The last ten years under the Liberal government have brought significant investment to anti-violence organizations, a number of legislative changes, and new initiatives designed to address GBV in Canada. During this period the Justice Minister also declared GBV an epidemic, which has the potential to raise awareness and increase investments. This declaration also signals an understanding by this government of the persistence and severity GBV in our society. While these important steps have been made during this period, this work is far from complete. There are many more legislative changes that are needed to bring about greater safety. We need ongoing investment and accountability on both the National Action Plan to End GBV and the Federal Strategy. Finally, ongoing, pandemic levels of funding are necessary for women’s and equity-seeking organizations to support survivors and create on the ground change.
National Legislative Changes Impacting GBV in Canada
National Action Plan to End GBV (NAP)
The NAP was launched on November 9, 2022, by Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE). This is a ten-year plan, with $539 million in confirmed funding for the first five years. This had long been advocated for by anti-violence advocates and organizations. The United Nations had called on all countries to develop such a plan by 2015.
By the end of 2023 all provinces and territories had signed bilateral agreements[1] with the federal government. They are now halfway through year two and have received funds for this period. Each year a review is to be completed.
This funding is designated to the five Pillars including (1) support for victims, survivors, and their families; (2) prevention; (3) responsive justice systems; (4) implementing Indigenous-led approaches; and (5) social infrastructure and enabling environment, although spending in all Pillars is not required in each year of the agreement. There is also a sixth area, which is focused on foundational work, including research, evaluation, and coordination of the plan. The agreements require 25% of funding to be invested in the Prevention Pillar. How funds are spent is at the discretion of the province or territory, although funding needs to be designated toward investments that are not already announced and must fit into the Pillars.
There continues to be a need for greater accountability and transparency throughout the NAP process, particularly in how money is allocated, and who is consulted. There is also concern about the lack of consistency in GBV policy and programming across country, as provinces and territories have complete discretion over the funds.
Federal GBV Strategy
The Federal GBV Strategy was announced in 2017. This is a whole of government approach to addressing GBV by building on current federal initiatives, coordinating existing programs, and laying the foundation for greater action. Similar to the NAP, it is organized across a series of pillars. These include, (1) preventing GBV; (2) supporting victims, survivors, and their families; and (3) promoting a responsive justice system. The government has invested over $800 million in the strategy since 2017/18.
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG)
The National Inquiry was announced in December 2015. Five commissioners were appointed to oversee the process. In addition to document review, consultations and truth-gathering sessions were held with families, survivors, frontline workers, representatives of Indigenous organizations and governments, and provincial/territorial representatives. This process contributed to a final report that was released in 2019, consisting of two volumes and 231 Calls for Justice.
National Housing Strategy
The National Housing Strategy was announced in November 2017. This was a $40 billion investment, and a ten-year vision. The strategy aims to create 240,000 new housing units, repair and renew 300,000 homes, protect (385,000) and expand (50,000) community housing units, and provide the Canada Housing Benefit to 300,000 households. In addition, 25% of funding was to be directed toward meeting the housing needs of women and their children.
Expansion of WAGE by the Numbers
WAGE expansion – staffing and budget
WAGE (formerly Status of Women Canada) has been among the most substantial federal government funders of women’s organizations, and anti-violence organizations since the inception of their funding program in 1973. Cuts to the department, including staff, regional offices, and the funding program were experienced from 2006, with yearly grant funding stagnating around $18 million from 2006-2015. Over this period, approximately half of yearly funding was allocated toward anti-violence initiatives.[2]
Figures 1 and 2 show the growth in the actual yearly spending of the WAGE department, as well as the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff from 2015/16 to 2023/24.[3] Over this period the department’s actual spending was $1.27 billion, with $1.01 billion going to nonprofits, women’s organizations, and equity serving groups across the country as grants and contributions. By comparison, during the previous nine years the department’s spending was $268.3 million, with $164.1 million being distributed as grants. To accommodate the growth in the work of WAGE and the increase in grants and contributions to distribute, staffing increased over recent years. Part of the growth in WAGE can be attributed to the pandemic, and the substantial funding that was distributed across the women’s sector from 2020-2024.
When compared to other federal departments, WAGE is relatively small. Departments that are smaller than WAGE are few, but include those such as Accessibility Standards Canada, the Canadian Dairy Commission, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, Copyright Board Canada, and the Law Commission of Canada. A department such as Heritage over the same period had $15.6 billion in actual spending, while Employment and Social Development Canada had $1.5 trillion in actual spending.
WAGE funding – grants and contributions allocated
Over this period grants and contributions increased compared to the preceding years. There was also a reinstatement of funding for advocacy efforts, which was cut under the previous government. The following figures show both the overall increase in funding distributed, as well as the increase in different granting streams (figures 3 and 4). Over the last nine years over a billion dollars in funding was distributed by WAGE. Figure 5 shows the number of organizations that received funding each year under the WAGE funding programs.[4] Beyond these organizations, over the period of pandemic funding (2020-2024) 1426 organizations received funding from WAGE, which totaled $282.2 million.[5]
In addition to substantially more funding going to organizations over the period of 2015/16-2023/24, a higher proportion of the overall WAGE budget also went toward funding programs. For the period of 2006/07-2014/15, 61% of the WAGE spending was directed toward funding programs, while the period starting in 2015/16 saw 79% go to organizations.
Funding for organizations came through the Women’s Program, which was established in 1973, as well as newer funds including the Gender Based Violence Program and the Equality for Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression Program. The bulk of funding flowed from the Women’s Program. This critical and unique funding stream provided more funding during this period, than it has throughout its history.
From 2020/21 to 2023/24 there was a jump in funding from WAGE with funds nearly tripling between 2019/20 and 2020/21. This is due to Response and Recovery Funding that was distributed throughout the pandemic. During this time Women’s Shelters Canada and the Canadian Women’s Foundation distributed funds on behalf of WAGE to women’s shelters and gender justice organizations throughout Canada to ensure that they were able to continue operating. This funding has meant that few gender justice organizations across the country were forced to close, and critical services continued to be available throughout the pandemic and ongoing.
[1] Quebec has not signed on to the NAP, as it intends to retain its own responsibility for addressing GBV. Regardless they have received federal funds to support their provincial action plan.
[2] Hoogendam, R. (2023) Reacting to the Rise in Accountability Requirements: A Case Study of Status of Women Canada’s Women’s Program. [Doctoral dissertation, Carleton University]. CU Institutional Repository. https://doi.org/10.22215/etd/2023-15573
[3] Numbers are pulled from the Departmental Results Reports
[4] Grant numbers are pulled from the Public Accounts of Canada.
[5] WAGE. (n.d.) Support for Canadians who experienced gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Government of Canada. https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/funding/supporting-women-children-experiencing-violence-during-covid-19.html