Period Poverty - Member's Statement

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to make an introduction.

THE SPEAKER « » : Permission granted.

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : I'd like to draw the members' attention to the gallery opposite, where we're joined by Suzanne Lively, founder of Friendly Divas, an advocate for the recognition of period poverty and the various efforts being made in that regard. I'd like to extend the warm welcome of the House. (Applause)

THE SPEAKER « » : The honourable member for Dartmouth South.

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : Mr. Speaker, I rise today to take notice of an equality issue that has recently come to the forefront in Nova Scotia, namely the difficulty and expense of acquiring menstrual products. The many activists who have been advocating on this front have coined the term "period poverty," and that term is telling.

I recently read a book by a high-level staffer in the Obama Administration in the United States, who opened the book by saying that the single accomplishment she was most proud of was getting menstrual products placed in White House bathrooms. She was speaking as a privileged professional woman for whom the lack of these supplies in an emergency had been an ongoing irritation. For people living in poverty, it's much worse and can mean the difference between full participation in community or not.

I'm pleased to see steps being taken in this House and elsewhere to address this issue, and along with the community will keep advocating for broad access to this necessary toiletry.