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.

“With this investment, we are funding the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus to support survivors and their families in Kelowna. The gender-based violence 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

“Our government is committed to addressing and ending gender-based violence in our communities. Through our federal Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, our government is providing $1 million in funding to UBCO to address gaps in supports for traumatic brain injury survivors of intimate partner violence. By supporting this important work, survivors of gender-based violence and their families will have better support and a fair and equal chance to live their lives free of fear and to the fullest.”

Stephen Fuhr
Member of Parliament for Kelowna–Lake Country

“We are thankful for the Government of Canada’s financial support of our research. There are minimal resources currently available to survivors of intimate partner violence and the community service agencies that support them, in relation to traumatic brain injury, and we believe that our work will be important in helping to fill these unacceptable gaps.”

Paul van Donkelaar, Professor, School of Health and Exercise Sciences
University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus  

• In June 2017, Women and Gender Equality Canada (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.

• 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.

Related products

• Backgrounder

Associated links

• Gender-Based Violence Program
• It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence
• The University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus

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

Valérie Haché
Senior Communications Advisor
Women and Gender Equality Canada
819-420-8684