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Presentation to the Honourable Lynn Stephens*
Minister of State for Women's Equality and Social
Programs
Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's
Services
*Victoria, BC
October 23, 2001
PREAMBLE
Honourable Minister Stephens,
We are the BC Women's Centres Coalition, and we are here to speak with
you on behalf of tens of thousands of women across
this province who access Women's Centres' services. These women,
and many others like them, will be the ones most affected by the cuts
to social services that your government is planning. It is single
moms, women on welfare, homeless women, women in the sex trade, women
living in poverty, students, senior women, women victims of violence in
all its forms, women working for minimum wage, and wives doing unpaid
work
in the home that will feel the brunt of your cuts.
We are appalled that Premier Campbell did not allow you to meet with us
on Monday, and that you chose not to meet with us today in
Vancouver. Your decision required us to spend untold amounts of
time and money to travel to Victoria for a one-hour meeting. This
is, to us, disrespectful and a waste of Women's Centres'
resources.
We are further surprised and disappointed that you, Minister Abbott,
and Premier Campbell have made little or no effort to meet with us to
discuss the critical issues facing women in this province, at this time
of fiscal restraint and significant funding cuts. Your Ministry
has always stood for openness and consultation with the women of
British Columbia and we challenge you to bring the spirit of
good government back to the work you are doing.
The contracts we hold with your Ministry empower us to provide
community coordination and leadership and we are here today to do just
that. You were elected to do a job for us.
We call on you to do this job with honesty and respect. We expect
you to honour your written promise in your letter of May 13, 1999,
that your Government would "carry on the core funding for Women's
Centres
and (that) the Ministry of Women's Equality will continue to exist, as
a freestanding ministry."
You have given us a written commitment in your letter of July 11, 2001,
"to work to improve the lives of all women, to enable them to reach
their greatest potential, and (to) be free from discrimination,
violence, harassment and poverty". The cuts your government is
planning will, in fact, ensure that women continue to live in poverty,
with violence, discrimination, and harassment as part of their daily
lives.
Women's Centres play a leadership role in addressing
the very concerns you have made a commitment to address. Work
together with us, improve our funding, and let women in British
Columbia
know that you are on their side.
OUR DEMANDS
1. Preserve and guarantee (at a minimum) the current
level of Women's Centre funding. Preserve and guarantee (at
a minimum) the current level of funding to other women-serving
organizations, such as Transition Houses and Sexual Assault Centres, to
name a few.
2. Immediately restore a free-standing Ministry of Women's
Equality, and re-open the Lower Mainland Regional Office of the
Ministry of Women's Equality.
3. Meet the commitment of your government for the most open and
accountable government in Canada. You are accountable to the
citizens of British Columbia. Provide us with information, and
the opportunity for consultation.
4. As the Minister of Women's Equality, guarantee that other
government Ministries will include a gender impact analysis in all
legislative policy and program initiatives, as promised in your letter
of July 11, 2001.
5. Repeal your Government's Balanced Budget legislation.
6. Cancel tax cuts and restore all social programs and services
to the level they were before May 16, 2001 at a minimum.
7. Arrange a government-funded meeting with the Honourable George
Abbott, Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services, and the
Women's Centres of British Columbia prior to the completion of the Core
Review Process.
IMPACT STATEMENT
Women's Centres are essential to the health and well-being of each of
our communities. They are often the first point
of contact for many women--when they are in crisis, new to the
community, or when life throws them a curve ball, like finding a lump
in their breast. Women's Centres build connections with other
women-serving agencies, and work with other professionals in the
community to provide holistic, high-quality services to women in
need. In rural communities, Women's Centres are often the only
resource available.
Women come to our Centres for a variety of reasons and many are often
referred to us by Social Workers, other government ministry staff,
health care professionals, R.C.M.P., City Police, City Agencies,
Religious Associations, and M.L.A.'s.
Women's Centres provide a safe, supportive environment where women have
access to information, resources and skills, to
make positive changes in their lives in areas such as leaving a violent
relationship, finding a job, or locating appropriate, clean, and safe
affordable housing. We play a vital role in breaking the cycles
of poverty and violence. We often offer multi-cultural programs,
literacy support, and employment search skills. Our services help
to keep the cost of health care down, as we work with women to
make choices that keep them healthier. Health care services
recognize the significant cost of violence against women, and would
find demand for their services (and the resultant costs) to be much
greater should Women's Centre disappear.
Women's Centres provide food, clothing, parenting workshops, support
groups, crisis intervention, advocacy, referral and support
services. We track statistics which often show funders and other
service providers what current levels of need exist in each community,
what overlaps in service may exist, and where gaps in
service may be.
It is well documented that in times of political and
economic crisis, Women are more seriously impacted. They will
experience increased violence, job loss, the loss of food, shelter,
and security and experience many of the corresponding issues related
to poverty. Many Women's Centres have noticed a significant
increase
in their statistics over the last six weeks since the terrorist
attacks.
Even the smallest cut in funding will have a drastic
effect on all Women's Centres. Doors will close, and many
communities will see the complete elimination of vital community
services.
QUESTIONS FOR THE MINISTER
1. Following on the promises of the Liberal government to be
accountable and open, your government has promised to maintain current
funding to women's services and to maintain a stand alone Ministry of
Women's Equality. How do you intend to keep that promise and in
what time frame?
2. When will you arrange a government-funded meeting of the BC
Coalition of Women's Centres, with the Minister of Aboriginal,
Community and Women's Services, in accordance with Minister Abbott's
letter to stakeholders dated June 15, 2001?
3. How do you plan to ensure that Women's Centres have adequate
funding to meet the growing needs of women in our communities?
4. As Minister of State in charge of Women's Equality, what have
you done to ensure a gender impact analysis has been done on all
legislative policy and program initiatives that your Government has
already undertaken, as promised in your latter to "Stakeholders" dated
July 11, 2001?
STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY
The BC Women's Centres Coalition members are working
in solidarity with all those who will be devastated by current and
proposed Liberal Government cuts to social spending, income assistance,
affordable housing, healthcare, and education. We support, and
work in solidarity with all those who will be devastated by the planned
dismantling of the B.C. Labour Code legislation, the Employment
Standards
Act, and the Residential Tenancy legislation.
We recognize the power of our diversity and the tremendous value there
is in working in coalition with First Nations Women, unionized Women,
refugee and immigrant women, women with disabilities, the working poor
and women living in poverty.
We stand united.
CONCLUSION
As our representative we expect you to deliver this message to Gordon
Campbell:
We represent tens of thousands of women in BC and we're not going
away. We see clearly that where he is taking us will roll the
clock back 25 years for women in BC. And we're not
going back. And our children are not going back, and our
children's children are not going back.
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