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December 5, 1997
(Executive Council)

The following statement was issued today by Julie Bettney, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Tomorrow is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. This date commemorates the tragic murder of 14 women at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique engineering school. This date is also a stark reminder of the many women in Newfoundland and Labrador who are beaten, sexually assaulted and, in some cases, murdered every year.

It has long been recognized that violence has its roots in inequality. Status of Women Councils in this province operate Women's Centres where victims of violence receive daily support and advice. The councils not only provide a variety of unique services which complement those offered by government, they also work for change by promoting women's individual and collective empowerment and advancing the status of women.

In our efforts to ensure continued progress for women's equality, the Status of Women portfolio was restructured last year to provide Status of Women Councils with greater input into policy development. Seven of the eleven seats on the Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women were made available to local Status of Women Councils.

On April 1, 1998, Status of Women Councils in the province will no longer be eligible for sustaining funding from Status of Women Canada. Funding to operate has been essential to the councils being able to access funding for projects from other sources. While they will continue to be eligible for project funding from the federal Women's Program, the change will mean that many of them may have difficulty keeping the centres open.

The Women's Centres provide unique services that are of value to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. We are determined to see these services continue. It gives me great pleasure to announce today a multi-departmental agreement to fund the core services of Women's Centres. The Departments of Health, Human Resources and Employment, Education, Justice, Development and Rural Renewal, Municipal and Provincial Affairs, and the Women's Policy Office will contract with Women's Centres to provide core services related to their mandates. Each centre will receive $30,000 in the next fiscal year. Government will work with the councils to develop a strategic approach to service delivery, and evaluate both the funding and the process after one year.

Because these centres provide safe and supportive environments, they attract a group of clients who may not otherwise access services through the traditional routes. The provision of support, advocacy and time are unique features of services to women and their families offered by women's centres. In addition to providing funding for core services, departments may negotiate contracts for specific services to be provided through women's centres either directly or through the encouragement of partnership agreements with community health boards, school boards and regional economic development boards.

Developing partnerships with volunteer groups who provide services responsive to the community's needs is consistent with the new direction that government is pursuing through its Strategic Social Plan. The multi-departmental approach to assisting women's centres in their roles in addressing violence and safety issues in our communities is a good example of government's integrated approach to service delivery for women and their families.

Since December 6 falls on Saturday this year, commemorative activities are being held today for the women who lost their lives in the Montreal Massacre and those who are victims of violence in our own province.

Within Confederation Building, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. today, the Provincial Strategy Against Violence is sponsoring an information fair in the Conference Centre in the basement of the West Block. Information booths have been set up by the Provincial Strategy Against Violence, Women's Policy Office, and various community groups who are working to end violence. At 12:10 p.m., and again and 1:10 p.m., there will be a special video showing in Conference Room A. This short video, focussing on elder abuse, was funded by the strategy and produced locally by the Seniors Resource Centre. A resource person will be available to answer questions.

This evening a commemorative vigil will be held at 6:00 p.m. in the Lecture Theatre of the S.J. Carew Engineering Building at Memorial University. Included in the program will be a candlelight service, a showing of the video "The Vienna Tribunal" and a dedication of work by groups to the memory of the women who have died.

I would encourage my colleagues to attend as many of these activities as possible. I would also like to commend the Honourable Premier and my colleagues for their pledges of support shown through participating in the white ribbon campaign.

This government has demonstrated its commitment to addressing violence and other issues of concern to women. Today's partnership with Women's Centres will strengthen our ability to advance women's equality.

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