Winnipeg —
Immigrant Women (1st)
February 2, 2006

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Thanks to Employment Projects of Winnipeg for hosting this workshop with immigrant women.

The following ideas were generated by workshop participants as part of our gender budget consultations. Please note that this list does not represent the official position of the UN Platform for Action Committee Manitoba (UNPAC). Neither UNPAC nor all of the participants have endorsed these suggestions.

1. What are key concerns for women in your community?

• Housing — lack of affordable, quality, safe
• Childcare
• Discrimination during interviews — age, not knowing rights, race, ethnicity
• Language barriers
• Transportation — lack of it
• Raising children in another country/culture
• Employers not recognizing credentials when applying for education/jobs
• Immigration challenges
• Single parent challenges
• Being dependent on husband's income
• Lack of value of women staying at home

2. a) What Government programs and services have really helped to meet women’s needs and concerns? How could they be expanded upon or made better?

• Housing — subsidy/co-op
• Childcare — subsidy
• Healthy Baby
• teaches about nutrition — what about when you can’t afford good food?
• Income
  • Social Assistance rates should be increased to provide a realistic income
  • Minimum wage should be increased — it keeps people poor
  • Increase wages in general
  • Redistribute wealth — in Sweden differential between highest and lowest paid employees is 1:4, here 1:20
• UNPAC
• Grants
• Immigration
  • Need government money to support adjustment time
  • Federal Immigration should have helpful information dissemination
  • Greet at airport
• Immigrant Women’s Association of Manitoba
  • No longer anonymous counselling because of funding cuts
  • Need a better drop-in (not have to make appointments)
  • Need stable, long-term education for women in community
  • Spread word about fitting in, adjusting, belonging
• International Centre — helps with settlement, sponsoring rest of family, ESL, cooking, mentoring
• Employment Projects of Winnipeg
• Success Skills
• ESL
  • Accreditation recognition needs to go faster
• Human Rights Commission
  • But people afraid to call for fear of losing job
• SEED
• Y Neighbours
• Mom and Tot groups
  • Babysitting co-ops (in Alberta, never seen one in Winnipeg)
• Education Grants
  • Should extend the timeframe (child over 7 years old)

2. b) What ideas do you have for programs and services that could meet women’s needs?

• Free childcare for young mothers
• Support groups for new mothers, especially immigrant
• ‘How to Budget’ workshops
• ‘Box Hands’ (savings circles)
• Informal financial groups for women — show how you’re stretching the money, money co-op
• Investment clubs
• Re-educate men on women’s realities- especially the value of unpaid work
• Pay women for their unpaid work
• Support groups
  • Transportation
  • Childcare
  • Exchange ideas
  • Meet other women
  • Support for women in remote areas
  • Exchange experiences with women from different countries
• More empowerment opportunities
• Need to recognize the value of paid care work
• Program for building confidence, self-esteem for whole family that are not necessarily tied to work i.e., culture…
• Subsidize fruits and vegetables so people can eat better
  • Why does the crappy food cost less?
• Most things are learned from other immigrants! Need more information available about services and programs!
• Simpler forms for applying for benefits… in plain language
• Computer access and training
• How to raise children in another country (“split personality‘)
• How to do well in Canadian work environment
• Better transportation
• Reduce bus fare according to income
• Free tours for newcomers to learn about city — ORIENTATION!
• Paying for education for children — how?
• Getting women out of the house
  • Want to practice knowledge and participate in community
  • For this we need childcare!
• Bursary programs (not tied to man’s income) so women can go back to school
• Divorce laws that work for all women, not just women at the bottom (some fall through the cracks (“I put my husband through med school but now look where I am…")
• Immigrants shouldn’t have to show money to get into country (Farmers especially can’t immigrate — We need farmers here in Manitoba, why not a program to help poor farmers in other countries come here?)

3. Women often do not have enough money to do the things they need to do and they often do not have enough time to do the things they need to do either. Where are you crunched for time? What could the government do to give you more time to do the things you need to do?

• Government-subsidized massage
• Shuttle bus to facilities (like YMCA)
• YMCA
  • more facilities
  • more efficient staff
• Community activities for children (all across city)
• Tax benefits for women, not just kids — to recognize unpaid labour

4. What ideas do you have on how the Government could earn more money? Use the creativity you have learned from your experience as a woman living with a tight budget.

• Reward government programs that come under budget instead of penalizing them (ie If you don’t use your budget by March 31 you’ll lose it next year)
• Federal budget has a surplus — spend it
• Value unpaid work
• Lower RRSP limit
• Businesses should provide childcare
• Why can’t crappy food cost more? This increases costs of healthcare. Decrease price of good food
• Provide more agricultural jobs
• Tax:
  • junk food
  • cigarettes
  • alcohol
  • gambling — wrecking families, increased spending in the end
  • fancy restaurants
  • designer clothing
  • corporations
• Cut government programs that are not working
• Cut government employees’ allowance
• Should know how to budget!
• Educate themselves
• Wiser use of tax money (ex. A charter plane up North)
• Create new, sustainable jobs
  • i.e., gardening instead of shopping at Safeway
  • get back to Mother Earth!