Government of Canada supports survivors of gender-based violence in Montreal

News release

March 7, 2019 – Montreal, Quebec – Department for Women and Gender Equality

Ending gender-based violence is crucial if we are serious about giving everyone the same opportunities to join and grow Canada’s middle class. We all benefit when women, girls and people of all genders are safe and free to live their lives to the fullest.

Today, Marc Miller, Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, announced federal funding to support survivors of gender-based violence in Montreal. This includes people who have been underserved, such as Indigenous women and their communities, children and youth, ethno-cultural women, women who are newcomers, refugees or non-status, and women living with disabilities.

Y des femmes de Montréal (YWCA Montreal) is receiving $850,000 in funding for their project entitled “The Graduation Approach and Gender-Based Violence.” The project will adapt and test the Graduation Approach support model to improve the services available to newly arrived immigrant women who are survivors of gender-based violence, regardless of their legal status. Project activities will help these women and their families cope with their loss, improve their economic security and develop the ability to be independent within the community.

Last year, Minister Monsef announced more than $50 million in funding for nearly 60 projects in communities across the country, including this one announced today, to support survivors of gender-based violence and their families.

Quotes

“Thousands of women and children in Montreal count on the services of the YWCA every year. With this investment, we are funding women’s organizations like Y des femmes de Montréal that provide essential services to support survivors and their families. This funding envelope was developed in partnership with leaders from the women’s sector, whose advice continues to inform Canada’s first Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence. Leaders asked for more dollars over a longer period of time to meet the ever growing demand for their services, a simplified application process, and resources to help provide supports for the most underserved and marginalized survivors of gender-based violence. Our government listened. Gender-based violence must not be tolerated, and we will continue to work with survivors, community partners, the private sector and other orders of government to end GBV in all of its forms.”

The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C., M.P.
Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality

“The Y des femmes has been supporting women in Montreal for over 100 years and it is vital we continue to support their important work. That is why I was pleased to visit with them to discuss the $850,000 in federal funding for their innovative approach to supporting victims of gender-based violence. Our government’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-based Violence would not be possible without community partners like the Y des femmes de Montréal.”

Marc Miller
Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

“We are very pleased that our comprehensive support project for recent immigrant women who have been victims of gender-based violence has received this funding from the Department for Women and Gender Equality. This new project will make it possible to test and adapt the Graduation Approach in order to meet the victims’ needs, and do so by factoring in each one’s priority needs in the various aspects of her life (housing, education, employment, health, etc.) Adapting this approach and working together with many partners will help with not just making concrete long-term changes in the lives of these women, but it will then be able to be implemented on a broader scale and help improve the practices for supporting women victims of gender-based violence.”

Mélanie Thivierge, Présidente-directrice Générale
Y des femmes de Montréal (YWCA Montreal)

Quick facts

  • In June 2017, the Department for Women and Gender Equality (formerly Status of Women Canada) announced the first-ever federal Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence.

  • To date, the Government of Canada has invested over $200 million across government to prevent gender-based violence, support survivors and their families, and create more responsive legal and justice systems.

  • The Promising practices to support survivors and their families call for concepts is the largest amount of funding ever announced for programming to specifically support diverse groups of gender-based violence survivors and their families.

  • Some populations are more likely to experience violence and may face unique barriers and challenges that put them at particular risk (Statistics Canada, 2015).

  • Gender-based violence can have lifelong impacts on an individual's physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health. Additionally, the effects can be serious and costly. Annually, the economic impact of intimate partner violence and sexual assault is estimated to be over $12 billion.

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Contacts

Braeson Holland
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality
343-549-8825

Valérie Haché
Communications Officer
Department for Women and Gender Equality
819-420-8684

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