CCMF Distributes All-Candidate Policy Questionnaires Ahead of Ontario Election

We are excited to announce the distribution of policy questions to the party headquarters and each candidate from the Liberal, PC, NDP and Green Party who are running in the Ontario provincial election on June 7, 2018.

Here is a copy of the letter and questions that have been circulated. As responses are received, they will be posted here at https://menandfamilies.org/ontarioelection2018

 

Policy Questions from the Canadian Centre for Men and Families to the Ontario PC Party

Greetings,

Thank you for your commitment to improve the lives of Ontarians and for your initiative in running in the current provincial election.

I’m writing to you from the Canadian Centre for Men and Families’s Office of Public Policy on behalf of many of our members who are constituents in your riding. A copy of this letter on our organizational letterhead is attached to this email.

We have prepared a set of 6 questions which will help our members decide whom to award their vote. The responses we receive may be posted, without modification, to our website and circulated to our members.

Please send your responses by Tuesday, June 5, 2018 to policy@equalitycanada.com. Your answers will be distributed as soon as they are provided to us.

We have over 4000 members and donors across Canada with over half located in Ontario. Our website receives over 5,000 visitors each month.

The Canadian Centre for Men and Families is a public education charitable organization committed to achieving equality for all Canadians, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family status, race, ethnicity, creed, age or disability. Our unique focus is on integrating the issues and perspectives of boys and men into efforts to achieve gender equality.

We operate out of facilities in Toronto and Ottawa, known as the Canadian Centre for Men and Families, which serve as vibrant community health and social service hubs, providing free counselling, mentorship, legal assistance, father-involvement groups and support programs for men who have experienced abuse and trauma. You are welcome to visit www.menandfamilies.org for more information on our programs and services.

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with our organization and its members. Good luck in your ongoing campaign.

Justin Trottier
Executive Director
Canadian Centre for Men and Families

(416) 402-8856 (cell) | (647) 479-9611 (office)
152 Carlton St, Unit 201 (mail: 201-2 Homewood Ave)
Toronto, ON, M4Y 2J9

QUESTIONS

1. In 2016, Bill 170, An Act to proclaim the week immediately preceding the third Sunday in June as Men’s Health Awareness Week, was tabled in the Ontario legislature to recognize the importance of addressing men’s health issues.

Would your government re-introduce this legislation or support its passage if it were reintroduced in the House?

Source: https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-41/session-1/bill-170

2. In Canada, the suicide rate for males is at least three times higher than the rate for females.

What action would your government take to address the high rate of male suicide?

Source: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-624-x/2012001/article/11696-eng.htm

3. All victims of domestic violence deserve support. According to Statistics Canada’s 2014 General Social Survey on Family violence,

“equal proportions of men and women reported being victims of spousal violence during the preceding 5 years (4%, respectively). This translated into about 342,000 women and 418,000 men across the provinces.”

There are over 177 shelters and residential facilities in Ontario for abused women. There are 0 shelters dedicated to male victims of domestic violence and their families.

Would your government provide funding to support opening Ontario’s first shelter for abused fathers and children?

Source: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14207/tbl/tbl01-eng.htm

4. Boys are dropping out of school and enrolling in post-secondary institutions at rates significantly lower than their female counterparts. Children succeed when they have mentors or role models with whom they can readily identify. In publicly funded preschool and primary school the percentage of male teachers is about 16%.

What action, if any, would your government take to recruit men into the teaching profession, in particular in preschool and elementary school?

Source: https://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-503-x/2010001/article/11542/tbl/tbl013-eng.htm

5. According to research from the Fatherhood Project, based out of Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital, father involvement is critical to advancing positive health and psychosocial outcomes in children. Children with a strong father-child relationship display higher levels of self-control, are more likely to succeed in school and are less likely to engage in substance abuse.

When a family breaks-up, a child counts on his or her father to continue to provide financial support but also and equally important, to maintain a strong, loving and active relationship.

In Ontario, the Family Responsibility Office recognizes the first need by enforcing child support payments by non-custodial parents. At this time, however, there is no agency in Ontario that enforces child access orders generated by family courts, which is critical to ensure that non-custodial parents are able to maximize involvement with their children.

Would you support expanding the mandate of the Family Responsibility Office or another provincial agency to enforce child access orders?

Source: http://www.thefatherhoodproject.org/10-facts-about-father-engagement/

6. The #MeToo movement has alerted us to a problem with coercive and harassing behaviour in the workplace. The focus now is to develop appropriate measures to effectively address this problem without generating unintended negative consequences. In particular, we must be careful to preserve the underlying moral principles of our legal system, which have been refined over centuries.

What role, if any, does the Government of Ontario have in taking steps to improve workplace culture in a manner that also protects the rights of accused individuals?