President's Message

In the Speech from the Throne, the principle of ensuring economic equality for women was referred to just after the announced development of "an innovative employment strategy that will be cost ettective and oriented to the private sector." How can the principle of economic equality for women be satisfied? Flora MacDonald, with her Women's Day announcement of proposed legislation to enact affirmative action, equal pay for work of equal value and contract compliance, has taken a huge step forward in providing a framework for women's economic equality.

Recognition of women's increasing permanent role in the labor force has been very slow. In some circles it has been seen as a temporary phenomenon. Contrary to many other studies, a 1982 American Journal of Economics and Sociology article, authored by senior employees of Canada Employment and Immigration, concludes that the rate of participation of married women will be decreasing in the 1980's. We do not know how such research impacts on policy. We know, however, that while women are the fastest growing sector of the labor force, the number of women in training programs is decreasing. The amount now spent on programs geared to the needs of women is small. Such programs have a low priority in regard to location, numbers offered, number of participants, quality and quantity of available resources. In many colleges, program staff are hired on a sessional basis because women's programs are run only a few times a year. The result is a high staff turnover.

Low levels of training allowances assume the student will work part time, but a major reason why single-parent women are so under-presented in training programs is that they cannot go to school full time, take care of families and still work part time.

The economic equality of women can be achieved only it there is a will to do so. As long as there are those who profit from ensuring women earn low wages, or remain in the home doing unpaid work, but available as a temporary work-force, equality will be difficult to achieve. Barriers to training help ensure this.

The Federal government will have to give recognition to the fact that achieving women's economic equality requires the redistribution of training resources, the enactment of legislation, and cooperation among the public, private and voluntary sectors. This requires leader- ship by the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission. We must always remember that the public and voluntary sectors spend much of their time attempting to prevent and undo actions of the private sector which impact negatively on those who do not have the power to defend them- selves. CCLOW would not be in existence if women had the same opportunities for education, training and economic independence as men.

The great central question of our time is: what kind of a society do we want for Canada - one in which inequality allows those in power to focus greater wealth and greater power in the hands of a favored segment of the society, or one which provides opportunities for all who want to make use of them? The members of CCLOW will be awaiting, with great anticipation, the outcome of Federal government employment and training strategies.

Sincerely,