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OPINION Me THIS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY ISN'T A SIMPLE CELEBRATION = THE FIRST HURDLE IS ECONOMIC, SAYS = CANADIAN WOMEN'S FOUNDATION CEO Oakville Beaver | Thurs PAULETTE SENIOR Column re than ever, this In- sti nal Women's Day isn't a simple celebration for me. I find myself con- templating roadblocks in the bumpy journey toward gender equality and jus- What challenges do we face? What can we do to meet them? The first hurdle is eco- nomic. In the wake of the pandemic, people called what we were going insidehalton.com through 2 no geeesion.” Wom tionately pian ty job loss, care work burdens, and health gaps. For those in the most precarious situ- ations, such as Black, In- digenous, and racialized women, women with low incomes, and women in re- mote areas, the outlook was 23, rising inflatio. and interest rates mean more gendered implica- tions on quality of life, well- being, and access to basic needs. Canada needs to in- vest in measures that will build economic security for the most vulnerable to pov- erty, such as women with disabilities and dren. And we need to get moving on programs and Their resources that will make a difference to them finan- cally, everything from af- id care to in- yestinerts Stor women en- trepreneurs. apport and stimulus with an eye on gendered economic insta- bilities is the objective here. The second hurdle is gender-based violence. Canada's already high rates of femicide, family vi- olence, and sexual assault have gone up over the past few years. I think about tr elevated risk. It is stunning fo imagine the reverberat- ing implications of this in- creased trai I also think about the rise in online harassment and hate against women and equity- seeking people, particularly thos¢ public platforms. What happens to them has a chill- | Custom Glide - Out Shelves for new or existing cabinets | had the pleasure of having Julien and TJ from ShelfGenie into my home to help | with my kitchen have been a jy to anyone. total success and | would recommend their services Customer Review by Nusha from Oakville. DESIGN & INSTALL ing effect on us all. Canada has to take gen- dered violence seriously and move on action plans to end violence in every prov- ince and territory. Our ef- forts can't centre on legal port to get serious about stopping this entire- ly preventable violence be- fore it starts in the places we Live, work, and play. ample, public satel plans typically don't include measures to pre- vent abuse, which is a ter- rible gap in crises like pan- demics, fire, and floods when violence tends to spike. We have to cultivate a bigger vision for safety. Lives depend on it. The final hurdle I'm thinking about is our ten- dency toward a sense of lesser urgency for advance- ment on gender equality. It's an irony of moments LIFETIME WARRANTY ShelfGenie EVERYTHING WITHIN REACH” CUSTOM TO THE MILLIMETRE a) a neighborly: company FREE DESIGN CONSULTATION Call today! 289-812-8952 | shelfgenie.com like the one we're in today. Women, girls, and Two Spirit, trans, and non-bina- ry people — who represent more than 50 per: cent ore ‘the populatio gated to a position of spores to recites to deal sin " 's how things can play out: we take the needs, rights, and safety of those most marginalized for granted. It can become harder to push for the right policy reform and invest- ments. se of us who care about gender equality need to get more insistent. Let's keep up our efforts to end people to move out of pover- ty, out of violence, and into confidence and leadership. The bind of Internation- al Women's Day is that our goal of a gender equal Can- is more necessary than ever, but it can get easily sidetracked. donations and volunteer- ism is so important. The challenges we face significant. But I be- lieve we can find our way together. Paulette Senior is the president and CEO of the Canadian Women's Foun- dation. YOUROPINIONS SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM