of the necessity of women who currently work and the Progressive Conser grams for women. Services affirmative action programs in are doing so out of need, but vatives have been silent on the such as Ottawa's Women's the private sector. women are now beginning to subject of the status of Career Counselling Service The Liberal proposal, "to claim the right to work as a women during the election. and Toronto's Times Change actively plan and then human right, irrespective of campaign .. If one digs, have suffered budget cuts of implement measures to need. howe.veJ, one finds that both 40 to 45 per cent and won't be produce identifiable results in The NOP and PC parties the Liberals and Conserva funded after,. next year. the provision of equal fiave gone on record tives have prepared policy These were measures that opportunties for women" denouncing the Manpower statements and proposals for convinced feminists the {within the Public Service) is Liberal government was the improvement of the training program and equally short on specifics and trying to force Canadian position of Canadian women. Outreach cuts. Both parties if the past Liberal record is any women out of the work force Let's review what Canada's promise · to re-incorporate indication, equally inade and back into the home. three major parties are women into their govern quate. Liberals talked of secondary offering_ to women: ment's employment strate ,,wage earners in an effort to Economic measures-women Ed Broadbent gies, re-fund Outreach and Affirmative action make women the scapegoa,ts In the work force increase training allowances. for Canada's high unemploy divorced o~ separated, their On the recommendation ·of All three parties have Unemployment Insurance ment problems-despite families' sole support. Most of the Royal Commission on the committed themselves to {UI) is a new women's issue. statistics showing that even if the 60 per cent of married Status of Women, the Liberal calling a conference or doing Measures that the Liberal we sent home the 2,212,000 women who work do so to government established the research on women and the government announced in the bring family incomes above Office of Equal Opportunities ,married women who had jobs fall of '78 openly discriminate the poverty line. economy in an effort to for Women {EOW) within the in Canada last year and gave against women. UI benefits David MacDonald, PC develop long term employ Public Service Commission in those jobs to the 212,000 spokesperson on the status of ment strategies that incorpor 1972. EOW's function is have been cut from 66 per cent unemployed men there would ate women. ensuring that women receive still be more than 2 million women and a strong e_qual opportunities for jobs unfilled. supporter of women's equality continued on p. 10 training and promotion within the federal government. The New Democratic Party has promised it will set quotas and timetables within the New party seeks women's support public service for hiring, promotion, training and career development for A new political party has Canada must be free of The party is small and is women. been formed in Canada and it foreign control. running only one candidate in As well, the NOP intends to is looking for support from "Canadian nationalism," its this election-Carleton provide incentives within the women because, it says, it policy booklet says, "seeks to University professor Robin private sector, in the form of "integrates the equality of realize the Canadian people's Mathews is contesting the government contracts, grants, women in its structures, will in Canada, and to oppose seat in Ottawa Cen'tre. etc., to those . cornpanle~ .. wh1cli msfffi::fre-··attirmative attitudes and political the efforts of other nations to Mathews is probably best platforms." action programs. Like the impose their will in Canada known for a book he co Pierre Trudeau The National Party of American government, the and elsewhere. It does not authored some years ago with to 60 per cent of your previous NDP would set targets and Canada was founded last s.eek to impose its will on other James Steele on the salary. For a woman who timetables for private April on the principle that nations." continued on p. 3 earns the average women's companies who developed salary of $8,200 this means a affirmative action programs. cut in benefits from $104 a May 1979 The NOP proposals show a week to $96 per week. A man. clear understanding of the who earns the average man's reasons why the current EOW salary of $15,500 is unaffec program has been inade ted. He still gets the UI weekly quate. maximum of $160. {Think To date, under the Liberal what this policy does to a government only 20 of the 51 woman who was earning federal government depart minimum wage.) ments have EOW coordina UI has been eliminated for tors. The number of women in people working less than 20 high status career positions in the public service has gone hours a week; previously from 30 per cent in 1975to14 accessiblity for UI benefits OWL issues and strategi_~s for part-time workers was per cent in 1979. Administra Women in the Ottawa be returned to OWL and tive support jobs filled by based on weekly earnings. his wife, sexual orientation, Most part-time workers work Wom~n's Lobby (OWL) are used to prove to candidates and federal funding of rape women have increased ready for this federal election. that the electorate is indeed steadily over the past five less than this period and the crisis and women's centres vast majority of part-time The strategies they have interested in status-of women are also covered. years-from 62.2 per cent in chosen are simple but issues. Si nee 35% of the voters 1972 to 78.8 per cent in 1976. workers are women. OWL's two · "must do" Also the number of weeks effective, and can be adapted are uncommitted, 400 such strategies are making sure necessary to claim for a for use in rural or urban letters are clout, even in an that the candidates' written or person re-entering the work ridings across Canada. urban riding. OWL then signed responses to the force has gone up -from 14 First, OWL chose its two major developed a list of 15 "slightly questionnaire are reported to weeks to 20 weeks. Most re election issues: employment loaded" questions for each the general public, and asking entrants are women, and and poverty. Then, OWL candidate to answer. Most of candidates questions (drawn women are most often last wrote a brief election the questions focus on mainly from the question hired and. first fired. pamphlet on how these issues employment and poverty, but naire) at public meetings. Both the NOP - and the affected local voters. For daycare, removal of a OWL also identified several Conservative parties have example, Ottawa is a public husband's legal right to rape "nice-to-do" strategies that labelled these changes in UI service town, but the fact that continued on p. 7 legislation discriminatory and only 37% of public servants have pledged to abolish them. are female but that women The Liberal party, which account for 53% of employees Joe Clark Decision '79 drafted the legislation, is laid off by the federal Wage gaps between men and silent of the possibility of its government could be a hot women in the public service repeal. election issue. To typeset and El~cti<?n day is only one month away and, to date, 431 official are also increasing-86.5 per Another area of the Liberal print pamphlets for distri nommat1<?n~ have been received, representing 205 ridings. If cent of public service women government's economic bution at all-candidates the remaining 77 rrdings nominate one representative from earned less than $10,000 a cutbacks which has had meetings cost about $150. each of the three major parties (an additional 231) there will be a year while only 35.8 per cent severe effects on women is OWL also drew up a form minimum of 662 hopefuls knocking on doors across Canada. of the men earned less than Manpower training. While the letter asking candidates to be This, of course, is not to mention potential candidates from the $10,000. Liberals have promised prepared to give their views on Social Credit, Communist and other parties as well as those These figures are astound women more access to such issues as equal pay for seeking an independant nomination.