WINNIPEG – Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger offered a new, progressive vision for the province at Monday’s annual speech from the throne, including a first-of-its-kind pledge to provide paid leave for victims of domestic violence.
“Thousands of workers experience domestic violence every day,” said Kelly Moist, President of CUPE Manitoba, “this government is taking real leadership in ensuring that victims of domestic violence are treated with compassion, and offered the space they need to seek help.”
This pledge is backed by research from the University of Western Ontario, the Canadian Labour Congress, and supported by CUPE which found that the vast majority of workers who experienced domestic violence were negatively impacted at work by those experiences. The research also found that Canadian employers lose close to $80 million every year due to domestic violence in the workplace.
“Domestic violence doesn’t just stay at home, it follows people to work, and negatively affects their performance as well as increases further risk of abuse,” said Moist, “this pledge will help more Manitobans than we can possibly ever know.”
In Manitoba, CUPE represents approximately 25,000 members working in health care facilities, personal care homes, school divisions, municipal services, social services, child care centres, public utilities, libraries and family emergency services.