Harper and women: What would Mulroney say?

Much has been written about the record of the Harper Conservatives on women's issues, from the Status of Women cuts all the way to a cabinet shuffle that lowered the clout of women in Harper's inner circle. The latest developments have been covered by Impolitical, Unrepentant Old Hippie and Garth Turner.

On a related note, I'm reading Brian Mulroney's 50 pound autobiography at the moment. Look for a review some time around 2010, because this thing is crazy long. But I bring it up because, in light of current events, I found this passage from the guy Conservatives are now rallying behind to be interesting:

On election night in 1984, I made the following pledge to the women of Canada: “From now on, the advancement of women's rights will be one of the major concerns of the Government of Canada. Injustices that women have suffered – belatedly recognized as such by many of us – will no longer be tolerated in this country, and our government will attempt to remedy the most glaring of problems and will vigorously address the difficulties that remain.”

I spent the next nine years delivering on that pledge, by appointing more female ministers, deputy ministers, senators, and judges than any other prime minister up to that time. I also initiated anti-stalking legislation, and implemented many other measures to support women.

I guess Mulroney must have fixed everything, given the record of Harper's government on these issues. Indeed, based on their actions it would seem Canada's New Government believes Mulroney went too far on women's issues, and they need to dial it back a bit.

It's yet another reminder of why the Conservatives dropped the Progressive moniker. Must be one of the few times the Harper Cons decided for truth in advertising.

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers

Compare and contrast

Two recent headlines make for an interesting comparison between the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party.

First, here’s one from earlier in the week about the Conservatives:

Harper misses his chance to woo women
Gender gap might have cost Conservatives a majority in the last election
JANET BAGNALL, The Gazette
Published: Thursday, August 16

Prime Minister Stephen Harper either missed or doesn't believe a recent Canadian study that showed that if as many women had supported the Conservatives in the 2006 election as men, his party might have scraped together enough seats for a majority. Instead, the Conservative party ended up forming a minority government with the smallest share of seats in Canadian history.

Since he did nothing in his cabinet shuffle Tuesday to correct the impression that women are, in his view, trustworthy for only soft, i.e., traditionally female, portfolios such as culture, we can conclude that he apparently thinks he can win a majority without them.

And here’s one today from the Liberals:

Liberal Party of Canada Announces Michelle Simson as Candidate
August 17, 2007

OTTAWA - Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion today appointed Michelle Simson as the Party's candidate in the riding of Scarborough Southwest.

"Mrs. Simson’s strength, tenacity and passion for the people of Scarborough will make her a strong Member of Parliament for Scarborough Southwest. Her vast political experience is a tremendous asset to our team," said Mr. Dion, who has the power to appoint candidates in accordance with the Party’s nomination rules.

“As a step towards ensuring more equal female representation in Parliament, I committed to at least one third female Liberal candidates in the next election. I’m so pleased Mrs. Simson will be among our slate of qualified, skilled and experienced women on the Liberal team,” he added.

It’s kind of striking when seen back to back like that.

Recommend this Post on Progressive Bloggers