SHERBROOKE — New Democrat MP Jean Rousseau (Compton-Stanstead) marked International Women’s Day today. “We’ve come a long way but there is still so much we can do,” says Rousseau.

While the status of women has improved in recent years, there are still shady areas on the long road to equality,” said the MP. “Against his electoral promises, Stephen Harper let his backbencher MPs call into question women’s right to abortion. The last motion on this issue was supported by 87 Conservative and Liberal MPs, 8 of whom were ministers, including the Minister for the Status of Women.

“Despite everything, human and progressive values trumped the voluntary ideological blindness of these Conservative MPs,” said Rousseau.

There still exist persisting pay gaps between women and men. Women still only earn on average 73% of men’s salaries. A Conference Board of Canada report gave Canada the alarming grade of C for its gender equality.

The New Democratic Party, which has the highest number of women in its caucus in the history of Parliament, recently tabled a bill to ensure the presence of more women on boards of directors of Crown corporations. Feminism and gender equality are central to the NDP’s political action and we will continue to work hard to respect the rights of women in Canada.

“This bill provides for a gradual increase in the number of women on boards of directors, aimed at achieving equality in six years. It’s a concrete gesture that would improve the country’s equality record,” said Rousseau.