Press Releases & Statements

Ottawa, 9 June 2026 – On Thursday, the FIFA World Cup kicks off in North America, with games taking place across Canada, Mexico, and the United States over the next five weeks. While fans across all three countries eagerly anticipate their teams playing, women’s organizations are raising the alarm about likely increased levels of gender-based […]

Ottawa, 8 June 2026 – Today, in the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup in North America, Women’s Shelters Canada (WSC) kicked off an awareness campaign about the connection between major sports events and increases in gender-based violence. Internationally, according to UNESCO and UN Women, police reports of domestic violence increase by up to 33% […]

The International Transgender Day of Visibility is Tuesday, March 31, 2026 Ottawa, 25 March 2026: Many Canadians support and are allies to trans people. Approximately 75% of Canadians agree that transgender people should be protected from discrimination in areas such as employment, housing, and access to businesses (source). However, that support has decreased from 78% […]

Ottawa, 24 March 2026 – Today, Women’s Shelters Canada (WSC) released Sheltering Under Pressure: Frontline Realities of Canada’s Violence Against Women Shelters & Transition Houses. Generously funded by the Royal LePage® Shelter Foundation™, the report outlines how shelters are operating under sustained pressure from chronic underfunding, aging infrastructure, workforce pressures, and the ongoing housing crisis. Sheltering […]

Ottawa, January 26, 2026 – Today, Women’s Shelters Canada (WSC) launched a new national awareness campaign – “Refer Her” – about domestic violence (DV) and its effects on women in the workplace. One in three workers in Canada has experienced some form of domestic violence in their lifetime. Of those, over 80% said it negatively […]

Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Women’s Shelters Canada is officially launching our new Tech Safety Canada resource, the Digital Financial Abuse Toolkit. Today also marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence; the international theme this year is #NoExcuse for online abuse. Over the […]

Women’s Shelters Canada (WSC) commends the federal government’s announcement of Budget 2025 earlier this week. We welcome the stable, multi-year funding for the Department of Women and Gender Equality (WAGE). The government continues to act on the most pressing needs of housing and violence prevention to halt the rise of gender-based violence (GBV). Protecting WAGE […]

Ottawa, November 6 2025 – The federal government released Budget 2025 yesterday laying out its vision for Canada. It is the government’s blueprint of the kind of country it aims to build.  The budget titled “Canada Strong” comes at a time of rising precarity in Canada with families struggling to make ends meet as costs […]

We, the undersigned, celebrate this week’s announcement by The Honourable Rechie Valdez, The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, and The Honourable Mandy Gull-Masty on the Federal Government’s $660 million investment in the Department of Women and Gender Equality. We extend our heartfelt thanks to them and to their colleagues in the Liberal Women’s Caucus for their leadership […]

Women’s Shelters Canada applauds today’s announcement of $660.5 million over five years for the Department for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) in Budget 2025.  We commend the government on including a considerable investment dedicated to safety for women, children, and gender-diverse people. These funding commitments are long-term and significant, in recognition of the lifesaving work […]