Appearance by the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth at the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) on Supplementary Estimates B - December 7, 2023

Official title: Appearance by the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth at the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) on Supplementary Estimates B

Date: December 7, 2023

Study: Supplementary Estimates B

Budget 2023

Issue/question

How does Budget 2023 support feminist and equality-seeking organizations?

Suggested response

• The Government of Canada recognizes that women’s, 2SLGBTQI+, and other equality-seeking organizations have been at the forefront of social change. They are key drivers for gender equality.
• Since 2015, more than $556 million has been provided to these organizations, to support over 1,200 projects working to advance gender equality in Canada.
• Through these investments, we are sustaining historic funding levels for Canadian women’s organizations and equity-deserving groups through the Women’s Program.
• We also support the important work of equality-seeking organizations under the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan and the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

Key information

Investments

Women’s Program Investments

Budget 2023 proposes to provide $160 million over three years, starting in 2023-24, for the Women’s Program to provide funding to women’s organizations and equity-deserving groups, with a particular focus on Indigenous women, women with disabilities, members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities, and newcomer, Black, racialized, and migrant women.

Since 2015, WAGE has invested over $380M under the Women’s Program in over 900 projects to advance women’s equality, including:

• $100M in historic Budget 2018 funding for projects to strengthen the capacity of the women’s movement. Up to $20 million in additional funding is supporting a one-year extension of existing projects until March 2024.
• $160M in Budget 2019 funding for projects tackling systemic barriers for women in the areas of leadership, economic security and prosperity, and gender-based violence. This funding was primarily used for the Feminist Response and Recovery Fund to provide flexibility for organizations to be responsive to the broad and diverse systemic issues that need to be tackled to build back better, support a feminist response and recovery from the pandemic, and advance gender equality across Canada.

Recent Budget Commitments

National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence

• Budget 2022 invested $539.3M over five years, starting in 2022-23, “to support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence”.
• Budget 2021 invested $601.3M over five years, starting in 2021-2022, “to advance towards a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.”

2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan

• Budget 2022 committed $100M over five years to implement the Action Plan.
• Budget 2021 announced $15M over three years for a 2SLGBTQI+ Projects Fund for communities working to address barriers to 2SLGBTQI+ equality.
• Budget 2019 invested $20M to enhance the capacity of 2SLGBTQI+ organizations.

Menstrual Equity Fund

• Budget 2022 committed to establishing a national pilot project for a Menstrual Equity Fund that will help make menstrual products available to Canadians in need.

Overall Investment

Since 2015, the Department has funded over 1,200 projects providing more than $556M, to work towards gender equality. This includes:

• $181.9M to Indigenous projects (33% of all WAGE investments)
• $63.9M to projects for racialized communities
• $67.6M to projects in northern, remote, or rural projects
• $52.9M to non-status, immigrant, or refugee projects
• $47.4M to youth focused projects
• $83.5M to projects for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and additional sexually and gender diverse people (2SLGBTQI+)
• $31.1M to projects targeting low income communities
• $32.6M to official language minority communities
• $14.9M to projects targeting people with a disability

Investments in the 2SLGBTQI+ Community

Since 2019, WAGE has invested $42.5M in 2SLGBTQI+ organizations, including:

• $27.5M through the 2SLGBTQI+ Community Capacity Fund to enhance the capacity of 76 2SLGBTQI+ organizations. An additional $25.5M will be distributed through the 2SLGBTQI+ Community Capacity Fund as part of funding announced in the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan. Applications for this Call for Proposals are currently under review.
• $15M through the 2SLGBTQI+ Projects Fund for projects addressing barriers to 2SLGBTQI+ equality. As part of the 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, $35M in new projects funding was announced in August 2022.

Investments to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

• Since 2015, WAGE has invested $110M in more than 190 projects to prevent and address GBV.
• In addition, Women and Gender Equality Canada provided $300M in urgent support to shelters, sexual assault centres, and organizations that offer vital support to individuals experiencing GBV in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Additional investments currently underway include:
  • $55M to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide GBV prevention programming. As of July 2023, approximately 90 Indigenous organizations are being funded.
  • $105M to enhance the GBV Program. A Call for proposals to Address GBV through Promising Practices and Community-based Research closed in February 2023. $539.3M to support the implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV NAP).

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus)

Issue/question

What is the government doing to improve the implementation of GBA Plus?

Suggested response

• As Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, I have been working closely with colleagues to deliver on our joint mandate commitment to enhance Gender-based Analysis Plus (or GBA Plus), so that it better captures lived experiences and serves to reduce disparities.
• When we do GBA Plus early in the development of policies, programs and services and other initiatives, we design better, more responsive, and inclusive initiatives. We have listened to feedback on how we can do better.
• While progress is undeniable, we are collectively working to strengthen the application of GBA Plus so that barriers to government initiatives are reduced.

Background

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) is an analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives. GBA Plus is a process for understanding who is impacted by the issue, identifying how the initiative could be tailored to meet diverse needs of the people most impacted, and anticipating and mitigating any barriers to accessing or benefitting from the initiative. GBA Plus is an intersectional analysis that goes beyond biological (sex) and socio-cultural (gender) differences to consider other factors, such as age, disability, education, ethnicity, economic status, geography, language, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

WAGE strives to:

• Increase awareness, and understanding of GBA Plus
• Enhance capacity and expertise for GBA Plus across federal government
• Foster collaboration between a broad range of actors to capture new knowledge and share best practices
• Act as a hub for GBA Plus knowledge and expertise

Key information

Senate Committee (SOCI) Report on GBA Plus

On March 30, 2023, the Senate Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology (SOCI) released its report on GBA Plus entitled All Together - The Role of Gender-based Analysis Plus in the Policy Process: reducing barriers to an inclusive intersectional policy analysis.

The focus of the report was to study the role of GBA Plus in the policy process, the barriers to its implementation and how to support a more fulsome intersectional analysis. The Committee made 15 recommendations to address these gaps, most of which align with efforts underway to strengthen GBA Plus.

On April 27, 2023, the Senate adopted a motion requesting a government response to the committee report.  Under Senate rules, the Government’s Response is required 150 calendar days after the motion was adopted, which will require tabling by September 22, 2023.

A response is being developed, in consultation with central agencies and other key government partners.

OAG Audit of GBA Plus

In May 2022, the Auditor General of Canada published its third audit of GBA Plus. Previous OAG audits of GBA Plus were undertaken in 2009 and 2015.

Overall, the audit found that while WAGE, PCO and TBS had partially addressed recommendations from the 2015 audit, little progress had been made in the implementation of GBA Plus within the federal government and longstanding barriers to the implementation of GBA Plus persist.

The audit included seven recommendations for WAGE, PCO and TBS to address the persistent barriers and to strengthen the application, accountability and transparency of GBA Plus across the federal government.

In November 2022, PCO, TBS and WAGE submitted to the Standing Committee on Public Accounts a plan to address the OAG recommendations.  The plan includes meaningful action, including developing new training to increase understanding of intersectionality, and introducing a new framework to ensure departments have the internal capacity to support GBA Plus application.

Progress on the plan is underway and monitored in partnership with TBS and PCO.  At present, none of the actions in the plan are at risk of not being completed.

Strengthening GBA Plus 

GBA Plus is the result of a sustained commitment over more than 25 years. It has evolved over time and is guided by a process of continuous improvement. Changes have been informed by a wide range of evidence and inputs.

2021 mandate letter commitments direct you to lead the evaluation process of GBA Plus with the goal of enhancing the framing and parameters of this analytical tool, with particular attention to intersectional analysis, so that it better reflects the lived experiences of all people in Canada.

The Ministers of Housing, Diversity and Inclusion; Crown-Indigenous Relations; Rural Economic Development; Tourism and the Associate Minister of Finance; Employment, Workforce Development, Disability and Inclusion; and the President of the Treasury Board have been mandated to support this work and will be critical partners in advancing the plan.

To advance this mandate letter commitment, WAGE is facilitating an engagement process in collaboration with central agencies and departments to ensure a consistent and coordinated approach that will leverage existing networks and relationships of departments with equality, diversity, and inclusion mandates.

To date, consultations with deputy heads, GBA Plus Champions and other key federal government officials have been held and opportunities for improvement identified. Engagement continues with internal and external stakeholders to validate and refine potential options moving forward.

Recent engagement builds on the insights provided by SOCI, the Auditor General and the many studies and reviews that have been undertaken as part of a process of continuous improvement. Other recent inputs to strengthen GBA Plus include Senator Mary Jane mccallum’s (ISG) introduction of Bill S-218 in November 2021. The Bill proposes to include a provision in the Department for Women and Gender Equality Act to require the Minister for WAGE to examine every Government Bill introduced in either House of Parliament and to table a statement that sets out potential effects of the Bill on women, particularly Indigenous women.  As of August, 2023, Bill S-218 is at Second Reading in the Senate.

Gender budgeting

The Canadian Gender Budgeting Act came into force in December 2018, enshrining gender budgeting in the federal government’s budgetary and financial management process.

Similar to recent budgets and fiscal updates, Budget 2023 includes a gender budget statement and the publication of more than 200 GBA Plus summaries of budget measures, continuing a practice introduced in Budget 2019. In terms of the GBA Plus of Budget 2023:

• Most (75%) GBA Plus were initiated early or mid-stage of the initiative, which is indicative of the continuous efforts to better integrate GBA Plus earlier and throughout the budget process. Moreover, 41% of GBA Plus were initiated early, which is higher than Budget 2022, for which 32% were initiated early. 
• The Budget reports that 14% of measures identified a potential barrier to access or participation for a specific demographic group.  For most measures (90%) where a barrier was identified, a proposed approach to removing obstacles for groups experiencing these barriers was included.

GBA Plus as part of the implementation of the Impact Assessment Act

WAGE supports the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and partner departments on the implementation of the 2019 Impact Assessment Act. This legislation requires that proponents of major initiatives, including resource projects, apply GBA Plus to project planning and implementation to assess potential project impacts on different groups of people.

Through this legislation, WAGE is working to ensure that the negative impacts of projects are mitigated, including those related to gender-based violence, and that the benefits of these projects are felt equally among different groups of people.

Both Indigenous Services Canada and Crown-Indigenous Relations Canada are important partners in the implementation of this legislation and in the application of GBA Plus from an Indigenous perspective.

Gender-Based violence investments

Issue/question

What is WAGE investing in organizations to prevent and address gender-based violence?

Suggested response

• The Government of Canada is committed to preventing and addressing all forms of gender-based violence.
• Since 2017, Women and Gender Equality Canada has invested over $293 million directly to organizations working to prevent and address GBV and has created a specific Gender-based Violence Program.
• In addition, $300 million was provided in urgent support to shelters, sexual assault centres, and organizations that offer vital support to individuals experiencing GBV in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• These investments are a critical contribution to progress under the Government of Canada’s efforts to end gender-based violence.

Key information

Investment

Since 2017-18, WAGE has invested over $293 million in more than 670 projects to advance efforts to prevent and address GBV.

Some significant investments underway that are flowing directly to organizations include:

• Budget 2017 and 2018’s $55 million investment over 5 years and $12 million ongoing to support organizations under the GBV Program;
• Budget 2019’s $10 million investment over 5 years, and
• $2 million ongoing, for the Human Trafficking Initiative to support organizations in developing and implementing promising prevention or intervention practices dedicated to at-risk populations and survivors of human trafficking. This investment is part of the Public Safety-led National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking.
• Budget 2021’s investments of:
  • $105 million over 5 years to enhance the GBV Program;
  • $55 million over 5 years to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide GBV prevention programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

In addition, WAGE provided $300 million in urgent support to shelters, sexual assault centres, and organizations that offer vital support to individuals experiencing GBV in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results

To date, WAGE has:

• Under initial GBV Program funding, invested approximately $55 million in over 60 projects dedicated to testing and developing promising practices to address gaps in supports for Indigenous women and other underserved groups of survivors in Canada
• Supported 42 projects under the Human Trafficking Initiative, for a total of nearly $14 million, which has reached nearly 2,000 individuals through various activities like workshops/webinars, community engagement, and curriculum development
• Invested in over 90 projects to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide GBV prevention programming
• Committed over $31 million in support of 74 projects to enhance the GBV Program with funding initiatives that engage men and boys, and increased funding for initiatives to stop human trafficking

A call for proposals to Address GBV through Promising Practices and Community-based Research closed in February 2023.

Project examples

• The Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women is receiving $1 million over four years to develop and evaluate a “Community of Care” approach. The approach will be designed to improve supports to African Nova Scotian and Indigenous women survivors of GBV.
• Tahiuqtiit Woman’s Society (TWS), in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, will receive $489,952 to conduct a needs assessment, engage individuals with lived experience, develop and implement Inuit-centred policies and practices for women’s shelters, and disseminate learnings to other women’s shelters.

Background

GBV disproportionately affects women and girls. Certain populations that are at risk of GBV, or underserved when they experience these forms of violence, include: Indigenous women and girls; Black and racialized women; immigrant and refugee women; Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and additional sexually and gender diverse (2SLGBTQI+) people; women with disabilities; and women living in Northern, rural, and remote communities.

In 2017, the Government of Canada announced the launch of the federal GBV Strategy: It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence. This strategy contributes to the November 2022 National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

In 2018, WAGE established the GBV Program to support organizations working in the GBV sector in developing and implementing promising practices to prevent GBV and address gaps in supports for at-risk or underserved groups of victims/survivors in Canada.

WAGE continues to collaborate with other federal departments on opportunities to address the systemic and historic causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People, such as the June 2023 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan, and the 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people National Action Plan.

In addition to the funding mentioned above, Budget 2022 committed $539.3 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, to support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the National Action Plan to End GBV. WAGE is negotiating bilateral agreements with all provinces and territories. These bilateral agreements will be flexible and support provincial and territorial governments in addressing their respective challenges, needs, and individual priorities.

National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence

Issue/question

What is the status of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence developed with the provinces and territories?

Suggested response

• Gender-Based Violence is one of the most pervasive, deadly, and deeply rooted human rights violations of our time.
• The endorsement of the 10 year National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence in November 2022 is a concrete step in fulfilling a long-standing commitment of Federal, Provincial and Territorial governments to work together towards a Canada free of Gender-Based Violence.
• After a Budget 2021 investment of $601.3M over 5 years, Budget 2022 made additional investments, including $525M to support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.
• Federal funding will flow through bilateral agreements with each province and territory. We have announced agreements with several jurisdictions already, and are looking forward to announcing agreements with the remaining provinces and territories in the coming months.

Key information

Investments

• Budget 2022 invested $539.3M over five years, starting in 2022-23, “to support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence”.
• Budget 2021 invested $601.3M over five years, starting in 2021-2022, “to advance towards a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence”:

Gender-Based Violence Program Enhancement

• $105M over five years for WAGE to enhance its Gender-Based Violence Program, with funding initiatives that engage men and boys and increasing funding for initiatives to stop human trafficking, which includes providing support to at-risk populations and victims and survivors of human trafficking. It will also provide support for testing and implementing best practices to address gender-based violence, with a focus on projects that could be scaled at the national level.
• Over $30M has been invested in 74 projects focused on addressing gender-based violence and supporting those who experience it.
• In December 2022, WAGE launched a Call for Proposals to address GBV through promising practices and community-based research. The call closed in February 2023 and successful recipients will be announced in the coming months.

Crisis Hotlines

• $30M over five years for WAGE to support crisis hotlines across Canada. This will help to serve the urgent needs of more individuals in Canada experiencing gender-based violence by offering more robust services, resources, and supports to prevent the escalation of gender-based violence.
• WAGE will distribute this funding to crisis hotlines through bilateral agreements with provincial and territorial governments.
• Negotiations with provinces and territories have almost all been completed. Signed agreements with Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador have been announced.

Emergency COVID-19 Funding

• Since April 2020, the Department has provided $300M in COVID-19 emergency funding to over 1,400 organizations, including women’s shelters, sexual assault centres, and other organizations providing critical supports and services to those experiencing gender-based violence.
• This funding ensures the continuity of services and enhances the capacity of organizations that provide critical and often life-saving services and supports for women, girls, and Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and additional sexually and gender diverse people (2SLGBTQI+) experiencing violence. Because of this funding, more than 2M individuals experiencing violence had a safe place to go and access to supports across Canada.

Results

Bilateral funding agreements with provinces and territories are currently being finalized, and therefore there are no results directly linked to the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence at this time.

Through the federal GBV Strategy, which is the Government of Canada’s contribution to the National Action Plan, significant progress has been made since 2017 to address gender-based violence:

• Three new national surveys establishing baselines on gender-based violence and filling critical data gaps
• Establishment of the GBV Knowledge Centre
• Funding for qualitative community-based research to help address the needs of underserved populations in the GBV sector
• Prevention efforts through the GBV Youth Awareness Campaign, launched in December 2022
• Competency training for RCMP officers and staff
• Development and testing of promising practices in areas including: sexual violence, technology-facilitated violence, youth dating violence, gender-based violence at post-secondary institutions, human trafficking, and intimate partner violence
• Enhanced supports for survivors of gender-based violence within the Canadian Armed Forces
• Strengthened trauma-informed responses amongst federal corrections facility staff

Project example

Bilateral funding agreements with provinces and territories will be posted online in fall 2023 and will include all projects being funded with year one of the funding.

Background

It is estimated that every year, the federal, provincial and territorial governments in Canada spend billions on healthcare, justice, and social system responses to gender-based violence. It is further estimated that Canadian businesses lose millions due to loss of productivity and inability of individuals to work as a result of gender-based violence. Most importantly, individuals experiencing gender-based violence pay considerable direct and indirect costs in terms of opportunity costs and impacts throughout their life course and across generations.

The 2019 Speech from the Throne committed to taking greater action to address gender-based violence by developing a National Action Plan. This commitment was reinforced in the December 2019 mandate letter, which directed the Minister for Women and Gender Equality to build on the foundation laid by the federal GBV Strategy and move forward with the development of a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

In January 2021, federal, provincial, and territorial Ministers responsible for the Status of Women endorsed the Joint Declaration for a Canada Free of Gender-Based Violence, which confirmed common vision, principles, and goals for responding to gender-based violence.

The 2021 Speech from the Throne and December 2021 mandate letter to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth once again underscored the Government’s commitment to move forward with a 10-year National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Specifically, Minister Ien was mandated to “move forward with the development of a 10-year National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, begin negotiations with the provinces and territories within a year, and accelerate the establishment of a dedicated Secretariat”.

The National Action Plan was made possible through close collaboration between federal, provincial, and territorial governments and Indigenous partners. It was also informed by engagement with survivors, front-line service providers, gender-based violence experts, academics, and advocates, as well as recommendations from a wide range of stakeholders and experts. 

MMIWG2S+

Issue/question

What is WAGE currently doing to address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people?

Suggested response

• Violence against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (2SLGBTQQIA+) people in Canada is an ongoing national tragedy.
• The National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence is complementary to other federal and national action plans, specifically the 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan, as well as the federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan.
• The Government of Canada has invested  $55 million over 5 years to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
• As of June 2023, 90 projects supporting First Nations, Inuit, and Métis organizations have signed funding agreements.

Key information

Investment

• Since 2015, the Department has funded over 455 projects, providing approximately $193.3M to projects supporting Indigenous and Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and additional sexually and gender diverse people (2SLGBTQI+) communities representing 33% of all WAGE investments (data excludes COVID funding).
• WAGE further increased its work to support Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people following the Calls for Justice in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. In 2019, WAGE provided $13M to more than 100 commemoration projects to help honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
• Budget 2021 provided $55M to WAGE over 5 years to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Results

• A Call for Proposals to implement the Budget 2021 investment of $55M closed in March 2022. Successful projects across the country have been announced, with more to come. This investment is a key deliverable under the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People as well as the first investment under the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.
• A First meeting of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial-Indigenous Roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People took place in January 2023. A second meeting is planned for fall 2023.

Project examples

• Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak who will receive $734,340 to develop a Métis 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan, with representation from across the Métis Nation Motherland;
• Tahiuqtiit Woman’s Society (TWS) in Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories will receive $489,952 to conduct a needs assessment, engage individuals with lived experience, develop and implement Inuit-centred policies and practices for women’s shelters, and disseminate learnings to other women’s shelters; and
• Orillia Native Women’s Group will receive $328,125 to develop and implement a community consultation plan and a strategic plan to address and prevent GBV.

Background

While representing about 5% of all women and girls in Canada, Indigenous women and girls accounted for 26% of all female victims of homicide in 2022. The homicide rate for Indigenous women and girls was over six times higher in 2022 than for their non-Indigenous counterparts.  

In June 2021, the 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan (MMIWG2S+ National Action Plan) and the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People (Federal Pathway) were released.

These plans were developed in close partnership with families and survivors, Indigenous partners, civil society, frontline service providers, municipalities, the private sector, and researchers. The experiences and knowledge shared by Indigenous leaders, partners, and communities through that process have also informed WAGE's work on the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

WAGE and Public Safety are co-leads for the human safety and security theme of the Federal Pathway. Under this theme, WAGE is leading an initiative aimed at bolstering the capacity of Indigenous women's and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide GBV prevention programming ($55 million over 5 years).

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA) and the associated UNDA National Action Plan 2023-2028 were released earlier this year and WAGE continues to support these Justice-led initiatives.

WAGE, along with our partners from provinces and territories, engage with national First Nations, Inuit, and Métis organizations through the Forum of Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women. WAGE also works with closely with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) to complement our respective engagements with Indigenous partners, reduce duplication of functions, and ensure alignment of purpose, including through participation in the CIRNAC-led FPT-Indigenous roundtables on MMIWG.

2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan

Issue/question

How is the Government advancing equality for 2SLGBTQI+ communities through the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan?

Suggested response

• The Government of Canada is committed to protecting the rights of 2SLGBTQI+ people.
• The Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan will guide our work to fight discrimination, address issues of concern to 2SLGBTQI+ communities, break down barriers, and advance rights and equality.
• Budget 2022 committed $100M over five years to support the Plan’s implementation and build a fairer and more equal Canada for 2SLGBTQI+ people.
• Since the launch of the Action plan, Canada has:    
  • Lifted the Blood Ban on men who have sex with men
  • Expanded Bill C-66 to enable convictions for bawdy house and indecency-based offences to be eligible for expungement
  • Completed consultations to review criminal law regarding HIV non-disclosure
  • Issued a call for proposals for capacity funding for 2SLGBTQI+ organizations
  • Announced $25M to create Canada's first-ever LGBTQ Entrepreneurship Program
  • Partnered with non-profit organization Rainbow Railroad to protect LGBTQI+ refugees and welcome them to Canada
• We are proud of our progress to date and will continue to work with all partners to advance the rights and equality for 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada through the Action Plan, and publicly reporting on its implementation

Key information  

Investment

Budget 2022 committed $100M over 5 years to implement the Action Plan:

• Up to $75M for 2SLGBTQI+ community organizations that advocate for and serve their communities:
  • Up to $40M in new capacity-building support, prioritizing funding for 2SLGBTQI+ communities experiencing additional marginalization
  • Up to $35M in new project-focused support aimed at addressing specific barriers to 2SLGBTQI+ equality
• Up to $7.7M for new community-led research, and new data collection and research to inform future 2SLGBTQI+ initiatives
• Up to $5.6M to develop and implement awareness to break down stigma and end discrimination for 2SLGBTQI+ people
• Up to $11.7M to stabilize and expand the 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat  

Results

On February 27, 2023, the Government released a six-month progress report on the Action Plan’s implementation. Key accomplishments include, but are not limited to:

• Appointing a dedicated Two-Spirit senior advisor to provide advice on unique issues facing Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ communities (WAGE)
• Completing Canada Pride Citation ceremonies for RCMP claimants under the LGBT Purge Class Action Settlement Agreement (RCMP)

Since then, the Government has made additional advancements in implementing the 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan. These include:

• Launching a $25.5M Call for Proposals for the 2SLGBTQI+ Community Capacity Fund (WAGE)
• Expanding the grounds for expungement to include additional historically unjust 2SLGBTQI+ offences, such as bawdy house offences and other indecency-based offences, to the schedule of Bill C-66, the Expungement of Historically Unjust Convictions Act in March 2023 (Public Safety)
• Undertaking Canada Pride Citation ceremonies for Federal Public Service claimants under the LGBT Purge Class Action Settlement Agreement (WAGE)
• Releasing intersectional data from the 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan survey (WAGE)
• Approving $7.7M research implementation plan to strengthen 2SLGBTQI+ data and evidence-based policy making (WAGE)
• Completing public opinion research; the first phase of work in the 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan’s awareness campaign (WAGE)
• Completing consultations to review the criminal law regarding HIV non-disclosure and publishing a “what we heard” report (Justice Canada)

Background

On August 28, 2022, the Prime Minister launched Canada’s first-ever Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan…Building our future, with pride.

The five-year Action Plan seeks to advance rights and equality for 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada. It also seeks to address and prevent discrimination and stigma based on sexual orientation, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression from emerging or worsening for future 2SLGBTQI+ generations.

The Action Plan will prioritize community action and coordinate the Government’s work to advance 2SLGBTQI+ issues across the federal government using a holistic approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of the types of inequities facing communities.

The Action Plan is an evergreen document that builds on progress the Government of Canada has already made and will continue to guide the Government of Canada’s work into the future.

Violence and Discrimination targeting 2SLGBTQI+ Communities

Issue/question

How is the Government of Canada addressing violence, hate and discrimination targeting 2SLGBTQI+ communities?

Suggested response

• Discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression continues to be a reality in Canada, and it must be eliminated.
• We are committed to building a safer Canada for 2SLGBTQI+ communities by promoting human rights, and by developing inclusive policies and programs that seek to address discrimination, end Gender-Based Violence, and combat hate.
• In response to rising hate and discrimination targeting 2SLGBTQI+ communities, the Government of Canada provided $1.5M in emergency funding to Fierté Canada Pride to help pride organizations address increased security and insurance costs during the 2023 pride season.
• We are also working closely with 2SLGBTQI+ organizations across Canada to give 2SLGBTQI+ communities a voice in the development of programs, policies and services that impact them; this includes youth.

If asked:

Targeted measures include:

• Canada’s first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, which seeks to address discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
• The National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence (GBV) – a framework for a Canada free of GBV, including violence against 2SLGBTQI+ people.
• Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, which advances efforts to prevent GBV, support victims, survivors and their families, and promote responsive legal and justice systems.
• Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate, to be released later this year, which will address hate faced by diverse communities, including 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Key information  

Investments

Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan

• The Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan was launched in August 2022. Of the $100M dedicated to support its implementation
• Up to $75M will be available to help 2SLGBTQI+ communities address the discrimination and inequities they face.
  • The Action Plan also includes work to advance awareness, to enhance inclusion and break down stigma and discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
    • In May 2023, WAGE completed public opinion research to inform the development of the awareness campaign.

National Action Plan to end Gender-Based Violence (GBV NAP)

• In November 2022, the FPT Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women endorsed the GBV NAP. Supported by a $539.3M investment over five years (Budget 2022), the GBV NAP serves as a framework for a Canada free of GBV, including violence against 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence (GBV)

• Under this Strategy, WAGE launched the GBV Program in 2018. The program supports organizations working in the GBV sector to develop and implement promising practices to address gaps in supports for Indigenous and underserved groups of survivors in Canada. Ten projects funded through the program’s first call for proposals included supports for 2SLGBTQI+ people. For example:
  • The SALAL Sexual Violence Support Centre Society is receiving $998,129 for a 60-month project to develop and test a gender affirming inclusion process for 2SLGBTQI+ communities and gender-non-binary survivors of GBV to improve service provision.

Budget 2023 Initiatives 

• Budget 2023 announced that Canada will: 
  • Create a new Action Plan to Combat Hate that will specifically addresses hate faced by 2SLGBTQI+ communities. 
  • Provide up to $49.5M to expand Public Safety’s Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program to allow it to be more responsive to the evolving security needs of communities, including 2SLGBTQI+ communities.

Emergency Funding for Pride Organizations

• In response to rising hate against 2SLGBTQI+ communities, in June 2023, WAGE provided up to $1.5M to Fierté Canada Pride to administer an emergency fund to support pride organizations in addressing increased security and insurance costs.

Background

2SLGBTQI+ communities are concerned about their safety and security. The 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan Survey (2021), which informed the development of the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, gathered input from 25,636 survey respondents. The statistics on safety are striking:

• 39% of respondents indicated that, over the last five years, they had experienced violence due to homophobia, transphobia, biphobia or other forms of discrimination. However, 91% of respondents who experienced violence did not report any of these incidents to the police.
• 69% of respondents reported that they consider their personal safety when deciding how to dress or appear in public, with transgender women (67%), non-binary/agender (58%), gender diverse (57%) and transgender men (55%) respondents being the most likely.
• 56% of transgender men respondents, and 54% of transgender women, gender diverse and non-binary/agender respondents experienced violence and discrimination. These groups also experienced higher rates of physical and sexual violence than respondents from other gender identity groups.

Furthermore, there is currently a disturbing rise in hate and violence against 2SLGBTQI+ communities, which contribute to an increased climate of fear for 2SLGBTQI+ people. For example:

• 2SLGBTQI+ people face increased threats to their safety related to hosting and participating in drag story hours. In December 2022, there was a bomb threat following a drag event hosted at a library outside Brockville, ON.
• The 2023 Hershey’s International Women’s Day campaign – “Her for She” – generated negative reaction online and in the media for including trans representation.
• On June 28, 2023, a man stabbed three individuals in a University of Waterloo gender studies class. Police described the attack as a “hate-motivated incident related to gender expression and gender identity”.

2SLGBTQI+ Youth:

• 2SLGBTQI+ youth in schools across the country also experience discrimination. Egale Canada reported (2011) that 64% of LGBTQ2 students felt unsafe at school.
• The Government of Canada will continue to engage with all levels of government and 2SLGBTQI+ community leaders to address this issue.
• As part of this work, WAGE is engaging with Provinces and Territories to advance 2SLGBTQI+ equity across Canada, including as it pertains to matters of importance for 2SLGBTQI+ communities, such as education, that fall within jurisdictional authorities of other levels of government.

Employment and Skills Support for Canada’s Youth

Issue/question

How the Government of Canada is supporting youth to gain the skills and experience they need to successfully enter the labour market.     

Suggested response

• Youth are worried about affordability. About 30% of 15 to 24 years old reported difficulty making ends meet.
• Good jobs open a world of possibilities for a better future.
• The Government is on track to deliver on its mandate commitment to continue scaling up youth and student skills and employment programming.
• To help them better prepare for success at work, in 2022-2023, we created almost 190,000 opportunities through the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Program, Canada Summer Jobs and the Student Work Placement Program.
• The 2022 Fall Economic Statement allocated $701.9M over three years for the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Program and Canada Summer Jobs. 
• Budget 2023 committed $197.7 million in 2024-2025 to continue support for the Student Work Placement Program to create quality work-integrated learning opportunities.
• Through 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, the Government will support 260,000 opportunities through these programs.
• An investment in our youth is a down payment on Canada’s future.

Key information

• The Government has a mandate commitment to continue scaling up youth and student skills and employment programming and initiatives for Canadian youth. The main levers to deliver on this commitment are the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, which includes the YESS Program and Canada Summer Jobs; and the Student Work Placement Program.
• Youth faced the greatest job loss during the pandemic. The overall unemployment rate for youth aged 15-24 peaked at 30% in May 2020. In response, the Government made historic investments to Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy to help youth, especially those facing barriers, to find and maintain good jobs.
• The Canadian economy is doing well in many ways post pandemic. While the unemployment rate reached a new historical low of 5.0% in 2023 Q1 (rising to 5.2% in 2023 Q2 as labour market tightness eased), and youth unemployment rate is closer to the pre-pandemic average at 10.9% (August 2022 to July 2023), they still experience a doubling of the unemployment rate compared to the general population. A trend which has persisted for the past year.
• Many youth continue to need support, including those from under-represented groups (e.g. Youth with disabilities, Indigenous youth, Black and other racialized youth groups, etc.). For example:  
  • In July 2023, the unemployment rate for Black youth aged 15-24 was 15.9% .
  • In July 2023, the unemployment rate for visible minority youth aged 15-24 was 14.7%.
  • In December 2022, the unemployment rate for indigenous youth aged 15-24 was 12.2% compared to 10% for non-Indigenous youth.
• According to a statscan Survey from March 30, 2023, about 30% of 15 to 24 years old reported difficulty making ends meet.

Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS)

The Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) is a horizontal initiative delivered in partnership by 12 federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations. It supports youth between the ages of 15 and 30 to gain the work experience and develop the skills they need to successfully transition into the labour market. It includes:

• The YESS Program focuses on those further from opportunity including those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), underrepresented and disadvantaged youth. It supports a flexible approach that offers services tailored to each individual to help youth gain the skills and experience that they need to get and keep good quality jobs. Supports can include mentorship, skills development and training, wrap-around supports (e.g., dependent care support, mental health counselling) and paid work experiences. 
• Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ), delivered solely by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). It provides wage subsidies to employers from not-for-profit organizations, the public sector, and private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees. The program helps create quality summer employment opportunities for young Canadians.

To advance the mandate commitment to create a stream for youth with disabilities under the YESS, stakeholder engagement was held in fall 2022. The Minister for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) and Youth and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of WAGE met with youth with disabilities, youth service providers and employers. Their advice will be put into action in the Call for Proposals ESDC will be launching for the YESS Program, in Fall 2023.  

In 2022-2023, the YESS Program supported over 26,000 opportunities and CSJ supported over 112,000 jobs.

The Government’s investment is delivering results for youth. For example, a mid-cycle assessment found that April 2020 to December 2022, 81% of ESDC YESS Program participants had returned to school or were in employment after participation.

The 2022 Fall Economic Statement allocated $802.1 million over 3 years starting in 2022-23 for the YESS:

• $301.4 million over two years, starting in 2023-24, through the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Program
• $400.5 million over two years, starting in 2023-2024, to Canada Summer Jobs to support a total of approximately 70,000 annual summer job placements
• $100.2 million over three years, starting in 2022-2023, to continue supporting work placements for First Nations youth through the Income Assistance-First Nations Youth Employment Strategy Pilot

In 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, the YESS Program will create 40,000 opportunities and CSJ will support 140,000 opportunities.

Student Work Placement Program

Investment

• Budget 2023 provides $197.7 million in 2024-25 to the Student Work Placement (SWP) Program to continue creating quality work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities for students through partnerships between employers and post-secondary education institutions.
• Between 2023-24 and 2024-25, the Program will support the creation of approximately 80,000 work-integrated learning opportunities for post-secondary students across various in-demand sectors.
• These measures will help students can gain the necessary skills, education, and real-life work experience to transition successfully into the workforce.

Results

• Launched in 2017-2018 as a small-scale pilot, the SWP Program has grown from offering 10,000 work-integrated learning opportunities over four years, to over 50,000 in 2022-2023.
• To date, the Program has supported over 190,000 WIL opportunities for postsecondary students across all provinces and territories as well as in all sectors of the Canadian economy. This total includes 138,073 work placements and 64,431 innovative work-integrated learning (I-WIL) opportunities.

Background

The SWP Program supports partnerships between industry and post-secondary institutions to create quality work placements for students in all disciplines.

The SWP Program helps post-secondary students to develop work-ready skills, employers to recruit and develop talent, and post-secondary institutions to adapt to changing labour market needs.

For thousands of Canadian college, university, polytechnic, and CEGEP work integrated learning programs help to bring together academic learning and applied work experience. These work placements can include co-ops, internships or mentorship programs as well as other non-traditional experiences like hackathons, boot camps, and micro-internships.

The Program incentivizes employers through an enhanced wage subsidy to offer placements to students who have historically lacked access or experience barriers to participating in WIL opportunities. Under the SWP Program, under-represented groups refer to women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, newcomers and visible minorities.

Under-represented groups may face intersecting barriers when in the workforce and the post-secondary education system. A study of WIL applications in Ontario found a lack of applicants from diverse groups. Only a third of WIL applicants identified as racialized (32.2%), a quarter (25.1%) identified as women, 9.3% of applicants identified as newcomers to Canada, 4.3% identified having a disability, and a very small minority, 0.2% of WIL applicants, identified as Indigenous (Toronto Metropolitan University, 2021).

Canada Summer Jobs – Program Budget

Issue/question

Why is the CSJ 2023 and 2024 budget lower?

Suggested response

• Youth were hardest hit during the pandemic with the highest rate of unemployment.
• The Government responded with historic investments to alleviate the impact.
• While youth unemployment rates have improved, they are still almost twice as likely to be unemployed than the general population.
• Good jobs open a world of possibilities for a better future – to help youth save to pay for school, to afford rent and housing.
• In summer 2023 and 2024, the Government will help create 70,000 jobs for youth each year. This is the same as pre-pandemic levels in which the Government supported approximately 70,000 opportunities for youth each year.

Key information  

• Youth faced the greatest job loss during the pandemic. The overall unemployment rate for youth aged 15-24 peaked at 30% in May 2020. In response, the Government made historic investments to Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy to help youth, especially those facing barriers, to find and maintain good jobs.
• The Canadian economy is doing well in many ways post pandemic. While the unemployment rate reached a new historical low of 5.0% in 2023 Q1 (rising to 5.2% in 2023 Q2 as labour market tightness eased), and youth unemployment rate is closer to the pre-pandemic average at 10.9% (August 2022 to July 2023), they still experience a doubling of the unemployment rate compared to the general population. A trend which has persisted for the past year.

Investment

• The 2022 Fall Economic Statement announced $400.5 million over two years, starting in 2023-24, for Canada Summer Jobs to support a total of approximately 70,000 annual summer job placements. This aligns with the Government’s announcement, in 2016, to double the number of summer jobs from over 34,000 in 2015 to nearly 70,000 in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
• For CSJ 2023, the program budget was $278.7M compared to $454.3M for CSJ 2022. While program funding has now re-aligned closer to pre-pandemic levels, it is still higher than the 2019 budget of $263M. For CSJ 2024, the budget is set to support another 70,000 job opportunities.

 

Funding Allocation

• The formula to allocate CSJ 2023 funding to Federal Electoral District (constituency) has remained the same since 2016. Funding is allocated to Canada’s 338 constituencies on the basis of the Labour Force Survey and the most recent census. As a result, constituencies with higher levels of unemployed youth will receive a greater allocation than constituencies with lower levels of unemployment.
• The formula is composed of historical spending as well as labour market realities, based on unemployment data from both the local and provincial levels. This includes  using Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey data on the number of unemployed youth aged 15 to 29 years during the summer months (May to August), and most recent Census data on the number of unemployed youth aged 15 to 30).   
• The program budget with an Authorized Commitment Level (ACL) for CSJ 2023 was about $334.5M compared to $545.1M for CSJ 2022. There may have been a perceived decrease for some constituencies due to the 2021 change towards a fixed 20% ACL. However, the base program budget (without an ACL) has increased when comparing the 2019 and 2023.

Background

CSJ is part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS). The YESS helps young people, particularly those facing barriers to employment, gain work experience and develop the skills they need to transition successfully into the labour market.

CSJ is delivered by Employment and Social Development Canada. It  provides wage subsidies to  employers from not-for-profit organizations, the public-sector, and private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees, to create quality summer job opportunities for young people between the ages of 15 and 30.

The CSJ program provides youth with opportunities to develop and improve their skills, and for some, it is their first job experience. The program is also responsive to national and local labour market priorities.

Many youth continue to need support, including those from under-represented groups (e.g. Youth with disabilities, Indigenous youth, Black and other racialized youth groups, etc.). For example:

• In July 2023, the unemployment rate for Black youth aged 15-24 was 15.9%.
• In July  2023, the unemployment rate for visible minority youth aged 15-24 was 14.7%.
• In December 2022, the unemployment rate for indigenous youth aged 15-24 was 12.2% compared to 10% for non-Indigenous youth. 

Each year, employers withdraw and/or are unable to find youth to fill the number of CSJ positions they were approved for as the projects take place during the summer months. The Authorized Commitment Level (ACL) allows a specified over-commitment of funds, above the initial program budget, that is allocated to eligible projects at the beginning of the program cycle in order to meet the job creation targets.

Province/Territory-2019 Provincial/Territorial Budget-2023 Provincial/Territorial Budget*
Newfoundland and Labrador - $8,161,374 - $8,372,051
Prince Edward Island - $1,461,632 - $1,52,711
Nova Scotia - $8,746,433 - $9,224,441
New Brunswick - $7,919,995 - $8,230,699
Quebec - $53,813,925 - $56,327,889
Ontario - $104,191,256 - $111,451,654
Manitoba - $8,169,985 - $8,676,318
Saskatchewan - $7,172,853 - $7,560,570
Alberta - $27,931,439 - $29,851,435
British Columbia - $26,382,679 - $28,321,263
Yukon - $398,730 - $427,765
Northwest Territories - $410,009 - $450,197
Nunavut - $269,181 - $331,499
Canada Total Constituency Allocations - $255,029,490 - $270,748,490

*Note that the totals are different from the Investment section as they do not include the National Reserve.

Gender Equality and Youth

Issue/question

What is the Government doing to advance gender equality as it relates to youth?

Suggested response

• Young people are actively working to shape a better future, including building a more inclusive Canada.
• The youth population in Canada is more diverse than ever and will only become more so - more young people are openly identifying as transgender and non-binary and the Indigenous youth population continues to grow.
• The Government of Canada is committed to engaging and empowering young people of all genders to be leaders in shaping a more equal society by:
  • Ensuring young women’s perspectives are considered in the development of government policies and programs through the Prime Minister’s Youth Council and other youth engagement
  • Providing opportunities for young women to be leaders in their communities through programs like the Canada Service Corps
  • Providing new capacity-building and projects funding for 2SLGBTQI+ community organizations, including those that support 2SLGBTQI+ youth through the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan
  • Engaging youth online to increase awareness of gender-based violence and empower young people in Canada to shift behaviours, through a public awareness campaign

Key information

Investment

• Since 2015, the Department has provided $45.3M to youth focused projects.
• Through Budget 2016 and Budget 2019 investments, Employment and Social Development Canada, through the Canada Service Corps Program, is providing $92.8M in contributions funding each year to organizations which provide service opportunities for youth to make a difference in their communities, positioning young women as leaders in their communities.
• Through the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, providing new capacity-building and projects funding for 2SLGBTQI+ community organizations, which will prioritize 2SLGBTQI+ communities experiencing additional marginalization, including 2SLGBTQI+ youth. In 2023, WAGE launched a $25.5M call for proposals for the 2SLGBTQI+ Community Capacity Fund.

Results

• Budget 2018 provided $7.2 million over five years to Women and Gender Equality Canada for the initiative National Conversations on Gender Equality with Young Canadians which resulted in:
  • A National Youth Working Group, made up of 22 diverse youth from across the country, that co-developed an approach to engage young people on gender equality.
  • Work with five National Indigenous Organizations to engage with Indigenous youth on gender equality in a culturally-relevant way.
• Since its launch in 2018, the Canada Service Corps Program has funded over 24,000 service placements and over 6,600 micro-grants for youth across Canada. Girls and young women are over-represented among Canada Service Corps participants which is allowing them to develop meaningful life skills and experience.
  • In 2021-2022, 60% of Canada Service Corps participants identified as female and 16% of participants identified as 2SLGBTQI+.

WAGE Project Examples

• Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada was one of the five Indigenous organizations that received funding to engage with Inuit youth on gender equality. They received $446,777 over 4 years for their project ‘National Conversation on Gender Equality with Young Inuit Canadians”. This project focused on Inuit youth engagement and empowerment on gender equality and gender diversity, recognizing the intersectionality of gender issues in the context of gender norms, values, and experiences in Inuit communities.
• White Ribbon Canada received nearly $500,00 to engage men and boys to promote gender equality and prevent violence. Part of this project focuses on implementing a social marketing campaign, featuring compelling calls to action to inspire young men across Canada to change their attitudes and behaviors, to seek help when needed, and to embrace their roles as allies and change makers.
• Platform (Young Women’s Leadership Network) received nearly $900,000, for the Framing Our Future project. This project is supporting capacity building among allied organizations to encourage civic leadership and participation among Black, Indigenous, and racialized young women and gender-diverse youth. The project is also developing an approach to support Black, Indigenous, and racialized young women and gender-diverse youth to take action to advance gender equality at the national level.
• ARC Foundation is funded for $453,003 to adapt, pilot and evaluate models to expand the capacity of K-12 educators to create schools inclusive of sexual orientation and gender identities for all students. By the end of the project ARC Foundation will have enhanced equality for 2SLGBTQIA+ youth by equipping educators, school staff and community partners with critical knowledge, tools and supports for inclusive and positive spaces.

Canada Service Corps Project Examples:

• Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor received $1.3M in Canada Service Corps funding over 4 years (2019-2023) to provide social, professional and personal development opportunities to underrepresented female youth by engaging them in the co-creation and participation in meaningful service opportunities that respond to community gaps and needs, ultimately leading positive change in their community.
• Achēv’s empowerher project received over $700,00 in Canada Service Corps funding over 4 years (2019-2023) to increase civic engagement among female youth while teaching them leadership and life skills through in-class training prior to completing volunteer service placements in their community.

Prime Minister’s Youth Council on Gender Equality:

• Cohort 5 Council members joined with other strong advocates in the effort to eliminate the three-month blood donor deferral period for gay and bisexual men.
• More recently, Cohort 6 Council members met in person to discuss a wide range of issues with the Minister, Prime Minister and policy makers, such as increasing safety and support for transgender individuals, and addressing violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Background

Rigid gender norms and gender inequalities continue to affect the lives of youth in Canada. Some youth are impacted differently or disproportionately, depending on intersectional identity factors (e.g. Gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, race, Indigeneity, etc.).

For example, rigid gender norms can place undue expectations on youth and impact mental health, attitudes and behaviours, and healthy relationships. For example:

• Young women and girls may internalize norms on the ideal feminine body. These norms can lead young women and girls to develop mental health challenges, such as anxiety, depression, and eating disorders, among others, when they feel pressure to try to conform with these norms.
• Young men and boys are often expected to, or believe that they should, hide their emotions. This real or perceived expectation may lead men to feel like they cannot reach out for help when they experience hardship or affect their ability to develop healthy relationships with other youth.
• Young transgender, gender diverse and non-binary people may face particular challenges when they feel they must comply with rigid gender norms or when they face backlash for their noncompliance.

Department officials continue to seek opportunities to include youth in relevant activities related to the achievement of gender equality. Coordination with the Federal Youth Secretariat at Canadian Heritage is critical to ensuring complementarity. In addition, there are currently 12 youth advisory councils, featuring youth of all genders, established across federal departments and agencies providing counsel aligned with their specific mandates.

The Prime Minister’s Youth Council welcomed its sixth cohort of engaged young people from across Canada in February 2023 to advise government decision makers, 11 of the Council’s 16 members are young women, coming from a range of diverse backgrounds.

Menstrual Equity Fund

Issue/question

How is the Government addressing period poverty through its Menstrual Equity Fund?

Suggested response 

• Budget 2022 committed to establishing a national pilot for the Menstrual Equity Fund to help address the barriers related to menstrual equity and period poverty.
• This will make menstrual products, education and awareness more accessible to Canadians, particularly women, youth, Indigenous peoples, Black and other racialized communities, immigrants, people experiencing homelessness, people living with disabilities, gender diverse individuals, and those living in remote areas.
• The pilot was designed through extensive research and engagement, including a review of initiatives in other jurisdictions and gaining on-the-ground knowledge from over 135 grassroots organizations.
• In September 2023, I announced that Food Banks Canada will run the national Menstrual Equity Fund pilot, which is now well underway.

Key information

Investment

A $17.9M funding agreement with Food Banks Canada was signed on September 1, 2023.

Results

The results of information gathering and stakeholder engagement have informed the design and implementation plan for the pilot. The results of the pilot will inform the way ahead on menstrual equity. It will also position WAGE to undertake awareness activities to address stigma, shame, and the lack of information related to menstruation and menstrual cycles.

Background

Women and Gender Equality Canada has:

• worked with key federal partners, engaged with the provinces and territories and reached out to community organizations and experts across Canada to help develop the Menstrual Equity Fund pilot to ensure that it will be as useful as possible in determining the way ahead;
• supported research to inform the pilot, including an environmental scan to identify existing projects and organizations already conducting work in the menstrual equity sector, and a literature review of the social impacts of period poverty.

The Menstrual Equity Fund pilot is the latest step the federal government is taking to support menstrual equity in Canada:

• On November 5, 2021, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services (ISC), released a statement that all students in First Nations operated schools on reserve and in federal schools across Canada will have access to free menstrual products. As well, funding to Indigenous partners and territorial governments in Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Inuit Nunangat started in March 2022. The initiative is currently underway and ISC has provided $11.38M in funding to support access to menstrual products for First Nations and Inuit students across Canada on reserve and in the North through the Elementary and Secondary Education Program. Funding recipients have the flexibility to determine how to get and distribute menstrual products to their students as they know best what is needed and where.
• On May 10, 2023, the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Labour, announced changes to the Canada Labour Code to ensure access to menstrual products in all federally regulated workplaces. These changes deliver on the 2021 mandate letter commitment, and were developed following extensive consultations with stakeholders, experts and the Canadian public; they come into effect on December 15, 2023.

These actions support work being done at the provincial level. British Columbia became the first province to provide free menstrual products in schools in 2019. Since then, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Manitoba have also begun initiatives to provide free menstrual products in schools.

FEWO Report on Menstrual Equity:

• On November 7, 2023, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) tabled its eighth report in the House of Commons entitled: “Let’s Talk about It, Period: Achieving Menstrual Equity in Canada”.

Research

Menstrual equity is the unhindered access to menstrual management products, including access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, access to educational materials on the topic, and the ability to discuss issues pertaining to menstruation without any fear or shame.

Period poverty, or menstrual inequity, is the inability to access menstrual products due to financial limitations or other barriers. Marginalized populations such as refugees, those who are homeless, sex workers, trans and non-binary people, Indigenous communities, and people living in rural, remote, and Northern communities face additional barriers to accessing menstrual supplies and are at greater risk of period poverty.

Canadians experiencing period poverty, especially those who are homeless, can adopt poor menstruation management practices such as using menstrual products for too long. These practices can have detrimental impacts on the overall mental and physical health of people who menstruate, including sexual and reproductive health.

A 2022 Plan International Canada survey found that:

• One in five (21%) girls, women, and people who menstruate in Canada struggle to afford menstrual products for themselves or their dependents.
• More than four in five respondents who menstruate (83%) believe period products are too expensive.
• One in five (22%) ration or use products longer than they should because they can’t afford more. This rises to 33% among those with a household income of under $50,000 and 48% for Indigenous respondents.
• A barrier between those who identify as women/girls and men/boys persists. A majority of those who menstruate continue to feel compelled to hide menstrual products as they go to the washroom (74%) and not let male colleagues/peers know when they have their period (66%). 

Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Forum of Ministers responsible for the Status of Women

Issue / question

What is the current status of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Forum of Ministers responsible for the Status of Women?

Suggested response 

• Women and Gender Equality Canada advances its priorities through strong intergovernmental collaboration, in addition to working across the federal government.
• The FPT Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women have met annually since 1982 to gather information on, discuss, and provide guidance on ongoing key issues related to the status of women and gender equality.
• The Forum’s engagement with National Indigenous Leaders and Representatives is key to improve collaboration, identify gaps, and highlight areas of future action related to improving the lives of Indigenous women and girls.
• The 41st annual ministerial meeting was held in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, from July 31-August 2, 2023. I discussed with my colleagues  our  shared commitment and work  to advance women in the economy, and to end gender-based violence.

Background

Federal-Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Forum

Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) plays a leadership role in advancing the Government of Canada’s priorities on women and gender equality through strong intergovernmental relations with all provinces and territories.

The mandate of the Federal-Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Forum of Ministers responsible for the Status of Women is to share knowledge and information and to undertake collaborative initiatives, as agreed upon by consensus, to promote and advance the status of women. This can include gender diversity and gender equality, considering the varying scope of the Ministers’ mandates.

Since 2017, meetings between FPT Ministers and National Indigenous Leaders and Representatives have been held prior to the annual FPT ministerial meetings. These meetings provide a dedicated space to focus on the issues and priorities identified by Indigenous partners. Their engagement in the Forum has provided valuable insight and information to assist federal, provincial, and territorial governments in understanding how best to address issues of mutual concern.

Manitoba is the 2023-24 co-chair and will host the 42nd annual FPT Ministerial Meeting, likely in August 2024.

National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence

The National Action Plan to End GBV was launched on November 9, 2022, during the 40th Annual Meeting of FPT Ministers responsible for the Status of Women. While the Government of Québec supports the overall objectives of the National Action Plan, it intends to retain full responsibility in this area within its territory.

Budget 2022 committed $539.3 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, to support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the National Action Plan to End GBV. WAGE is negotiating bilateral agreements with all provinces and territories. These bilateral agreements will be flexible and support provincial and territorial governments in addressing their respective challenges, needs, and individual priorities.

2023-2024 Departmental Plan

Issue / question

What are the priorities for Women and Gender Equality as described in the 2023-2024 Departmental Plan?

Suggested response

• The Departmental Plan outlines our priorities for the next year.
• In 2023-24, Women and Gender Equality Canada will:
  • Implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence
  • Deliver on the second phase of the GBV Youth Awareness Campaign
  • Implement Canada’s first federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan
  • Increase available research, evidence and data to support the application of GBA Plus by all federal departments and agencies
  • Implement a pilot for the Menstrual Equity Fund
  • Serve as a central point for sharing expertise across Canada and with international partners and use this knowledge to inform and support Canada's gender equality priorities

Background

The Departmental Plan (DP) is a ministerial accountability mechanism as well as an annual reporting requirement that serves to communicate departmental expenditure plans, and the organization’s priorities, resource requirements and expected results for the fiscal year. This Departmental Plan provides an outline for achieving more equitable outcomes for women and girls, including Indigenous women and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, and building capacity to fulfill the department’s expanded mandate and its role as a centre of expertise.

The mandate for Women and Gender Equality Canada is to advance equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression through the inclusion of people of all genders.

In 2023-2024, the Department will focus on four priority areas:

• Preventing and addressing GBV, including: implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence; continuing to lead the federal strategy to end GBV; delivering programming for organizations working to address human trafficking and GBV; funding and undertaking research to address knowledge gaps and help advance evidence-based responses to GBV; promoting action and awareness through commemoration events; implementing the second phase of the GBV Youth Awareness Campaign; supporting the implementation of 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.
• Eliminating systemic barriers to gender equality through strategic actions and engagement, including: strengthening the department’s role as a Centre of Expertise for advancing gender equality; supporting the implementation of the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan and the integration of 2SLGBTQI+ considerations across the federal government; collaborating with provincial and territorial governments through the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Forum of Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women, as well as National Indigenous Leaders and Representatives; engaging with domestic and international partners to advance gender equality in Canada and abroad; supporting other federal government departments in advancing gender equality; funding and undertaking research and knowledge mobilization to inform policy, program, and service development across the federal government.  
• Facilitating GBA plus throughout federal government decision-making processes, including: enhancing the framing and parameters of GBA Plus through the GBA Plus Action Plan; increasing available research, evidence and data to support the application of GBA Plus by all federal departments and agencies; working with Finance Canada, Privy Council Office and Treasury Board Secretariat to improve the quality and scope of GBA Plus in budgeting; monitoring and reporting on the implementation and scope of GBA Plus in the federal government.
• Supporting community action to advance gender equality and supporting economic security and prosperity, including: promoting national action to advance a fairer and more inclusive society for all people living in Canada; raising awareness through commemorative initiatives; implementing a pilot for the Menstrual Equity Fund; supporting projects under the Women’s Program, including addressing barriers to economic security and prosperity.

Over the reporting period, the department will continue to strengthen internal services functions to deliver on priorities such as implementing policies and procedures that support hybrid work; continue to strengthen the organization’s digital capacity and operational efficiency; implementing the department’s Accessibility Plan, Official Languages Plan, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan, and Mental Health and Wellness Plan; and promoting the Recruitment, Retention and Advancement Plans for Indigenous employees and for Persons with a disability.

2023-2024 Main Estimates

Issue/question

2023-2024 Main Estimates

Suggested response

• The Government of Canada continues to work towards creating a more inclusive society, where every person has an equal opportunity to succeed.
• Women and Gender Equality Canada will continue to advance equality through the inclusion of all women and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Canada’s economic, social, and political life.
• The Department will receive $290.9M in funding from the 2023-24 Main Estimates.
• The majority of the funding will be used to:
  • Support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.  Negotiations are underway to establish bilateral funding agreements with the provinces and territories
  • Support the implementation of the first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan
  • Support capacity building within women’s and equality seeking organizations to further women’s participation in Canadian society

Background

The Main Estimates are part of the normal parliamentary approval process to ensure that previously planned Government initiatives receive the necessary funding to move them forward.

The Main Estimates confirm requests for resources that have already been approved by the Treasury Board.

The Department will receive $290.9M in total funding for 2023-24:

• $59.2M in Operating expenditures
• $225.4M in Grants and contributions
• $6.3M in Statutory (Employee Benefit Plan, Minister’s salary & car)

The total Grants and Contributions funding of $225.4M to be received in 2023-24 relates to:

• Advancing Gender Equality in Canada ($94.0M)
• National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence – Budget 2022 ($75.0M)
• Advancement of a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence – Budget 2021 ($34.1M)
• Gender-Based Violence – Budget 2017 and 2018 ($9.3M)
• Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan – Budget 2022 ($7.4M)
• Advancing 2SLGBTQI+ Equality – Budget 2021 ($3.9M)
• National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking ($1.7M)

The following table indicates the variance in the funding received from the previous Main Estimates:

The reduction in funding of $19.4M is mainly attributed to the sunsetting funding related to Gender-based Violence funding to organizations (Budget 2021) and Sustainability of the women’s movement funding (Budget 2018). The decrease is offset by an increase in funding received to advance gender equality in Canada under the Women’s Program (Budget 2019), to support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the recently launched National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (Budget 2022) and to implement the first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan (Budget 2022).

2023-24 Supplementary Estimates (B)

Issue/question

What are the Women and Gender Equality Canada items included in the 2023-24 Supplementary Estimates (B)?

Suggested response

The Government of Canada continues to work towards creating a more inclusive society, where every person has an equal opportunity to succeed.

The Government of Canada is committed to building a country free of gender-based violence and to support a fairer and more equal Canada for 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians.

Through Supplementary Estimates (B), Women and Gender Equality Canada will receive :

• $18.6M in funding to establish a Menstrual Equity Fund pilot
• $6.9M in funding to help organizations on the frontlines advance gender equality in Canada
• $26,968 from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council related to gender-based violence research

These Supplementary Estimates also includes a reduction of $579,000 to travel and professional services as part of the Refocusing Government Spending initiative.

Background

Supplementary Estimates are part of the normal parliamentary approval process to ensure that previously planned government initiatives receive the necessary funding to move them forward, therefore meeting the needs of Canadians.

These are the second Supplementary Estimates to be published in 2023-24 and, as such, are identified as Supplementary Estimates (B). It should receive Royal Assent in December.

As announced in Budget 2022, the Government is committed to help make menstrual products available to those in need.

As announced in Budget 2023, the Government is committed to maintaining historic funding levels for Canadian women’s organizations and equity-deserving groups:

• $160M over three years, starting in 2023-24, to advance gender equality in Canada by supporting organizations in Canada that serve women.

The following items form part of these Supplementary Estimates:

• For the Menstrual Equity Fund Pilot, WAGE is requesting $17.9M in Grants and contributions funding, $0.6M in Operating expenditures funding, and $0.1M in Statutory funding to cover the employee benefit plan, for a total of $18.6M.
• Of the $160M committed for advancing gender equality in Canada, WAGE is requesting $6.3M in Grants and contributions funding, $0.5M in Operating expenditures funding, and $0.1M in Statutory funding to cover the employee benefit plan, for a total of $6.9M. The future funding requirements will form part of the Main Estimates for 2024-25 and 2025-26.
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) is returning $26,968 back to WAGE as they will not require the funding this fiscal year to fund research projects on gender-based violence. WAGE had originally transferred $1.0M to SSHRC via the 2023-24 Main Estimates.
• All departmental budgets for travel and professional services are being reduced this year due to the initiative on refocusing government spending. Information about WAGE’s reduction of $579,000 is presented in this year’s Supplementary Estimates (B), in a separate annex.

Departmental Results Report

Issue/question

What did Women and Gender Equality Canada accomplish in the 2022-23 year to advance gender equality?

Suggested response

The Government of Canada is committed to advancing gender equality.

Women and Gender Equality Canada’s 2022-23 Departmental Results Report highlights accomplishments related to advancing gender equality in the past year.

In 2022–23, the Department:

• Endorsed a historical 10-year National Action Plan to end Gender-Based Violence, in collaboration with provinces and territories to work towards a Canada free of gender-based violence.
• Launched the 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan to advance rights and equality for 2SLGBTQI+ communities and build a safer, more inclusive Canada. The Action Plan is supported by a Budget 2022 investment of $100 million over five years, of which up to $75 million is for direct community supports.
• Invested more than $35 million in the 2SLGBTQI+ Capacity Fund through a call for proposals and an extension to funding, to help build the capacity of 2SLGBTQI+ community organizations and networks to advance equality across Canada.
• Supported 237 projects through the Feminist Response and Recovery Fund (which supports response and recovery related to the impacts of COVID-19) that addressed systemic barriers for marginalized or underrepresented women including Indigenous, racialized, newcomers, members of official language minority communities and 2SLGBTQI+ communities, and women who are low-income, living with a disability and in a rural, remote or northern community.
• Continued to strengthen its role in providing leadership and support on the application of GBA Plus in decision-making.

Key information

The 2022–23 Departmental Results Report was tabled in Parliament and published on our departmental website on November 9, 2023.

Key highlights in 2022-23 include:

• Investing nearly $14 million in 42 projects to support organizations in developing and implementing prevention or intervention practices that support at-risk populations and survivors of human trafficking. Examples of key projects include development and implementation of promising practices that focus on trauma-informed prevention training; peer support interventions models; and education programs. Many key populations are served by this funded work, including Indigenous people and youth.
• Endorsing a historical 10-year National Action Plan to end Gender Based Violence and establishing bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories to deliver funds and implement the National Action Plan in their jurisdictions.
• Collaborating with national Indigenous leaders and representatives, including the Indigenous Women’s Circle, to address key priorities, such as missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, program funding, and the effects of the pandemic on Indigenous communities. This collaboration helped shape the government’s $55 million investment to bolster the capacity of organizations to address gender-based violence.
• Developing structures to support departments and agencies and ensure they remain accountable for their GBA Plus obligations. This includes a GBA Plus Champions Network, an Interdepartmental Committee of GBA Plus Focal Points, and Federal-Provincial-Territorial GBA Plus sub-group of the Strategic Planning Task Teams.
• Supporting Canada's participation in the 67th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 67), which focused on achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age. In September 2022, Canada submitted the Tenth Report to the UN Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Background

The Departmental Results Report is an annual requirement to communicate departmental results achieved in relation to organizational priorities and departmental expenditures, and resources that were set out in the Departmental Plan at the beginning of the fiscal year, to Parliament and to Canadians. 

Over the reporting period, the Department has contributed to advancing gender equality by focusing on four priority areas: 1) preventing and addressing gender-based violence; 2) strategic action and engagement to address systemic barriers to gender equality; 3) ensuring robust Gender-Based Analysis Plus throughout federal government decision-making processes; and 4) supporting community action to advance gender equality.

2023 Fall Economic Statement

Issue/question

What gender, diversity and inclusion considerations are included in the 2023 Fall Economic Statement (FES)?

Suggested response

The 2023 Fall Economic Statement demonstrates the Government of Canada’s ongoing commitment to ensure gender, diversity and inclusion are considered in government policies, programs and services so that they better capture the lived experiences of all Canadians.

Actions to address key priorities, such as housing, affordability, and the green economy, include consideration for the unique and disproportionate challenges faced by women, 2SLGBTQI+ people, Indigenous, Black and racialized people, youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities.

The FES included initiatives such as $1B over 3 years for the Affordable Housing Plan, which will support the most at-risk Canadians, including women and children fleeing violence.

The FES also underscores how important Early Learning and Childcare is in supporting a record number of working-age women in the labour force.

Looking ahead, gender, diversity and inclusion will remain a core focus for the Government of Canada in building a Canada that benefits everyone.

Key information

Investment

The 2023 Fall Economic Statement announces key investments, including:

Housing

• $1 billion over three years, starting in 2025-26, for the Affordable Housing Fund. This will support non-profit, co-op, and public housing providers to build more than 7,000 new homes by 2028.
• Removing the GST from New Co-op Rental Housing, which has already allowed builders to commit to more rental apartment construction such as student housing, and seniors’ residences.
• $309.3 million in new funding for the Co-operative Housing Development Program, which was committed to in Budget 2022, to support those experiencing housing affordability challenges.
• Continuing the Urban, Rural, and Northern Indigenous Housing Strategy will benefit Indigenous persons with disabilities, women and girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people who are at particular risk of violence when experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

Affordability

• The Canada-wide system of affordable Early Learning and Child Care is highlighted as a transformative economic policy with positive impact on women’s employment and on affordability. Already, six provinces and territories (Québec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, and Nunavut) have delivered $10-a-day or less child care, and the rest have reduced fees by at least 50% and are on track to reaching an average of $10-a-day by March 2026.
• Enhancing Low-and No-Cost Bank Accounts, which will particularly benefit lower-income Canadians, who more often tend to be single-parent women, Black or racialized, recent immigrants, or Indigenous.

Green Economy

• Helping More Households Make the Switch to Electric Heat Pumps - to help fight climate change, which will particularly benefit women, Indigenous people, and those living in coastal communities.

Background

On Tuesday, November 21, 2023, the Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled the federal government’s fall economic statement (FES), updating Canadians on the country's financial health and introducing new measures to target the housing crisis. The FES focuses on housing, affordability, and the green economy.

Annex 4 provides a Statement on Gender, Diversity, and Inclusion. Following the introduction of the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act in 2018, reporting on gender and diversity impacts has been an important requirement for all new budget decisions, which helps to build a Canada that works for and benefits everyone.

The Statement highlights the importance of gender and diversity considerations, outlines how key investments support diverse groups. 

Refocusing Government Spending

Issue/question

What is Women and Gender Equality Canada’s contribution to the Refocusing Government Spending exercise in 2023-24?

Suggested response

• The Government of Canada is committed to refocusing its spending to meet fiscal targets and improve how it operates and serves Canadians. This will ensure that we have the capacity to continue investing in Canadians and communities from coast to coast to coast for years to come.
• Women and Gender Equality Canada is doing its part to identify savings starting in 2023-24. 
• The Department has identified a reduction in travel and professional services by $579,000.
• In its efforts to refocus its existing and future spending, a top priority will be to ensure that direct benefits and services to Canadians are not impacted.

Background

Budget 2023 announced a plan to refocus government spending with the goal of finding savings from across government that can be directed towards key priorities such as health care and the clean economy.

This is an all-of-government effort, and 80 organizations, including WAGE, have been asked to submit proposals to help identify $15.4 billion in savings from professional services, travel, operations and transfer payments over the next 5 years and $4.5 billion ongoing.

Once proposals have been reviewed and approved by the Treasury Board, those saving measures will begin to take effect in 2024-25 and will be presented in the 2024-25 Departmental Plan.

Other savings are taking effect in 2023-24. Departmental spending on consulting, other professional services, and travel are being reduced this year by $500 million. This will be completed by freezing the $500 million in the reference levels of 68 organizations for 2023-24. Information about these reductions is presented in this year’s Supplementary Estimates (B).

Out of the $500 million, $579,000 is being frozen for Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) which represents 0.1780 per cent of the Department’s 2022-23 Estimates to date.

Youth Employment and Skills Funding History

Issue/question

How has the Government invested in skills and employment supports for young Canadians?

Suggested response

• Youth were hardest hit during the pandemic with the highest rate of unemployment. 
• Good jobs open a world of possibilities for a better future – to help youth save to pay for school, to afford rent and housing and launch successful career paths.
• That is why the Government responded with historic investments, significantly increasing supports for youth and student employment and skills programs. This helped to alleviate negative impacts the pandemic would have on youth employment. 
• The Government is on track to deliver on its mandate commitment to continue scaling up youth and student skills and employment programming.
• In 2019-2020, the Government created 113,000 opportunities through the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Program, Canada Summer Jobs and the Student Work Placement Program. In 2023-2024, these programs combined will create 130,000 opportunities for youth and students. 
•  In addition, the Government committed $22M annually via Budget 2016 and $70.8M annually via Budget 2019 for the Canada Service Corps to support the creation of volunteer service opportunities for youth. Since 2018, over 30,000 youth have taken part in Canada Service Corps funded volunteer opportunities, enabling them to gain experiences and skills.

Key information

Investment

• The 2023 Fall Economic Statement did not announce any additional funding for youth employment and skills training.

Student Work Placement (SWP) Program

• Budget 2023 provides $197.7 million in 2024-2025 to the Student Work Placement (SWP) Program to continue creating quality work-integrated learning opportunities for students through partnerships between employers and post-secondary education institutions. 
• In 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, the Program will support the creation of 40,000 work-integrated learning opportunities per year across various sectors nationwide.

Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) Program

• Since the beginning of the pandemic, several time-limited investments were made to ensure young people were not left behind. These included:
  • June 2020: $187 million in additional funding for the YESS to create 9,500 additional work opportunities in 2020-2021 for young Canadians in critical and high-demand sectors (e.g., health, community services, and information technology)
  • 2020 Fall Economic Statement: $575.3 million to create 45,300 job placements in 2021-22 and 2022-23
  • Budget 2021: $109.3 million in 2022-2023 for YESSP (excluding ESDC and GAC), to create an additional 7,000 youth job placements and supports, and $371.8 million for 2022-2023 to create an additional 75,000 CSJ jobs in summer 2022

• The 2022 Fall Economic Statement allocated $802.1 million over 3 years starting in 2022-23 for the YESS, including:
  • $301.4 million over two years, starting in 2023-24, through the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy Program
  • $400.5 million over two years, starting in 2023-24, to Canada Summer Jobs to support a total of approximately 70,000 annual summer job placements
  • $100.2 million over three years, starting in 2022-23, to continue supporting work placements for First Nations youth through the Income Assistance-First Nations Youth Employment Strategy Pilot

Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ)

• Budget 2021 provided $371.8 million for 2022-2023 to create an additional 75,000 jobs for a total of 220,000 jobs over 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.

• Additional recent investments, included:
  • 2020 Fall Economic Statement to support up to 120,000 job placements in 2021-2022
  • 10,000 additional job placements for youth added with an investment of $61.4M in 2020-2021
• The 2022 Fall Economic Statement allocated $400.5 million over two years, starting in 2023-24, to Canada Summer Jobs to support approximately 70,000 annual summer job placements.

Canada Service Corps (CSC)

• Budget 2016 provided $105 million over five years and $25 million per year thereafter ($22 million of which is contribution funding) with a vision of enabling youth to become active citizens and contribute to a culture of youth service in Canada.
• Budget 2019 allocated an additional $314.8 million over five years to the CSC program starting in 2019–2020, with $83.8 million per year in ongoing funding ($70.8 million of which is contribution funding).

Results

SWP Program

• Launched in 2017-2018 as a small-scale pilot to better prepare post-secondary students for the world of work, the SWP Program has grown from offering 10,000 work-integrated learning opportunities over four years, to its recent high of 50,000 during the pandemic in 2021-2022.
• To date, the Program has consistently exceeded targets to support the creation of over 190,000 opportunities for post-secondary students across all provinces and territories .

YESS

• The YESS program, delivered across 12 federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations, aims to ensure that young people (aged 15-30), particularly those facing barriers to employment, gain the skills and work experience they need to make a successful transition into the labour market.
• In fiscal year 2021-2022, the horizontal YESS Program (including all federal partners) supported over 41,300 youth, of which ESDC’s program supported over 23,500 youth.
• In fiscal year 2022-2023 the horizontal YESS Program (including all federal partners) supported over 26,200 opportunities, of which ESDC’s program supported over 17,200 youth, with the following results:
  • 38.76% identified as a visible minority youth, almost meeting the program’s target of 40%
  • 25.27% identified as having at least one disability, meeting the program’s target of 25%
  • 17.59% identified as an Indigenous youth, almost meeting the program’s target of 20%
• In 2023-2024 and 2024-2025, the YESS Program will aim to create approximately 20,000 opportunities annually. Of that, ESDC’s YESS Program will support about 5,000 opportunities per year.

CSJ

• For CSJ 2022, the program surpassed its target of creating 100,000 jobs with more than 115,000 CSJ placements created.
• CSJ 2023 is on track to surpass its target of 70,000 opportunities. Final results will be available early in the new year.
• CSJ 2024 is aiming to provide 70,000 opportunities.

CSC

• Since April 2018, CSC has funded over 200 projects across the country, creating more than 30,000 volunteer service opportunities for youth. This represents over 24,000 service placements which have contributed about 2.8M service hours to their communities as well as over 6,600 micro-grant projects that support the implementation of small-scale, innovative community service ideas across the country.

Background:

SWP Program

The SWP Program supports partnerships for the creation of work-integrated learning opportunities for students of all ages enrolled in any post-secondary education program at a college, university or polytechnic in Canada.

The SWP Program helps post-secondary students to develop work-ready skills, employers to recruit and develop talent, and post-secondary institutions to adapt to changing labour market needs.

Work-integrated learning opportunities help post-secondary students to bring together academic learning and applied work experience. This can include, but are not limited to co-ops, internships, and mentorship programs, as well as shorter duration opportunities such as hackathons and micro-internships.

YESS

The YESS is a horizontal initiative that is delivered by 12 federal government departments, agencies and Crown Corporations to support the successful transition of youth into the labour market through access to skills, training, employment opportunities and wrap-around supports, with a focus on under-represented youth facing barriers.  The Strategy, which consists of two program streams - the YESS Program and Canada Summer Jobs. As a horizontal initiative the YESS enables the federal Government to:

• Serve a much broader range of youth, across regions and sectors, including youth with disabilities and youth experiencing multiple barriers
• Address priorities with centralized funding decision, integrated results monitoring, evaluation, and financial accountability
• Foster collaboration, innovation and program complementarity
• Leverage expertise of departments and organizations across various sectors (e.g., STEM, culture)
• Provide a cohesive response to emerging issues and labour market evidence impacting youth

CSJ

The CSJ, delivered solely by ESDC, provides wage subsidies to employers from not-for-profit organizations, the public-sector, and private sector organizations with 50 or fewer full-time employees, to create quality summer work experiences (from April to August) for young people aged 15 to 30 years.

CSC

Canada Service Corps (CSC) funds youth-led organizations to create, promote, and facilitate access to meaningful volunteer service opportunities for youth aged 12 to 30, particularly Indigenous and under-served youth. CSC funded organizations offer service placement opportunities and also disburse micro-grants for youth-led service initiatives. These interventions allow youth to practice leadership, grow their personal and professional networks and gains important skills and experiences. 

The House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO)

The Standing Committee on the Status of Women’s mandate gives it the broad authority to study the policies, programs, expenditures (budgetary estimates), and legislation of departments and agencies, including the Department for Women and Gender Equality, that conduct work related to the status of women and gender equality.

The committee is currently studying:

• Bill S-205, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to another Act (interim release and domestic violence recognizance orders)
• Women's Economic Empowerment
• Human Trafficking of Women, Girls and Gender Diverse People

Future studies:

• Red Dress Alert
• Coercive behaviour

Completed studies include:

• Menstrual Equity in Canada
• Women and Girls in Sport
• Mental Health of Young Women and Girls
• Resource Development and Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls
• Intimate Partner and Domestic Violence in Canada
• Bill C-233, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Judges Act (violence against an intimate partner)

During their first meeting of the first session of the 44^th Parliament, members agreed that witnesses who appear before the committee would have five minutes to make opening statements. Whenever possible, these opening statements should be submitted to the committee seventy-two hours in advance. This is followed by a question-and-answer period. Questions will proceed in the following order:

• Round 1 – 6 minutes each, CPC, LPC, BQ, NDP
• Round 2 – 5 minutes each, CPC, LPC, then 2.5 minutes each, BQ, NDP, and subsequently another 5 minutes each CPC, LPC

The committee also elected Ms. Karen Vecchio (CPC) as Chair, Ms. Sonia Sidhu (LPC) as Vice-Chair and Ms. Andréanne Larouche (BQ) as Second Vice-Chair.

Bill S-205, An Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make consequential amendments to another Act (interim release and domestic violence recognizance orders)

This study had its first meeting on November 20, 2023, and had 2 meetings to this date. 2 future meetings are to take place to do the clause-by-clause review.

This enactment amends the Criminal Code in respect of interim release and other orders related to intimate partner violence offences. The enactment also provides for recognizance orders to be made when there is a reasonable fear of domestic violence.

Women’s Economic Empowerment

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108 (2), the committee undertake a study examining women’s economic empowerment with a focus on gender gaps, participation and retention of women in fields, including STEM and the skilled trades; access to financing, social enterprises and cooperatives, mentorship, training, and empowering businesses owned or operated by women, including groups facing additional barriers; that the committee hear from witnesses for five meetings; that the committee report its findings to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

The committee has held one meeting to date and the study continues while the committee considers Bill S-205. 

Human Trafficking

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on human trafficking of women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals for sexual exploitation in Canada, including an examination of how to prevent the trafficking of individuals and ways to improve Canadian law enforcement’s capability to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators; that a minimum of eight and a maximum of ten meetings be held on this study; and that the committee report its findings to the House. This study is now at the stage of the consideration of the draft report.

The Red Dress Alert

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108 (2), the committee undertake a study on the implementation of a distinct emergency alert system, hereby called the Red Dress Alert, to notify and ask the public for assistance in finding a missing Indigenous woman, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ including an examination of a most effective and efficient manner to operate, administer, and control such alert system; that a minimum of four meetings be held on this study; and that the committee report its findings to the House.

Coercive Behavior

That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee undertake a study on coercive behaviour, focusing on and studying those countries or jurisdictions around the world that have already legislated on this issue; that the committee devote at least six meetings to this matter and then report its findings and recommendations to the House.