Status of Women Minister, Maryam Monsef, has a track record of not rising to the responsibility.
She has been given the responsibility of a new study on gender-based violence but can she live up to the task?
Minister Monsef has been given a new task, a very justifiable one, a study of gender-based violence in Canada.
However, this issue requires proven ministerial experience and capability and Monsef’s track record is questionable.
The responsibility of this study will be a very onerous task. But Monsef has had a serious ministerial responsibility before and it led to confusion, chaos and ministerial removal by the Prime Minister. The previous significant task Monsef worked on was a study about electoral reform in Canada. She came up with a survey, Mydemocracy.ca, which was confusing to Canadians to say the very least. It was criticized so much, it was totally abolished and the task abandoned. Perhaps that task itself was questionable and not Monsef’s capacity to fulfil its demands.
However, now she has been assigned this new responsibility of directing the federal centre of excellence within the Ministry of Status of Women Canada with a budget of $101 million dollars. A hundred million dollars to do what? To research, collect data and create programs to benefit women in Canada.
Perhaps a more serious concern is that this department will work at the federal level only, not in conjunction with provincial or regional departments working in the same areas. Monsef declares that her department will not only share their findings but they will coordinate their work with provinces and territories to avoid duplication of efforts.
Is the federal government expenditure justified? Should this strategy be reviewed to find the most effective way of working at reduction of gender-based violence?
What do you think ?
