The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO) calls on the Federal Government to maintain and expand its important work on equity. ETFO finds it deeply troubling that Prime Minister Mark Carney has removed important equity and inclusion positions, the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion, and Persons with Disabilities, from the Liberal cabinet.
While we have seen progress toward equality over the years, that progress is not linear and there are still many positions of influence where men are overrepresented. Institutional change requires continued investment and commitment, and the removal of such important portfolios is concerning and indicates an unwise change of direction for Canada.
This is a time where a renewal of support is needed as the most vulnerable and oppressed groups in our society are living in fear due to the political uncertainty surrounding them. With the levels of discrimination and restriction of equality rights in the United States and globally, Canada must support and promote the rights of women and all equality seeking groups. Canada must continue to be a leader in social justice and human rights. The removal of cabinet positions responsible for addressing issues of inequality represents an erasure of, in particular, those whose intersectional identities encounter oppression in multiple ways.
Notably, the status of women portfolio has existed since 1971 as a result of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. Women in Canada face shamefully high levels of intimate partner violence. They continue to face a wage gap which grows for racialized women and women with disabilities. For Prime Minister Carney to set these facts aside and build a cabinet that removes the equity work that needs to be done with a national concerted effort is shameful and must be remedied at the earliest opportunity.
When the most vulnerable among our society thrive, Canada thrives.
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