adplus-dvertising
Connect with us

Politics

Kingsley Malo: Here's why Canada needs more moms in politics – Ottawa Citizen

Published

 on


Mothers’ experiences as primary caretakers give them a more urgent interest in tackling society’s inequalities.

Article content

It’s time to elect more moms.

Advertisement 2

Article content

We are more than two years into a pandemic that has disproportionally affected women — particularly mothers. Yet our government policies have not adequately recognized or supported this reality. It’s time we had more mothers as politicians to understand and fight for our needs.

300x250x1

The pandemic kicked off a global “she-cession” and it’s not over yet.  But mothers have had it the worst. A 2021 report from RBC found that 10 times more women than men had fallen out of the labour force after the COVID-19 pandemic began, with mothers facing significantly higher job losses.

Tasked with picking up the pieces of family life during the pandemic, it has been mothers who have disproportionately jumped in when child-care centres have shuttered, and mothers who have supported their children’s education during endless school pivots. Twelve times as many mothers as fathers left their jobs to care for toddlers or school-aged kids.

Advertisement 3

Article content

Many mothers have also carried the mental load of pandemic safety for their families, struggled with kids’ declining mental health and endured a sharp rise in partner violence. The bulk of elder care and the majority of housework and other domestic responsibilities, along with increased pandemic stressors, has also fallen on women’s shoulders – a double whammy for mothers.

Throughout the pandemic, moms have been employees, caregivers, educators, homemakers, psychologists, public health specialists, and more — all while experiencing significantly less access to health, educational and social support services.

Arielle Kayabaga’s experiences as a single mother and a woman of colour were instrumental in helping her lead the battle at London city council to include an anti-racist lens when looking at budgets.
Arielle Kayabaga’s experiences as a single mother and a woman of colour were instrumental in helping her lead the battle at London city council to include an anti-racist lens when looking at budgets. Photo by Mike Hensen /Mike Hensen/The London Free Pres

So, where are all the policies recognizing that women, particularly mothers, need tailored and robust supports and services? They have been few and far between. All levels of government have scarcely addressed this issue with the necessary gender lens.

Advertisement 4

Article content

Moms are the collateral damage of the pandemic. Yet this puts them in a unique position to know exactly what needs to be done to fix things. It’s time to put more moms in power. If they can shoulder every other job out there, they can do politics too.

There are many reasons we need more women in politics. Women lead differently, they’re more likely to work collaboratively and shun partisanship, and they bring a wealth of different experiences to government. But it’s also time to talk about what specifically mothers could bring to government and why now is the perfect time to prioritize their perspectives in our governments.

A 2019 study on working mothers reveals that moms believe parenthood has made them better leaders, as well as more empathetic and efficient, while their colleagues believe moms are better multi-taskers, more time-efficient, more flexible and more responsive.

Advertisement 5

Article content

Mothers’ experiences as primary caretakers give them a more urgent interest in tackling society’s inequalities. We already see this in the ways mothers in politics are advocating, at all levels of government.

Bhutila Karpoche brought her baby to the Ontario Legislature and rose to declare that “maternal mental health is not a luxury” because, as a new mother herself, she understood that such services are severely lacking. Karina Gould, federal minister of Families, Children and Social Development, and the first cabinet minister to give birth while in office, is the architect of the newly minted national $10-a-day child-care strategy.

When she was a municipal councillor in London, Ont., Arielle Kayabaga’s experiences as a single mother and a woman of colour were instrumental in helping her lead the battle to pass a motion to include an anti-racist lens when looking at budgets, and in getting more funding for affordable housing. MP Laurel Collins rose in the House of Commons to discuss the importance of a hybrid-format (virtual and in-person meetings) for Parliament for MPs who are pregnant, new mothers and parents.

We need more of this.

The pandemic has taught us that we can’t wait to have better policies on issues that directly impact the backbone of our society, such as child care, education, elder care, health care and climate change. It’s time to revolutionize our government institutions to encourage and support more mothers to become politicians.

Amanda Kingsley Malo is the founder of PoliticsNOW, an organization dedicated to electing women to municipal councils across Northern Ontario.

Advertisement 1

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Politics

Larry David shares how he feels about Trump – CNN

Published

 on


Larry David shares how he feels about Trump

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” star Larry David shares how he feels about former President Donald Trump and the 2020 election. Watch the full episode of “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace,” streaming March 29 on Max.


03:21

– Source:
CNN

Adblock test (Why?)

300x250x1

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

Trump's claims on crime rates clash with police data – NBC News

Published

 on


Surging crime levels, out-of-control Democratic cities and “migrant crime.”

Former President Donald Trump regularly cites all three at his campaign rallies, in news releases and on Truth Social, often saying President Joe Biden and Democrats are to blame.

But the crime picture Trump paints contrasts sharply with years of police and government data at both the local and national levels.

300x250x1

FBI statistics released this year suggested a steep drop in crime across the country last year. It’s a similar story across major cities, with violent crime down year over year in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.

NBC News analyzed crime data to evaluate Trump’s assertions about the topic.

U.S. and big city crime rates

Trump’s campaign often refers to crime levels, regularly pointing the finger at Biden.

“On Joe Biden’s watch, violent crime has skyrocketed in virtually every American city,” the campaign said in a news release published this month on its site.

Trump himself has made similar remarks.

“Four years ago, I told you that if crooked Joe Biden got to the White House, our borders would be abolished, our middle class would be decimated and our communities would be plagued by bloodshed, chaos and violent crime,” Trump said in a speech last month at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “We were right about everything.”

Government figures don’t support that characterization.

Reported violent crime dropped 6% across the board when comparing the last three months of 2022 to the same period in 2023, the FBI reported.

The reported drops were especially pronounced in the big cities that Trump often assails, many of which have Democratic mayors. Violent crime dropped by 11% in cities with populations of 1 million or more, according to FBI data, while murders dropped by 20%, rape was down 16%, and aggravated assault fell by 11%.

Reached for comment, the Trump campaign pointed to other reports indicating that certain types of crimes increased in specific cities.

At the national level, the reported rate of violent crime in 2022, the most recent full year with comprehensive FBI data, was 380.7 offenses per 100,000 people. That’s lower than the overall reported violent crime rate from 2020 — the last full year Trump was in office — when the figure was at 398.5.

The lowest reported violent crime rate of Trump’s presidency was in 2019, when the metric was at 380.8 — in line with the 2022 rate.

The FBI said it will release more comprehensive 2023 crime data in October, just before the election.

The Trump campaign, reached for comment, cited certain categories of violent crime, such as motor vehicle theft, as having increased during the Biden administration, according to FBI figures.

“Joe Biden is trying to convince Americans not to believe their own eyes,” campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, adding that “Democrats have turned great American cities into cesspools of bloodshed and crime.”

New York City crime

Trump, who was born and raised in New York but now lives in Florida, often rails against what he portrays as an increasing crime rate in his former hometown.

Those references to soaring violence have only increased as he faces criminal charges in New York accusing him of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty in that case, must also post a $175 million bond to prevent state Attorney General Letitia James from collecting the judgment from a New York civil fraud case.

“I did nothing wrong, and New York should never be put in a position like this again,” Trump posted on Truth Social about the civil judgment in all capital letters. “Businesses are fleeing, violent crime is flourishing, and it is very important that this be resolved in its totality as soon as possible.”

In a separate post, he claimed that “murders & violent crime hit unimaginable records” in the city.

However, major crimes in New York City are down this year by 2.3%, according to police department data comparing year-to-date figures to the same period in 2023.

Those figures for last year were also far below the highs from recent decades. In 1990, more than 527,000 major crimes were reported, compared to more than 126,000 last year, according to New York police data — a drop of more than 75%.

In 2001, more than 162,000 major crimes were reported in New York. The figure dropped by more than 20% over the next two decades.

At the same time, New York City data indicates that the number of major crimes increased in the past few years, though reported violent crimes like murder and rape were down last year from previous years.

‘Migrant crime’

Trump’s dehumanizing language about migrants has become a mainstay of his political speeches since he first sought office in 2015.

In a news release this month, his campaign said the “border Crisis has created a tragic surge in violent crime against innocent American citizens at the hands of some of the world’s most violent criminals.”

Trump has also focused his energy on high-profile cases such as the death of Laken Riley, who was killed in Georgia while jogging. The suspect is a Venezuelan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022.

“Every day, innocent citizens are being killed, stabbed, shot, raped and murdered because of Biden migrant crime,” Trump said in a video posted to his campaign’s X account last week.

However, there is no evidence of a migrant-driven crime wave in the U.S., according to local police department data.

Crime reports have decreased in several major cities targeted by Texas’ Operation Lone Star, a program backed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott that flies or buses migrants from the state to Democratic-run cities across the U.S.

Several of those cities — New York, Chicago, Washington and Philadelphia — have had decreases in year-to-date reported crime totals compared to the same period last year.


Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

Federal government promising a 'renters' bill of rights' in upcoming budget – CBC.ca

Published

 on


Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his government will introduce new measures — including a new “bill of rights” — that he says will help protect those who rent their homes as part of the upcoming budget.

Trudeau said the new measures are specifically geared toward younger people, who are renting more than previous generations.

“It’s about changing the rules of the game in a way that meets young people where they are,” he said on Wednesday.

300x250x1

Ottawa will work with provinces and territories to develop a “renters’ bill of rights” that would introduce a national standard lease agreement and implement requirements for landlords to disclose an apartment’s pricing history to allow tenants to negotiate their rent.

The new measures will also include a $15-million fund for provincial legal aid organizations that help tenants fight against “renovictions” and landlord abuse.

The Liberals are also proposing to change federal rules so that making rental payments on time will count toward someone’s credit scores, something Trudeau said is meant to help renters looking to one day buy a house.

“If you look at someone who pays a $2,000 [per month] mortgage, they’re getting recognition and credit for that from their bank as part of their credit score,” the prime minister said.

“But if you’re paying $2,000 a month on rent, you get no kudos.”

Typically the government doesn’t discuss what is in an annual budget until it is introduced in the House of Commons. But the announcement was made weeks prior to the release of the Liberals’ next budget, which is slated to drop on April 16.

Releasing tidbits from the budget ahead of time is part of a new communications strategy for the Liberals, sources told CBC News. Trudeau and his ministers are expected to make a number of similar announcements in the run-up to the budget, the sources said.

WATCH | Trudeau says new measures aim to help tenants: 

Liberals promise ‘renters’ bill of rights’ to fight housing crisis

5 hours ago

Duration 2:07

The Liberals are looking to create a ‘renters’ bill of rights’ to help deal with Canada’s housing crisis. Justin Trudeau says the plan is geared toward younger people suffering from a rising cost of living. The Conservatives call the measures meaningless.

Before revealing the planned rental measures on Wednesday, Trudeau took a moment to plug the April 16 fiscal plan, saying that the budget will be about “fairness.”

“For Canada to succeed, we need everyone to succeed,” he said.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland joined Trudeau for his announcement and hinted about further announcements ahead of budget day.

“Over the coming days and in the April budget, we are going to launch a no-holds-barred plan to wrestle down the cost of owning and renting a home,” she said.

Wednesday’s announcements came on the same day that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation released a report that found a surge in new apartment construction drove housing start increases in several major Canadian cities last year.

But the report also cautions that demand continues to outweigh supply.

The opposition Conservatives, who have enjoyed a healthy lead in recent polls, have made housing — and other cost-of-living issues — a key point of attack against the governing Liberals.

Following his announcement, Trudeau was asked whether he thinks he bears any responsibility for people feeling left behind in the current economy and whether the new measures would be enough to convince younger people to support him in the next election.

In response, Trudeau suggested that a recent rise in the cost of living is not unique to Canada.

“Young people who are key to our present, and obviously key to our future, are seeing a system that is stacked against them. That’s true in Canada but also true elsewhere around the world,” he said. “What we’re focused on now is making sure that young people can see their success in the economy.”

Opposition parties criticize Liberal announcement

Scott Aitchison, the Conservative housing critic, said Wednesday’s announcement was Liberal posturing that won’t get results.

“Today’s photo op is just another set of meaningless measures that won’t result in building the homes Canadians need,” he said in a statement.

NDP housing critic Jenny Kwan criticized the announcement for not going far enough.

“The Liberals are so out of touch with what Canadian renters are experiencing that they keep offering half-measures instead of a real action,” Kwan said in a statement.

The NDP is calling on the government to invest more in affordable housing while temporarily preventing for-profit firms from buying designated affordable-housing spaces.

WATCH | Liberal government promises better protections for renters in upcoming budget: 

Liberal government promises better protections for renters in upcoming budget

9 hours ago

Duration 11:39

The Liberal government unveiled three new proposals Wednesday to better protect renters in Canada. Power & Politics speaks to Marci Ien, minister of women, gender equality and youth, about the proposed protections.

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending