Introduction
751. This section will update the information contained in British Columbia's submission to Canada's third report on the Convention to March 31, 1994.
752. In November 1991, the British Columbia government established the Ministry of Women's Equality, Canada's first free-standing ministry dedicated to equality for women. The Ministry develops and delivers programs that expand choices and promote economic security and personal safety for women in their communities. To do this, the Ministry advocates, leads, consults and educates on equality for women, and supports service delivery in the areas of child care, stopping the violence against women, wage equality, equality in the workplace, social justice and skills development. For the 1994-95 fiscal year, the Ministry has 252 full-time equivalents and a total budget of $203,769,000.
753. The Ministry of Women's Equality has become the leading agency in a major government strategy aimed at stopping violence against women. This includes responsibility for co-ordinating a government action plan involving a $10 million commitment of funding for 1994-95. The total amount of monies committed to stopping the violence against women is about $30 million, $21 million of which supports transition houses, safe homes, and second-stage housing programs. This funding also supports 40 agencies throughout the province that provide services to children who witness abuse, and core funding for the B.C./Yukon Society of Transition Houses.
754. The action plan, summarized in the document Stopping the Violence: A Safer Future for B.C. Women, builds on the work of earlier inquiries, particularly the report of the Task Force on Family Violence, Is Anybody Listening?, and the parallel First Nations report, Family Violence in Aboriginal Communities.
755. Stopping the violence initiatives have included:
756. In 1993-94, the Ministry of Attorney General allocated $1.2 million in funding for 17 sexual assault centres, complementing the $817,000 in funding from the Ministry of Women's Equality. The two ministries work in partnership to stop violence against women, with the Ministry of Women's Equality providing approximately $500,000 for sex offender and assaultive-male treatment programs.
757. Women with disabilities comprise 16 percent of British Columbia's population and face additional barriers and discrimination in our society. The government's action plan to address violence against women includes measures to address the unique requirements of women with disabilities, such as grants to make women's centres wheelchair accessible, start-up and renovation grants for new crisis counselling initiatives, and grants for the purchase of special resources for the hearing impaired. The Ministry of Women's Equality has also contracted DAWN (DisAbled Women's Network) Canada to identify and offer solutions to the unique problems of disabled women who have experienced violence.
758. In 1992-93, Aboriginal organizations received more than $89,500 in grants for initiatives to stop violence against women in over 80 communities. Projects funded included development of a Native Women's Assault Centre, creation of counselling services for women who have experienced violence, workshops on family violence dynamics and a conference promoting health and wellness. In 1993-94, the Ministry of Women's Equality funded 20 projects in Aboriginal communities through the Women's Equality Grants program, for a total of approximately $216,000. Many projects dealt with ending family violence. The provincial government action plan to stop violence against women included $2 million administered through the British Columbia Aboriginal Health Council, to address family violence in Aboriginal communities.
759. The ministers of Attorney General and Women's Equality released a detailed status report in September 1993 on new and ongoing justice initiatives. This report responds to recommendations in the 1992 report of the Law Society of B.C. Gender Equality Committee. The initiatives include family law reform, treatment of women in the courts, the justice system's response to violence against women and women in the legal profession.
760. In June 1992, the Human Rights Act was amended to protect individuals from discrimination on the basis of family status or sexual orientation. The amendments will prevent discrimination in areas such as tenancy, employment, and membership in trade unions and occupational associations. The 1993 amendment to the Human Rights Act prohibits the publication, issue or display of hate literature and hate activities, protecting women and others who are covered by the Act.
761. The Ombudsman Act was amended in 1993 to ensure that it is an offense to discriminate against anyone who makes a complaint, gives evidence, or assists the Ombudsman in an investigation. Women no longer need to fear they will lose their jobs because of complaints they file regarding improper treatment, sexual harassment or sexual discrimination.
762. The Multiculturalism Act, created in 1993, establishes the provincial government's commitment to cross-cultural understanding and to help build a society free of racism. As women have traditionally accounted for over half of B.C.'s ethnic population, this legislation benefits women by providing services that promote positive race relations.
763. Recent changes to the Residential Tenancy Act recognize that female tenants in particular experience harassment by landlords, and provide that tenants can get permission to change their locks so that landlords cannot enter without permission. Other amendments to this Act created a rental protection system to help tenants dispute unjustifiable rent increases and an emergency repair support system.
764. Revisions to the Limitation Act will permit civil actions for damages arising from sexual assault at any time, and extend the limitation period for women who have suffered from breast implants until December 1995.
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765. In 1994-95, the Ministry of Women's Equality committed over $1.3 million in operational funding to 36 women's centres throughout the province. This is an increase of seven new centres, each of which also received $10,000 in funding for purchasing equipment, improved access for disabled women, staff training, and the purchase of additional resource material. These centres assist women to obtain information or gain access to needed support services, jobs and training, child care and housing.
766. Child Care: Choices at Work is part of the provincial government's child care plan and is providing $42 million to improve B.C.'s child care system this is in addition to $58.3 million committed by the government in the last two years to create 15,000 licensed spaces in child and family day-care centres by 1996. Choices at Work expands on these goals by:
767. Other government programs aimed at improving child care in the province include the following:
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768. The British Columbia government's Employment Equity Program is designed to ensure, among other things, the greater representation of women in management level positions within the public service. This helps to ensure that women are more involved in the decision-making processes of government.
769. The British Columbia government's commitment to gender equality is reflected in appointments to government agencies, boards and commissions. A high priority is also placed on ensuring representation of the four designated Employment Equity groups: women, persons with disabilities, Aboriginal people, and visible minorities. Between November 1991 and June 1994, women comprised 54 percent of all new appointments.
770. A 17-member independent Provincial Child Care Council has been established to give communities input into child care policies and programs in British Columbia. Nominations to Council are received from communities throughout B.C., and appointments are made by the Minister of Women's Equality. Members of Council have diverse backgrounds in the field of child care, and are representative of families and caregivers, various types of child care services, and a variety of community groups. Council members, representing 12 regions across the province, provide expert advice to the government on the development and evaluation of child care programs, focusing on accessibility, quality, stability, affordability, fair and equitable salaries, training, and infrastructure development.
771. In 1993-94, the Ministry of Women's Equality provided funding to the Aboriginal Women's Council for consultations on self-government.
772. The Child, Youth, and Family Advocacy Act is in the process of establishing an independent advocate for children, youth and families on both an individual and a community level. This will give women the opportunity to participate in problem resolution at the community level.
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773. In 1994, the provincial government introduced a comprehensive new approach to education and training for students, workers and the unemployed, as part of a plan called Skills Now. The Ministry of Women's Equality is working in partnership with the Ministry of Skills, Training and Labour to address equality for women within this initiative.
774. Apprenticeship is one of the goals of the Skills Now program. A major focus of the Provincial Apprenticeship Board is to increase the participation of under-represented groups in apprenticeship training programs by ensuring fair access to apprenticeship certification, training and job placement. A forum of federal, provincial and territorial labour ministers has undertaken a study of equity in apprenticeship across Canada, and will report on best practices and recommended options for implementing change.
775. The Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group on Education and Training/ Retraining, led by British Columbia, produced a video, Raising Young Voices, for parents, teachers and school administrators. This video is part of a package that includes three discussion guides which examine the impact of gender socialization on the self-image and aspirations of young women. The video and guides will be distributed in the spring of 1995.
776. Through the Women's Equality Grants Program, the Ministry of Women's Equality annually provides $12,500 to fund 25 bursaries at colleges and universities for women pursuing education in women's studies or in male-dominated fields of study.
777. The Ministry of Education has a Gender Equity Program with a mandate to improve opportunities, access and support for all girls and women in the B.C. education system by promoting the principles of gender equity.
778. The Science and Technology Division of the Ministry of Employment and Investment has overseen a number of projects affecting women during the 1993-94 fiscal year. Through the ministry's Partners in Science Awareness Program, many projects targeting women received funding.
779. The Ministry of Women's Equality, in partnership with the Science and Technology Division of the Ministry of Employment and Investment, recently completed Changing Times, Changing Views, which is an inventory of exemplary programs encouraging girls and women to enter the fields of science, math, technology and engineering.
780. The Teen Parent Program was established to provide financial assistance for child care to children of young parents in order that the parents may continue with their secondary school education. There are currently 20 teen parent programs across the province, many of which also provide counselling and other support services for young parents.
781. In June 1992, the Minister of Social Services announced the removal of the three-year time limit on educational and training courses for persons on income assistance. This will allow longer periods of college and university enrolment for recipients of income assistance, the majority of whom are women.
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782. British Columbia introduced a pay equity program for the public service in September 1990. The first adjustment under the program was in January 1991 to approximately 11,600 employees working in female-dominated job classes. A second interim adjustment took effect April 1, 1992, for a total of $23 million. As part of the pay equity program for the public service, the government is working with the British Columbia Government Employees' Union to develop a gender-neutral job evaluation plan, scheduled to be fully implemented in the fall of 1994 for the union's 28,000 members.
783. Amendments to the Human Rights Act have made it easier for employers to implement employment equity programs by removing pre-approval requirements. These amendments also allow the B.C. Council of Human Rights to make general recommendations concerning employment equity programs, and to order employers to adopt such programs where the employer has been found to contravene the Human Rights Act.
784. In 1993-94, 44 percent of all new complaints received by the B.C. Council of Human Rights were about sexual discrimination. Over 90 percent of these were from women. The Council sponsored several educational plans to ensure that women's workplaces are free from discrimination and harassment.
785. The Worker's Compensation Board occupational safety and health regulations were expanded in April 1993 to cover farmworkers, many of whom are immigrant women.
786. In June 1993, the Ministry of Skills, Training and Labour introduced amendments to improve gender equity in the provision of worker's compensation survivor benefits. Spouses of deceased workers will no longer be cut off from benefits if they remarry. Men account for the vast majority of work-related fatalities, so the disentitlement to benefits primarily affected women.
787. The same amendments also extended worker's compensation coverage to virtually all provincial workers as of January 1, 1994. Worker's compensation coverage now includes banking, office and domestic employees, areas of the provincial workforce dominated by women.
788. The Pension Benefits Standards Act took effect in January 1993. This requires pension plans to provide minimum survivor benefits, forbids termination of pension benefits on remarriage, and also prohibits discrimination in pension membership, benefits or contributions based on sex.
789. The Ministry of Women's Equality Grants Program provides grants of up to $10,000 to non-profit societies for projects on workplace fairness.
790. The Government of British Columbia has adopted a gender-inclusive language policy for all government communications. This policy will help ensure that the reality of women's participation in the workplace and society is reflected in government communications.
791. In April 1991, the Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture appointed the first Businesswomen's Advocate in British Columbia to work toward increasing women's participation in the creation of businesses and to improve their chances of survival and growth in the business community.
792. In February 1992, British Columbia's minimum wage went up to $5.50 an hour and in April 1993 it was raised to $6.00 an hour. These increases benefit over 75,000 workers, close to two thirds of whom are women.
793. In January 1992, the requirement that single income assistance recipients with children over six months of age must seek paid employment was removed.
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794. In March 1992, the Minister of Health and the Minister of Women's Equality announced new measures to improve women's access to contraception and abortion, including:
795. In January 1994, the British Columbia Women's Hospital and Health Centre was established as a provincial resource to provide a full range of women's health services to the women of British Columbia. The Women's Health Centre offers outpatient treatment and counselling for osteoporosis, recurrent pregnancy loss, sexual health, premenstrual syndrome and adolescent gynaecology, as well as bone densitometry and ultrasound services. The Centre also co-ordinates emergency hospital services for women who have experienced sexual assault and is operating a pilot program for women and children with HIV/AIDS in conjunction with the B.C. Children's Hospital.
796. British Columbia was the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce a government-funded mammography screening program. There are now 15 such centres in B.C. Three additional centres and two mobile units to serve Upper Vancouver Island and northern communities are scheduled to open this year.
797. The Pregnancy Outreach Program funded by the Ministry of Health provides education, support and food supplements to high-risk pregnant women and encourages them to make healthy behaviour changes.
798. The Ministry of Health sponsored a Women's Health Conference in September 1993, for organizations concerned with women's health to develop recommendations about B.C.'s health care system. In response to the moderator's report, the Minister of Health announced the establishment of the Women's Health Bureau and the Minister's Advisory Council on Women's Health, both of which ensure a strong voice for women in health issues. The mandate of the Women's Health Bureau is to promote a health care system which is sensitive to the needs of women by working within government and liaising with community groups and health care providers. The mandate of the Advisory council is to advise the Minister of Health on issues relating to the health needs of women, the development of health care policy and the delivery of women's health services.
799. The Residential Historical Abuse Program is sponsored by the ministries of Health, Social Services, Education and Attorney General to provide counselling and support to British Columbians who state that they were sexually abused while living in provincially-funded residential care facilities. Services are provided through registered clinicians and established non-profit counselling agencies throughout B.C.
800. The Women's Health Centre is sponsoring an Aboriginal Health Program in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Health Canada, the B.C. Cancer Agency and the Aboriginal community. The initial focus of this program is cervical cancer screening, as the death rate from cervical cancer is considerably higher in Aboriginal women than in non-Aboriginal women. This program will ultimately co-ordinate other Aboriginal women's health services throughout the province.
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801. The Ministry of Government Services and Ministry Responsible for Sport and the Commonwealth Games provides an annual grant of $100,000 to Promotion Plus, an advocacy group promoting greater participation by girls and women in sport and physical activity. The provincial government has also implemented a provincial gender equity policy and evaluation criteria for funding provincial sport organizations.
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802. The Ministry of Women's Equality provides a regional presence throughout the province. Twelve regional co-ordinators in seven regions work with community agencies to support effective regional delivery of ministry programs.
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803. New adult guardianship legislation is being implemented that will primarily affect senior citizens, the majority of whom are women:
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804. Changes to the Family Maintenance Enforcement Act will improve administrative and enforcement powers, increasing the effectiveness of the Act by assisting single-parent families the majority of which are headed by women to collect child support which more closely relates to the actual cost of raising children.
805. The Family Relations Act is changing to provide a comprehensive framework for the division of pensions upon marriage breakdown. This creates a formal procedure for pension division that protects the unpensioned spouse most often a woman and her children.
806. New rules for Provincial (Family) Court were announced in March 1993, designed to assist the court in making fair and prompt decisions on child support. Two booklets dealing with child maintenance and custody and access were created to help families who need to use Family Court. New, easier to use forms are also being developed.
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| Statistical Information on the
Participation of Women in Politics, the Public Service and Judiciary |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Women | % | |
| Political Participation | |||
| Provincial Legislature (1993) | 75 | 19 | 25.3% |
| Local Government (Dec. 1993)¹ | 1181 | 250 | 21.2% |
| School Trustees (Dec. 1993) | 523 | 268 | 51.2% |
| B.C. Public Service (Dec. 1993) | |||
| Minister | 18 | 7 | 38.9% |
| Deputy Minister | 22 | 7 | 31.8% |
| Deputy Minister Status | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| Associate Deputy Ministers | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Assistant Deputy Ministers | 72 | 19 | 26.4% |
| B.C. Judiciary² | |||
| Court of Appeal Judges (July 1993) | 23 | 4 | 17.4% |
| Supreme Court Judges (July 1993) | 100 | 12 | 12.0% |
| Provincial Court Judges | 129 | 24 | 18.6% |
¹ Includes mayors, councillors and regional directors. Figures are from the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and are approximate only because of gender-neutral names and the use of initials in government records. Where gender was indeterminable, individuals were counted as men. As a result, the percentage of women is likely higher than reported. The Ministry of Women's Equality reports the approximate percentage of women in local government for the same period as 24.2 percent.
² As reported at pp. 50-1 of the report of the Canadian Bar Association Task Force on Gender Equality in the Legal Profession, Touchstones for Change: Equality, Diversity and Accountablity. Toronto: The Canadian Bar Association, August 1993.