Winnipeg —
Mother of Red Nations Women’s Council
February 23, 2007
Urban Circle Training Centre

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Winnipeg Workshops

Facilitators: Jennifer deGroot, Becky Thiessen & Marie-Claude Barrette-Molgat
Participants: 19 women

— Thanks to the Mother of Red Nations Women’s Council of Manitoba for their organizational and financial contribution to this workshop. —

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?

• Children
  • Concerned about their future
  • It is hard to be a good parent when you do not have a decent home or employment
  • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
    – Taboo issue
    – Suffered through generations
    – School system is under-equipped and unprepared
• Childcare
  • It is not affordable
  • The cut-off for subsidies is too abrupt once you attain employment
  • 9-5 daycare is an enormous problem — Evening/Weekend Daycare is a necessity for many women working outside the 9-5 working schedule
  • Should be accessible — like elementary school
• Housing
  • Not enough decent affordable housing
  • MB Housing rent is according to income. Rent goes up suddenly when an individual gets employment. This change is too abrupt and is unaffordable
• Health
  • Dentistry is too expensive for low-income families
  • Eyeglasses should be covered
  • Many drugs are not covered, can become very costly
• Government system
  • “I’m in the dark”
  • “I feel like the wool has been pulled over my eyes”
  • Confused
  • Need more education to understand how the government system works
• Elder care
  • Not enough support or respect for elders
• Working poor
  • No benefits
  • No decent jobs with a decent income
  • Limited health care
  • If one has a disease like Lupus or Fibromyalgia it is extremely difficult to take care of oneself
• Mental Health
  • Not enough resources
  • Not enough counselling options
  • Limited support for family members of those living with mental health issues
  • Need more advocacy for people living with disabilities
• Sexually Exploited Women
  • Too many women on the streets
  • Girls on the streets are becoming younger
• Racism
  • Justice system
  • Police brutality, mistreatment
  • In service delivery:
    – Nurses
    – Social workers
  • Racism doesn’t touch you as hard if you have a decent income
  • Hiring quotas
    – You become the “token Indian”
    – People treated poorly because of this. If they leave employment because of the mistreatment it is automatically assumed they have a failed work ethic.

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

• Mother of Red Nations (MORN)
• University of Manitoba Access Program
• Grassroots Program (Thompson)
• Mom & Me
• Families First
• FAST program
• Aboriginal Head Start
• Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre
• CEDA
• Kani Kanichihk
• Urban Circle Training Centre

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

• Programs that teach and support women to become homeowners and land owners
• More education for young people about family-oriented programs
• Education regarding women’s rights and children’s rights

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?

Crunch: Being a single working mother trying to balance work and home

Suggestions:

• 24 hour daycares
• decrease working days for single moms
• on site workplace daycare for employees
• subsidize/support for children and parents with special needs
• make healthy foods more affordable
• put a “tax” on junk food
• make it affordable for all people to have proper dental care
• support women in entrepreneurial ventures (i.e. being able to work from home via internet etc…)

4. What ideas do you have on how the Government could earn more money? Examples include: raising existing taxes, introducing new taxes, or stopping programs that don’t work. Use the creativity you have learned from your experience as a woman living with a tight budget.

• Raise the taxes for the wealthy
• Raise the taxes for corporations
• Provide good jobs with decent wages for people
• Support/subsidize local family farms — keep families on farms and producing food
• We want education and jobs
  • Ensure jobs to graduates
  • Ensure graduates stay work in the province, no brain drain
• Subsidize organic, local fresh food
• Tax junk food
• Legislate additives, fast food, processed foods. Health care costs will go down
• Tax breaks for healthy people including rebates for the poor
• Sports and recreation should be funded for all
• More parks and green space
• More education, health and wellness, parenting opportunities. This would mean that there would be fewer crimes, CFS apprehensions, health problems and social service concerns
• Raise minimum wage
• Full childcare
• Better transportation
• Full education through post secondary

TAKE ACTION!

• Write letters to people in charge of decision making (your MLA)
• Visit your Member of Legislature Assembly (provincial), Member of Parliament (federal), City Councillor
• Public protest — make your issue known to the public via media
• Educate ourselves
• Read the newspaper
• Take note of public meetings and attend
• Work collectively rather than individually
• Write/sign petitions
• Vote
• Run for office