Province marks Day of the Girl with ‘period packs’
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/10/2019 (2487 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Manitoba government is considering spending $1 million annually to deliver menstrual products to schools for students in grades 7 to 12.
Rochelle Squires, the minister responsible for the status of women, said Thursday, in the lead-up to today’s International Day of the Girl, the province is mulling the idea, which was floated by the NDP during the election campaign.
In the meantime, the government spent about $4,500 to distribute 500 “period packs” to girls around Manitoba today. The packages — which contain pads, tampons and mini chocolate bars, among other items — will be handed out through women’s resource centres to girls who need them most, Squires said.
“The intent is really to destigmatize getting your period in the first place. We know that a lot of girls also can’t afford to have supplies on hand and that can lead to them missing school,” she said.
During the election campaign, the NDP said it would spend about $300,000 annually on menstrual products for students in grades 6-12.
Status of women critic Malaya Marcelino said the costing was based on British Columbia’s model, which kicked into gear earlier this year.
Marcelino welcomed the period pack idea, but said the government needs to go further.
“For girls to miss school for something as simple as this, this is an easy fix,” she said. “Three hundred thousand dollars a year, making it mandatory for school divisions across the province to implement this — I think this is a no-brainer.”