The 2019 federal election will soon be upon us and we want all federal party leaders to tell Canadians what their positions are on women’s and gender equality issues. WomanACT is proud to be a part of the Up For Debate 2019 alliance.
Up for Debate 2019 is a campaign coordinated by an alliance of women’s rights and gender equality advocates from across Canada.
The last Federal Leaders’ Debate on women’s issues in Canada was on August 14, 1984 – 35 years ago now. And yet, women, trans, non-binary, and two-spirit people in Canada still face many of the same barriers today, including:
- Skyrocketing child care costs;
- Persistently high rates of gender-based violence;
- Lack of affordable housing;
- Substantial gender wage gaps;
- Precarious work and low wages;
- Responsibility for the lion’s share of under or unpaid care work;
- Poor and inconsistent access to abortion, contraception and other sexual rights;
- Criminalization and regulation of bodily autonomy;
- Lack of health, social, legal and other institutional support for women who experience or are at risk of homelessness;
- Targeted violence, social and racial profiling from institutions and state actors; and
- Little stability and funding for women’s organizations and social movements.
During the 2019 federal election, the Up For Debate Alliance is calling on all federal party leaders to commit to a national televised debate to share their priorities on women’s rights and gender equality. Jagmeet Singh of the NDP and Elizabeth May of the Green Party have pledged to participate, but we’re still waiting on a commitment from the Liberals, the Conservatives, and the Bloc Québécois. When it comes time to elect our next government in 2019, we want party leaders to explain how they plan to build a more equitable Canada for all.
For information on the campaign or to sign our petition, please visit https://ywcacanada.ca/upfordebate/
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