Backgrounder - Government of Canada supports survivors of gender-based violence in Labrador

Women and Gender Equality Canada’s Gender-Based Violence Program

Following the June 2017 announcement of It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, Women and Gender Equality Canada (formerly Status of Women Canada) launched the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Program in January 2018.

The GBV Program complements the department’s Women’s Program, and helps organizations working in the GBV sector to develop and implement promising practices to address gaps in supports for survivors and their families.

While violence affects people of all genders, ages, cultures, ethnicities, geographic locations, and socio-economic backgrounds, some populations are more at-risk and face additional barriers to accessing services. The GBV Program responds to this need by providing funding to eligible organizations at the local, regional and national levels for projects that address gaps in supports for specific groups of survivors, including Indigenous women, and other underserved populations, such as children and youth, LGBTQ2 communities, non-status/refugee/immigrant women, seniors, women living in official language minority communities, women living in northern, rural and remote communities, and women living with disabilities.

Call for concepts: Promising Practices to Support Survivors and their Families

In January 2018, Minister Monsef announced $20 million in funding for a call for concepts as part of the new Gender-Based Violence Program. Following Budget 2018, the funding for the Gender-Based Violence Program more than doubled, meaning that more organizations, such as sexual assault crisis centres, are better able to help population groups at the highest risk of experiencing violence. The GBV Program piloted an innovative approach to supporting community organizations, which includes:

• a longer funding period of up to five years;
• a two-stage application process, which reduced the administrative burden for applicant organizations. Less information was required in the initial concept phase, which meant a leaner application process for organizations;
• eligible recipients were expanded to include labour groups and unions; provinces, territories, municipalities and their agencies; research organizations and institutes, centres of expertise, educational institutions (i.e. universities, colleges, CÉGEPs, secondary schools, school boards/school districts), as well as public health institutions, hospitals, and health care service providers; and
• testing and evaluation of promising practices is emphasized, which will lead to clear impact and results for Canadians.

Labrador Projects

Today’s announcement profiled two projects selected for federal funding in Labrador: 

Newfoundland and Labrador Sexual Assault Crisis and Prevention Centre (NLSACPC)

Project title: Coordinating Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Network in Labrador
Funding amount: $1 million

NLSACPC will provide sensitive and consistent support to women who have been sexually assaulted in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and surrounding communities in Labrador through a regional network. They will work with key stakeholders, such as Indigenous elders, Indigenous governments, key non-profit partners, and funders, and create safe spaces to support survivors during their journey in the aftermath of violence.

NLSACPC provides support and resources to anyone who has been impacted by sexual violence. It is deeply committed to further establishing Labrador-specific resources using both a culturally-informed and trauma-informed lens.

Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (PLIAN)

Project title: Piloting Collaborative Legal Navigation Support for Survivors of Violence in Labrador
Funding amount: $1 million

PLIAN will pilot a service to help Indigenous women whom are survivors of violence and other survivors of violence to navigate the legal system with a culturally sensitive, trauma-informed approach. It will offer increased access to justice for Indigenous peoples, newcomer women, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2 persons, and other populations that are marginalized and more vulnerable to violence.

PLIAN is an independent non-profit organization and registered charity dedicated to improving access to justice by educating individuals in Newfoundland and Labrador about the law and its applications. It prioritizes the revision of existing trauma-informed, survivor-focused training on enhancing support for survivors of sexual violence to further include more information on intergenerational trauma and the impact of colonialism.