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Four National Women's Groups: CCLOW
· CFWEC · CRIAW · NOIVMWC
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Recommendations:
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Job creation must be a priority. Job-related training
which does not lead to available jobs which offer adequate long term income
security is a waste of time and money for everyone concerned.
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Address systemic barriers to the integration of women
into the labour market, including recognition of the diverse needs of various
groups of women. Legislated measures in areas including pay equity, employment
equity, child care and duty to accommodate are required if women, visible
minorities and disabled people are to gain adequate value from training.
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Preserve the voluntary nature of training. Coercive
measures are unacceptable. Consequently: UI funds should not be used for
training, and social assistance should not be tied to training in any way.
Training should be funded through Consolidated Revenues. Resource allocations
to training should be restored to 1989 levels immediately.
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Training for women needs to be high quality training,
supported by principles and standards which are enforced through training
agreements. Mechanisms for the allocation of training resources need to
recognize the needs of women who are not currently in the labour market, who
are self-employed or who are working at part-time, temporary contract or
'non-standard' work and must include women who are representative of diverse
groups as decision makers. In this regard, sectoral councils do not address the
working lives of many Canadian women.
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Support training models which have been demonstrated
to be effective for women, by providing adequate resources. These models
include: bridging programs, woman-positive basic skills training, advanced
skills training in non-traditional areas, positive measures/gender sensitivity
training and community economic development training.
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2. Unemployment
Insurance
The Unemployment Insurance fund was originally designed as just
that - a fund to provide insurance for workers who found themselves unemployed.
Over the years, the Federal Government has seriously eroded the UI fund,
dipping into it for training programs and "developmental uses", and drastically
cutting the federal contribution, while raising UI premiums paid by employers
and workers. The latest proposals, set out in the Green Paper, continue this
trend of undermining the purpose of the fund. |