The kicker? She’s the Status of Women Minister. Lovely.
Status of Women Minister Bev Oda says the Conservative government has removed "equality'' from the mandate of the status of women program because it wants to instil the belief in equality in every government department, agency and office.Oda said in a CanWest News Service interview Tuesday that many people feel that the status of women office "relieves them of responsibility'' for making progress on equality.
Uh huh. What a load. So all of this must be in women’s interests then:
…[The] closure of a dozen status-of-women offices across the country, a halt to spending on women's rights advocacy and removal of the “equality� mandate from the women's program, which provides $10.8 million in annual grants.
This part I found especially interesting:
She denied the controversial moves are in response to pressure from REAL Women, a conservative organization that has long pushed for dismantling of the status of women department on grounds that for decades it has funded only "the ideology of feminists.''
Holy shit, it’s the Canadian IWF! Scary.
But if you’re still unsure about where Oda stands when it comes to women, check out this gem: “She indicated she has little patience for research and studies on well-known matters of inequality, such as the deteriorating financial security of elderly women in Canada or the need to stop human trafficking.� And I have little patience for women who sell other women out.
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She gets points for well-crafted sophistry, for sure.
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go lobby for the removal of the words "law enforcement" from the mandate of NYPD on the grounds that all departments of the city government should be concerned with enforcing the law.
WTF? Did she come to her position from NARAL?
The conservatives are in power...what kind of people do you think Harper filled the cabinet with?
Alon, I think Bush's writers created that quote.
It's the anti-affirmative action argument, isn't it? Equality will only occur when we go back to refusing to acknowledge that there are disparities. Stick your heads BACK in the sand, everyone!
I know a very feminist woman who voted for the Conservatives, and when I found out, I thought she'd lost her mind while in the polling booth. She laughed at me like I was paranoid when I said, "Are you crazy? You can't trust THEM!"
Who's laughing now?! Neither of us, actually, because I was right.
Oda's comments are especially disingenius considering part of SWC affected by the cuts is the section responsible for performing gender based analysis on any proposed programme or legislation.
I guess she has little patience for hearing about how Conservative government programmes will negatively affect women, either.