Jack Layton and the New Democrats – with a caucus team that is 40 percent female, the highest of any party in Parliament -are helping to lead the struggle for equality for women at home, at work and in society.

To address the crucial needs of Canadian women, Jack Layton and the New Democrats will:

Improve fairness for women at work:

• Implement full pay equity in the federal public service, and strengthen pay equity provisions in the Canada Labour Code for workers in federal jurisdiction covered by the Code and called for by the Pay Equity Task Force.
• Reintroduce a minimum wage, initially set at $10 per hour, and indexed to inflation.
• Increase access to Employment Insurance for women, and improve parental and maternity benefits.
• Institute a national child care program.

Help stop violence against women:

• Restore funds cut by Liberal governments throughout the 1990s for shelters and transition houses for women who are victims of domestic violence.
• Support native women’s efforts to develop healing centres and educational and training opportunities, including those that target the root causes of violence and violence directed at sex trade workers.
• Build more affordable housing to assist women trying to escape violence.
• Re-institute the annual consultation between the Department of Justice and women’s groups to monitor progress on ending violence against women, and progress on improving women’s access to the justice system and legal services.

Empower Status of Women Canada and other appropriate federal agencies to work to implement the recommendations of the report on Canada by the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Support Stephen Lewis’ call for international action on women’s equality. Work for the creation of a UN Women’s Agency to ensure that women’s voices and concerns are represented at the highest levels of the international community.

Reaffirm women’s right to safe therapeutic abortion services.

Properly fund Status of Women Canada, re-investing in women’s programs and organizations who had their funding cut by the Harper government.

Re-open regional Status of Women offices and strengthen their mandate to achieve equality for women.