Equality between Women and Men in Alberta: How long will it take? (Part 1)

12- 1:30pm There is a deafening silence around women''s issues in Alberta, the only province in Canada with no ministry for the status of women, no policy secretariat, or no advisory council on the status of women. All other jurisdictions have some kind of formal voice, within government, for women. The speaker will present evidence from various sources, including Statistics Canada and other national data sources, that women in Alberta still experience disproportionate levels of poverty, low wages and high levels of economic inequality in comparison with men. Such data are contained in a report produced by partnership between Parkland Institute based in Edmonton and Womanspace Resource Centre, Lethbridge. The speaker is a key figure in the creation of the report. Issues addressed in the presentation will include concerns that, for women, Alberta is the most unequal place in Canada. An Alberta woman working a full-year and full-time earns, on average, 60% of a man''s salary. By contrast, Quebec women earn, on average, 81% of men''s earnings. The speaker will also argue that Alberta parents with children age six and under, are met with the most under-funded, inaccessible child care system in Canada. Speaker: Shannon Phillips Shannon Phillips is a journalist, researcher, and communications consultant based in Lethbridge, AB. She holds an MA in Political Science from the University of Alberta. Shannon is a frequent contributor to Albertaviews Magazine, has worked as a producer at CBC Newsworld and as a public affairs advisor to the Canadian Red Cross. She is currently on maternity leave from the Red Cross and doing consulting work with the Parkland Institute and Womanspace Resource Centre in Lethbridge.