A RECOVERY FOR WORKING WOMEN AT RISK WITH CONSERVATIVES

Richmond Hill, Ontario — SEIU Healthcare, a union representing frontline healthcare workers, the vast majority of whom are women, has reviewed the party platforms and is issuing a warning that a just recovery for working women is at risk with a Conservative victory.

“We’re encouraged to see specific policies being put on the table to include working women in Canada’s recovery. We are calling commitments like Justin Trudeau’s detailed plan to raise the wages of personal support workers (PSWs) to $25 an hour, and Jagmeet Singh’s commitment to ending exploitative for-profit long-term care, a blueprint to build back better for women,” said Sharleen Stewart, president of SEIU Healthcare.

Additional elements of that blueprint for a feminist recovery include:

  • $10 per day childcare
  • 10 days of paid sick leave
  • Free menstrual products at work
  • Guaranteed reproductive health protections
  • Mental health support for COVID-19 related PTSD

We now call on Doug Ford and all premiers across the country to adopt this blueprint to update laws within their legislatures to improve working conditions for women in sectors under provincial jurisdiction.

These policies to support working women are at risk with Canada’s Conservatives. As a healthcare union committed to saving lives and providing care, we’re also extremely concerned about the pro-NFA policies in the Conservative party platform.

“We’re hearing directly from working moms in our union who think it’s reckless and dangerous that Canada’s Conservatives would promise to rollback gun regulation that would make owning the weapon that killed 14 women in Montreal’s École Polytechnique massacre legal again,” added Stewart.

SEIU Healthcare will hold all federal parities accountable for their promises to voters. We further repeat our call for bold action from provincial governments across Canada to immediately raise staffing levels and wages for all healthcare workers.

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The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) represents over 2-million workers across the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada. SEIU represents over 125,000 workers across Canada. SEIU Healthcare represents more than 60,000 healthcare and community service workers across Ontario. The union’s members work in hospitals, homecare, nursing and retirement homes, and community services throughout the province. www.seiuhealthcare.ca