Today, Steven Del Duca, Leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, released the following statement:
“On International Women’s Day, we celebrate all the contributions women make to building our province and world up, while we recognize the inequality and barriers that so many still face. And after two years of a pandemic that has disproportionately impacted women, those barriers have only gotten higher as women’s workforce participation plummeted.
“That’s why we need to look at the recovery with a gender lens to make sure it is equitable and focuses on helping women rejoin the workforce while closing the pay gap. One piece of that is $10/day childcare, which will help parents, especially mothers, get back to their careers sooner should they choose to.
“My wife Utilia and I are parents with young daughters, and while we share every aspect of parenting equally, I know that isn’t the case for many families. That’s why we need affordable childcare now. I also want to take a moment to thank Utilia, and my daughters, Grace and Talia for everything they do and making my world a better place each and everyday. I know International Women’s Day is about all women, but they have given a lot to support me over the past number of years so I want to show my appreciation for the women in my life.
“To all women, please know that everything you continue to do is deeply appreciated, and that Ontario Liberals will fight to make sure our province has an equitable recovery. We are also committed to ensuring that come this June, at least 50% of our candidates are women, and I’m pleased to say we are well on track to meet that goal with the most diverse slate of candidates in our party’s history.
“Together we need to dismantle glass ceilings, not reinforce them.
“On behalf of my family and the Ontario Liberal Party, happy International Women’s Day.”
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