Canadian Chamber of Commerce celebrates International Women’s Day/Week with spotlight on women in the workforce, Council for Women’s Advocacy and the need for federal government action

(OTTAWA) – March 8, 2021– International Women’s Day is a time to recognize the incredible economic, cultural, political and social achievements of Canadian women. But it is also a time to take note of the substantial amount of work that still needs to be done to achieve a truly equitable and inclusive Canada.

It is especially poignant this year, as International Women’s Day also marks one year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada – a crisis that continues to disproportionately affect women, as both employers and employees, in the workforce.

We need to ensure that women have opportunities to fully participate in the pandemic recovery, as it goes hand in hand with widespread job creation and sustained economic growth. For this reason, this International Women’s Week we will be highlighting the work of our Council for Women’s Advocacy (CWA), including their call on the government to immediately implement five recommendations to support women through the crisis. Many members have also shared their insights on women in the workforce in a series of blog posts that can be read here.

To keep this conversation going, throughout the week CWA will be meeting with political leaders including the Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of the Official Opposition, and Jagmeet Singh, leader of the New Democratic Party. Our own President and CEO Perrin Beatty will also be sitting down for a conversation about inclusive response and recovery with the Hon. Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development. Register for this free public event here.

If we are ever to achieve a truly equitable and inclusive Canada, we must start by providing all women, particularly single mothers in low-wage jobs and/or from marginalized populations (racialized, immigrant, gender diverse), the supports they need today to succeed and advance in the workforce tomorrow.

To learn more about the work of the CWA, visit their webpage.

About the Canadian Chamber of Commerce – Because Business Matters

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce helps build the businesses that support our families, our communities and our country. We do this by influencing government policy, by providing essential business services and by connecting businesses to information they can use, to opportunities for growth and to a network of local chambers, businesses, decision-makers and peers from across the country, in every sector of the economy and at all levels of government, as well as internationally. We are unapologetic in our support for business and the vital role it plays in building and sustaining our great nation.

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For more information, please contact:

Emily Walsh
ewalsh@chamber.ca