Conservative Action For Women

November 25, 2009

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Our Conservative Government takes the issue of violence against women very seriously, and we are working to improve their quality of life.

Stopping exploitation is a key part of stopping violence against women. To help achieve this, our Government is introducing legislation to ensure the mandatory registration of sex offenders in the National Sex Offender Registry, as well as other legislation that would help fight child pornography. We are also making specific mention in the new Citizenship Guide that Canada will not tolerate certain “barbaric practices”, such as female genital mutilation. Also this year, Conservative MP Joy Smith introduced a bill to impose mandatory minimum sentences for human trafficking. 

Since taking office, our Government has worked to help improve the quality of life for all Canadian women. We are giving families real choice in child care with the $1,200 Universal Child Care Benefit. Many women run their own small businesses from home and we are also making changes to Employment insurance so that self-employed Canadians may now voluntarily opt-in to many benefits such as parental, sick, and compassionate care benefits.

Our Government will continue to work for the safety of women, as well as other issues of concern to Canadian women.