I’m one of those people who likes to be included. So I’m pissed off that the word “women” is not mentioned once in the Tory budget.
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And not even indirectly.
Let’s start with day care. Not a word about a national day care program – something that would create jobs for child care workers and get women into the work force where we can tap into our creativity.
You get the impression that the Tories are relishing this recession. Here’s a golden opportunity, you can hear them thinking, “Child care? Who needs it? The job market’s shrinking and we can just shove women back into the home where they belong.”
No big green plans, either, nothing to assist businesses seeking green solutions, something women have already shown a real talent for.
But oh boy! I can get a 15 per cent rebate for a home renovation that costs me over $1,000. Thing is, I need that kind of money to plan the renovation. Oh wait, I need a house, too. Women, the most economically vulnerable demographic, don’t necessarily have one.
As for the tax cuts, don’t get me started. As NDP MP for London-Fanshawe Irene Mathyssen comments in the online mag Straight Goods, the tax cuts don’t benefit the 40 percent of women who fall below the lowest income bracket and will have minimal impact on the 38 percent of women who fall in lowest tax bracket.
None of this is especially surprising – only demoralizing.
