The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Carol Anne Haley, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women:

Mr. Speaker, Newfoundland and Labrador now has a standalone Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, and I am honored to have been appointed to this role.

Through their invaluable insights, expertise, skills, values and talents, women in Newfoundland and Labrador have historically been, and continue to be, significant contributors to our communities and to our province.

Our government wants to encourage those contributions, and make sure more women are making them from leadership roles. That is why we made strong commitments to the social and economic advancement of women and girls. I look forward to working collaboratively with women’s equality-seeking organizations, Indigenous groups and organizations, community partners and stakeholders, as well as my Ministerial colleagues, to ensure our commitments are realized.

Working together, we will build on the important work that has already taken place under my predecessors, the Member for St. John’s West and the former Member for Windsor Lake. We have established a Committee on Violence Against Women and Girls, which is co-chaired by the Minister of Justice and Public Safety and the President of the Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women. We have also established an internal Ministers’ Committee to advance issues related to ending violence and advancing women and girls. Further, we are in the process of implementing a mental health and addictions plan and the Premier’s Task Force on Improving Educational Outcomes. Both initiatives work toward addressing the root causes of violence. The Violence Prevention Initiative Action Plan is being implemented, and we continue to work with stakeholders to take responsive actions and effect positive, enduring change.

As I noted Mr. Speaker, our work to advance women in leadership also continues, and we will soon be releasing new details about our women’s leadership initiative as part of The Way Forward.

I ask all Honourable Members to join me in thanking past Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women for their work, and offer thanks to the individuals and organizations who have provided valuable insights and information to support our efforts. I look forward to having the support of all members of this Honourable House as I continue this important work in a dedicated, standalone role.