Federal budget slammed for shortchanging Canada’s women

Just as Canadian women are trying to figure out whether to Lean In or lean back , the federal government appears to be holding them in another direction - down.

According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), women in Canada have been shortchanged in the recent federal budget.

“The Finance Minister got a new pair of shoes. Canadians got a new federal budget. And women in Canada got another haircut,” says a recent post on the CCPA blog.

In a budget that has already been criticized for taking more from Canadians than it gives, the CCPA argues that the few perks are geared towards industries dominated by men, in particular manufacturing, construction and natural resources.

For instance, the CCPA notes that just 18.6 per cent of jobs in Canada’s mining and oil and gas industries are held by women, many of whom also make a lower wage than their male peers.

The budget also focuses on infrastructure spending, which means more jobs in construction.

“Unfortunately, infrastructure spending creates jobs where women are not,” says the CCPA, citing Statistics Canada’s most recent labor force survey which shows only six per cent of the 382,100 Canadians working in construction are women.

The budget says more skilled labourers are need, but offers no solutions to help women participate in the workforce, such as the need for childcare and “work hours that accommodate the fact that women still do two-thirds of all unpaid labor; a shift in workplace cultures that subject women to harassment and bullying; and more women managers whose presence will signal to young workers that this is a field in which they can advance.”

Finally, the CCPA also takes a swipe at Ottawa’s “Canada Job Grant” program, suggesting the money be used to ensure pay equity and quality childcare.

“Given the ridiculously long waiting lists for unaffordable and significantly unregulated childcare spots across Canada, there are bound to be plenty of women (and men) who would take any job anywhere if it came with safe, quality, subsidized childcare,” the CCPA states.

Instead of a “sexy” infrastructure spending program, the CCPA suggests creating job opportunities in sectors where women are likely to be employed.

It’s clear which direction the CCPA is pushing for women in Canada – onwards and upwards.