Quick EscapeIt’s time to put gender equity front and centre this election!
Ontarians are heading to the polls on June 2 – and YWCA Ontario is calling on all candidates to commit to meeting the needs of women, girls, and gender-diverse people.
We know that women are disproportionately impacted by poverty, violence and systemic oppression. The COVID-19 pandemic has widened many of these inequities. An unsettling rise in gender-based violence, a dramatic drop in labour market participation, and a rise in unpaid care work at home have left many women bearing the brunt of the pandemic.
Indigenous, Black, racialized, newcomer, senior, trans and queer women, women living with disabilities and those with precarious immigration status, and gender diverse folks have borne the brunt of the economic disaster wrought by COVID-19 in Ontario’s first-ever she-cession.
YWCA Ontario – a coalition of YWCA member associations across the province, including YWCA Hamilton — is urging all candidates in the upcoming provincial election to commit to a five-point, feminist plan that ensures:
Income Security: Social assistance rates of at least $2,000 per month;
Affordable Housing: A continuum of housing options for women and gender diverse people – including deeply affordable housing, emergency shelters, transitional and supportive programs.;
Child Care: Expansion of affordable non-profit and public child care spots that include decent work and pay provisions for all child care workers;
Decent Work: Decent work conditions for women and all workers – including specific gender-inclusive upskilling employment programs and other training programs;
Safety for women and gender diverse people: A coordinated provincial plan to end gender-based violence.
Women and gender diverse people continue to hold it together for their families and their communities – many with very little support. The time for action is now.
Please, sign YWCA Ontario’s petition today to let your local candidates know that gender equity is top-of-mind for you this election.
On June 2, let’s vote to #ChooseGenderEquity.
