Ontario NDP Women’s Issues critic renews call for reversal of cuts to supports for survivors

MPP’s call comes on National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

QUEEN’S PARK — Jill Andrew, Ontario NDP critic for Women’s Issues, held a press conference today to renew her call on the Doug Ford government to reverse its cruel cuts to supports for survivors. Andrew was joined by Deb Singh, Chair of the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres, and Viktoria Belle, Executive Director & Founder, Dandelion Initiative.

Kelly Grenier, a survivor of rape and historical childhood sexual abuse, recently saw her therapy ripped away because of Ford’s cruel cuts. The government has since quietly indicated that Grenier will get the support she was already promised, but she is worried that other survivors won’t be able to access the same help.

“Survivors in Ontario deserve better than to be abandoned by the government in their time of need,” said Andrew. “We should be doing more to support survivors, not re-traumatizing them and forcing them to fight to hang onto what little support the government provides.”

Andrew’s call comes on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which this year marks the 30th anniversary of the Montreal massacre.

“Dec. 6, 1989, was a day of terror, on which 14 women engineering students were killed inside of l'École Polytechnique de Montréal by a man who hated women and indicated in his notes his belief that women were ‘stealing men’s jobs,’” said Andrew. “Today, too many people who identify as women continue to face violence, and it’s even worse for Black, racialized, Muslim, poor, sick, marginalized, queer and Trans women and girls, including seniors, disabled and Deaf women and girls.”

Just last year, a woman died at the hands of her current or former partner every six days, according to The Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability.

“Not only do we need to do more to support survivors, but the government needs to address the root causes of violence against women,” said Andrew. “That means ending the inequity and injustice that has trapped too many women and girls inside cycles of violence for years.”

Andrew has tabled a motion calling on the government to adopt an Intersectional Gender Equity Strategy, which would see bills, motions, budgets and regulations scrutinized for their treatment of and impact on women-identifying persons and made public.