Women and Gender Equality Canada mandate
Vision
A Canada where women and people of all genders and sexual orientations are equal in every way and can achieve their full potential.
Mission
The Department for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) advances equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression through the inclusion of women and 2SLGBTQI+ people in every aspect of Canada’s social, economic, and political life.
Raison d’être
WAGE works to advance gender equality through its policies, programs, and by promoting an intersectional gendered lens. The Department:
- Promotes a greater understanding of the intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors that include race, national and ethnic origin, Indigenous origin or identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic condition, place of residence and disability.
- Develops and coordinates policies and programs; and undertakes research and data collection and analyses related to these policies and programs; and raises public awareness through outreach.
- Provides leadership and policy expertise to federal departments and agencies to achieve Canada’s gender equality outcomes and goals and facilitates the advancement of gender equality among other partners and stakeholders, through its expertise, contribution to research and funding to community initiatives.
- Serves as a central point for sharing expertise across Canada and with international partners and uses this knowledge to inform and support Canada’s gender equality priorities.
Guiding this work are the department’s three primary roles:
- As a convener, WAGE leads a coordinated approach to advancing women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ equality by working with diverse stakeholders to leverage their resources and strengths and to influence meaningful progress on key gender equality issues.
- As a knowledge broker, WAGE brings forward evidence-based practices to inform decision-making. Gathering, synthesizing, and communicating knowledge, best practices and policy expertise to advance women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ equality and support early integration of intersectional considerations throughout government systems, policies, and processes for greater inclusive policy making.
- As a capacity builder, WAGE plays a role in empowering equality-seeking organizations and other stakeholders through key investments, partnerships, and knowledge sharing to amplify the impact of their work in addressing barriers for women and 2SLGBTQI+ communities. In addition, WAGE builds federal capacity to implement a robust application of Gender-based Analysis Plus to policies, programs, and initiatives.
Operating context
WAGE operates within the context of several federal and international policy instruments that support the principle of gender equality such as: