Dear Sisters and Brothers:
Every year we join with other Canadians in remembering what happened on December 6, 1989, when 14 women were killed at the École Polytechnique in Montréal – murdered simply because they were women.
For many years CUPE has been engaged in the struggle to end violence against women. We know that many women in our country are poor and we recognize that poverty is a form of structural violence that makes women more vulnerable. The current economic crisis has had a devastating effect on hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers, including many women who have lost jobs, and who have difficulty in accessing Employment Insurance (EI) benefits.
In addition, although the Harper government claims that the recession is over, statistics show that Canada’s job recovery has for the most part resulted in an increase in self-employment, contract, seasonal, casual work, and part-time positions. These types of so-called “precarious” jobs are generally low wage, with no pensions or other benefits, and are filled predominately by women. Women also continue to experience wage discrimination, unequal access to training and education, a shortage of affordable housing, and a lack of quality non-profit child care.
It is no surprise therefore that a recent report on gender equality by the World Economic Forum showed that Canada has fallen behind the US in a ranking which measures such things as economic and educational attainment, political empowerment and health and survival. For Aboriginal and racialized women, the situation is even more stark. Economic inequity, racial discrimination and harassment and violence are a constant reality.
What can we do to get involved in the struggle to improve the economic and social conditions faced by women which put them at greater risk of violence? We encourage CUPE locals and members to participate in the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) December 6 Campaign, “Women’s Lives Count – End Violence Against Women”. The focus of the campaign is on actions that can be taken in the workplace, to make the workplace safer for women, and to support women workers who are experiencing violence at home. This campaign outlines 14 different measures to take action at the workplace and in the union, in honour of the 14 women who were murdered on December 6. Check out the CLC website for further information: www.clc-ctc.ca.
We also encourage you to get involved in the Native Women’s Association of Canada Sisters in Spirit campaign, whose goal is to raise awareness of the alarmingly high rates of violence against Aboriginal women and girls. More than 580 Aboriginal women and girls have gone missing or been murdered in Canada, and over half of the murder cases have never been solved. Every October, Sisters In Spirit organizes vigils across the country to honour the lives of these women and to support the grieving families.
If you would like to get more information about how to get involved in this campaign and help organize a Sisters In Spirit vigil in your community next year, contact NWAC at www.nwac.ca/programs/sis-vigils or phone 1-800-461-4043.
December 6 is an occasion to reaffirm CUPE’s commitment to the broader struggle for women’s equality. We will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure that women have economic and social security so that they truly can be safe at home, at work, and in our communities.
In solidarity,
PAUL MOIST CLAUDE GÉNÉREUX
National President National Secretary-Treasurer