Lauren Ravon
International Women's Day on March 8 presents an opportunity to draw attention to women's equality, an issue that is at the heart of the Up For Debate campaign, a nation-wide effort to take the topic into the political arena.
To make gender equality a focal point in the upcoming federal election, the campaign aims to encourage political party leaders to participate in a debate on women's rights, says Lauren Ravon, member of the Up For Debate steering committee and senior policy advisor for Oxfam Canada, one of the 140 organizations supporting Up For Debate.
"Canada was once seen as a champion for women's rights internationally," she says, adding that the last federal leaders' debate of this kind was held in Canada in 1984.
The goal of the debate is to get people and politicians talking about women's rights again. Since the topics that were discussed in the 1984 debate are often swept aside, they are the same issues society struggles with today. "These are not small issues," Ms. Ravon says.
Up For Debate prioritized its focus on three main issues – violence against women, women's economic inequality and supporting women's leadership – and not just nationally but across the globe. Many supporting organizations, including the one Ms. Ravon works for, advocate for women's rights internationally and domestically.
Today, less than three per cent of international aid funding globally goes to projects aimed primarily at advancing gender equality. Supporting efforts that promote gender equality internationally can contribute to improving women's economic equality, namely through access to better quality employment and essential services that help level the playing field, Ms. Ravon says.
Canada needs to support gender equality abroad, but progress is also required here at home, Ms. Ravon explains.
All parties must announce tangible commitments to tackle violence against women and economic inequality here in Canada before Canadians are called to the polls, Ms. Ravon says. And with 140 organizations behind the Up For Debate campaign, the pressure will be on Parliament to make sure progress is made on women's rights within 90 days of the election.
A number of major political party leaders have agreed to a debate, and campaign members started an online petition to encourage the remaining leaders to join the discussion. Campaign members hope there will be extra incentive to agree, considering that International Women's Day is this week.
"Now is the moment we need to come together," says Ms. Ravon.
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