Timeline: WAGE Milestones (2018-2023)

Timeline

 2018

• On December 13, WAGE was legislated as a department with an expanded mandate to advance equality for sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. 
• The Parliament of Canada adopted the Pay Equity Act to ensure fair compensation for men and women in the federal public service and federally governed institutions.
• The Canadian Gender Budgeting Act came into force, making Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) a permanent feature of Canada’s fiscal framework and budget process.

 2019

• The Impact Assessment Act came into force, and GBA Plus was legislated for all major initiatives as part of impact assessments. GBA Plus commitments were included in all ministerial mandate letters. 
• A $160 million investment was made in the Women’s Program for projects tackling systemic barriers for women in the areas of leadership, economic security and prosperity, and gender-based violence. 
• A $20 million investment was made for the new 2SLGBTQI+ Community Capacity Fund to enhance the capacity of 2SLGBTQI+ organizations and amplify the 2SLGBTQI+ movement in Canada.
  • Learn about JusticeTrans, one of the 116 projects that has received funding through the 2SLGBTQI+ Community Capacity Fund since 2019. 
• WAGE announced $13 million in Government of Canada funding for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Commemoration Fund. The fund has supported more than 100 commemoration projects to help honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. 
• Canada hosted the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, the world’s largest gathering on the health, rights, and wellbeing of women and girls. 
• In September, through the Public Safety–led National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking 2019-2024, WAGE received $10 million over five years, and $2 million per year ongoing, for the Human Trafficking Initiative. This initiative has funded 42 projects that develop and implement promising prevention or intervention practices that will advance knowledge and enhance empowerment supports for at-risk populations and survivors of human trafficking.

 2020

• The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic magnified systemic and long-standing inequalities, with women and girls disproportionately affected by job losses, an increase in unpaid care responsibilities, and a spike in intimate partner violence and other forms of violence.
  • WAGE provided almost $100 million in emergency funding in 2020–21 to over 1,200 shelters, sexual assault centres, and other organizations providing critical gender-based violence supports to those experiencing violence.

 2021

• The Federal, Provincial, and Territorial ministers responsible for the status of women endorsed the Joint Declaration for a Canada Free of Gender-Based Violence.
• WAGE launched the $100 million Feminist Response and Recovery Fund to help organizations accelerate progress on gender equality and ensure that Canada’s response to and recovery from COVID-19 are inclusive of diverse women.
  • Learn about the Black Women Business Network, one of the 237 projects that has received funding through the Feminist Response and Recovery Fund since 2021.
• An investment of up to $105 million was made to enhance the Gender-Based Violence Program.
  • Read about Rowan House Society, one of the 74 projects funded by WAGE as of July 2023 that address gender-based violence and support those who experience it. 
• An investment of $55 million was made to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming.
  • As of July 2023, approximately 90 Indigenous organizations have received funding.
• An investment of $15 million was made for the new 2SLGBTQI+ Projects Fund for community-informed initiatives aimed at addressing specific barriers to 2SLGBTQI+ equality.
• Building on the initial emergency COVID-19 funding, Budget 2021 committed a further $200 million over two years to enhance the capacity and responsiveness of organizations providing gender-based violence supports and services for women, girls, 2SLGBTQI+ people, and gender non-binary people.
• The 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat (formerly LGBTQ2 Secretariat) housed at Canadian Heritage moved to WAGE.

 2022

• A $30 million investment in Government of Canada funding was made to support crisis hotlines that experienced a rise in call volumes during the pandemic. The funding helps crisis hotlines respond to the urgent needs of more people and offer more robust services, resources, and supports to prevent the escalation of gender-based violence. 
• Canada launched the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, which takes a holistic approach to addressing the substantial and persisting inequalities faced by 2SLGBTQI+ individuals and communities. Budget 2022 invested $100 million to support this plan.   
• The National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence was endorsed by the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial ministers responsible for the status of women. Budget 2022 invested $539.3 million over five years to support this plan. 
• WAGE launched It’s Not Just, a national campaign to raise youth awareness about gender-based violence. 
• Budget 2022 committed to establishing a national pilot for the Menstrual Equity Fund to address the barriers related to affordability and stigma that some Canadians face when accessing menstrual products. 
• The Call for Proposals to Address Gender-Based Violence through Promising Practices and Community-based Research was launched to support projects that develop, put in place, and evaluate or scale up promising practices to strengthen the gender-based violence sector.

 2023

• WAGE launched the Equality Matters newsletter highlighting important information on WAGE programs and funding, helpful resources, and stories of inspiring people making a difference across Canada. Subscribe now!
• On May 19, the Canadian Women’s Foundation received a Governor General’s Innovation Award for the Signal for Help, a WAGE-funded project that promotes a simple one-handed gesture that provides a discreet way for people experiencing gender-based violence to ask for help. Used in over 45 countries and shared virally around the world, it continues to save lives.
• An investment of $160 million was made to sustain historic funding for Canadian women’s organizations and equity-deserving groups, with a particular focus on Indigenous women; women with disabilities; members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities; and newcomer, Black, racialized, and migrant women.