Women’s economic recovery must be a priority: Chender

HALIFAX -- NDP Status of Women spokesperson Claudia Chender made the following statement ahead of International Women’s Day on Monday:

“The last year has put on display how precarious any gains made by women are. From additional home and child care responsibilities to massive unemployment in women-dominated industries, COVID-19 has set women back.

Not only are women the majority of workers on the front-lines in long-term care, health care, and grocery stores but they have also been hit hardest by the shutdowns in place to slow the spread of COVID-19. And unfortunately, the Liberal government has consistently failed to apply a gender-based analysis to their decisions during this pandemic.

The economy won’t recover without women. We need a government response that will put the needs of women at the forefront, including prioritizing child care, health care, and better wages for low-wage workers.”

The NDP continues to propose an Economic Recovery Task Force made up of representatives from a diverse group of industries, labour unions, environmental organizations, non-profits, African Nova Scotian communities, Mi’kmaq communities, municipalities, and colleges and universities, as well as education and early childhood development experts, economic experts, and MLAs from all three parties.

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