Women and Gender Equality Canada’s 2023-27 Departmental Sustainable Development Strategy Report (October 2025 Report)

WAGE plays a key role in ensuring an intersectional approach is adopted across the Government of Canada through GBA Plus, as an analytical tool, to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs, initiatives, and other considerations in government decision-making. Besides providing advice on mandatory GBA Plus assessments undertaken by other federal departments, WAGE will build federal capacity to implement a robust application of GBA Plus in government initiatives by developing new tools, resources, and learning products. WAGE will also support the integration of GBA Plus with other government priorities to better incorporate quality of life measurements into government decision-making and budgeting.

Women’s Program

WAGE will support the capacity and sustainability of women’s equality-seeking organizations to achieve the full participation of women in economic, social, and democratic life in Canada. Since 2018, WAGE has invested $485.7 million in the Women’s Program, supporting 1,117 projects to advance women’s equality. 

Menstrual Equity Fund

This pilot made menstrual products available to those in need. Through partnerships, WAGE tested approaches to distribute free menstrual products to community organizations serving diverse low-income populations in various locations across Canada and scale up education and awareness activities to inform Canadians about period poverty and reduce stigma around menstruation. The Menstrual Equity pilot project ran until March 31, 2025, with a new phase set to begin in 2025-2026.

Domestic and International Co-operation

WAGE will continue to work closely with counterparts in provincial and territorial governments, notably through the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Forum of Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women to advance gender equality across Canada. The Forum’s main mandate is to share knowledge and information and to undertake collaborative initiatives to advance the status of women which can include gender diversity and gender equality. WAGE also advocates for gender equality in regional and multilateral forums and collaborates with international partners to advance gender equality abroad.

In 2024-2025, WAGE lead and advanced GBA Plus implementation throughout the Government of Canada.

·   The Department launched a new governance structure to convene federal partners and improve interdepartmental and stakeholder information sharing on GBA Plus and gender equality.

o   Developed a new GBA Plus Resource Centre, a dedicated space to share tools and resources. This enabled federal departments and agencies to exchange knowledge, best practices, and expertise, thereby advancing GBA Plus across the Government of Canada network.

o   Launched a GBA Plus Quarterly Bulletin to keep interdepartmental committee members informed of important updates on GBA Plus implementation.

·   WAGE successfully delivered GBA Plus Awareness Week 2024 and co-hosted a virtual event with the Canada School of Public Service titled Intersectionality in Action: Moving Forward on an Enhanced Approach to GBA Plus, attended by over 1,700 public servants.

·   Launched the 6th annual GBA Plus Implementation Survey, collecting information from federal departments and agencies on their organizational GBA Plus capacity, training, application, best practices and barriers. WAGE monitors and publicly reports on how GBA Plus is being implemented across the federal government to ensure the federal government is meeting its commitments to enhance GBA Plus.

·   Launched a dedicated webpage for the GBA Plus Implementation Surveys to make publicly available the overview results from the past five surveys.

·   WAGE collaborated with Statistics Canada on Canada’s first Disaggregated Data Action Plan, supporting efforts to include questions on gender identity and sexual orientation in national surveys.

·   Ensured compliance with GBA Plus legislative requirements under the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act and the Impact Assessment Act.

Through the Women’s Program, WAGE has continued to promote the full participation of women in Canada’s economic, social, and democratic life.

·   Implemented the $100 million Women’s Economic and Leadership Opportunities Fund, supporting over 160 organizations to launch or scale up projects that address or remove the systemic barriers to gender equality. Funded projects worked to change gender norms and attitudes, change policies and practices to address sexism, and increase women’s representation as leaders and decision-makers.

·   Implemented the $40 million Women’s Capacity Fund, funding over 170 women’s organizations to help them establish partnerships and formal networks, develop strategic and financial plans, and improve technical skills and tools for more effective organizational management, to help achieve the full participation of women in Canada’s economic, social, and democratic life.

In September 2023, WAGE began the implementation of the Menstrual Equity Fund national pilot in partnership with Food Banks Canada, providing free access to menstrual products and increasing education and awareness and reducing stigma. Analyzed reporting to inform planning for continued implementation and approach for future policy considerations.

Through GBA Plus, the Department exercised its recognized leadership with key international stakeholders by participating in four international engagements and one provincial engagement session to share knowledge and experience.

WAGE facilitated an Indigenous women led Signature Side Event for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW) at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The event hosted leaders from Canadian and International Indigenous women’s organizations on the topic of Driving Actionable Change and Strengthening Global Solidarity Among Indigenous Women.

In the context of UNCSW, WAGE also co-sponsored a side event entitled “Political Participation and Leadership of Indigenous Women – 30 Years After the Indigenous Women's Declaration,” hosted by Les Femmes Michif Otipemiswak, the event featured participation by Indigenous women leaders from Canada and abroad. Finally, WAGE provided input during the negotiation of the UNCSW Political Declaration, adopted by consensus, which seeks to intensify efforts to achieve the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

In the context of the Group of 20 (G20), WAGE provided input during the negotiation of the 2024 G20 de Janeiro Leaders’ Declaration that sought to uphold and advance gender equality, 2SLGBTQI+ rights and equality, and to stop the regression on human rights.

The Gender-Based Violence Research Program helps to:

• shape the research agenda on gender-based violence. It is working with Statistics Canada on the second cycle of the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS) and a Femicide Information System
• fill critical data and knowledge gaps, such as the economic cost of gender-based violence in Canada
• undertake research to advance evidence-based responses to gender-based violence. WAGE will fund studies on how diverse groups of people in Canada experience gender-based violence and why gender-based violence persists

The Gender-Based Violence Knowledge Centre has been set up to:                                                   

• disseminate information within WAGE and key partners
• provide tools, training, and other resources to federal partners
• provide information and resources to stakeholders and members of the public, including those who are experiencing or who have experienced gender-based violence 
• WAGE keeps track of activity on the Knowledge Centre online portal (number of page views), attendance at events as well as conducts surveys to determine the percentage of those who benefit from resources provided.

Awareness Campaigns

WAGE promotes actions and awareness aimed at preventing gender-based violence through commemorative events and awareness campaigns (e.g., 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence and the It’s Not Just youth campaign). Through feedback from youth and youth-service partner organizations, WAGE keeps track of performance metrics including the percentage of youth in Canada who report an increased understanding of gender-based violence.

NAP to End GBV

Starting in 2023, WAGE is investing $539.3 million over five years, to supplement and enhance gender-based violence services and supports in provincial and territorial jurisdictions. WAGE worked with provincial and territorial governments to establish bilateral agreements that support each jurisdiction’s work to end gender-based violence.

GBV Program

Through the GBV Program, WAGE invests in projects dedicated to testing and developing promising practices to address gaps in supports for Indigenous women and other at risk or underserved groups of survivors in Canada

Increasing the Capacity of Indigenous Women and 2SLGBTQI+ Organizations

WAGE is supporting Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to bolster their capacity to provide GBV prevention programming

·   Mobilized knowledge through the GBV Knowledge Centre.

o   Held five events on key topics including GBV and Youth (highlighting the It’s Not Just awareness campaign), the GBV GCXchange webpage, GBV and Sport, Economic Abuse, and Teen Dating Violence and Technology-facilitated GBV. The events promoted projects and research, shared resources and tools, and highlighted support services. There were 922 participants from federal government employees, provincial and territorial partners, Indigenous partners, stakeholders, and civil society organizations.

o   Launched the GBV Knowledge Centre GCXchange webpage to share knowledge, tools, and resources among federal employees collaborating to prevent and address GBV. Introduced in October 2024, the webpage received over 7,500 views in its first year.
 

·   Promoted awareness of and activities supporting the need to address and end GBV through commemorative events such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender- based Violence, which included four ministerial statements, one ministerial panel with funding recipients, and the illumination of two federal buildings in purple (the colour also featured in other 16 Days communications products, to reinforce this message and visually unify the campaign). Social media campaigns on Instagram, X, Facebook and LinkedIn resulted in over 400,000 impressions of both English and French content. The Department experienced a 71% increase in views to the website’s GBV section, from an average monthly view of 9,172 in 2022-2023 to an average of 12,912 in 2023-24. In keeping with our commitment to being transparent, the website is publicly accessible to all Canadians and hosts resources, research, and programs related to GBV, 2SLGBTQI+ communities, gender equality and GBA Plus.

·   Renewed the membership of the Indigenous Women’s Circle (IWC), which began discussions on its priorities and engagement strategy for the 2025-26 term, to consider Indigenous perspectives in federal gender equality initiatives.

In December 2024, the 2023-2024 annual progress report on the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence was published.  The report highlights the actions taken by jurisdictions in the first year of implementation of their respective bilateral agreements under the Action Plan.

WAGE continues to fund organizations in the GBV sector to address gaps in supports for underserved and at-risk populations. As of March 2025, 120 organizations were being supported with $22.5 million to develop promising practices and undertake community-based research. These projects are helping support survivors, engage men and boys as allies in prevention, address human trafficking, and generate knowledge to better address the needs of those most impacted by GBV.

WAGE continues to implement funding received in 2021 ($55 million over five years) to increase the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Over 100 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit organizations in all provinces and territories have received funding through this initiative. These organizations reported that they have improved their networks and partnerships, strengthened their organizational governance and financial health, enhanced their cultural competency and improved their human resources capacity.

1) Inform the implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (Pillar 4: Implementing Indigenous-led approaches) in conjunction with Indigenous Peoples.

2) Implement the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan (Pillar 3: Support Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ resilience and resurgence).

3) Collaborate and engage with Indigenous Peoples, the Indigenous Women’s Circle and national Indigenous organizations, governments, and representative institutions, on the implementation of these two Action Plans.

4)  Implement $55 million received through Budget 2021 to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women's and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming, and maintain meaningful partnerships with Indigenous partners to support Indigenous-led, distinctions-based initiatives that respond to priority areas raised by the TRC and the MMIWG2S+ National Inquiry as they relate to gender-based violence.

Program:

Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People

Performance indicator 1:
Number of Indigenous-led projects/activities supported under the National Action Plan.

Starting point:
471 projects across all five pillars and the foundation were Indigenous-led

Target:
Equal or greater than starting point

Performance indicator 2:
Proportion of WAGE projects that identify Indigenous Peoples as beneficiaries

Starting point:
35%

Target:
Equal or greater than 35%

Performance indicator 3:
Percentage of Indigenous organizations that reported an increase in organizational capacity to prevent and address gender- based violence.^{Footnote 9}

Starting point:
Final reports expected in 2025-26

Target:
Target will be determined when data is available

WAGE supports the Government of Canada’s commitment to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls for Justice in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples. By co-leading on the human safety and security theme under the Federal Pathway, WAGE will contribute to ending discrimination and addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Additionally, the Indigenous-specific pillars in WAGE’s gender-based violence action plan and 2SLGBTQI+ action plan require ongoing support to, and collaboration with, Indigenous Peoples and organizations. Through the implementation process of these action plans, WAGE will contribute to advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and reducing inequalities. Collaborating with Indigenous Peoples, including the IWC, advances reconciliation by helping WAGE identify and address systemic barriers faced by Indigenous women. Continued collaboration with national Indigenous Organizations, governments and representative institutions, promotes social inclusion and reduces inequalities, aligning with WAGE’s priorities of economic security, leadership, and ending violence against women. Finally, WAGE provides funding to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming.

Relevant targets or ambitions:

CIF Ambition/Target:

10.2 Canadians live free of discrimination and inequalities are reduced

CIF Indicator: 

10.2.1 Proportion of the population reporting discrimination or unfair treatment

GIF Target: 

10.3.1 Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months based on a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law

No Results available for 2024-2025

Note 1: 

Provincial and territorial annual reports under the National Action Plan were due to WAGE in July 2025, and the Annual Progress Report will be published in January 2026. Therefore, no results are available in fiscal year 2024-25.

Indicator result 2 

34%

Note 2: 

Administrative data for projects that received funding in fiscal year 2024-2025.

Indicator result 3:

No results available for 2024-2025

Note 3:
Relevant project final reports will be analysed in 2025-2026 with results being available in the following fiscal year. 

Support for the implementation of the MMIWG2S+ National Action Plan in partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples

WAGE will continue to support the implementation of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ People. WAGE will also continue to support the implementation of the 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan.

Provide funding to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming

WAGE will continue to implement a $55 million fund received through Budget 2021 to increase the capacity of Indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming. 

WAGE conducts quarterly meetings with the Indigenous Women’s Circle and annual meetings with other national Indigenous and representative organizations to discuss progress towards the program’s goals.

Enhancing Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) for Intersectional Equality and Inclusion

Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) continues to enhance GBA Plus as the policy celebrates its 30^th anniversary. This robust analytical tool is designed to guide government actions, ensuring policies, programs, and initiatives are responsive to the diverse needs of all Canadians. By refining the framing and parameters of GBA Plus, WAGE supports the Government of Canada’s efforts to implement Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG 10) - reducing inequalities. This commitment underscores Canada’s dedication to fostering an inclusive society where everyone can thrive.

These initiatives contribute to advancing global target 10.3 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals which calls for “ensuring equal opportunity and reducing inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard.”

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) is Canada’s key approach to ensuring that no one is left behind, a principle at the core of all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Integrating GBA Plus into policymaking helps ensure that diverse perspectives and needs are considered across the Government of Canada, addressing systemic inequalities and enhancing inclusivity. This approach directly supports SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and aligns with Canada’s commitment to the global agenda of fostering equality and inclusion for all.

WAGE co-lead the human safety and security theme under the Federal Pathway to Address Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People (Federal Pathway), along with Public Safety Canada. Over 100 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit organizations have received funding through this initiative.

To support the resilience and resurgence of Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ communities as the first 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Canada, the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan was included as an Action Plan measure (11) in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan in June 2023, underscoring the federal government’s commitment to advancing reconciliation.

Leaving no one behind
In 2024–25, WAGE advanced economic, social, and political equality for women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada through several initiatives:

·   2SLGBTQI+ Projects Fund: Following a 2024 call for proposals, 49 projects received nearly $24M to address barriers to 2SLGBTQI+ equality. One project, focused on Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ communities, received $465K.

·   Anti-Hate Funding: Under Budget 2024, WAGE began distributing $12M over 5 years to help 2SLGBTQI+ organizations combat hate. As of September 2024, 11 projects worth $8M were approved.

·   Pride Security: In 2024–25, 58 Pride organizations received funding through Fierté Canada Pride’s Community Safety Fund to enhance safety planning and infrastructure.

·   Community-Led Research: In January 2025, WAGE awarded $1.7M across five multi-year research projects to explore issues and barriers faced by 2SLGBTQI+ communities.

In 2024-2025, the Enchanté Network was awarded $900 thousand to establish the foundational pillars of Canada’s first national Black 2SLGBTQI+ organization through engagement, communication, and organizational development - all with a focus on systemic impact and organizational sustainability.

In 2024-2025, WAGE lead and advanced GBA Plus implementation throughout the Government of Canada.

·   The Department launched a new governance structure to convene federal partners and improve interdepartmental and stakeholder information sharing on GBA Plus and gender equality.

o   Developed a new GBA Plus Resource Centre, a dedicated space to share tools and resources. This enabled federal departments and agencies to exchange knowledge, best practices, and expertise, thereby advancing GBA Plus across the Government of Canada network.

o   Launched a GBA Plus Quarterly Bulletin to keep interdepartmental committee members informed of important updates on GBA Plus implementation.

·   WAGE successfully delivered GBA Plus Awareness Week 2024 and co-hosted a virtual event with the Canada School of Public Service titled Intersectionality in Action: Moving Forward on an Enhanced Approach to GBA Plus, attended by over 1,700 public servants.

·   Launched the 6th annual GBA Plus Implementation Survey, collecting information from federal departments and agencies on their organizational GBA Plus capacity, training, application, best practices and barriers. WAGE monitors and publicly reports on how GBA Plus is being implemented across the federal government to ensure the federal government is meeting its commitments to enhance GBA Plus.

·   Launched a dedicated webpage for the GBA Plus Implementation Surveys to make publicly available the overview results from the past five surveys.

·   WAGE collaborated with Statistics Canada on Canada’s first Disaggregated Data Action Plan, supporting efforts to include questions on gender identity and sexual orientation in national surveys.

·   Ensured compliance with GBA Plus legislative requirements under the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act and the Impact Assessment Act.  

Purchase executive fleet vehicles that are zero emission.

Program: Internal Services

Performance indicator:

Percentage of executive fleet vehicles that are zero emission

Starting point:

0% (2023)

Target:

100% by 2030

WAGE is moving towards the purchase of zero-emission vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This action will enhance sustainable consumption and contribute to reducing climate change in the long run.

Relevant targets or ambitions:

CIF Ambition/Target:

12.1 Canadians consume in a sustainable manner/Zero-emission vehicles represent 10% of new light-duty vehicle sales by 2025, 30% by 2030 and 100% by 2040

CIF Indicator: 

12.1.1 Proportion of new light-duty vehicle registrations that are zero-emission vehicles

GIF Target: 

12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

50%

Notes:
WAGE purchased a new electric vehicle in 2024

Ensure all procurement, materiel management specialists and acquisition card holders are trained in green procurement (through the Canada School of Public Service courses on green procurement or equivalent) within one year of being identified.

Program: Internal Services

Performance indicator:

Percentage of procurement and materiel management specialists and acquisition card holders trained in green procurement within one year of being identified

Starting point:

100% (2023)

Target:

100%

WAGE incorporates environmental considerations into its purchasing decisions through green procurement. This action is expected to motivate suppliers to reduce the environmental impact of the goods and services they deliver and lead to more sustainable supply chains.

Relevant targets or ambitions:

CIF Ambition:

12.2 Canadians consume in a sustainable manner

CIF Indicator:

12.2.1 Proportion of businesses that adopted selected environmental protection activities and management practices

GIF Target:

12.7 Promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities

Indicator result:

100%

Notes:

All procurement and material management specialists, as well as acquisition card holders, have successfully completed the CSPS Green Procurement (COR405) course within one year of being identified.

Assess the risk of climate change impacts at mission critical assets and where there are moderate to high risks, develop plans to reduce the risk.

Program: Internal Services

Performance Indicator:

Percentage of mission critical assets for which the risk of climate change impacts is assessed

Starting point:

20% (2023)

Target:

100% (2026)

WAGE assesses the risks of climate change impacts at mission critical assets and develops plans to reduce these risks. These actions contribute to reducing the risk of disruption of critical service delivery to Canadians.

Relevant targets or ambitions

CIF Ambition / Target:

13.3 Canadians are well equipped and resilient to face the effects of Climate change

CIF Indicator:

13.3.1 Proportion of municipal organization who factored climate change adaptation into their decision-making process

GIF Targets:

13.3 Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

20%

Notes:
The Business Continuity Plan (BCP) will be updated in 2025-2026

Incorporate a natural disaster scenario in a business continuity plan tabletop exercise.

Program: Internal Services

Performance indicator:
Percentage of business continuity plan updates that include a tabletop exercise to assess natural disaster readiness

Starting point:
A disaster scenario has not been included yet

^{Footnote 11}

0% (2025)

Target:
100%

WAGE will include a disaster scenario in a business continuity plan tabletop exercise to assess its readiness and make the necessary adjustments. This contributes to strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in Canada.

Relevant targets or ambitions

CIF Ambition/Target:

13.3 Canadians are well equipped and resilient to face the effects of climate change / No specific target

CIF Indicator: 

13.3.1 Proportion of municipal organizations who factored climate change adaptation into their decision-making process

GIF Target:

13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning

Indicator result:
No result available

Notes:
A disaster scenario has not been included yet. Exercise will occur once the BCP has been updated 2026-2027