No
      place
      for
      womenina
      Tory
      country
     
     
      by
      Heidi
      Modro
      The
      Link
     
    
   
   
    
     
      There’s
      a
      political
      hit
      list
      in
      Canada
      and
      if
      you’rea
     
     
      woman,
      your
      name
      is
      on
      it.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Conservatives
      were
      barely
      in
      power
      in
      1984
      when
     
     
      they
      announced
      their
      first
      round
      of
      social
      spending
     
     
      cuts.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      They
      started
      with
      senior
      citizens,
      worked
      their
      way
     
     
      through
      Native
      friendship
      associations
      and
      media
     
     
      organizations
      right
      through
      to
      the
      current
      attacks
      on
     
     
      many
      of
      the
      gains
      women
      have
      made
      since
      the
      end
      of
     
     
      World
      War
      II.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Their
      first
      target:
      senior
      citizens
      and
      their
      right
      to
     
     
      have
      their
      old-age
      security
      pension
      increases
      pro-
     
     
      tected
      from
      inflation.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Thousands
      of
      senior
      citizens
      from
      across
      the
      country
     
     
      rallied
      together,
      rented
      buses
      and
      drove
      to
      Parliament
     
     
      Hill
      with
      their
      placards,
      wheelchairs
      and
      canes
      to
     
     
      shame
      Prime
      Minister
      Brian
      Mulroney
      into
      not
     
     
      deindexing
      pensions.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Later
      that
      day,
      TV
      cameras
      picked
      up
      Mulroney,
      chin
     
     
      sagging
      and
      arms
      flapping,
      attempting
      to
      explain
      how
     
     
      going
      after
      pensions
      would
      help
      keep
      the
      country’s
     
     
      then
      $25
      billion
      deficit
      under
      control.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      the
      Tories
      eventually
      backed
      down
      and
      decided
     
     
      that
      the
      elderly
      weren’t,
      at
      least
      for
      the
      time
      being,
     
     
      fair
      game
      in
      their
      lust
      for
      budget-slashing.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Instead,
      the
      government
      turned
      to
      health
      care,
      educa-
     
     
      tion
      and
      unemployment
      insurance.
      It
      began
      the
      proc-
     
     
      ess
      of
      unloading
      the
      burden
      of
      social
      spending
      onto
     
     
      the
      provinces.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Critics
      say
      the
      Conservatives
      have
      systematically
     
     
      been
      rolling
      back
      whatever
      women
      have
      achieved
      in
     
     
      the
      past
      50
      years,
      whether
      it
      be
      through
      cutbacks,
     
     
      high
      interest
      rates,
      economic
      policies
      or
      their
      unsuc-
     
     
      cessful
      attempt
      at
      recriminalizing
      abortion.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      UPEI
      X-P
      RESS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      <
      Campus
      Women
     
    
   
   
    
     
      April
      1,
      1992
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      And
      women
      are
      increasingly
      forced
      to
      pick
      up
      where!
     
     
      the
      government
      has
      left
      off
      by
      fulfilling
      their
      tradi-
      |
     
     
      tional
      roles
      of
      caretakers
      of
      the
      aged,
      sick,
      and
      youn)
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “‘T
      don’t
      know
      if
      they
      (the
      Conservatives)
      are
      doing,
     
     
      unconsciously
      orconsciously,’’
      said
      Alice
      de
      Wolfe.
     
     
      executive
      coordinator
      for
      the
      National
      Action
      Com-
      |
     
     
      mittee
      on
      The
      Status
      of
      Women
      (NAC).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ec
      “49
      .
      3
      “<
     
     
      But
      whether
      it’s
      conscious
      or
      not,
      their
      plan
      is
      to
     
    
   
   
    
     
      have
      women
      go
      back
      to
      the
      home
      and
      that’s
      explicitly
     
     
      anti-women.”’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      Federal
      Health
      Minister
      Benoit
      Bouchard
      was
     
     
      definitely
      conscious
      of
      what
      he
      was
      doing
      last
      week
     
     
      when
      he
      said
      that
      he
      had
      ‘‘the
      privilege
      ...
      to
      be
      the
     
     
      killer’’
      of
      the
      federal
      government’s
      multibillion
     
     
      dollar,
      eight-year
      old
      electoral
      promise
      to
      create
      a
     
     
      national
      daycare
      program.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Bouchard
      explained
      the
      government’s
      decision
      by
     
     
      pitting
      two
      issues
      against
      each
      other:
      Child
      abuse
     
     
      versus
      a
      national
      daycare
      programme.
      Bouchard
      said
     
     
      that
      a
      series
      of
      obscure
      government
      polls
      and
      studies
     
     
      indicated
      that
      Canadians
      would
      ratherhelp
      abused
      ~
     
     
      kids
      than
      other
      kids
      needing
      daycare.
      ;
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘*T
      think
      it
      was
      pretty
      offensive
      of
      them
      to
      throw
     
     
      around
      numbers
      and
      to
      compare
      which
      of
      the
      two
     
     
      issues
      are
      the
      most
      important,’’
      said
      Daniell
      Hebert,
     
     
      spokeswoman
      for
      the
      Confederation
      des
      Syndicats
     
     
      Nationaux
      (CSN)
      Status
      of
      Women’s
      Committee.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘It
      (the
      daycare
      plan)
      was
      an
      electoral
      promise
      that
      _
     
     
      they
      had
      actually
      done
      quite
      a
      lotof
      work
      on
      and
      tha
     
     
      had
      already
      gotten
      to
      the
      planning
      and
      policy
      stage.
      —
     
     
      ‘*T
      think
      this
      decision
      is
      going
      to
      backfire
      on
      them,”
     
     
      said
      Laurell
      Ritchie,
      a
      spokesperson
      for
      the
      Confer=
     
    
   
   
    
     
      _
      ence
      of
      Canadian
      Unions.
      5
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘‘They’
      re
      not
      going
      to
      con
      anyone
      with
      their
      statis-
     
     
      tics.
      Womenneed
      universal
      daycareandthey’re
     
     
      going
      to
      see
      through
      the
      government's
      cheap
      and
      dit
     
    

    
     
      political
      trick.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      That
      same
      week,
      the
      federal
      government
      also
      scrapp