Women's services demand fair, competitive salaries

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Women’s services demand fair, competitive salaries

Antigonish, NS, June 2, 2009— Nova Scotia women’s centres are entering the last phase of a six-week campaign to increase support for women’s services in the province. Women’s Centres Connect! has contacted candidates from all political parties asking them to support fair, competitive salaries for women’s services.

The campaign has received positive responses from approximately sixty political candidates from the Green, Liberal, New Democratic and Progressive Conservative parties.

New Democratic Party leader Darrell Dexter pledged his individual support for the campaign, and the NDP platform includes increasing and stabilizing funding for women’s centres and transition houses.

Liberal leader Stephen McNeil and Green leader Ryan Watson also pledged their support for fair and competitive salaries.

Premier Rodney MacDonald said the Progressive Conservatives plan to maintain funding at last year’s levels for community organizations and look at ways to better support women’s services.

“In this time of economic downturn, women’s services are needed more than ever,” says Lucille Harper, executive director of the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre. “How can we afford not to support them?”

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For more information, please call Betsy MacDonald at (902) 863-6221, email betsypd@gmail.com or visit http://womenandgirlsmatter.blogspot.com/.