Liberal leader Justin Trudeau slammed the Conservatives for not talking about the “she-cession” and “she-covery” in their platform.
At a campaign stop in Markham, Ont. Tuesday, Trudeau said the Liberal plan to create a $10-a-day childcare program is the type of woman-focused policy absent from the “lengthy” Conservative platform.
“It is exactly the example of the kind of things you need to do to counter the she-cession and turn it into a she-covery,” Trudeau said. “The fact is, the Conservatives don’t talk about that in their lengthy platform. They don’t talk about feminism. They don’t talk about the impact, on women, of this (COVID-19) crisis.”
The Conservatives hit back at Trudeau’s “false” claim about their plan.
“The claim that Justin Trudeau is making is false,” a campaign spokesperson said in an email to True North. “The Conservative child care plan will provide direct benefits to parents so they can make the best choice for their own families, enabling more women to choose to participate in the workforce. Justin Trudeau’s plan is an expensive Ottawa-knows-best approach.”
The Liberal childcare plan, initially announced in the federal budget earlier this year, would earmark $30 billion to create affordable childcare spaces at an average cost of $10 per day. The Conservatives have said this will only help those fortunate enough to get one of the coveted spaces, opting instead to propose a tax credit that would give families, particularly in lower income brackets, a rebate of up to 75% of the cost of childcare.
“We will enable more women to choose to participate in the workforce,” the Conservatives’ “Securing the Future” platform says. “Canadian families are tired of Liberal promises and inaction. Our flexible and comprehensive approach will help all families right away and offer extra support to those who need it most.”
This isn’t the first time Trudeau has proclaimed the existence of a “she-cession” disproportionately affecting Canadian women. In March, Trudeau used the term to promote the need for a “feminist, intersectional recovery” from the COVID-19 pandemic.
