Violence Against Women

publicpower means that we help the least fortunate among us with the supports they need to live with dignity and purpose.

Ontario today faces a dramatic increase in violence that threatens the lives of women and children across our province.

Howard Hampton and the NDP will combat violence against women with a comprehensive "Freedom from Fear" strategy that will protect women and children by providing the social, economic and legal tools to protect themselves and their families from abuse.

Conservatives: The Conservatives have chosen to ignore the warnings and refused to protect women with the comprehensive measures we know are needed.

The Conservatives have focused on the criminal justice system at the exclusion of other supports women need to combat violence.

Conservatives diverted funding away from services for women and children with tragic results. Under the Conservatives, Ontario experienced a 25 per cent increase in women killed by their spouses or ex-spouses. Two Coroners' inquests into spousal homicides have provided the government a blueprint for action on protecting Ontario women in danger. The Conservatives, however, have refused to fully and immediately implement the recommendations made by the Arlene May and Gillian Hadley inquests.

The Conservatives intend to close one of Thunder Bay's shelters for abused women - a decision Thunder Bay's police chief says is so wrong-headed, "it defies logic." Thunder Bay city council passed a resolution opposing the shelter closing.

Liberals: The Liberals betrayed their promise to endangered women and children by flip-flopping on a commitment to do everything necessary to combat violence against women.

In November 2000 Dalton McGuinty signed a pledge to implement the emergency measures proposed by the Cross Sectoral Strategy Group, a coalition of organizations providing support to women facing violence. It's a comprehensive $350 million package of promises that would effectively protect women - a program the NDP has consistently endorsed.

Now the Liberal platform only commits to one promise from that pledge: $3.6 million for second-stage housing. That's a $346.4 million flip flop on protecting women and children.

NDP: Howard Hampton and the NDP would fund community-based services for women and children through neighbourhood supports and emergency services such as crisis lines, shelter funding, a $3.6 million secondstage housing allocation and sexual assault and rape crisis centres.

The NDP would fund legal reforms and services that provide women equal protection and representation, including legal aid to cover family law, and the implementation of Arlene May and Gillian Hadley inquest recommendations.

We would ensure that women have the economic supports to flee their abusers and to protect themselves and their children:

• Build more affordable housing geared-to-income,
  
• Increase shelter allowances to 85 per cent of average rent,
• Raise the minimum wage immediately to $8 an hour,
• Stop the National Child Tax Benefit clawback,
• Create a $10 a day child care plan for regulated, non-profit care while maintaining current subsidies for low income families and create 20,000 new spaces,
• Fund pay equity,
• Recognize and fund the ignored need for services and advocacy for aboriginal women, women of colour, recent immigrants and women with disabilities.
• Fund violence against women advocacy organizations.

The NDP has a strong record on action on violence against women:

• Increasing funding for sexual assault centres, women's shelters and creating new training programs to stop violence against women,
• Creating a $1 million stabilization program for 20 women's centres to ensure their continued service and advocacy for Ontario women,
• Funding second stage housing, so that women could find affordable transition housing when they left a violent household,
• Investing in social housing,
• Increasing child care funding to create 18,000 new licensed child care spaces,
• Investing in women's economic independence by increasing the minimum wage, implementing progressive pay equity and employment equity laws, introducing the Family Support Plan, allowing for automatic deduction of support payments, strengthening the role of unions in the workplace and bolstering protection for working women in Ontario.

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