2012:05 OLDER WOMEN AND DISCRIMINATORY EMPLOYMENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES
Whereas 1: older women have “the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment”; and
Whereas 2: older women have the right to work without discriminatory practices in employment, to experience equal criteria selection and equal employment opportunity in hiring policies and practices; and
Whereas 3: the Canadian Government should ensure that older women have the right to engage in paid work to escape poverty; and
Whereas 4: Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms stipulates the right of all individuals, including older women, to be “equal before and under the law and to have the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability”; therefore be it
Resolved 1: that the National Council of Women of Canada adopt as policy the protection and promotion of the rights of older women, including those over 65, to non-discriminatory employment; and be it further
Resolved 2: that the National Council of Women of Canada urge the Government of Canada to:
a. undertake an in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis of the impact of gender and age discrimination, employment and poverty amongst older women of Canada, including those over 65;
b. take the appropriate measures to develop policies and programs that strengthen national legislation that protect against discrimination, including sexism and ageism within the workplace;
c. direct employers to eliminate discriminatory policies and practices;
d. provide targeted program financing that supports employment assistance services and training for older women;
e. allocate government financing to local organizations working on education activities in the workplace to end discrimination against older women;
f. work with provincial and territorial governments and local authorities to comply with the national legislative framework;
g. encourage partnerships between government and civil society and among relevant local stakeholders in order to develop best practices and lessons learned;
h. continue to identify ways to collaborate with international agencies, institutions and organizations to further support the Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging, 2002; and be it further
Resolved 3: that the National Council of Women of Canada request all Provincial and Local Councils of Women to urge their respective governments to promote the employment of older women, including those over 65, to protect them and to prevent discrimination in the workplace based on age and sex.