FEWO Committee Report

New Democratic Party
Supplementary Opinion May 13, 2009

The House of Commons Standing Committee for the Status of Women heard evidence from a variety of experts that provided insight into the effects and consequences of the current Employment Insurance rules on Women.  While New Democrats agree with the recommendations of the report, however the scope of the recommendations was too narrowly focused and do not take into account all the evidence presented. The Committee heard evidence demonstrating the need for the federal government to: implement a national childcare program, introduce federal pay equity legislation, create a poverty reduction strategy and restructure Status of Women Canada.

Women in Canada have the right and often a need to work outside the home for income or wages. As the primary caregivers, women are forced to make sacrifices. The Canadian patchwork child care system is not made with either women or children in mind. Canadian women and their families have a right to regulated, accessible and affordable child care. Women are penalized by the Employment Insurance program because they often need to work in non-standard employment in order to care for their children. The New Democratic Party therefore recommends that Government of Canada establish a Universal Early Learning and Child Care plan by establishing a network of high-quality, licensed, non-profit childcare spaces.

On average, women still make only 70% of what men make, even when employed full-time, year-round. Unequal pay hurts women and their families and makes women and their children more vulnerable to poverty. The right to equal pay for work of equal value is protected by the Human Rights Act and the Charter. The New Democratic Party therefore recommends that the Government of Canada implement the recommendations from the 2004 Pay Equity Taskforce Report and legislate proactive federal pay equity legislation. 

According to the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women over 2.4 million women in Canada are living in poverty and make up the majority of the poor in Canada. These women are unlikely to qualify for Employment Insurance in the first place because they have been unable to secure adequate employment. The New Democratic Party therefore recommends that the Government of Canada introduces a Poverty Reduction Act with firm targets and implements a durable, comprehensive and fully-funded affordable housing strategy.

The current government made drastic changes to Status of Women Canada by closing regional offices and cutting funding for research, lobbying and advocacy activities. The Independent Policy Research Fund at Status of Women Canada provided valuable insight and information concerning the situation of women in Canada. Since the funding has been cut organizations are no longer able to provide this valuable research. Furthermore, funding cuts to organizations that advocate and lobby on behalf of women have meant that women’s organizations in Canada no longer have the capacity to advance women’s equality in Canada. The New Democratic Party therefore recommends that the Government of Canada reopen the regional offices of Status of Women Canada, fund an independent policy research fund at Status of Women Canada and expand the terms and conditions of the Women’s Program of Status of Women Canada to include research, advocacy and lobbying activities.