VANCOUVER—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to power describing himself as a feminist and unveiled Canada’s first gender-balanced cabinet.This week, at the Women Deliver conference in Vancouver, he reflected on his role as a feminist leader. Standing on stage, Trudeau said he was disappointed by his progress in ensuring women are paid as much as men for the same work, responding to a question about his shortcomings from Star Vancouver.“Despite the work that we’ve been doing over the past few years, Canada is not a global leader when it comes to making sure that women and men get paid the same amounts for work of equal value,” he said. While internationally applauded, at home Trudeau has faced increased scrutiny over his refusal (thus far) to repeal laws that affect Indigenous women and sex workers, his reluctance to use the term “genocide” when referring to Canada’s treatment of Indigenous women and girls, and for his office’s treatment of former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould. Star Vancouver reached out to five prominent advocates to ask how they would grade Trudeau — a former teacher himself — as a feminist prime minister, nearly four years into his time in office.Heather JarvisCo-founder of Slut Walk, a transnational movement combating slut-shaming, and co-ordinator of Safe Harbour Outreach Project, which advocates for sex workers in St. John’sGrade: CHeather Jarvis is not impressed that Justin Trudeau’s government has not lived up to its promise to repeal a law against sex workers that puts them in danger.This law, Bill C-36, was put in place by the Harper government and makes it illegal for anyone to pay for sex work or to work in a support position for a sex worker. For example, if a person acts as a security guard for another sex worker — something sex workers often do for each other, Jarvis explained — that person can be charged for enabling a sex worker.Tru ...
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