Kady O'Malley of Macleans.ca with a NGPM Question

[jonathanobrun]

Nothing. Women are already increasing their education level and displacing men in many fields that require higher levels of empathy and emotional intelligence.

Subsidies for or against a cause create their own bias. The only way to solve gender inequality is to encourage woman to explore their full potential through education, employment and child support for working mothers.

[marlintehrani]

i would do nothing. i don't support women, just as much as i don't support men. i would however keep a vigilant eye out for sexual discrimination. i would encourage participation in the political process through the plan i set out in my video: a Youth Senate engaging Canadians from a young age and creating a pool of future civil servants.

[themaskedpatriot]

I will not indulge in this long-winded buzzword extravaganza. Why? Because, in absolutely practical terms, sometimes men need to shut up and listen.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part I

You are right: I don't think that politicians should 'mandate, interfere in, and socially construct the lives of the people they are representing'. I do, however, believe that we have a responsibility to provide the services and tools to rectify situations where people's ability to contribute fully to the social, economic and political fabric of the country are hindered by larger socio-economic issues beyond their control:

[ztoddcanadian]

Part II

providing support to single mothers or ensuring equal access to educational or job-training opportunities for those living in poverty is something that benefits all Canadians by strengthening our human capital, and reduces the socio-economic burden that comes with widening economic disparities.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part III

It is not just a matter of convicting criminals for the heinous acts: part of the problem with these deaths was the unquestioned institutional discrimination against women and Aboriginals that allowed these deaths to continue unnoticed for so long. It is much the same for the number of women that disappeared off of the streets in Vancouver: many social justice activists were well aware of the mysterious disappearances, but it took years for police to take notice.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part IV

I think that we are now aware of this issue and jurisdictions are taking steps to ensure that no more women die. But it was, in fact, partially due to police and a judicial system that turned a blind eye to the body counts piling up for many years that allowed the atrocity to continue.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part IV

I think that we are now aware of this issue and jurisdictions are taking steps to ensure that no more women die. But it was, in fact, partially due to police and a judicial system that turned a blind eye to the body counts piling up for many years that allowed the atrocity to continue.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part V

The judicial system also allowed Aboriginal men to die on the outskirts of Saskatoon at the hands of police for decades with impunity. Thus, as representatives of the populace, politicians must act as a check on the judicial system when it fails to protect the populace from harm, just as the judicial system must act as a check on criminals.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part VI

We don't have to disempower men to empower women: we do need, however, to address barriers (such as socio-economic barriers) that prevent certain groups from being represented in our political system. I think you and I both agree on this point.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part VII

Why are certain socio-economic groups not represented in Parliament? This is an issue that cannot focus solely on gender: there are a lot of men that are prevented from participating in politics because of economic barriers (how are we to raise the funds to run a successful federal campaign in the current system? Why aren't there more labourers or low-income men in Parliament?).

[ztoddcanadian]

Part VIII

When I refer to proportional representation I am not referring to mandating a percentage of certain groups in parliament. I am referring to removing the 'first past the post' system in favour of a proportional electoral system, as proposed by the BC Citizen's Assembly---which will force our representatives to work harder for our support and may help to even the playing field for those groups (be they ethnic, gender, economic) who are not currently represented in our political system.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part IX

I want to stress that I don't think it helps anyone when one group is disempowered to empower another. However, I do think that we have to act when equality is not being achieved, and it is not being achieved right now. I fully agree with you when you say that the 'populace must change its perspective and work on eliminating these barriers'.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part X Now, the question is how do we achieve this goal? I think electoral reform is one place to start. Thanks for engaging in this debate: it's important for us to address these issues to make Canada stronger.

[ztoddcanadian]

Cheers!

z.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part X Now, the question is how do we achieve this goal? I think electoral reform is one place to start. Thank you for engaging in this debate: all too often we avoid asking these questions, but we must address them to make Canada stronger.

Cheers,

z.

[ztoddcanadian]

Power theorist Steven Lukes argues that 'power is at its most effective when it is least visible'. Therefore, just because there is support for equality on paper and enshrined in our Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not mean that in practice every group in Canadian society enjoys that equality.

[ztoddcanadian]

The 19 women who have disappeared on the Highway of Tears in Northern BC or the women vanishing off of the streets in Edmonton are victims of a society where women DO experience inequality and violence because of institutional and societal discrimination and inherent barriers to their full participation in society.

[ztoddcanadian]

Politicians are representatives of the populace, and thus must be held accountable for failing to take effective action to address the discrepancy between what rights exist in the Charter and what Canadians actually experience. We cannot settle for the status quo when the statistics show that certain groups ARE falling behind. This is not just to address inequality experience by women, but also inequalities experienced based on race, age and sexual orientation.

[ztoddcanadian]

Thus, bringing it back to Lukes' theories on the invisible ways that power is exerted, I think it is important for us to look more closely at why certain groups are not fully represented in government and/or business (and in many cases the socio-economic indicators show them to make up a disproportionate number of those living in poverty) and ask ourselves whether we really have 'done enough'.

[ztoddcanadian]

(ie: why is it that Edmonton, a city with one of the largest urban Aboriginal populations in country, has never had an Aboriginal representative on council? I refuse to accept that the systems in place are 'good enough' if social and economic indicators illustrate otherwise.)

[ztoddcanadian]

Thus, to bring it back to Lukes' theories on the invisible ways that power is exerted in society, we need to ask ourselves why--if the system in place is indeed 'good enough'-that certain groups are not fully represented in government and/or business.

[ztoddcanadian]

Politicians are representatives of the populace, and thus must be held accountable for failing to take effective action to address the discrepancy between what rights exist in the Charter and what Canadians actually experience. We cannot settle for the status quo when the statistics show that certain groups ARE falling behind. This is not just to address inequality experience by women, but also inequalities experienced based on race, age and sexual orientation.

[AndreaforPM]

In order to ensure women were able to play an equal role in society, the economy, and politics I would first create a federally funded childcare/school program for all children aged 3 to 5. For more details about this please see my audition video.

[AndreaforPM]

This would particularly help single parents, the majority of whom are women. Parents who were unable to work and forced to collect welfare because they were unable to find affordable childcare would be able to return to work sooner. These mothers would be able to role model strong capable women for their children.

[AndreaforPM]

I would provide more support for victims of domestic violence. One of the reasons women say they in violent situations is because they cannot afford to leave. They need to be provided with a safe place to go and the resources to get themselves back on thier feet. In addition, they need to be provided with more protection under the law because a paper restraining order isn't going to deter someone determined to kill you.

[AndreaforPM]

I would also develop a program to encourage middle and high school girls to consider going into the skilled trades. Pink collar jobs such as working the Tim Horton's counter and cleaning hotel rooms don't pay as much as electrican or plumber. Previous attempts to encourage girls to go into science have been very successful with women about 60% of biological science students in Ontario (still very few engineers though).

[ztoddcanadian]

Part IX

Thus, I don't think there is an easy answer to your question—but it is something that must be addressed because we all win when women are able to contribute their knowledge, talents and skills to the social, economic and political fabric of the country.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part VIII

Also we must tackle the question of 'social capital'—the links between citizens that enrich our lives through the sharing of our knowledge and skills is also important. Allocating funding to organizations that support social capital and the development of women's skills and talents is also important.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part VII

Providing comprehensive and adequate childcare programs nationwide will ensure that women can participate fully in the workforce, pursue educational opportunities, and participate in civic duties. Working with the provinces to provide comprehensive health programs for low-income women is also important—as the proportion of their income spent on food and shelter is so high that often they cannot afford dental or eyecare costs.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part VI

Thus, another important facet will involve shifting social norms: sharing household responsibilities, providing assistance to single-moms, ensuring access to educational opportunities for women, and addressing violence against women are all important to reducing social exclusion and raising the status of women in Canada.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part V

I think that another part of the puzzle to consider is electoral reform: proportional representation may help us overcome some of the inherent biases against women and minority groups in the current system. However, this alone is not enough to make it easier for women to 'play a full and equal role'. We must address underlying socio-economic factors that prevent women from participating fully in the economic and political workings of this country.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part IV

These include political disparities, (note our low number of female representatives in municipal, provincial and federal politics), economic disparities (as I have indicated with women and poverty) and social disparities (women are still subject to domestic violence -- a social issue that must be addressed to ensure that the rights of women, as enshrined by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, are realized across the nation).

[ztoddcanadian]

Part III

I would strengthen Status of Women Canada by providing adequate funding and staffing to truly address gender disparities, as there is plenty of evidence of gender disparities that must be addressed on a national scale.

[ztoddcanadian]

Part II

To address both parts of your question, I think of one of the most important things to address is women and poverty in Canada. In a 2005 report on "Poverty Issues for Canadian Women", Status of Women Canada highlighted the intrinsic link between economic disparity, social exclusion and the low-status of women in Canada.

[ztoddcanadian]

Hi Kady,

I am responding via text comments as I do not have a camera to tape my response. I hope you don't mind.

As the child of a single-mother, I fully acknowledge that women face many barriers to 'full and equal' participation in the socio-economic and political facets of this country: