441-01768 (Social affairs and equality)

The Government of Canada thanks the petitioners for sharing their concerns about the right to a safe and affordable place to call home. Providing a safe and secure space for persons fleeing domestic violence is a priority for our government. 

Launched in 2017, the National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, more than $82-billion plan giving more people living in Canada a place to call home. The NHS consists of complementary programs and initiatives that aim to address needs across the housing continuum while prioritizing populations most in need, including women and their children. The federal government aims to put 33% of the strategy’s investments, with a minimum of 25%, toward serving the unique needs of women and their children.

NHS programs and initiatives support the creation of shelters, such as the $13.2 billion National Housing Co-Investment Fund which aims to create 2,000 new shelter spaces and repair 2,000 shelters for survivors of family violence. As of June 30, 2023, the Government of Canada has committed to creating 1,241 new shelter spaces or transitional housing units available for survivors of gender-based violence, and to repair/renew a further 302 units.  

The Government recognizes that Indigenous women and children face unique challenges and barriers to housing. For those who experience violence, a shelter is often a first step to rebuilding their lives and protecting them from further violence. The NHS includes programming and funding exclusively for shelters in Indigenous communities and in the North. This includes $420 million through the Indigenous Shelter and Transitional Housing Initiative to build a minimum of 38 shelters and 50 new transitional homes for Indigenous women, children and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people escaping gender-based violence. As of June 30, 2023, the Government of Canada has committed $76 million toward the construction of 11 shelters and 18 transitional homes through this program.

In May 2020, our government committed $44.8 million to build a total of 12 new shelters across Canada for Indigenous women, children, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people escaping family violence. These Indigenous-led shelters will provide vital refuge and culturally appropriate critical supports and services to help survivors of family violence recover from the trauma of their experiences, access support programming and create a stable environment where they can begin to regain an independent life. This is also a crucial element of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People, the Government of Canada’s response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and an important contribution to the National Action Plan to end violence against Indigenous women, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. 

In response to unprecedented challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada provided approximately $300 million in emergency funding to over 1,400 organizations such as women’s shelters, sexual assault centres, and other organizations that provide critical supports and services to those experiencing gender-based violence (GBV), including intimate partner violence.

Along with other temporary COVID-19 emergency measures introduced by the federal government since 2020, this measure is coming to an end.  Despite this, the Government of Canada continues to support critical services for individuals experiencing gender-based violence. Most notably, on November 9, 2022, Women and Gender Equality Canada launched a historic National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. This provides an investment of $539.3 million over five years, committed in Budget 2022, which is being implemented through bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories to support their efforts to address and end gender-based violence. These agreements, along with the respective provincial/territorial implementation plans, will be posted on Women and Gender Equality Canada’s website. 

This historic funding builds on additional Government of Canada investments to address gender-based violence since 2021-22:

• $55 million over five years to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide GBV prevention programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence.
• $30 million over five years for crisis hotlines to offer more robust supports for those experiencing GBV.
• $105 million over five years to enhance the Gender-Based Violence Program, including promising practices to support for victims, survivors and those at risk of experiencing GBV.
• $11 million over five years for GBV research and knowledge mobilization, including support for community research models.