Saturday, December 06, 2008

December 6 in history

This morning's Globe and Mail contained this tidbit in its capsule report of news from 25 years ago today. It reported that the Ontario government had taken "...what Labour Minister Russell Ramsay called a step toward equality for working women." The piece went on to cite the fact that at that time, women "...made 63 per cent of what men make" and that the plan would examine whether "...women were being paid equally for doing similar jobs to men."

Not so long ago -- just last month in fact -- Steve Harper hinted that it might be time to re-examine the issue of pay equity for women. This was part of the package which threatened government workers' right to strike and which helped lead to the proposed coalition rescue.

Where this is also the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, the day we honour the victims murdered in the massacre at L'Ecole Polytechnique, it all seems to make the day's significance resonate way too much.

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