Government of Canada announces investment in women’s organizations in St. John’s 

News release

July 18, 2019 – St. John’s, Newfoundland –Women and Gender Equality Canada

Women’s organizations provide vital services in our communities, supporting women and girls to be financially secure, free from violence, and able to fully participate in all aspects of our economy and society. Yet for far too long they have been chronically underfunded, underestimated and undermined. The Government of Canada recognizes that women’s organizations are the lifeblood of the women’s movement, and that maintaining and growing the ability of these organizations to do this important work is the most effective way to advance gender equality.

That’s why today, Nick Whalen, Member of Parliament for St. John’s East (Newfoundland and Labrador), on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of International Development and Minister for Women and Gender Equality, announced that the Government of Canada will invest $681,380 in two women’s organizations in St. John’s.

Transition House Association of Newfoundland and Labrador is receiving $440,120 to develop a training system for all shelter staff, management, and board members on inclusion, cultural sensitivity, mental illness, addiction, trauma, and best practices. By making the training universal, its staff will be better able to provide well-informed and beneficial services to the community.  

YWCA St. John’s is receiving $241,260 to strengthen its organizational viability, provide quality training for its staff and board on best practices, and improve its overall service to the community. This will better enable it to pursue its vision to create a community where all girls and women are safe, supported and empowered.

Funding for these projects stems from historic Budget 2018 investments in the Capacity-building Fund to support a sustainable women’s movement.

Quotes

“In making this historic investment, we recognize the women and women’s organizations that have long been breaking through barriers, and we express our gratitude to them for what has often been decades of important work, on little more than a shoestring budget. For too long, women’s movement across Canada has been asking for a reliable, predictable and accessible source of funds to ensure the sustainability of their work ‒ our government listened. I am proud that now, with stable and flexible funding, we are helping organizations in St. John’s grow and endure, because we know that investing in women’s organizations is the most effective way to advance gender equality. By supporting a movement that has achieved amazing results, we are growing the middle class, strengthening families and communities, and creating lasting change that benefits everyone.”

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

“Violence by men against women and girls is an ongoing frightening and, frankly, embarrassing aspect of our society. The two projects being funded today, including the one in my riding of St. John’s East, provide capacity building supports for frontline organizations and the victims they service. These are two steps of many that our government will be taking to meaningfully address the scourge of violence by men against women and girls.”

Nick Whalen
Member of Parliament for
St. John’s East

“In order to eliminate violence against women, we must all do our part to create a new societal standard. We are elated to have the opportunity presented by today’s funding announcement from the Government of Canada to ensure that our staff, management, and board members receive top-tier training that will allow them to carry out their work with a heightened – and necessary – sense of social awareness.”

Dan Meades, Provincial Coordinator
Transition House Association of Newfoundland and Labrador

“We are grateful for the Government of Canada’s support of our work. This investment will greatly improve our ability to serve the St. John’s community, and to continue to work towards establishing St. John’s as a safe, empowering, and supportive place for women and girls to live.”

Rhonda Tulk-Lane, Chair
YWCA St. John’s

Quick facts

  • Budget 2018 announced $100 million over five years to support a viable and sustainable women’s movement across Canada. Adding to this historic investment, Budget 2019 invests a further $160 million over five years, starting in 2019–20, in the Department for Women and Gender Equality’s Women’s Program. This means that by 2023–24, the Women’s Program, which supports eligible organizations to carry out projects to advance gender equality by addressing systemic barriers, will total $100 million annually. 

  • This funding will enable women’s organizations and Indigenous organizations serving women to tackle systemic barriers impeding women’s progress, while recognizing and addressing the diverse experiences of gender and inequality across the country.

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Contacts

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

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