Backgrounder - New federal investment will help improve women’s economic security in Ottawa

Department for Women and Gender Equality – Women’s Program

One of the ways the Department for Women and Gender Equality 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 address emerging issues as they arise.

The Women’s Program funds projects that address systemic barriers to women’s equality in three priority areas: ending violence against women and girls; improving the economic security and prosperity 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 for Women and Gender Equality, launched two calls for proposals. The first call for proposals, 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 first call for proposals is divided into two themes. The first theme is Building Partnerships to Address Systemic Barriers, which provides funding to address major barriers that limit women’s economic security. This theme includes, but is 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. Fifteen projects across the country will receive nearly $5 million in funding through this call for proposals.

Ottawa Projects

Today’s announcement profiled seven projects in Ottawa selected for federal funding under both themes of the first call, Support for Women’s Economic Security, and Addressing the Economic Security and Prosperity of Indigenous Women:

Adoption Council of Canada (ACC)

Project title: Aging out without a safety net: Addressing the Economic Insecurity of Young Women in Foster Care
Funding amount: $446,000

The ACC will address the key policies that create systemic barriers for young women aging out of foster care in five provinces and territories. These barriers include gaps in child welfare permanency planning, education, employment, housing, health care and the justice system.

The ACC is Canada’s only national, non-profit, charitable organization serving adopted persons, adoptive families, and birth families. The ACC supports people on their adoption journey, connecting them to the families and resources they need. The ACC focuses on three main objectives: awareness, education, and permanency.

Families Canada

Project title: Increasing At-Risk Women’s Financial Literacy Opportunities: An Action Plan for Change
Funding amount: $420,558

Families Canada will improve the economic security of at-risk women by increasing its access to, and understanding of, financial literacy programs and services. Adaptations and additions will be made to existing initiatives, training, and resources. The work will include a comprehensive needs assessment followed by a broad action plan for stakeholders and private sector partners to collaborate and address at-risk women’s financial literacy. Services and resources will be adjusted and adapted over time as the programs grow to become more functional and effective.

Families Canada is a national network of over 500 member agencies and thousands of frontline family service workers in 2,300 communities across Canada. Founded in 1975 as the Canadian Association of Toy Libraries and Parent Resource Centres, it became the Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs in 1993. In 2014, a period of renewal and transformation resulted in foundational changes, a new CEO and Board of Directors and a new name: Families Canada.

Fire Service Women Ontario (FSWO)

Project title: Gender Barriers in the Ontario Fire Service
Funding amount: $239,350

FSWO takes a leadership role in diversifying the fire service. Its work will address systemic barriers and gender inequalities currently experienced by women firefighters in Ontario. These barriers may arise from workplace structures and culture, recruitment strategies, or organizational policies. FSWO has secured the support of the Chief Officers to implement pilot projects in Ontario for increasing diversity and removing barriers to women’s participation in the firefighting workforce.

FSWO was established in 2009. It is an Ottawa-based not-for-profit organization with membership across the province of Ontario. The organization, the only one of its kind in Canada, operates a career apprentice program for young women between the ages of 15 and 19, a mentorship program for women pursuing firefighting as a career, and hosts an annual conference to support the interests of women in firefighting. 

Information and Communications Technology Council of Canada (ICTC)

Project title: WIT Connect Initiative
Funding amount: $468,583

ICTC’s national WIT Connect Initiative examines systemic organizational challenges to women’s economic security in STEM, Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and tech trades. It will collaborate nationally with the private sector, government, community organizations and women, to produce strategies, actions and pathways for increasing diversity and inclusion in Canada’s ICT sector. Strategies and actions will address systemic barriers such as the sector wage gap, pay equity standards, flexible child care, and human resource policies and procedures.

ICTC has been serving and supporting Canada’s digital economy for over 25 years as a national centre of expertise, research, innovative talent solutions, and practical policy advice for the ICT sector. ICTC is a recognized leader in capacity building programs and solutions for the digital economy and regularly engages industry, educators and policy makers across a national network.

Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families

Project title: Inuit Early Childhood Education Training Model
Funding amount: $312,593

The Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families will improve the economic well-being of Inuit women by developing a new model to support Inuit women completing a diploma in Early Childhood Education, in collaboration with Algonquin College. The model creates an educational environment conducive to learning, retention and successful completion of Inuit women.

The Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families is a multi-service organization that provides cultural, educational, recreational and social support services to Inuit women, children, youth and families. It was established in 2005 by parents of children enrolled in the Head Start Children’s Program at Tungasuvvingat Inuit, their program sponsor. In 2006, sponsorship was transferred by the Public Health Agency of Canada to the present-day Inuuqatigiit Centre for Inuit Children, Youth and Families.

Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada

Project title: Addressing Inuit Women’s Economic Security and Prosperity in the Workplace
Funding amount: $465,276

Pauktuutit will address the socio-economic barriers encountered by Inuit women in the resource extraction industry. The organization will engage key industry partners and Inuit women to conduct a needs assessment and identify issues and challenges affecting Inuit women’s economic security and prosperity in the mining and resource extraction industry. The results of the research will lead to the development and implementation of culturally appropriate policies and procedures to address violence and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Pauktuutit is the national organization representing Inuit women in Canada. Pauktuutit fosters greater awareness of the needs of Inuit women, advocates for equality and social improvements, and encourages Inuit women’s full participation in the community and in the regional and national life of Canada.

Women in Communications and Technology (WCT)

Project title: Mobilizing Leadership for Digital Workplace Inclusion
Funding amount: $420,252

WCT will work with stakeholders to assess the current state of diversity in the Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) sector and develop client-based diversity workshops and corporate action plans for reforms. Areas that will be reviewed include pay equity, flexible work arrangements and equitable recruitment and retention. A national action plan will be developed from this work to advance gender equality within the industry and improve opportunities for women in Canada’s ICT sector.

Since 1991, WCT has been helping women build careers and achieve leadership in Canada’s communications and technology sectors. It provides local and national networking and mentoring, and professional development programs. Through these networks and programs, WCT seeks to advance gender equality and close the gender gap in Canada’s digital economy.

Provincial Statistics – Women’s Economic Security

• When comparing median hourly wages of women and men aged 15 years and over and working full-time in Ontario in 2018, women earned 91 cents for every dollar earned by men, suggesting a gap of 9%.[1]
• In 2018, the employment rate was 57.1% among women and 64.8% among men in Ontario.[2]
•  While the majority of Canadians are employed on a full‑time basis, women remain more likely than men to work part-time. In Ontario, women represented 64.5% of part-time workers in 2018, compared to 35.5% for men.[3]

National Statistics – Women’s Economic Security

• In 2018, 83.2% of women in the core working ages of 25 to 54 years (about 6 million) participated in the labour market.[4]
• In 2018, women in the core working ages represented 48.0% of the labour force, up from 46.4% in 1999 and 34.8% in 1976.[5]
• In 2018, the national employment rate for women aged 25-54 was 79.1% compared to 86.3% for men.[6]
• On average women worked 5.8 hours per week less than men (35.3 hours/week compared to 41.1 hours/week) in 2015.[7]
• The average net worth of lone mothers was less than half of that of lone fathers: $240,000 versus $540,000. Unattached women and men had similar average net worth at $250,000 and $230,000, respectively.[8]
• Lone mothers had the lowest average adjusted income ($25,300), followed by those who were unattached ($33,700) in 2015. The average adjusted incomes of lone fathers and unattached men were similar (around $40,300). Notably, the average adjusted income of lone mothers was $15,000 less than that of lone fathers.[9]

[1] Statistics Canada. Table  14-10-0307-01   Employee wages by occupation, annual

[2] Statistics Canada. Table  14-10-0018-01   Labour force characteristics by sex and detailed age group, annual (x 1,000)

[3] Statistics Canada. Table  14-10-0023-01   Labour force characteristics by industry, annual (x 1,000)

[4] Statistics Canada. Table  14-10-0018-01   Labour force characteristics by sex and detailed age group, annual (x 1,000)

[5] Statistics Canada. Table  14-10-0018-01   Labour force characteristics by sex and detailed age group, annual, inactive (x 1,000)

[6] Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0018-01 Labour force characteristics by sex and detailed age group, annual (x 1,000). https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/cv.action?pid=1410001801

[7] Statistics Canada. 2018. Time use: Total work burden, unpaid work, and leisure. Online: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-503-x/2015001/article/54931-eng.htm

[8] Statistics Canada. The Economic Well-Being of Women in Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-503-x/2015001/article/54930-eng.htm

[9] Statistics Canada. The Economic Well-Being of Women in Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-503-x/2015001/article/54930-eng.htm