Liberal Women’s Caucus Releases Pink Book II

Media Releases
December 5, 2007

Calls for changes to Divorce Act, elimination of fees

OTTAWA – The Liberal Women’s Caucus today released Volume II of the Pink Book: A Policy Framework for Canada’s Future, to respond to concerns about violence against women, housing, Aboriginal women, immigrant and refugee women and rural women.”Canadian women reacted positively to the first volume of the Pink Book,” said the Hon. Belinda Stronach, Chair of the National Liberal Women’s Caucus. “Women’s Caucus continues to be a strong voice for Canadian women, at a time when it is becoming more and more apparent that the Conservative government does not even listen to Canadian women.”

The first volume of the Pink Book was released one year ago. Since that time, Liberal Status of Women Critic Maria Minna has held a series of roundtable meetings with women across the country to listen to their views on the first Pink Book and take their recommendations for Volume II. In addition, Women’s Caucus has held internal discussions on these issues and consulted with representatives of organizations that work on behalf of women to help prepare the second volume.

“Women have had a direct say in the contents of the Pink Book,” said Ms. Minna. “Across the country, whether in St. John’s, The Pas, Vancouver, or Toronto, women echoed the need for childcare, a national housing strategy, access to services and education in remote areas, and greater protections for women facing violence at home and in their communities. With the publication of Volume II, we are building on the widespread support we have seen from Canadian women on Volume I and letting women in this county know that the Liberal Party of Canada is listening to them.”

Included among the recommendations are:

– Violence Against Women: Amendments are needed to the federal Divorce Act, to define the best interests of children in custody cases and protect children from an access parent who has a history of abuse. In addition, increased federal funds should be dedicated to civil legal aid under the Canada Social Transfer to ensure that women have much needed access to legal representation in family law matters.

– Housing and Homelessness: Canada needs a National Housing Strategy that is inclusive of women and would set low-income women as a priority. In addition, a portable shelter subsidy should be established, which would be tied to need, rather than designated units.

– Rural Women: Women in rural areas often lack access to social services, education, well-paying jobs and health care services. As well, the rural poor have not had the same attention and research dedicated to their needs that urban poverty issues have received. Women’s Caucus endorses the creation of a Liberal taskforce that would travel across the country meeting with organizations and individual women from rural Canada to discuss their concerns and priorities.

– Aboriginal Women: Pink Book II reaffirms support for the commitment made in Volume l of the Pink Book to increase financial resources to Aboriginal women’s organizations to the same level as their male-led counterparts. In addition, the federal government should adopt “Jordan’s Principle” to address inter-departmental issues regarding the care of First Nations children in a timely manner, so that the welfare of the child is a priority. Eliminating violence against Aboriginal women should be a priority, and Women’s Caucus believes the most effective approach is to have a nation-wide violence prevention strategy for the Aboriginal people that allows for regional flexibility in policy, programming and funding.

– Immigrant and Refuge Women: Women’s Caucus supports changing work permits under the Live-in Caregiver Program, which allows workers from overseas to provide support for children, elderly and/or disabled persons, and enables approximately 3000 to 5000 caregivers to work in Canada each year, from employer-specific to sector-specific. As well, Women’s Caucus supports the elimination of processing fees for refugees. Under the current system, a refugee family of four would have to pay $1,400 for their application for permanent residence status – more than a month’s salary at minimum wage.

“I would like to thank my colleagues for their hard work on Pink Book II as well as the many organizations and individuals who provided feedback,” said Ms. Stronach. “The National Liberal Women’s Caucus will continue to work to ensure that the voices of Canadian women are not silenced by the regressive actions of this Conservative government.”

To read Pink Book Volume I, click here.