Rona Amrose, the "minister of doing worse than nothing for women" gave a speech to the UN, touting her government's record on the rights of women. It was worse than when she spoke on climate change and went into a partisan rant, causing the international community to contemplate calling security. They thought she was having a psychotic break.
But for anyone in that party to suggest that their government supports women's rights is a liar. I can't use anymore descriptive language than that.
And it is especially infuriating given this story. I have been sick since I read it.
One of the useless judges that Harper appointed to do his bidding, has put a rapist out on the street because he claimed that the victim was dressed too sexy.
When Helena Guergis was "minister of doing worse than nothing for women", she blamed date rape on the hypersexuality of young girls. But it was Helena Guergis and she's an idiot. But a judge? Inexcusable.A rape victim is slamming the controversial decision of a Manitoba judge who gave her attacker a lenient sentence on the basis she may have sent out mixed signals about her sexual intentions. "This is beyond sexist. I don't even know how to comment on it. No woman asks to be raped. I'm so pissed off," the 26-year-old single mother told the Free Press in an exclusive telephone interview Thursday from her rural Manitoba home. "Nobody knows what it was like to be in this position. It's not something I'd ever want to go through again. No woman should have to."
Kenneth Rhodes was given a two-year conditional penalty last week, which allows him to remain free in the community. The Crown wanted at least three years behind bars, citing numerous case precedents suggesting that is the starting point for a major sexual assault.
I'm surprised that Rona Ambrose would even have the nerve to show up an international women's conference, given the fact that her government has done more to reverse gains made than any I've ever known, or thought could exist. We've dropped from 7th to 25th place in the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Index, under her boss.
Not to mention:
He cancelled the Liberal early learning and child care agreements that would have made child care affordable and given women more flexibility to participate in the workforce, while the Conservative Minister responsible for early learning and child care, Diane Finley, said the Liberal child care plan “wanted to ensure that parents were forced to have other people raise their children,” and that caregivers should use “vacation time” to care for sick or aging loved ones.Rona Ambrose does not speak for me and she does not speak for Canadian women. She lost that privilege when she refused to speak up to Stephen Harper.
He attacked the rights of Canadian women by turning a woman’s right to pay equity into something up for grabs at the collective bargaining table.
He put equitable representation on the back burner by decreasing the number of women appointed to public office.
He refused a unanimous call from the House of Commons to create a National Violence Against Women Prevention Strategy and continues to ignore the endemic violence against Aboriginal women and girls.
He forced 12 organizations that promoted women’s equality to shut their doors because they disagreed with his ideological position, particularly on reproductive rights and maternal health, and cut all funding for research and advocacy.
"She asked for it" is a defendant's excuse from the mid-20th century, Emily. How could a judge still fall for it? Where did this judge come from, the Taliban?
ReplyDeleteHi - I just discovered your great blog. I agree with your comments, including about Guergis. (I read an exasperated op-ed which couldn't believe that, after all the abuse she took from the fridge-haired leader she still wants back in.) The VOICES/Voix coalition is organizing opposition to the defunding and silencing of progressive voices, something that is undermining women disproportionately (so what else is new?).
ReplyDeleteColleen Fuller
I have been sexually assaulted when I was 14.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Canadian women should wear burqas for a few months to make a point.
When women dress decently, wear no make-up or perfume, etc. they are told they are butches (Françoise David, who is a socialist and feminist, is heterosexual but she regularly is labelled as a lesbian because she does not wear make-up).
And when we dress nicely, elegantly, even sexily, we are told we "asked for it". That was the discourse when I was 14, back in 1970, when a woman,s sexuality could be called into question by the defendant's lawyer.
Hey machos (NOT all men) make up your mind.
Maybe we should go over there and demonstrate in a burqa. (And they will find other hypocritical reasons to yap about women.)
Why is it that 52% of Canada's citizens are considered fair prey?