VICTORIA— The B.C. Liberal government once again racked up failing grades on the West Coast Legal Education and Action Fund’s annual women’s equality report card, say New Democrats.

“Affordability is one of the key issues affecting women in British Columbia,” said New Democrat Women’s Critic Maurine Karagianis. “As the report card notes, many people working full time at minimum wage jobs are living in poverty, and there are twice as many women over 25 making minimum wage than men. Add on unaffordable and hard to access childcare, and it becomes clear why children make up 30 per cent of B.C.’s food bank users.”

The annual report card examines how British Columbia is doing on key measures of women’s equality identified by the United Nations Convention on Ending Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

“This report card confirms that many women in B.C. struggle to access childcare, the justice system, and safe, affordable housing,” said Karagianis. “It also sounds the alarm about how the Liberal government’s failure to ensure women have access to legal aid is making it harder to address issues of custody and child support, as well as increasing women’s vulnerability to domestic abuse.”

The report also singled out the B.C. Liberal government’s failure to take action on the recommendations made by the Missing Women’s Commission and gave them a failing grade for their lack of action to combat violence against Aboriginal women.

“It’s been almost a year since the commission issued its recommendations. These recommendations would improve safety along the Highway of Tears and help prevent another serial killer like Robert Pickton from being able to kidnap and kill vulnerable women for years,” said Karagianis.

“These life and death recommendations are aimed at ensuring our police forces and justice system are not allowing racism and prejudice to erase the lives of Aboriginal women. It’s long past time for the B.C. Liberals to stop stalling the implementation of the Missing Women’s Commission recommendations.”

B.C.’s New Democrats will continue to hold the Liberal government to account for failing to take action to make life better for women and families in British Columbia.