Barry Ellsworth
September 08, 2015•Update: September 08, 2015
By Barry Ellsworth
TRENTON, Ontario (AA) - Canada lags behind other developed countries when it comes to women’s equality, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) said Monday, citing a secret report.
The country ranks near the bottom when it comes to the pay gap between men and women; support is below average for child care and parental leave; it is 57th in women filling the role of elected parliamentary politicians; and finally, there is no national plan to combat violence against women.
“Canada has no comprehensive national strategy to address violence against women, lagging behind several comparable countries, including the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand,” according to the report.
The document was prepared by the Privy Council Office to make federal government deputy department ministers aware of the issues facing women. Dated Feb. 10, 2015, it was never intended to be made public but the CBC obtained a copy through a Freedom of Information request.
The 35-page document has five pages of redacted “policy implications”, the CBC reported.
Kathleen Lahey, a law professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, told the CBC she wished the report had been released rather than kept secret.
“I’m really disappointed that this document didn’t make it into the public sphere,” Lahey said.
The government stonewalled when asked for comment, with Kelly Leitch, spokesperson for the minister responsible for Status of Women, saying she “doesn’t comment on draft slideshows”.
Leitch’s boss, Andrew McGrath, defended the secrecy of the document. “This was prepared for public servants for a committee of public servants and not shared with the minister’s office,” he wrote in an email to the CBC. He declined further comment.
While there is no specific strategy to target violence against women in general, the government did announce funding for a $25 million “action plan” to combat family violence and violent crimes against aboriginal women, a Status of Women Canada spokesperson said. The plan was made public Sept. 15, 2014.
Men are paid 20 percent more than women, putting the country fourth from the bottom of 34 Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Only South Korea, Japan and Germany scored worse.
There were plans for a women’s-issue debate, since Canada is in the middle of a federal election campaign. But Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he would not participate and New Democrat Party Leader decided to opt out, too, because of Harper’s refusal.
