Jill Piebiak says her time at Concordia influenced her activist spirit. | Photo courtesy: Jill Piebiak
Jill Piebiak, MA (media studies) 14, is one of the founders of Canadian Menstruators, the group behind the No Tax On Tampons initiative. The campaign was launched in January to raise awareness about the Canadian goods and services tax (GST) on tampons and feminine hygiene products.
Although many food and medical products are exempt from GST, tampons remain taxed. So far, the No Tax On Tampons petition has gathered more than 72,000 online signatures, while the campaign video has had over 16,000 views.
“The campaign started with just a few friends talking. As people told other people in their networks, the group grew and various people stepped up to help,” Piebiak says.
“Originally we set out to get 50,000 signatures on Change.org. With every online signature collected, an email was sent to the decision-makers in Ottawa raising awareness about our campaign,” she says.
“For the last year or so, a small group of friends and feminists would often talk about how discriminatory this tax was comparing to other products that were exempt or tax free,” Piebiak says. “I began to do more research and not only did I find multiple private members’ bills that had been brought forward in the House of Commons, I also came across two similar petitions in the U.K. and Australia.”
The No Tax On Tampons petition has received more than 72,000 online signatures since January.