Backgrounder - New federal funding of over $650,000 will help improve women’s economic security in Québec

Status of Women Canada – Women’s Program

One of the ways Status of Women Canada advances gender equality in Canada is by providing funding to eligible organizations through the Women’s Program. Projects are selected via calls for proposals on specific themes, as well as through a continuous intake process that allows the Women’s Program to accept applications on an ongoing basis.

The Women’s Program funds projects of 36 months or less that address systemic barriers to women’s equality in three priority areas: ending violence against women and girls; improving the economic security of women and girls; and encouraging women and girls in leadership roles.

Calls for Proposals – Support for Women’s Economic Security and Addressing the Economic Security and Prosperity of Indigenous Women

On October 2, 2017, the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Status of Women, launched two calls for proposals. The first call, entitled Support for Women’s Economic Security, invited organizations to apply for funding for projects to address the economic security of women and help advance gender equality in Canada. More than 30 projects will receive a total of $10 million in funding through this call for proposals.

This call for proposals is divided into two themes; the first is Building Partnerships to Address Systemic Barriers, which provides funding to address major barriers that limit women’s economic security, including, but not limited to, the accessibility of childcare, the gender wage gap and pay inequity.

The second theme, Increasing Private Sector Leadership and Investments in Women, encourages organizations to partner with the private sector to find innovative solutions that will help advance women’s economic security.

The second call for proposals, entitled Addressing the Economic Security and Prosperity of Indigenous Women, invited organizations to foster collaboration between Indigenous women, Indigenous organizations, their communities, and the private sector to support the economic security and prosperity of Indigenous women across Canada. The results of this call for proposals will be announced at a later date.

Funded Projects

Established in 1994, Corporation de développement économique communautaire (CDÉC) de Québec is a not-for-profit organization based in Québec City that provides services to entrepreneurs across the Québec City region. The organization offers training, information workshops, business growth support, and peer networking opportunities, as well as access to financing resources.

CDÉC de Québec is receiving $325,972 in funding for their project, “Women in Business” to increase women’s economic security. Through this 36-month project, CDÉC de Québec will work with key entrepreneurial stakeholders to identify and address the barriers and gaps facing women entrepreneurs in Québec City. This will be achieved through the development of strategic plans, including recommendations and best practices to support women entrepreneurs. CDÉC de Québec will work with three main organizations, Québec City's entrepreneur division, Fonds d’emprunt Québec and Entreprenariat Laval, to integrate Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) in their programs and policies to identify and close the gaps between women and men entrepreneurs. All four organizations will then implement context-specific strategies to ensure that the project and related new practices are sustainable.

Created in 1990, the Regroupement des groupes de femmes de la région de la Capitale-Nationale (RGF-CN) is an umbrella organization that represents 36 women’s groups, including women’s shelters, women’s centres, committees and unions. It carries out various activities in support of the rights of women and girls by collaborating with a broad network of organizations in the greater Québec City area. One of their key priorities is undertaking activities that increase women’s economic security.

RGF-CN is receiving $325,810 for their project, “Advocating for Women Outside the Workforce”.  This 36-month project aims to mobilize partners to take into account the needs of women excluded from the job market because of issues like housing access and job integration in the Québec City-Portneuf-Charlevoix region. A diverse group of women will participate in focus groups as part of a needs assessment that will build on current knowledge, identify priorities and put forward recommendations for concrete solutions. A range of partners will use their expertise to create an advocacy kit that will include training materials and recommendations for sustainable solutions. By including partner institutions, the project will foster the implementation of solutions that use an intersectional lens.