NAPWC Statement
March 8, 2015
The National Alliance of Philippine Women in Canada (NAPWC) celebrates International Women’s Day in honour of all working class women around the world who fought and continue to fight for women’s equality, genuine development, and human rights. This legacy of resistance embodies women’s heightened militancy and strong resolve in building a society that places women’s struggles for genuine liberation and emancipation at the forefront.
As the Philippine Women Centre of B.C. and Ontario celebrate its 25th and 15th year of organizing Filipino Canadian women this year, it is, once again, time for us to continue building on what we have learned from the past and share the wealth of knowledge that we have gained and acquired throughout the years. We are realizing a strong sense of our history as a people, and the unwavering resistance of our women. We mark this year’s IWD in celebration of the countless contributions of women who have given us the inspiration to take the revolutionary road and intensify our struggle against the escalating attacks perpetuated against us by patriarchy, gender oppression, class exploitation, and racial discrimination.
As progressive Filipino Canadian women, we will not stand down in our fight against the attacks on our fundamental human rights and in our call for our genuine settlement and integration in Canada. Filipino Canadian women, and other marginalized women, are the hardest hit by the most vicious attacks and atrocities brought upon by the imposition of neoliberal policies of globalization that wreak havoc in our lives and systematically push us more and more into the margins of Canadian society. The systematic degradation and subjugation of our women become all the more pronounced as Canada, under the Conservative government, gears up its implementation of anti-woman and racist policies, such as the rebranding of the Live-in Caregiver Program that is now known as Canada’s Caregiver Program, and the expansion of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP).
After 25 years of organizing Filipino Canadian women and our community, we remain steadfast in our call for the scrapping of TFWP, including Canada’s Caregiver Program. We are well aware that the recent changes made to the Live-in Caregiver Program were mere band-aid solutions and were a ploy to silence and pacify us into accepting that this is the future that is reserved for us. We denounce the modern-day slavery of our women under this program and remain vigilant in our call and demand for the implementation of universal childcare in Canada and to stop the privatization of healthcare and elderlycare.
As we marched in solidarity and unity on the streets of Toronto on March 7th, the Philippine Women Centre of ON continued to commemorate IWD on March 8th by celebrating our gains from the past 25 years, bringing forward the contributions of Filipino Canadian women in leading and organizing the struggle to place working class marginalized and racialized women’s struggles at the centre of the women’s movement. March 8th was the day that we, once again, reaffirmed our commitment to take the revolutionary road and wage the struggle for genuine women’s liberation and empowerment forward.
End the exploitation, march for genuine women’s liberation!
End violence against women!
Women’s liberation is not negotiable!
Expose and oppose neoliberal policies!
Long live international women’s solidarity!
-30-
For more information, contact
Philippine Women Centre of Ontario
416-519-2553
pwc-on@magkaisacentre.org
Twitter: @PWC_Ontario