NDP Critic for Women and Gender Equality, MP Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) made the following statement:
"Today is International Women’s Day.
Today we celebrate women’s achievements, acknowledge the struggles faced by women and gender-diverse people, and recommit ourselves to the ongoing fight for equity, equality and human rights.
Over the past year, Canadian women and gender diverse people have made remarkable achievements in our fight for a more equal, just and inclusive society. As feminists, we must refuse to accept a world where women possess rights unequal to those of men, or face violence solely based on their gender.
More work needs to be done.
Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people face a disproportionate rate of violence, and governments are still not responding adequately to this ongoing genocide. Indigenous communities, advocates and family members have been calling for measures that would save lives—such as creating a Red Dress Alert, reinstating the government funding cut from women’s shelters and investing in a Guaranteed Liveable Basic Income (GLBI).
We have also seen a disturbing rise in transphobia against transgender women. Conservatives like Pierre Poilievre and Danielle Smith have punched down on transgender people who already face hate and discrimination. Transgender women are women. We need to continue fighting against this hate and promote inclusivity for all people in Canada.
The attack on reproductive rights has also continued in Canada and beyond. As Conservatives push back-door legislation to undermine the right to a safe abortion, the Liberals fail to uphold access to abortion care. As a result, the last abortion clinic in Fredericton was forced to close its doors in early 2024. It's critical that leaders at all levels of government protect safe, accessible abortion care and the right to choose.
Against these challenges, the NDP has pushed for gender equity, such as forcing the Liberals to act on 10-dollar-a-day childcare to delivering free contraceptives. Women, especially from Indigenous and racialized backgrounds, consistently bear the brunt of care work in this country, and we have continued fighting for better wages and working conditions. New Democrats have also reiterated our call to the Liberals to stop delaying the change to the caregiver tax credit to be fully refundable so we can put money back in the pockets of unpaid caregivers.
On this day and every day, we honour the achievements and work done by women and continue the fight to build a better world where everyone has a chance to succeed."