432-00743 (Social affairs and equality)

The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations would like to thank the petitioners for drawing attention to the critical issues of gender discrimination and violence against women, specifically Indigenous women. Striving for pay equity and equal participation for women in leadership roles is crucial to shifting cultural attitudes in Canada.

Violence against women and girls has devastating health and social impacts on the lives of individuals, families, communities, and Canadian society as a whole. We are addressing this tragic violence through a whole-of-government approach involving multiple jurisdictions. Through the National Strategy to Address Gender-Based Violence, we will strive towards ensuring that all Canadians have the opportunity to live in safe, supportive, and inclusive communities. As noted in your petition, Indigenous women and girls are disproportionately impacted by violence. This is why we have been and will continue to work in partnership with Indigenous organizations, provinces, and territories to bring an end to the national tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual plus  (2SLGBTQQIA+) people..

On June 3, 2019, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released its Final Report, Reclaiming Power and Place, during a special closing ceremony in Gatineau, Quebec. The Inquiry’s Final Report is far-reaching and complex and deals with several underlying systemic issues, which will require thorough review and

analysis. The Inquiry’s 231 Calls for Justice are directed towards all levels of government and various stakeholders. The recommendations outlined within the Final Report guide all Canadians, levels of governments, Indigenous communities, and civil society in terms of how to prevent the systemic violence that has resulted in this national tragedy.

Following the release of the Final Report, our Government reiterated its commitment to ending the ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. The Government of Canada is working with various partners including Indigenous, provincial-territorial and municipal governments to end this national tragedy. An advisory body, comprised of over 100 First Nations, Inuit, Métis women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people is in place to oversee the development of the National Action Plan. It includes a Core Working Group and a National Family and Survivor’s Circle which serve as a liaison with the broader federal, provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous organizations and communities as well as the distinctions-based (First Nations, Inuit, Métis), urban and 2SLGBTQQIA+ sub-working groups. Each working group is developing their own contribution to the National Action Plan.

We are making a lot of progress, with a number of National Action Plan components either finalized or nearing completion. This includes the release of Yukon’s MMIWG2S+ Strategy in December 2020 accomplished in partnership with the Yukon Advisory Committee, and the near-completion of the chapters led by the Federal, Urban and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Sub-Working Groups. Moving forward, the National Action Plan will evolve, remaining evergreen and accountable to families, survivors and partners across Canada.

Alongside this work, the Government of Canada continues to explore new ways of working with Indigenous groups, including co-developing approaches to recognize and implement Indigenous rights. Engaging with Indigenous partners ensures that the resulting treaties and agreements are reflective of the diverse needs and interests of Indigenous groups, and inclusive of their priorities, including towards closing socio-economic gaps and advancing their visions for self-determination. It also provides opportunities for all parties to recognize how colonialism has impacted Indigenous cultures, including governance structures and the role of women, and to address this through future agreements. 

By mobilizing Canada as a whole, we will foster the progressive change necessary to empower Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, putting an end to the systemic violence that has victimized them for so long.

The Government of Canada is unequivocal that harassment and violence of any kind is completely unacceptable and recognizes that violence against women is a critical problem in our country. Our government is committed to addressing workplace harassment and violence. On October 25, 2018, Bill C-65, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code (harassment and violence), the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act and the Budget Implementation Act, 2017, No. 1, received Royal Assent. This historic piece of legislation demonstrates to Canadians that their government will not tolerate harassment and violence in federally regulated workplaces by strengthening provisions in the Canada Labour Code in order tocreate a more robust and integrated regime to better protect employees. Under this regime, employers are required to take steps to prevent, protect against, and respond to occurrences of harassment and violence in the workplace, which includes a spectrum of behaviours, ranging from teasing/bullying to sexual harassment and physical violence.  The Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations were published in Canada Gazette, Part II on June 24, 2020, and came into force along with Bill C-65 on January 1, 2021.

Furthermore, our government tabled legislation to modernize the Canada Labour Code, including a new Leave for Victims of Family Violence. This new leave, which came into force on September 1, 2019, offers important support to employees who are themselves victims of family violence, or who are the parents of a minor child who is a victim of such violence. The new leave of up to ten days per calendar year, with the first five days of leave paid, will allow those who take it to engage in activities such as seeking medical attention for themselves or their child in respect of a physical or psychological injury or disability; obtaining services from an organization which provides services to victims of family violence; obtaining psychological or other professional counselling; relocating temporarily or permanently; seeking legal or law enforcement assistance or preparing for or participating in any civil or criminal legal proceeding; or taking any measures prescribed by regulation. This new leave, as well as a new Personal Leave of up to five days per calendar year, with the first three days of leave paid, are among a range of measures that came into force on September 1, 2019 to provide federally regulated employees with more flexibility to balance the demands of paid work and their personal and family responsibilities. To this end, employees may take the new Personal Leave to, among other things, treat their illness or injury, carry out responsibilities related to the health or care of any of their family members, and address any urgent matter concerning themselves or their family members.

On the issue of pay equity, our government supports equal pay for work of equal value and the fair treatment of all workers in the workplace, regardless of gender. Pay equity is not just the right thing to do – it’s the smart thing to do. When Canadian women can count on equal pay for work of equal value, our economy grows stronger. To achieve this our government is committed to move beyond the current complaints-based approach to pay equity. On October 29, 2018, new proactive pay equity legislation was tabled in Parliament, as part of Bill C-86 – Budget Implementation Act, 2018 No. 2. The Pay Equity Act (Act) received Royal Assent on December 13, 2018 and the necessary regulations needed to bring the legislation into force were pre-published in Part I of the Canada Gazette on November 13, 2020 for a 60-day public comment period. Once the regulations are finalized, our government will look to a potential coming into force date of the new proactive pay equity regime in summer 2021. The new regime will bring about a dramatic shift in how the right to pay equity is protected in federally regulated workplaces. It will direct employers to take proactive steps to ensure that they are providing equal pay for work of equal value because we know that a strong middle class depends on a job market where both women and men have a real and fair chance at success. Proactive pay equity is particularly likely to benefit women who are also part of other vulnerable groups. 

The Government of Canada believes that Canada’s strength lies in its diversity. Creating equitable, diverse and inclusive workplaces will help grow our middle class and build a country where every Canadian has a real and fair chance to succeed. One of the ways the Government of Canada promotes equality is through the Employment Equity Act, which seeks to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment experienced by women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities in federally regulated workplaces. Since the Act’s introduction in 1986, there has been some progress made for the four designated groups. But more needs to be done to advance equity, diversity and inclusion for women, LGBTQ2 Canadians, Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized Canadians, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups. The Minister of Labour’s supplementary mandate letter contains a commitment to launch a review of the Employment Equity Act, with the support of the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth. The Minister of Labour will be launching a task force to review the Act, which will have a mandate to study, consult, and advise on how a renewed Employment Equity Act can help ensure that Canada’s economic recovery is equitable, inclusive, and fair.

INTRODUCTION

The Government of Canada would like to thank the petitioners for expressing their concerns in regards to gender-based violence, especially as it disproportionately impacts Indigenous women. The Government is deeply committed to advancing gender equality, including through preventing and addressing the root causes of gender-based violence, promoting women’s leadership and democratic participation, improving women’s economic security and prosperity, and challenging negative attitudes towards women and gender diverse people.

After 42 years of serving Canadian women, Status of Women Canada became the Department for Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) in December 2018. WAGE continues to advance more equitable economic, political, and social outcomes for Canadian women, and now has an expanded mandate for gender equality that includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. WAGE is also forging new relationships with grassroots organizations who work hard to advance gender equality in Canada. WAGE is also coordinating gender equality issues within the federal government.

CANADA’S STRATEGY TO PREVENT AND ADDRESS GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

The #MeToo and Time’s Up movements, as well as the global Women’s Marches, have brought issues of sexism, misogyny, and gender-based violence (GBV) to the forefront. The Government of Canada is committed to preventing and addressing GBV against women, girls, Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual (2SLGBTQQIA) people.

Launched in 2017, It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence (the Strategy) advances efforts in three areas: preventing GBV; supporting survivors and their families; and, promoting responsive legal and justice systems. The Strategy helps to address gaps in support for diverse populations, including Indigenous women and girls, women living in northern, rural, and remote communities, women living with disabilities, newcomers, children and youth, seniors, 2SLGBTQQIA and gender non-binary people.

The Strategy is a whole-of-government approach that brings together GBV-related efforts of all federal departments and agencies, builds on existing federal initiatives and programs, and lays the foundation for greater action on GBV. The Strategy also provides funding for six departments/agencies: WAGE; Public Health Agency of Canada; Public Safety Canada; the Department of National Defence; the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Building on the foundation laid by the Strategy, the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development is also mandated to develop a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV National Action Plan) with support from the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness. In January 2021, Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Ministers responsible for the Status of Women endorsed the FPT Ministerial Joint Declaration for a Canada free of Gender-Based Violence and announced their common vision, principles, goals and pillars for the GBV National Action Plan. Budget 2021 proposes an investment of $601.3 million dollars over five years, to several Departments, to advance towards a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. The National Action Plan would align with and complement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls for Justice.

GBV Knowledge Centre

The GBV Knowledge Centre (KC) is the focal point of the Strategy and is responsible for governance and coordination, reporting and evaluation, data and research, and knowledge mobilization. The KC shares existing resources on GBV from across government. It supports the development and sharing of research and data to enable more coordinated, evidence-based action on GBV. In December 2018, the KC launched an online platform, with a searchable database, which compiles existing information, data, and evidence on GBV.

GBV Program

Launched through the Strategy, WAGE’s GBV Program aims to support organizations working in the sector in developing and implementing promising practices to address gaps in supports for Indigenous women and their communities, and other underserved groups of survivors in Canada.

As part of the GBV Program, WAGE is co-funding a project with the Nova Scotia Government to develop effective and culturally-sensitive supports to the cycles of violence that affect women and children in Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities. This important co-investment between Nova Scotia and Canada will be a signature initiative under Standing Together, Nova Scotia’s plan to prevent domestic violence, and aligns with Canada’s GBV Strategy.

Some of the expected outcomes of the GBV program include developing or adapting a service model to better support survivors of sexual violence, a community-healing approach for Indigenous women and their families, and a peer support model for women with disabilities and deaf survivors of GBV.

On March 18, 2020, the Government of Canada announced a new set of economic measures to help stabilize the economy and help Canadians affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Government of Canada took swift action to ensure that organizations that support women and families facing violence had the resources they needed to keep their doors open and continue providing vital services. $100 million is being provided to frontline organizations across the country, including dedicated funding for those serving Indigenous women both on and off reserve. Over 1000 organizations across the country have received federal emergency funding to date, and this funding is supporting nearly 800,000 women and children. These organizations have used this funding to adapt quickly to this new reality and continue providing their lifesaving services in the face of the global pandemic. They used the funds to secure additional space to provide for physical distancing, to purchase cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment, and pivoted quickly to adapt some support and services to online delivery.

VIOLENCE AGAINST INDIGENOUS WOMEN

The Government of Canada is committed to ending the ongoing national crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Despite only accounting for 4 percent of the Canadian population, Indigenous women and girls represent 28 percent of homicides perpetrated against women and are 12 times more likely to be murdered or missing than non-Indigenous women in Canada.

In response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ (the National Inquiry) 2017 interim report, WAGE established a Commemoration Fund, with over $13M in funding, to support 110 projects supporting Indigenous governments and organizations’ work with families, survivors, and communities to implement commemorative initiatives that help honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

Following the release of the National Inquiry’s Final Report in June 2019, the Government committed to develop and implement a national action plan to address violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

CULTURAL SHIFTS IN ATTITUDES TOWARDS WOMEN AND GENDER DIVERSITY

Challenging and changing harmful gender norms and attitudes is essential to achieve equality for people of all genders. Everyone has a role to play in addressing the attitudes and behaviours that perpetuate exclusion, inequity and violence.

The Government of Canada has been engaging men and boys as allies and advocates for gender equality. Eleven roundtables were hosted across the country in 2018, including regional and thematic tables (Indigenous people, LGBTQ2 people, racialized communities, youth, and corporate) to discuss challenges and best practices to promote inclusive attitudes and behaviours. Some key issues that emerged include recognizing that men and boys are not a homogenous group, and that they also have gendered intersecting identities. Additionally, many groups emphasized the importance of ensuring accountability towards the broader gender equality goals and respect for the leadership of the women’s and LGBTQ2 movements, in any engagement with men and boys.

In summer 2019, a What We Heard Report was released and four new projects were announced to address key gaps identified throughout the 2018 roundtable discussions. For example, the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters received funding to increase awareness of gender-based violence and healthy masculinity; and FOXY is engaging Indigenous youth, particularly young men and boys, on gender equality in the Northwest Territories.

The Government has also been engaging with young Canadians to expand and amplify youth-led dialogue about behaviours and attitudes that perpetuate gender inequality. For example, in spring of 2019, the Government of Canada launched the National Conversations on Gender Equality with Young Canadians initiative. Central to this initiative is a diverse group of youths from across Canada who have worked alongside WAGE to discuss gender equality challenges facing them and their peers and inform an approach to engage young Canadians on gender equality. As a part of this work, the Government has also provided funding to five Indigenous organizations to work with young Indigenous people across the country and engage them on gender equality.

As agreed to in the 2021 Joint Declaration for a Canada free of Gender-Based Violence, the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based violence will seek to engage all people in Canada in changing the social norms, attitudes and behaviours that contribute to gender-based violence, and be guided by the recognition of the role that men and boys play in addressing gender-based violence.

WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP AND DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

The Government is committed to increasing the representation of women in positions of leadership in both the public and private sectors and is taking various measures to achieve this.

In February 2016, the Government established an open and transparent process for selecting Governor in Council (GIC) appointees. This has led to an increase in the representation of women serving as GIC appointees. The current GIC population is made up of over 50% women.

Measures have also been taken to change the culture of politics in order to attract and retain women as Parliamentarians. Some of these measures are described below:

• The Government has passed legislation that enables the House of Commons and the Senate to provide maternity and parental leave for Parliamentarians;

• The Canada Labour Code was amended to help prevent and respond to violence and harassment in the federally regulated sector and to offer support to affected employees, including those in federally regulated workplaces, the federal public service, parliamentary workplaces, and political staff; and,
• Following on this, the House of Commons introduced a code of conduct on sexual harassment that includes an official complaint resolution process to prevent and deal with cases of sexual harassment.

To encourage corporate transparency and advance gender equality and diversity in Canada’s boardrooms, changes to the Canada Business Corporations Act now require federally regulated, publicly traded corporations to have and disclose a diversity policy, highlighting their approach to improving overall diversity amongst board directors and members of senior management.

Additionally, in December 2020, the Government of Canada launched the 50-30 Challenge, a collaboration with diversity-seeking groups and business stakeholders. This challenge is a call to action to businesses across Canada that aims to increase diverse representation on corporate boards and in senior management positions. As of February 23, 2021, 699 organizations are participating in the Challenge.

Finally, through its Women’s Program, WAGE has invested over $29 million since November 2015 in projects to promote and enhance women’s participation in civic and political life by addressing barriers; strengthening the voices of Indigenous women in their communities; empowering the next generation of women leaders; and increasing women’s participation in politics.

WOMEN’S ECONOMIC SECURITY AND PROSPERITY

Due to the pandemic, women have faced steep job losses, and many have bravely served on the frontlines of the crisis in communities or shouldered the burden of unpaid care work at home. Women have been slower to return to work than men and continue to face challenges that threaten the hard-won gains of women in Canada. Prior to the pandemic, women experienced challenges to their full and equal participation in the economy and are still less likely than men to participate in the labour force.

Women are key to Canada’s economic recovery. That is why the Government took steps to address women’s economic vulnerability during COVID-19 by: providing a Canada Emergency Response Benefit to support workers who lose their income as a result of this pandemic; investing in Workforce Development Agreements with provinces and territories, to help underrepresented groups and sectors hardest hit by the pandemic quickly access supports to re-enter the workforce; boosting the Canada Child Benefit to help with the high cost of taking care of kids during this challenging period; introducing the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit for workers unable to work for at least half of the week due to caregiving during the pandemic; topping up the GST tax credit for families and individuals with low and modest incomes; and providing funding to provinces and territories to get communities back up and running and support the services Canadians rely on like child care.

The Government of Canada is also advancing social, political, and economic equality with respect to sexual orientation, gender identity and expression through WAGE’s LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund, the first-ever federal fund dedicated to advancing LGBTQ2 equality in Canada. A total of $20 million has been allocated to strengthening LGBTQ2 organizations to better position them to address the unique needs and persisting disparities facing LGBTQ2 communities, including significant support for organizations serving Two-Spirit and Indigenous LGBTQ2 communities.

Budget 2021 proposes an investment of $22.1 million dollars over three years in support of greater equality for LGBTQ2 communities. WAGE would receive $15 million dollars for the creation of a new LGBTQ2 Projects Fund dedicated to supporting community-informed initiatives to overcome key issues facing LGBTQ2 communities. The remaining $7.1 million of the proposed funding would go to Canadian Heritage, to support the work of the LGBTQ2 Secretariat and to enable the continued development of an LGBTQ2 Action Plan.

The Government is creating an Action Plan for Women in the Economy to help more women get back into the workforce and to ensure a feminist intersectional response to the pandemic and recovery. The Plan is guided by the Task Force on Women in the Economy, a group of experts whose diverse voices are powering a whole-of-government approach. The Task Force has begun advising the government on policies and measures to support women’s employment and address issues of gender equality in the wake of the pandemic. In particular, the Task Force has provided advice on early learning and child care, support for youth, and women who work in low-wage jobs. In response, Budget 2021 is proposing new investments totaling up to $30 billion over the next 5 years, and $8.3 billion ongoing to establish a Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System.

While the gender pay gap has slowly decreased, women still earn less than men, on average earning 89 cents for every dollar earned by men. Since 2015, the Government of Canada has put in place several measures to improve women’s labour market outcomes and narrow the gender wage gap, such as launching the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy to address the challenges women face in business, such as lack of access to capital, which the Government has committed to accelerating.

Other ongoing activities to support the advancement of economic security and prosperity for women include:

• Funding from WAGE invested in projects through the Women’s Program to improve women’s and girls’ economic security and prosperity, including funding to support Indigenous women’s economic success. Since November 2015, WAGE has invested over $60 million in projects under this priority area.

• Modernizing the Employment Equity Act with the support of a task force to ensure that the economic recovery is equitable, inclusive and fair. The Government has also proposed expanding the Workplace Opportunities: Removing Barriers to Equity program, to promote projects that help federally regulated workplaces become more representative of Canada’s diversity.
• The Pay Equity Act, an Act to establish a proactive pay equity regime within the federal public and private sectors, received Royal Assent in 2018. The Government is currently analyzing information received through the consultation period, which ended this January 2021. Once completed, the revised regulations will be published in the Canada Gazette.
• In February 2021, the Government launched the Feminist Response and Recovery Fund under WAGE’s Women’s Program to support projects addressing systemic barriers for underrepresented women, including Indigenous women and women who are members of LGBTQ2 communities. The call for proposals aims to provide flexibility, allowing eligible organizations to respond to a wide range of issues in order to accelerate progress on gender equality and ensure that Canada’s response to and recovery from COVID-19 is inclusive of diverse women.

CONCLUSION

Canada has a long history of advancing gender equality. From the early suffragettes who fought for women to receive the right to vote to the activists of the #MeToo movement, feminist action has played— and continues to play—a pivotal role in shaping our history and our future.

From the start of the pandemic, the Government has applied a feminist lens with an enhanced focus on intersectionality, to ensure its response provides support to those who need it most. As such, the Government of Canada will continue to take action to increase women’s economic security and prosperity; advance women’s leadership and democratic participation; end gender-based violence; and counter discriminatory attitudes towards women and gender-diverse people.