| Subject: Langley Advance Article |
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Anna^nth
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Date Posted: 21:31:23 02/20/02 Wed
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Copied and pasted shamelessly from the www.langleyadvance.com. I've got to say I'm ashamed to admit I voted for this woman 10 years ago. Yes, I used to live in Langley. Stay tuned for the editor's comments.
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Lynn Stephens: Poor choices create inequality
Women already have equality, they just have to make choices - such as deciding to "make more money" - according to Langley MLA and Women's Equality minister Lynn Stephens.
by Bob Groeneveld and Erin McKay - news@langleyadvance.com
Your MLA is serving two masters.
Though she was elected to represent Langley residents, Lynn Stephens is also a member of the Executive Council.
And that means she is beholden to the government.
"I agree with everything our government does," Stephens told The Advance News in an interview Friday, Feb. 15.
Stephens, MLA for Langley , is the B.C. Liberal government's Minister of State for Women's Equality, the ministry created under Langley MLA Carol Gran in the late 1980's.
Gran immediately declared it was a "sunset" ministry that would fade out in time.
Current Minister Stephens says, "It's getting closer to the sunset."
Already the ministry, she said, has been relegated to a lesser position, as part of the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal, and Women's Services.
If inequality exists between men and women in the workplace, Stephens said, it's because of women's own choices.
"People have choices to make for themselves," she said. "The opportunities are exactly equal. A single woman and a single man have exactly the same opportunities, with the same education."
Disparity between men's and women's average pay exists because women want to work part time.
"That's a choice they have made," Stephens said. "People make choices. This government is not about to say you can do this, but can't do that. From choices flows everything else. You are free to work where you wish, for whatever you wish; you are free to live where you want."
But there are "still systemic issues to address," such as violence and health care.
She said budget cuts would not affect the government's efforts to address violence issues. A large thrust will be aimed at education.
"People are so busy going about their lives, it's not front and centre," Stephens said, "but I'm trying to raise awareness. It's a critical part of my role to heighten issues of violence against women."
As well, more funding will be available for direct services for women vulnerable to violence and abuse.
The budget will "maintain" funding to safe houses, transition houses, counselling programs, and education, she said.
But Stephens maintained that that isn't an issue of equality: "More women are abused, not oppressed," she said.
Stephens's ministry also figures prominantly in childcare funding.
The childcare sector is currently fragmented, Stephens said.
Part of her solution will be to cancel universal funding for before and after school care, and replace it with one operating grant and a capital grant for childcare facilities.
Her goal is to target families that need care most.
Tax cuts
It didn't phase Stephens a bit that the Liberals' tax and service cuts hit people with lower income comparatively harder than those with greater financial resources.
She agreed that the "rich get richer and the poor get poorer," noting, "That's the world we live in, the world we've always lived in."
The only remedy that Stephens suggests: "Well, then, make more money."
In response to a five per cent salary cut for all MLA's - a $3,500 cut to Stephens's $70,000 basic MLA's pay (extra pay for ministerial and other positions is not affected) - Stephens said, "I thought, 'Oh my God,' then forgot all about it."
Contracts torn up
Predictably, Stephens agreed with Campbell's controversial decision to tear up contracts.
Also predictably, she blames the decision on the NDP.
"What we've done is to go back and look at union contracts that were negotiated in secret," she said. "They were not part of the free collective bargaining process. Side deals were done in the [former] premier's office."
The resulting contracts were too expensive, she said, "and had to be changed."
"I suggest that the previous [NDP] administration took some delight in putting in place things that were difficult for those who came after to deal with," she added.
Stephens admitted that tearing up the contracts will "probably make it difficult" for labour relations in B.C., but reiterated that her government plans to enhance and maintain B.C.'s ability to do business, and to support the province's education and health care systems.
As for the precedent that the Liberals' unilateral decision may have set: "The next government is free to make its own decisions," she said.
Health regions
Expanding current health regions over larger areas won't preclude local representation, Stephens promised, but representatives won't be chosen by the communities they represent.
Barry Forbes, the new CEO of the Fraser Health authority of which Langley is part, will choose his new board.
200th St. project
"It's been a botch-up from the start," Stephens said of the 200th St. interchange project. "This has been a valuable example of how not to do a 3Ps [Private Public Partnership] project."
She promised, however, that the Liberals would learn from the problems encountered by the project which was started under the NDP government.
She also promised that there would be more 3P projects in future.
Loyalty
As for her loyalty to the community and her party, Stephens noted, "I'm in government to represent Langley, but I'm a member of the Executive Council. You do support the government for better or for worse. That is one of the - I wouldn't say penalties, but it's one of the burdens [of a ministerial position]," she said.
Stephens pointed out that there will always be people in her constituency who won't agree with her on any given issue.
"It doesn't matter which way I vote," she said, "I will not be representing people with a differing point of view."
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