With the municipal election approaching this fall, West Coast LEAF has written to all political parties to urge them to prioritize gender equality in their campaign platforms. We believe that the city has an important role to play in creating positive change towards equality, inclusion, and meaningful representation for all.
We wrote in support of the non-partisan Hot Pink Paper Campaign and outlined practical commitments for moving towards gender equality in Vancouver, unceded Coast Salish homeland.
We urged all municipal parties — including COPE, Green Party, NPA Vancouver, OneCity, and Vision Vancouver — to commit to implementing the Women’s Equity Strategy. Recently, this set of strategic priorities was unanimously adopted in Council.
We want to see our municipal leadership commit to taking concrete actions to ensure that equality for all of Vancouver’s diverse women and those impacted by gender discrimination is more than just a set of promises on paper.
Specifically, and in addition, we ask that all municipal parties commit to action by ensuring that the city (1) address the disproportionate impact of the housing crisis on women and families; (2) work with the provincial government to sustain the momentum towards universal child care; (3) commit to electoral reform in the interest of diversity; and (4) work with the Vancouver Police Department to ensure that survivors of gender-based violence with precarious immigration status can report abuse to the police without fear of deportation.