Lead multiculturalism policy, programs and activities to ensure that Canadian diversity is celebrated and respected in all of its forms; Work to ensure that multicultural programs are delivered in an effective way.
Message: Canada’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, while tackling all forms of racism and discrimination, including systemic racism, is unwavering.
Facts: To support events and projects that help communities come together and to promote diversity and inclusion, the Government committed $23 million over two years in Budget 2018. Budget 2018 also allocated $9 million in funding from 2018-2021 to enhance community supports for Black Canadian Youth.
Budget 2019 allocated $45 million over three years to support a new federal anti-racism strategy.
To date, these investments have supported 229 project initiatives for a total of approximately $26 million. In addition, 372 community events were supported in 2019-2020 for a total of approximately $8.7 million.
Anti-Racism Strategy
Create new regulations for social media platforms, starting with a requirement that all Expand and advance Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy and ensure community-based projects are prioritized and meet the goals and outcomes of the Strategy.
Message: The strategy aims to find ways to counter racism in its various forms, with a strong focus on community-based projects. Canada’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, while tackling racism and discrimination, is unwavering.
Facts: Budget 2019 allocated $45 million over three years to support a new anti-racism strategy.
Establish an Anti-Racism Secretariat.
Message: The Government of Canada established a new Anti-Racism Secretariat that will support federal organizations in addressing issues of racism and discrimination. The Secretariat will engage and work with provinces and territories, civil society, Indigenous peoples and communities to identify and develop further areas for action.
Facts: Since the official launch of the Strategy in June 2019, Canadian Heritage has established the Federal Anti−Racism Secretariat, launched the Anti-Racism Action Program, worked with Statistics Canada on improved data and evidence. The Secretariat has begun engaging with stakeholders, government and the private sector to foster alignment and collaborate on further action to address identified gaps and issues.
LGBTQ2
Continue the work of the LGBTQ2 Secretariat in promoting LGBTQ2 equality, protecting LGBTQ2 rights and addressing discrimination against LGBTQ2 communities.
Message: The LGBTQ2 Secretariat was originally designed to support the Prime Minister’s Special Advisor on LGBTQ2 Issues, Randy Boissonault.
Facts: With three years of funding ending in March 2020. Budget 2019 announced an additional year of funding, ending in March 2021.
Provide additional investments to LGBTQ2 organizations to hire staff, expand services and reach more people. This includes hotlines and other support services for LGBTQ2 communities, including those that provide sexual health information.
Message: While Canada continues to make great strides in advancing the rights of LGBTQ2 Canadians and eliminating discrimination, much remains to be done.
Facts: That is why we have invested in the LGBTQ2 community throughout Canada and created the new LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund to strengthen their organizations, which help contribute to greater equality and inclusion for LGBTQ2 Canadians.
Consult civil society representatives of LGBTQ2 communities to lay the groundwork for an LGBTQ2 action plan that would guide the work of the federal government on issues important to LGBTQ2 Canadians.
Message: While LGBTQ2 communities in Canada have been engaged informally at political and bureaucratic levels, no comprehensive consultation has been undertaken that would adequately inform an action plan.
Facts: Action plans to address LGBT equality have been implemented in other western nations, including the United Kingdom, the Government of Canberra (Australia) and the Netherlands. Domestically, Quebec has implemented a comprehensive five-year action plan against homophobia (2017-2022) that is coordinated through the Ministère de la justice.
Canada’s Youth Policy
Continue the work of the Youth Secretariat to implement Canada’s first-ever Youth Policy and ensure that the upcoming State of Youth report adopts an intersectional approach that includes race.
Message: The Youth Policy includes two objectives: Creating meaningful opportunities for youth voices to be heard and respected; and Providing accessible supports that meet the evolving needs of youth.
Facts: We will continue to work to implement Canada’s first-ever Youth Policy commitments – to release a State of Youth Report in 2020, and to model youth inclusion by ensuring that 75 percent of Crown Corporations have youth representatives on their boards.
Prime Minister’s Youth Council
Serve as Vice Chair of the Prime Minister’s Youth Council and provide it with departmental support so that I have an opportunity to draw advice from an engaged group of young Canadians.
Message: We are also committed to listening to the voice of youth through the Prime Minister’s Youth Council.
Facts: The Government launched the Prime Minister’s Youth Council in 2016 as a platform for youth to share their advice with the Prime Minister. Since then, the Council has met nine times in-person with the Prime Minister and various Ministers to discuss issues of importance to youth.
Joint commitments
Black Canadian Communities
Work with your colleagues to develop policies that tackle systemic discrimination and unconscious bias in our country, including anti-Black racism.
Message: The Black population in Canada surpassed the one-million mark for the first time in 2016, making this community the third-largest visible minority group at 15.6 percent of the total visible minority population.
Facts: Since recognizing the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) in 2018, the Government has allocated $44 million for initiatives to specifically support Black communities. This included $9 million in funding through Budget 2018 to enhance community supports for Black Canadian Youth. Through the Community Support for Black Canadian Youth Initiative, 56 projects totaling approximately $7.7 million were supported. Additionally, funding of $430,000 was allocated to Urban Rez Solutions Social Enterprise to lead a National Anti-Black Racism Education and Awareness Campaign.
Support the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development in his continued investments in projects that celebrate, share knowledge of, and build capacity in our vibrant Black Canadian communities.
Message: The strategy aims to find ways to counter racism in its various forms, with a strong focus on community-based projects.
Facts: Budget 2019 provided $25 million over five years to Employment and Skills Development Canada for projects and capital assistance to celebrate, share knowledge and build capacity in Black Canadian communities.
Decade for People of African Descent
Work with Ministers across government to build on the spirit of the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent.
Message: Black Canadians have significant historical roots in Canada, yet remain one of the groups most targeted by hate crimes and marginalization.
Facts: Since recognizing the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) in 2018, the Government has allocated $44 million for initiatives to specifically support Black communities.
Combatting online hate and harassment and combatting ideologically-motivated violent extremism and terrorist organizations
Support the work of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness and the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to ensure that all Canadian communities feel safe by combatting online hate and harassment and combatting ideologically-motivated violent extremism and terrorist organizations.
Message: The Government of Canada continues to address racism and discrimination in all its forms and is working to make Canada a better, and safer place. As hate crime data confirms, we must not take this commitment lightly.
Facts: Budget 2019 allocated $45 million over three years to support a new anti-racism strategy which has a strong focus on community-based projects and prioritizes the funding of projects that target online hate.
Pilot programming to encourage more newcomers to settle in rural Canada
Support the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship on pilot programming to encourage more newcomers to settle in rural Canada.
Message: Immigration is the main source of new labour in Canada, with most immigrants settling in large urban centres. Using a community-based, economic development approach, the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot supports smaller and more remote communities in accessing the economic benefits of immigration.
Facts: The Government has partnered with 11 community economic development organizations in northern Ontario and western Canada, who will recommend immigrants based on local economic development and labour market needs.
Many of these partners have now launched the pilot locally, to support local economic and demographic growth. The remaining communities are expected to launch later in 2020.
Senior appointments and respect for gender parity and diversity
Support the prime minister in the development of monitoring and reporting processes to ensure that the Government’s senior appointments are merit-based and demonstrate gender parity and diversity.
Message: Advancing gender equality and diversity in Canada will continue to be a priority for Budget 2020, Cabinet decision-making, and Government appointments.
Facts: We have already achieved gender equity in new appointments. We will continue to improve outreach and monitoring as part of our merit-based process to ensure that all Canadians see themselves reflected in Government appointees.
Services and information on programs that can help racialized communities find economic opportunities
Work with other Ministers, and economic development, agricultural and trade organizations as well as directly with industry, to ensure that under-represented people and communities, such as racialized communities, are better served and more informed about the programs and services that can help them find economic opportunities.
Message: Our Government is committed to eliminating integration barriers and maximizing newcomers’ participation in Canada’s economy and society. All permanent residents and protected persons are eligible for settlement services, both before and after they arrive in Canada. Federally-funded settlement services are delivered by more than 500 Service Provider Organizations, to help newcomers prepare for life in Canada and successfully integrate.
Facts: The Government provides substantial funding for the Settlement Program (outside Quebec). Investments in the program have increased from $200 million in 2005-2006, to more than $779 million in 2019-2020.
New investments in research, support and employment projects for visible minority newcomer women
Make new investments in research, support and employment projects for visible minority newcomer women, with support from the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.
Message: Visible minority newcomer women often face multiple barriers to employment, including gender- and race-based discrimination, precarious employment and lack of affordable childcare. The full and equal participation of women in the labor market is essential to Canada’s economic growth and prosperity.
Facts: Budget 2018 committed $31.9M over three years to support opportunities for visible minority newcomer women to thrive and succeed in the Canadian economy.
LGBTQ2
Work with the Minister of Health, and in partnership with Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec, to build on existing progress to implement a behaviour-based model of donation that eliminates the blood ban for men who have sex with other men.
Message: In May 2019, Health Canada (HC) approved a request by Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec to reduce the deferral period for blood donation for MSM from one year to three months.
Facts: Health Canada (HC) regulates the blood system and as the regulator, maintains an arm’s length relationship with CBS and HQ. HC has no authority to direct CBS and HQ to make changes to donor policies for reasons other than maintaining safety.
Amending the Criminal Code and banning the practice of conversion therapy
Support the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada to amend the Criminal Code to ban the practice of conversion therapy and to take other steps required with the provinces and territories to end conversion therapy in Canada.
Message: The stigma and discrimination that continues to fuel homophobia, biphobia and transphobia throughout the world must be eliminated. It is through government efforts, like the introduction of legislation to criminalize conversion therapy practices that we can move in the right direction.
Facts: LGBTQ2 advocates have been vocal in calling for a ban on conversion therapy. On March 9, 2020, the Minister of Justice introduced legislation to criminalize conversion therapy practices.
Youth Employment Strategy and the Canada Summer Jobs program
Support the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion to enhance the Youth Employment Strategy and the Canada Summer Jobs program.
Message: A summer job is an important way for youth to earn money while gaining valuable work experience, skills and networks that will help them on the road to a successful career. The CSJ program allows employers to hire youth in quality jobs, especially during the busy summer period, while mentoring youth to build their skills.
Facts: The application period for Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) 2020 funding is now open and will run from January 30, 2020, until February 24, 2020. Through Canada Summer Jobs 2020, we will continue to support the creation of quality summer work experiences for youth – including those who face unique barriers to employment.
Signature national youth service program
Lead, with the support of the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion, the development of a signature national youth service program within the Canada Service Corps to allow youth to gain skills and leadership experience while making a meaningful difference in their communities.
Message: The Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) is a horizontal Government of Canada initiative led by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and delivered in collaboration with 10 federal departments and agencies. Through the YESS, the Government of Canada provides training and employment services to youth (aged 15 to 30) to help them gain the skills, abilities and work experience needed to get a strong start in their careers.
Facts: The Government of Canada will continue to work to ensure the complementarity of its youth employment programming in all regions of Canada. The strategy was modernized in 2019 to provide flexible services tailored to each individual, broaden eligibility, and enhance supports for those who need the most help.
GBA+
Work with the Minister of Finance and the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development to improve the quality and scope of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) in future budgets, particularly with a focus on diversity analysis.
Message: Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) is an analytical tool used to assess how diverse groups of people may experience policies, programs and initiatives differently. The “plus” in GBA+ emphasizes that analysis should go beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to also consider other identity factors, such as belonging to LGBTQ2 communities, race, Indigenous origin or identity, age, language, socio-economic condition, place of residency and disability, etc.
Facts: Budget 2019 was the first ever to include a Gender Report making GBA+ of the Budget publicly available.
Advancing gender equality and diversity in Canada will continue to be a priority for Budget 2020, Cabinet decision-making, and Government appointments.
Support the work of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development to ensure rigorous GBA+ is performed on all Cabinet proposals from every department, with a particular focus on diversity analysis.
Message: Our Government uses Gender-based Analysis Plus (or GBA+) to support evidence-based decision-making and consider the impact of all policies on all people in Canada.
Facts: Budget 2019 provided $1 million over two fiscal years to the Department of Canadian Heritage to better support gender equality and diversity in funding allocations for four key programs (Canada Music Fund, Building Communities through Arts and Heritage, Canada Arts Presentation Fund, and the Celebration and Commemoration program). Four research projects both at the Department and in partnership with Statistics Canada will help improve the collection of disaggregated data in order to enable better integration of GBA+ considerations in program design.