Pre-Budget Consultations: 1999 Federal Budget: Tackling the Social Deficit – Securing Gender Equality

NAWL’s brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance (presented to the Committee in August 1998) urges the Government to concentrate on reducing the country’s alarming social deficit which has very specific negative effects on women, and as such exacerbates the “equality deficit” for women. NAWL recommends changes to fiscal policy in five major areas: social programs, anti-poverty measures, caregiving work, retirement security and women’s advocacy. NAWL points out shortcomings in the fiscal policy process and suggests steps to enhance women’s participation in making fiscal policy, thereby improving policy outputs which achieve equality.