Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is committing his party, if elected, to improve equal pay for women, launch a full-scale investigation of missing Aboriginal women and establish a national program of day-care and early learning.
He singled out these policies today among a wide-ranging set of proposals affecting the health, work lives and security of women put forward by the Liberals' national women's caucus.
Ignatieff said his party will commit to more pledges on women's issues in advance of the next election.
"This is a party that's always understood the challenges faced by women," Ignatieff said as his party released the third version of the so-called Pink Book prepared by caucus members.
Among the other proposals the women's caucus would like to see a Liberal government adopt are:
- A federal-provincial poverty reduction strategy "to deal with the persistent problem of poverty among women."
- Easing qualifications during the current recession for receiving Employment Insurance benefits.
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- Develop a national housing strategy to help low-income Canadians.
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- Work with the provinces to ensure an adequate supply of health care professionals by 2017.
- Set up a national 1-800 hotline number for women who are being abused.
- Bring in legislation to protect and assist victims of human trafficking.
- reprinted from the Toronto Star