Statement by FCAC Commissioner Benzvy Miller recognizing International Women’s Day 2025

March 7, 2025

Ottawa, Ontario. Tomorrow, Saturday March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day. Globally we unite to “#AccelerateAction” for women’s equality, while in Canada we observe the theme of “Strength in every story.” 

Stories of women’s strength and resilience abound. Throughout my career I have worked with vulnerable communities and heard countless stories of resilient women who have faced incredibly challenging circumstances because of their gender.

As a mother of 2 daughters and a woman in an executive leadership role, I know how important it is to listen to these stories of strength—and to share our own. By doing so, we can help build confidence in ourselves and others. 

I’m proud to say that the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) has made women and girls a focus within its National Financial Literacy Strategy (National Strategy). FCAC conducts ongoing research to understand the financial vulnerabilities women face and collaborates with organizations to develop and user-test resources tailored to their needs. Learn more by reading the Agency’s recent research briefs:

• Empowering Futures: Boosting Girls’ Financial Confidence Through Gamified Learning – A Gender Equality Research Brief 

• From Clicks to Confidence: Using Quick Online Interventions to Increase Young Women’s Financial Confidence and Behaviours – A Gender Equality Research Brief

These studies demonstrate that having conversations about money helps build financial confidence, which can lead to better financial outcomes. This is especially true for girls and women, who are more likely to face systemic barriers such as gender bias that can undermine financial confidence. 

Women, and all Canadians, can find free resources, tools and information to build their financial know-how and increase financial confidence can by visiting Canada.ca/money. 

While we have made significant strides toward gender equality, there is still much work to be done in a world where economic, political, and social uncertainties continue to challenge our progress. FCAC’s National Strategy outlines specific actions that stakeholders across the financial services ecosystem—industry, regulatory bodies, and financial literacy community groups—can take to support women’s financial resilience and help them find strength in their own stories.