To mark Equal Pay Day on Tuesday Apri,l 12, 2022, the Equal Pay Coalition is hosting a Party Leaders’ Debate on Women’s Economic Equality with provincial party leaders Andrea Horwath, Steven Del Duca, and Mike Schreiner in attendance.
The Coalition is thrilled to announce that journalist Nam Kiwanuka will moderate this historic debate. Ms Kiwanuka is the host of TVO’s The Agenda in the Summer and of TVO’s new project, The Thread. She has hosted magazine shows for the NBA and CFL and was a MuchMusic VJ. She has worked with CNN and BET and was a columnist for the BBC’s Focus on Africa magazine.
Premier Doug Ford’s office has stated that he has a “scheduling conflict” during the event, however, the Coalition continues to welcome his participation.
“This is the first time that Ontario party leaders will debate issues on women’s economic inequality before an election, and only the second time in Canadian history,” says Equal Pay Coalition Co-Chair Fay Faraday. “It’s unfortunate that Premier Ford is unable to make time to show up. However, the invitation remains open and we will have a podium available for him.”
“We’re very excited to hear what Ontario’s party leaders have to say at this historic event,” says Jan Borowy, Equal Pay Coalition Co-Chair. “The gendered impact of the ongoing pandemic is being ignored, while the gender pay gap persists. We’re looking to hear about the leaders’ plans to address women’s economic equality.”
The debate will be held at Innis Town Hall at the University of Toronto, and live streamed from 7:00pm–9:00pm across multiple video-streaming platforms. Questions will be posed by women who are experiencing the impact of the pandemic and inequality firsthand.