A day after the government announced a blue-ribbon committee to study ways to end violence against women and girls, one of the province’s most outspoken advocates on women’s issues said the whole thing was a disappointment and “grandstanding.”
Jenny Wright, executive director of the St. John’s Status of Women Council, took to Twitter on Thursday and issued a news release.
“Those who called for a task force were not consulted by the minister. Our request for a meeting unanswered,” Wright wrote.
“Using the Vigil to push this through is a slap in the face to those of us who organize it and to the hard emotional work every year. Incredibly disappointing and frustrating.”
The vigil Wright was referring to was the In Her Name vigil, held earlier this month when anti-violence advocates read out the names and biographical details of the missing and murdered women in NL.
At the vigil, Wright and other advocates called for an anti-violence task force to be established.
When this came up in the House of Assembly later in the day on Thursday, Justice Minister Andrew Parsons disputed Wright’s accusation that he wouldn’t meet with anti-violence advocates.
“I have not, at this point, received any correspondence from the person that the member references, but what I would say is I haven’t turned down a meeting yet as government House leader or minister of Justice, and I don’t plan on starting now,” Parsons said during question period in the House of Assembly.
Wright and the Provincial Action Network on the Status of Women did not appreciate the fact that the new committee members will be invited by the provincial government.
“The government did not acknowledge PANSOW’s request or engage in any consultation on the matter. Telling organizations to wait for an invitation is not a consultation,” Wright said.
In the legislature, Parsons indicated Wright’s invitation is on its way.