Election Day is June 2nd
It’s time to center gender equity and raise the floor for everyone in Ontario!
Women, girls and gender diverse people are disproportionately impacted by poverty, violence and systemic oppression. The COVID-19 pandemic has widened many of these inequities. An unsettling rise in gender-based violence, a dramatic drop in labour market participation, and a rise in unpaid care work at home have left many women bearing the brunt of the pandemic.
Indigenous, Black, racialized, newcomer, senior, trans and queer women, women living with disabilities and those with precarious immigration status, and gender diverse folks have borne the brunt of the economic disaster wrought by COVID-19 in Ontario’s first-ever she-cession.
It is time to choose gender equity! YWCA Ontario urges all candidates in the upcoming provincial election to commit to a five-point, feminist plan that ensures:
1. Income Security: Social assistance rates of at least $2,000 per month.
2. Affordable Housing: A continuum of housing options for women and gender diverse people – including deeply affordable housing, emergency shelters, transitional and supportive programs.
3. Child Care: Expansion of affordable non-profit and public child care spots that include decent work and pay provisions for all child care workers.
4. Decent Work: Decent work conditions for women and all workers – including specific gender-inclusive upskilling employment programs and other training programs.
5. Safety for women and gender diverse people: A coordinated provincial plan to end gender-based violence.
Women and gender diverse people continue to hold it together for their families and their communities – many with very little support. The time for action is now. Sign our petition today and share it widely with your networks!
Click here to learn more about our five-point feminist plan.
On June 2, let’s vote and #ChooseGenderEquity.