Women's
Equality Minister's Hands Are Tied
BC Coalition of Women Centres' Media Advisory
Media
Advisory
For Immediate release
June 23,2003
Women's
Equality Minister's Hands Are Tied
The BC Coalition of Women's Centres met with Minister Lynn Stephens, Friday June 20th to discuss preventing the closure of the 37 Women's Centres across the province. The Minister made it clear to the delegation that her hands are tied and that she has no power within her own party.
Lynn Stephens says that "Women's Centres are not as important as transition houses" and "Alot of the difficulty seems to be that they (women's centres) do not want to lose the feminist-based service delivery model. They don't want to move to the more main stream service delivery model, so there are problems." At the same time the Minister dares to accuse the Coalition of wanting to remain with the status-quo.
Without provincial core funding Centres will have no options but to close. The province provides 1.7 million dollars in core funding to 37 Centres each year - or just $47,174 per Centre- and has for nearly 12 years.
The Minister further suggested that Women's Centres amalgamate with other organizations in communities, namely Family Centres. This suggestion clearly demonstrates the Minister's lack of understanding about what women's centres do and how we do it.
In fact, Minister Stephens has not read the discussion paper, The Herstory, Risk and Survival of BC Women's Centres, which the Coalition had prepared on the options for Women's Centres. Further, the Minister was clearly unprepared to show any commitment.
In the meeting the BC Coalition of Women's Centres demanded a meeting with Premier Campbell. Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services, George Abbott has refused to meet with the Coalition. As a Minister of State, Stephens is a token Cabinet Minister.
The BC Coalition of Women's Centres also reminded the Minster that her legacy in this province will not be that of a champion of women's rights, but rather as the women's minister who violated women's rights. Stephens will be remembered as the Minister who not only lost the stand-alone Ministry of Women's Equality, but also the Minister who abolished core funding to Women's Centres.
The next step for the Coalition is to meet with Premier Campbell.
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Contact: Dodie Goldney 250-376-3009 or 376-5426
Debra Critchley 250-558-1138 or 558-1138
Benita Bunjun 604-255-6554
BC Coalition of Women Centres is to seek an end to the violence, poverty and other human rights abuses experienced by women in British Columbia, by supporting and promoting both independent and coordinated social change action among Women Centres and other equity-seeking organizations.
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Page last updated June 26, 2003