ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — The NDP says past Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments have not done enough for women in Newfoundland and Labrador, letting them fall further behind by failing to meet their needs.
The New Democrats say they have a plan to close that gap.
On Friday, leader Alison Coffin and fellow St. John's candidates Sheilagh O'Leary and Jenn Deon announced the measures the NDP would introduce to help women if the party was elected to form the next provincial government. That included a commitment to establishing permanent core funding for regional status of women councils throughout the province, as well as additional paid leave for those experiencing domestic violence.
"People should not be experiencing violence," Coffin said outside her party's campaign office in downtown St. John's Friday.
"We need to put in place a support mechanism for them, but we also need to ensure that we educate individuals that violence is inappropriate, that it has to be stopped... Making the first steps that we are here today, providing a good framework and allowing them to have paid days off when they are experiencing violence, I think is very important."
According to the NDP, the province's intimate partner violence rate is six-times the national average. The party said it fought for the 2018 changes to the Labour Standards Act that led to three days of paid leave for victims of domestic violence, but insisted more needs to be done.
"Help for women in these horrible situations allows them to be a little bit safer," Coffin said. "Having more financial support could make all the difference in women getting out of difficult circumstances, and ultimately saving lives."
Unequal pay
Deon, the NDP candidate for Virginia Waters-Pleasantville, highlighted ways women still find themselves playing catch up.
"Today, in 2021, women in our province make 66 cents for every dollar that a man makes," she said. "They also still do most of the unpaid labour of caring for our children and for our loved ones, and women make up the majority of our province's minimum wage workers and part-time workers.
“These positions are precarious at the best of times, but the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the economic barriers that women already face."
The NDP previously committed to bringing the minimum wage up from the current rate of $12.15 per hour to $15.
"Women can count on New Democrats to fight for the practical solutions that will lift them out of poverty and ensure they have the financial support they need to get through very difficult times," Coffin said.
Deon said women's organizations across the province have been looking for additional support for decades, having witnessed a continuous increase in demand for their services "as more and more people struggle to get by."
O'Leary, the NDP candidate for Mount Scio, said these groups are still forced to deal with the repetitive task of writing grant applications to secure funding. She said past governments should have already committed to stabilizing this funding.
"New Democrats believe in the work happening in women's centres," she said. "We believe in those serving the community and the women and their families who are using these supports."
O'Leary said permanent core funding will allow staff at regional status of women council offices to focus more time on supporting women in their communities and less of it worrying about paying bills.
@CBNAndrew
Andrew Robinson is a business reporter in St. John’s who is contributing to provincial election coverage.
