March 8 is a day to celebrate the gains women have made toward full equality. Unions like the United Steelworkers are proud of our contribution to those gains, and we are committed to doing more. Because there’s still much more to be done.
Today more women than ever are graduating from university, entering new professions, being active in the workforce. Yet women continue to earn 20% less than men for the same work and are more likely to be poor. And it’s hard to take on a good-paying full-time job when childcare is expensive or non-existent.
Since 1980, over a thousand Aboriginal women and girls have been murdered or gone missing. Each day in Canada, more than 8,000 women and children seek protection from a shelter.
The Harper government has cut funding for women’s advocacy groups and support programs. For all our wealth, Canada ranks only fifty-second in the world for the number of women elected to our Parliament and legislatures.
But 2015 provides us with some important opportunities to act for women’s equality.
The 2015 federal election will be a chance to vote for a national child-care program. Tom Mulcair and the NDP have committed to implement $15-a-day child-care, something that would make a huge difference to the lives and bank accounts of working men and women.
The United Steelworkers is part of Up for Debate, a coalition of organizations calling for a national leaders’ debate on women’s issues. There hasn’t been one since 1984! And yet more than half of Canada’s population is female. It’s time for our political leaders to show whose side they’re on, and to make meaningful commitments to women on good jobs, child care, an end to violence, and support for women’s leadership.
So far, Tom Mulcair of the NDP and the Green Party’s Elizabeth May have agreed to take part in the debate. But there’s been no response from the Liberal or Conservative party leaders.
Please join me in putting pressure on Justin Trudeau and Stephen Harper to join this important conversation, by signing Up for Debate’s on-line petition.
Our 2015 National Women’s Conference, November 1-4 in Vancouver, will bring together Women of Steel from across the country to share and strategize. Our theme is Action! – For good jobs – For an end to violence – For leadership. I encourage USW local unions to send as many seasoned and emerging women’s activists as possible to this important event.
And finally, watch for more information about how you can take part in a national week of action on child care, May 10 to 17. Canada’s labour movement, along with child-care advocacy groups, will be organizing events to call for a system that provides all families with high-quality care at a fee every family can afford.
Thank you for taking action to advance women’s equality in Canada.
In solidarity,
Tomorrow is Election Day in British Columbia and there’s too much at stake for Steelworkers to sit this one out. Across our province, working families are facing real challenges. Forestry communities are fighting to protect jobs and keep mills running. Mining workers need stronger safety protections and training. Canadian jobs are threatened by outsourcing, and […]
KAMLOOPS, B.C. – United Steelworkers union (USW) Local 7619 has issued 72-hour strike notice to Teck’s Highland Valley Copper (HVC) operation near Logan Lake, B.C., following unsuccessful negotiations to reach a fair collective agreement. The notice was served Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 6:30 p.m., with the union preparing for potential strike action if an agreement […]
The jobs of thousands of USW members have been plunged into uncertainty due to U.S. tariffs, outsourcing and offshoring. In 2025, the Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) has supported initiatives that help build union-to-union solidarity, which is critical to ensuring workers have a voice. Over the years, the USW has supported the efforts of the Mexican […]