Appearance of the Minister of Labour Standing Committee on the Status of Women (FEWO) February 25, 2021

Response

• Mental health is a concern for all Canadians and has become an even more prominent concern as a result of the pandemic and the impact it has had on our personal and work lives – which is why it's a priority for me as Minister of Labour
• To support Canadians during these difficult times, a number of mental health supports are available. For example, we have launched a new portal called "Wellness Together Canada", which includes free tools and resources that can benefit everyone, workers included, in improving mental well-being
• Additionally, as part of my mandate, I will ensure that mental health is included as a specific element of occupational health and safety and require federally regulated employers to take preventative steps to address workplace stress and injury
• This past fall, we proceeded with an initial round of engagement with unions, employers, advocacy groups and Canadians through the broad distribution of a discussion paper and a targeted employer survey
• We are reviewing this input carefully and will be doing a second round of engagement to obtain feedback on possible approaches

Background

The Minister of Labour has a mandate to improve labour protections in the Canada Labour Code (Code) by including mental health as a specific element of occupational health and safety, and by requiring federally regulated employers to take preventative steps to address workplace stress and injury.

Canada Labour Code and mental health

Occupational health and safety is covered by Part II of the Code and related regulations, which apply to federally regulated private-sector employers, Crown corporations, the federal public service and Parliamentary workplaces including the House of Commons and Senate.

Employers are currently bound by both a general duty and more specific duties to protect the health and safety of every person employed by the employer. However, there is no specific or prescriptive obligation for employers to protect the psychological health and safety of their employees under the Code.

Bill C-65

Bill C-65, which received Royal Assent on October 25th, 2018, amends the Code to create a single, integrated regime that protects federally regulated employees from harassment and violence in the workplace. The amendments came into force on January 1, 2021 and include the addition of a reference to "psychological injuries and illnesses" in the purpose statement of Part II. This inclusion is expected to strengthen the expectation that prevention of psychological illnesses and injuries is also part of the employer's obligation.

Federal-Provincial-Territorial coordination

Mental health in the workplace is a shared priority for FPT Ministers Responsible for Labour. Work is underway to develop a strategy for workplace mental health that will identify a range of tools and best practices. Led by the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, the results of this work are anticipated to be shared with FPT Ministers in early 2021.

Evidence regarding the costs of psychological injuries and illnesses in the workplace

A wide range of Canadian studies have estimated that poor mental health results in major costs to the Canadian economy. For example, the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) estimates that poor mental health in general costs the Canadian economy $50 billion per year, including the costs of health care, social services and income support. The MHCC also estimates that more than 1/3 (35%) of these overall societal costs are related to work, and that mental health problems in the workplace cost the Canadian economy $6 billion per year in lost productivity (MHCC, 2010; 2013).

Recently, 10 large Canadian companies reported an average return on investment of $1.62 for every dollar invested in mental health initiatives per year. Findings revealed that organizations with initiatives in place for 3 years or more were able to double that return on investment (Deloitte Insights, 2019).

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a significant emotional, psychological, and social toll on Canadians. Studies indicate that since the beginning of the pandemic the number of people who describe their mental health as being excellent or very good has decreased. For example, in May 2020, 48% of Canadians reported excellent or very good mental health compared to 68% in 2018.

Many resources and supports have been made available to support Canadians during the pandemic. Almost all provinces and territories have enhanced available mental health supports and resources, as well as adapted, promoted and/or enhanced their crisis lines while some are addressing particular gaps in care and services. Additionally, several organizations across Canada have been stepping up to provide useful tools, as well as interactive and streamable resources to support employers and employees. For example:

• the Government of Canada launched a new online portal called "Wellness Together Canada" that provides access to a virtual network of psycho-social supports. These supports will complement, and not replace, existing provincial and territorial services
• CCOHS has updated and published e-courses that workplaces can download free of charge. These tools will help workplaces (including employees) deal with psychological health and safety during these difficult times
• the Mental Health Commission of Canada has been active in supporting employers and employees by providing a hub of resources specific to COVID-19
• the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health is providing tips, coping strategies and resources for public and health care workers. As well, they are tracking the effects the pandemic is having on mental health through a series of national surveys
• the Canadian Mental Health Association has put together resources and suggestions to help support the mental health of Canadians
• the Canadian Psychological Association provides factsheets on support for employees

Despite these supports, data trends demonstrate that mental health concerns are maintaining heightened levels reported at the beginning of the pandemic. Other emerging trends suggest that COVID-19 stressors like financial uncertainty, isolation, job losses or reduced work hours are exacerbating pre-existing psychological distress, anxiety and even depression among Canadian workers.

Key quotes

Prepared by

Name: Nicole Uloth

Title: Policy Officer

Phone number: 343-572-6653

Key contact

Name: Lori Straznicky

Title: Executive Director, Workplace and Labour Relations Policy

Phone number: 613-462-1023

Approved by

Name: Barbara Moran

Title: Director General, SPAWID

Phone number: 613-899-8642

Issue

Stakeholders in the federally regulated sector have stressed the need to acquire personal protective equipment (PPE) for the essential services they are providing.

Key facts

• Approximately 1.2 million employees, or 8% of the Canadian labour force, are federally regulated. Key federally regulated sectors include rail, road, air and maritime transportation, telecommunications, radio and television broadcasting, banking, some aspects of First Nations, and the public service of Canada
• There are more than 18,500 employers in these sectors. The vast majority of employees (87%) working in these sectors are employed by medium to large-size firms (such as those with 100 or more employees)
• The critical infrastructure services provided by these employees are essential for the well-being of Canadians through the support they provide to the rest of the Canadian economy
• Statistics Canada collects information on the supply, demand and inventories of personal protective equipment. More than two-thirds of businesses reported in December 2020 that they needed, or expected to need, PPE to operate in accordance with COVID-19 related public health guidance

Response

• The Government of Canada is collaborating with provinces and territories on an ongoing basis to identify their needs and purchase required equipment, supplies, and services to combat COVID-19 in the health care sector and other sectors that are delivering essential services
• My colleague, Minister Anand, and the officials from the Department of Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) have taken an aggressive approach to buying—especially when it comes to personal protective equipment for frontline healthcare workers
• The Government of Canada is also supporting the development of a 'Made in Canada' respirator standard, which is currently being developed by the CSA Group
• In addition to health care workers, who are provincially regulated, a significant proportion of federally regulated workers and employers are providing essential services during this COVID-19 crisis
• Federally regulated workers and employers play an important role in ensuring the supply chain for food and medical equipment remains uninterrupted, and that there is no break in vital transportation, telecommunications and broadcasting services
• Organizations that provide essential services may request access to the Government of Canada's Essential Services Contingency Reserve (ESCR) when all other sources of supply are unavailable and when a significant disruption in the delivery of essential services to Canadians is imminent
• The ESCR complements existing PPE support being provided to frontline health care workers by the Public Health Agency of Canada and provinces and territories
• In addition, the Government of Canada launched PPE Supply Hub to help organizations sell and buy PPE during the pandemic

Background

As Government of Canada's central purchaser, Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) is spearheading the consolidated purchase of emergency supplies and services required for Canada, including at the federal, provincial and territorial levels.

Essential Services Contingency Reserve (ESCR)

Through the ESCR, eligible essential service business or organizations may apply to receive personal protective equipment (PPE), non-medical masks and disinfection products to address urgent, short-term (45 days) needs. The Contingency Reserve complements existing PPE support being provided to frontline health care workers by the Public Health Agency of Canada. It helps other essential service organizations bridge critical, temporary gaps in their supplies to avoid any significant disruptions in services to Canadians. Supplies are provided on a cost-recovery basis to businesses or organizations that cannot access supplies through other means and when significant service disruptions are imminent. Support provided to provincial or territorial governments will not be cost recovered.

To be eligible for the ESCR, an organization must provide essential services in 1 of the following areas:

• energy and utilities
• information and communication technologies
• finance
• health
• food
• water
• transportation
• safety
• government
• manufacturing

PPE Supply Hub

The PPE Supply Hub brings together available resources for organizations buying and selling PPE. The Supply Hub connects Canadian organizations with federal, provincial, territorial and other resources and information about PPE, including consumer guidance. Buyers will find PPE supplier lists, in addition to guidance to help plan their PPE purchases.

National Emergency Strategic Stockpile (NESS)

The NESS contains supplies that provinces and territories can request in emergencies, when their own resources are not enough. In the context of Canada's COVID-19 response, the NESS is primarily being used to meet the needs of frontline healthcare workers. The Public Health Agency of Canada maintains the NESS.

Statistics Canada's Personal Protective Equipment Survey

According to data from the December 2020 PPE Survey, more businesses were less concerned about PPE shortages in December than in October and August. Of the businesses expecting shortages of required PPE, insufficient products or equipment available from suppliers remained the largest cause of concern.

Demand for PPE continued to be the highest among businesses in private health care and social assistance, accommodation and food services, retail trade, and manufacturing.

PPE

In accordance with the Canada Labour Code, Part II, and pursuant regulations, federally regulated employers must assess all the hazards in the workplace. They must control all hazards including those related to COVID-19 using the hierarchy of controls: elimination of the hazard; administrative controls; engineering controls, and PPE only as a last resort;

There are times when employers must issue PPE to protect their workers from hazards. Respirators are 1 type of PPE, and the Code is specific on when these may be required. Respirators issued for workplace hazards must conform to prescribed standards and they must be certified by the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Respirators may required in some specific situations where employees may be exposed to airborne hazards. In the COVID context, there are situations where employees may be at higher risk of exposure to airborne droplets than in the general population, such as front line workers in health care. If a qualified person has conducted an evaluation and identified that a respirator is required to protect the workers, this constitutes a bone fide occupational requirement.

When the use of a respirator has been determined to be the last possible measure to effectively protect employees from an airborne hazard, this may prevent employees who wear facial hair, including for religious purposes, from being able to wear the respirator safely. In this situation, the employer must be able to demonstrate that the use of the respirator is a bona fide occupational requirement for the work being performed.

'Made in Canada' PPE Standard

CSA Group is currently working on a standard for the manufacturing of respirators in Canada that will support an increase in supply of respirators and support domestic production of PPE.

The Federal, Provincial and Territorial governments are working closely with the CSA Group to ensure that this new standard will meet the needs of all jurisdictions.

PPE Testing

Previously, there have been no domestic providers of testing and certification services for medical-grade PPE.

On October 27, CSA Group announced the opening of an accredited, special-purpose laboratory dedicated to testing and certifying the safety of medical-grade PPE.

This new laboratory is based at the CSA Group headquarters located in Toronto, Ontario and will provide testing and certification of medical-grade PPE, including masks, filtering face piece respirators, medical gloves, protective drapes and apparel such as surgical and isolation gowns, intended for use across Canada.

Controls Recommended by The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)

Face coverings or non-medical masks and hand sanitizer are control measures and are not PPE. These controls help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and are strongly recommended by public health authorities, including PHAC.

PHAC recommends face coverings, whenever people cannot maintain separation of 2 metres, which are often deemed essential in federally regulated workplaces. They are meant to control the spread of droplets that may contain the virus by not allowing them to be expressed from a person who does not know they carry it.

Hand sanitizer is a protective measure that helps prevent the spread of the virus from contaminated surfaces.

Key quotes

Prepared by

Name: Robert Reid

Title: Industrial Hygienist, Workplace Directorate

Name: Patrick McDuff

Title: Senior Policy Analyst

No phone number

Key contact

Name: Marcia Edgar

Title: OHS Manager, Workplace Directorate

Phone number: 873-353-6212

Name: Douglas Wolfe

Title: A/Director General

Phone number: 819-921-1539

Approved by

Name: Frances McCormick

Title: A/Director General, Workplace Directorate

Phone number: 613-818-8074

Parliamentary Budget Officer: Sharing of data

During his appearance before FEWO, the Parliamentary Budget Officer, Yves Giroux, noted that while Budget 2018 identified new money to establish the government's new administrative framework for the Act, no details were provided regarding the anticipated fiscal impact arising from consequential changes to remuneration. Based on information provided by the Government of Canada, the PBO estimates that the ongoing cost for regulatory oversight in federally regulated sectors of the economy is $5 million, and the ongoing administration of pay equity within the federal public service is estimated to be $9 million.

In his appearance, the PBO referenced his Report: Fiscal Analysis of Federal Pay Equity released on November 4, 2020, that examined the cost associated with the Pay Equity Legislation. While the PBO estimated a minimum cost of $600 million per year for pay equity, he also noted that the "real" costs will likely be substantially higher. The PBO was critical of the Treasury Board Secretariat, who failed to disclose the estimated costs, as part of an information request (Information Request IR0452) filed by his office, citing cabinet confidence. TBS officials shared its letter addressed to the PBO, in response to the information request, with Justice Canada and the Labour Program, for their consideration of the portions of the Information Request under their purview. The letter is attached for information.

Nevertheless, the PBO used alternative sources in its analysis of employee compensation for the core federal public service. The data suggests that once the Act is fully implemented, the federal wage bill could rise by $621 million starting in 2023-2024.

The PBO encouraged parliamentarians to push the Government to be more forthright with its information. As such, the Committee could follow up regarding comments made by the PBO on the Information Request.

Pay Equity Commissioner: Regulations and Implementation

During her appearance, the Pay Equity Commissioner, Karen Jensen raised delays in the regulations for the implementation of the legislation, as well as the effect of pay equity on small businesses and the economy. The Commissioner also spoke of the consultations conducted with unions, employers, women's organizations and employer associations to identify any concerns they may have and to find out how to best address them. In response to the needs identified by stakeholders, the Commissioner indicated that the pay equity team is developing educational materials, guidance documents and concrete tools that will assist the workplace parties to implement the act.

It is expected that NDP Member Lyndsay Mathyssen will raise delays with respect to the coming into force of the Act, the development of regulations and the time allotted for employers to implement a pay equity plan. In previous FEWO meetings, Ms. Mathyssen expressed her frustration over the length of time women will need to wait for compensation, and the long-term effects on seniors' pension and benefits.

Economic Recovery and other considerations

BQ MP Andréanne Larouche's focus will likely be on the economic recovery, and will likely question the extent to which pay equity in the government sector is expected to influence pay equity in the private sector.

Previously, FEWO members have taken an interest in how age and cultural background, as well as intersecting identities and inequalities will be addressed and how they influence the wage gap. Members asked about the stereotypes associated with pay equity, and how systemic racism has crept into the compensation system. There was also interest in the tools available for employers, the new complaint-based compensation system, and the consultation process.

Other questions may include the impact on part-time workers, and public education measures targeting women; including racialized women and those with disabilities.

Marilyn Gladu- Chair and Returning Member (Conservative)

Sonia Sidhu – Vice-Chair and Returning Member (Liberal)

Andréanne Larouche – Vice-Chair, BQ Critic, and Returning Member

Jag Sahota – Conservative Critic and Returning Member

Nelly Shin – New Member (Conservative)

Alice Wong – Returning Member (Conservative)

Lindsay Mathyssen – NDP Critic and Returning Member

Anju Dhillon – Returning Member (Liberal)

Salma Zahid - Returning Member (Liberal)

Marc Serré – Returning Member (Liberal)

Gudie Hutchings – Parliamentary Secretary (Non-Voting Member)

Witnesses

Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC)

• Karen Jensen, Commissioner, Pay Equity Commissioner
• Jeff Willbond, Director General, Proactive Compliance

Summary

The meeting began with opening remarks from Karen Jensen who explained her role and mandate as the first Pay Equity Commissioner in Canada. She explained the work of the CHRC in preparing for the coming into force of the Pay Equity Act, as well as the toll the litigation has taken on all parties involved. She address how women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, in particular racialized, Indigenous, migrant, low income, single mothers LGBTQ+ and women with disabilities or mental health issues. She noted that in November 2020 RBC economics reported that the pandemic has rolled back 3 decades women's progress in the labour market, highlighting the importance of closing wage gap to the economic and social recovery of the country. She addressed how PE, being 1 of the tools that will make a concrete difference in the workplace, will help business referring to studies that show a preference to work in companies that foster diversity and that those companies outperform their peirs. Ms. Jensen addressed the consultation process and response by stakeholders, as well as the PE supporting educational tools and material they developed. She aims to demystify PE and help employers see it is as a golden opportunity to demonstrate commitment to gender equality in the workplace.

Questions from committee members focused on culture and stereotypes associated with PE, its effect on small business and the economy, and delays with respect to the getting back pay owed to women, in particular by NDP MP Mathyssen.

Alice Wong (CPC) asked if the wage gap changes significantly with respect to ethnic women, as well as the age factor in the pay gap as more women working later on in life.

Sonia Sidhu (LPC) asked about the new proactive system (A: Anticipates there will be significant benefits aside from increasing the wage of women. Business that promote gender equality are more productive, more resilient and better at competing in the marketplace and good for the economy by increasing their spending power.

MP Sidhu asked about women with intersecting identities, to which Ms. Jensen noted a larger wage gap.

Andréanne Larouche (BQ) asked what tools are available in for employers (A: tools that will help small and medium size employers to help them develop their plans; guidelines for employers and trade unions; educational materials to visit employers and provide training)

MP Larouche asked about stereotypes and myths, and its impact the implementation of the Act. (A: the problem is not the implementation, rather the preparation as part of their work is to educate their employers; we have to proactively evaluate our compensation systems for stereotyping). She also asked how they arrive at 3 years for employers do develop a PE plan.

Lyndsay Matthesen (NDP) frustrated over delays with the coming into force of the Act, potential regulations to be developed, and the time for employers to implement a plan, asked if Ms. Jensen has any knowledge of the timing of the regulations. (A: iI's not her role to ensure member of the timing of the regulations but they are working with ESDC to ensure the regulations are sound).

Nelly Shin (CPC) she asked how culture and stereotypes, being the underlying the need for the PE Act, , had an impact of the cases she's received, if they were indicative of systemic lack of cultural equality or specific to attitude in the workplace or the employer. (A: Systemic racism has crept into the compensation system and we have to remove the obligation from employees, which is what we are doing with this new proactive system.)

Gudie Hutchings (LPC) asked the Commissioner to explain the consultation process. Ms. Hutchings heard that small businesses need 3 years for employers to develop a PE plan.

Andréanne Larouche (BQ) asked to what extend that PE can impact the economic renewal period, in particular the influence the government has on the private sector.

Lyndsay Matthesen (NDP) addressed the delays again, stating that women will have money paid to their estates, asked about the long-term effect on seniors pension and benefits (A: aware of the toll it is taking and that's the reason why complaint-based system is completely inappropriate. She addressed the time it takes for employers to implement a plan)

Annex A

Official title: Annex A - update on government efforts to take action to end violence against young women and girls in Canada

Executive summary

Gender-based violence (GBV) is 1 of the most pervasive, deadly and deeply rooted human rights violations of our time. It's also preventable. That's why the Government of Canada is committed to making real change toward achieving gender equality and eradicating gender-based violence, and creating a Canada that supports victims, survivors and their families, no matter where they live.

Since 2015, the Government has taken concrete action to eliminate GBV against women and girls across the country, including by launching Canada's first Federal Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence in 2017 to advance efforts to prevent GBV, support survivors and their families and create a more responsive justice system. The GBV Strategy is a whole-of- government approach to ending GBV and is informed by grassroots activism and feminist action.

Building on the extensive investments of the Government of Canada in the first 2 years of the GBV Strategy, which included over $200 million in Budgets 2017 and 2018, much work has taken place. The Government of Canada is reinvesting in research so we can better understand how GBV takes root in the places we live, work, study and play, and how the most vulnerable become targets of violence. In late 2018, we launched the GBV Knowledge Centre, which includes an innovative online community and platform where information about GBV research and projects is compiled into a searchable database. For the first time in history, Budget 2019 announced $20 million over 2 years to help address the unique needs and persisting disparities among LGBTQ2 Canadians. In 2019, WAGE and Public Safety Canada launched the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking, a $75 million initiative that will consolidate federal efforts to address human trafficking in Canada and abroad under 1 strategic plan.

We have also heard from survivors about the critical importance of shelters and housing. At least 4,000 new or repaired shelter spaces are under construction as part of the Government of Canada's National Housing Strategy to support survivors of GBV, and 5,800 shelter spaces were created/and or renovated through Budget 2016 investments in shelters and transition houses for victims of family violence. The Government has also committed that at least 33% of the National Housing Strategy investments will support projects that specifically target the unique needs of women, girls, and their families, such as targeted research on women's housing needs, improved affordable housing options, and increased shelter space.

Too few survivors of gender-based violence and sexual assault feel confident and safe enough to come forward. That's why our government has worked to strengthen our justice system and make it more responsive and to ensure that survivors are treated with dignity and respect. This includes enshrining a clear definition of consent, creating tougher sexual assault laws, increasing the seriousness of intimate partner violence offences, and making important changes to bail eligibility for repeat offenders. Most recently, in 2020, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada tabled An Act to amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code, a bill which would ensure that all newly appointed provincial superior court judges undergo training in sexual assault law and the social context of sexual assault.

Violence against Indigenous women and girls remains an intolerable reality in Canada. That is why we are continuing to work with partners across the country, including First Nations, Inuit and Métis leaders, towards the development of a National Action Plan to end the systemic causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, LGBTQ and Two-Spirit people. As this work continues, we have invested more than $13 million to support over 100 commemorative projects from coast-to-coast-to-coast to ensure that the lives lost will never be forgotten.

Federal departments are advancing on the commitment to end GBV as they continue to leverage initiatives that are focused on preventing violence, supporting survivors and their families, and promoting responsive legal and justice systems. Listening to the expertise of survivors is most important in understanding and addressing GBV and identifying the best solutions. Advocates and organizations within the GBV sector also play a key role in addressing GBV by identifying gaps in policies and services, developing and implementing promising practices, and advocating for new approaches that are thoughtful and appropriate for anyone who has experienced or been affected by GBV. Additionally, by collaborating across all levels of government, including provincial and territorial governments, and between multiple departments and agencies, we have pooled our resources to enhance our ability to support those affected by GBV in communities across Canada. This coordination and sharing of resources has resulted in significant advancements in our efforts to prevent GBV.

2020 marks a very unique and unprecedented period. The emergence of the COVID-19 virus in early March forced immediate lockdowns, disrupted social, economic and political systems in every country and continues to generate much uncertainty and fear globally because of its rapid spread. While Canadians were told to stay home and self-isolate in order to limit the spread of the virus, we recognized that not every home is a safe home. 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 to continue providing their vital services.

$100 million is being provided to front-line 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. They have used this funding to adapt quickly to this new reality and to continue providing their life-saving services in the face of the global pandemic. They used the funds to secure additional space to provide for physical distancing, purchase cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment and pivoted quickly to adapt some support services to online delivery.

As we look ahead to the post-COVID recovery period, we will continue to ensure that our actions respond to the impacts being felt by different intersections of Canadian society. From creating an Action Plan for Women in the Economy to making strides on childcare and housing, we are committed to continuing to advance gender equality for all Canadians. We must not let the legacy of the pandemic be one of rolling back the clock on women's participation in the workforce, nor one of backtracking on the social and political gains women and allies have fought so hard to secure. The eradication of gender-based violence remains a critical part of this work and our work on this is more important now than ever and that is why the Government of Canada is committed to the development of a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence in close collaboration with provinces and territories, Indigenous partners and other stakeholders. We will move forward, together, towards a future where we can put an end to gender-based violence.

In the following sections of this Annex you will find updates on each of the 3 pillars of the Federal Strategy on GBV, including the COVID response to date.

Updates on Pillar 1 – Prevention

Much of the work to address GBV involves transforming the attitudes, behaviours and systems that perpetuate this form of violence. Preventing GBV by addressing root causes and understanding risk factors is the most effective way to end GBV and its devastating effects. This work requires a sustained and coordinated effort to take early action on challenging the harmful societal myths and norms and the foundational inequalities that perpetuate GBV. Initiatives undertaken through Pillar 1 are already enhancing awareness and understanding.

Early prevention

Youth awareness campaigns have been proven to be most effective when they are co-created, led by other young people, include social media, have sophisticated messaging, and resonate with lived experiences. To foster conversations with youth, the Government has launched National Conversations on Gender Equality with Young Canadians. The initiative engages youth in a dialogue about behaviours and attitudes that perpetuate gender inequalities and work with youth to develop ideas, solutions and actions to support social change towards a more inclusive society. The initiative has 2 streams, a national stream and an Indigenous stream, both of which will co-develop engagement strategies and activities with youth.

The Government of Canada's investments in this area include the Public Health Agency of Canada's (PHAC) Child Maltreatment Prevention funding stream, which is investing $1.1M per year to support the delivery and testing of promising parent support programs and to determine their effectiveness in preventing child maltreatment. This initiative highlights programs that teach positive parenting, suggests alternatives to harsh discipline, encourages stronger family attachments, and promotes parent-child involvement. PHAC supports a project to enhance, deliver and evaluate the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting program, which focuses on a trauma- and violence-informed approach to ending child maltreatment. The program aims to reach 1,260 parents and caregivers in 6 provinces, and to train 180 facilitators to deliver the program and test its effectiveness.

Adolescence is a key time to provide young people with the knowledge and skills they need to develop healthy relationships, free from violence and abuse. PHAC's Teen Dating Violence Prevention funding stream is investing $6.4M per year to support 25 projects designed to develop, deliver and test innovative programs to promote healthy relationships and prevent dating violence among teens/youth in both school and community settings. Projects supported through these investments help prevent gender-based violence by teaching youth about respect, consent and healthy relationships. In 2019 to 2020, these projects directly reached 4,464 participants and 3,165 professionals at 80 sites across Canada, including schools, community centres, social service agencies, sports and recreation organizations and sexual assault centres. Projects are also reaching diverse populations that are likely to be significantly affected by this type of violence, including girls, Indigenous youth, 2SLGBTQQIA youth and newcomer youth and families.

These important funded projects are also connected through a Community of Practice, facilitated by the Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network (PREVNet), for better collaboration, sharing and opportunities for learning and discussing issues or mutual concerns. In 2019 to 2020, PREVNet launched a website to share resources and information with funded projects and the broader community; the site reaches over 189,000 professionals, researchers and service providers. Other key milestones achieved to date through this funding stream include collaborations with more than 330 partners. These collaborations have enhanced the reach of project activities and leveraged more than $1.98 million in financial and in-kind contributions.

Addressing technology's role in gender-based violence

While bullying is not a new phenomenon, the widespread adoption of communication technologies, including smartphones and apps, social media platforms and multiplayer online games, have enabled bullying to migrate into digital spaces. Among children and youth, bullying, cyberbullying and harassment jeopardize learning and self-esteem. Teachers, parents and guardians, social workers and youth advocates are working to address this form of violence as an area of significant concern. Despite similarities between traditional bullying and cyberbullying, the latter allows for anonymity, increased social dissemination and greater access to victims. When coupled with a lack of supervision by parents or guardians in online spaces, cyberbullying among youth can go unnoticed and undeterred, and it can have devastating effects.

Public Safety Canada's Preventing Bullying and Cyberbullying initiative was launched in 2018. As part of this initiative, a public opinion research survey was conducted with parents and youth, and 2 research reports were developed. The 2019 Public Opinion Research Survey obtained a baseline measurement of Canadian youth and parents' knowledge, experience, awareness, attitudes and behaviours with respect to cyberbullying. These research results inform Public Safety's awareness campaign designed to teach parents, guardians, educators and youth how to prevent and respond to cyberbullying. A Request for Proposals process was initiated in 2019 and the campaign will be set to launch in 2020 to 2021.

Public Safety Canada also completed 2 cyberbullying research reports, the first of which presented a systematic review of existing Canadian cyberbullying research, while the second focused on existing interventions in Canada and abroad to address cyberbullying. Both reports were published in October 2020 and provide key insights into best practices and promising approaches for future action to prevent cyberbullying in Canada.

Through its Preventing and Addressing Bullying and Cyberbullying in Canada initiative, Public Safety Canada is implementing interventions, conducting research and developing an awareness campaign with a budget of $4M over 5 years. Through the National Crime Prevention Strategy, Public Safety Canada funded 5 new community-based projects in 2019 to 2020 focused on addressing issues related to youth bullying and cyberbullying.

An increase in the use of technology has also correlated with an increase in technology facilitated violence, including cyberbullying, cyberstalking, and online child sexual exploitation. Young girls and vulnerable populations are at higher risk of experiencing these types of violence, as well as all other forms of violence. Online child sexual exploitation refers to a range of behaviours and situations facilitated by technologies like the Internet and mobile apps. This includes, but is not limited to, child luring and the production and sharing of images and videos of child sexual abuse via technologies. Online child sexual exploitation is a highly gendered crime. While children of any gender can be affected by this crime, girls are significantly more at risk than boys to experience online sexual exploitation.

Through its Online Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness initiative – totalling $340,000 over 5- years – Public Safety Canada is funding 2 organizations (see below) to develop awareness and educational resources targeting youth. These resources are being developed through an intersectional approach to target specific youth populations, including Indigenous, teen parents and 2SLGBTQQIA people – as well as families, educators, child-serving organizations and law enforcement.

PLEA, a non-governmental organization, delivers "SaferSpace" workshops designed to raise awareness about child sexual exploitation online and how to report it. Between April and December 2019, workshops were delivered to 1,638 youth in grades 4 to 12 and 35 professionals/adults in British Columbia.

In December 2019, White Ribbon received funding to conduct targeted awareness activities in schools across Ontario. The anticipated outcome of this project is an increased awareness of online sexual exploitation in youth populations that may be more at risk of experiencing this type of crime, such as teenage girls, Indigenous teenage girls, 2SLGBTQQIA youth, youth in the foster care system and youth with disabilities.

In addition, Public Safety Canada is supporting Project Arachnid, a tool developed by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) to combat online sexual exploitation and support families victimized by these crimes. Project Arachnid processes images and sends removal notices to content providers. Public Safety Canada will continue to support C3P to manage Project Arachnid, which reduces the ability of offenders to propagate child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and provides psychological relief to survivors. Continued support for C3P supports public-private sector efforts by increasing the number of electronic service providers engaged in disrupting child sexual abuse material online.

Preventing violence on campuses across Canada

GBV at post-secondary institutions (PSIs) can include, but is not limited to, sexual and physical assault, sexual harassment, stalking and technology-facilitated violence. Like other forms of GBV, GBV at PSIs is an under-recognized, underestimated and under-reported crime that can have multiple harmful consequences, such as the risk of reduced academic performance, isolation, mental illness and substance abuse.

In the 2019 Statistics Canada Survey on Individual Safety in the Postsecondary Student Population (SISPSP), results show that across all provinces, 1 in 7 women students (15%) were sexually assaulted in a postsecondary setting at some point since they started their studies, amounting to about 197,000 women students. The prevalence of sexual assaults in this context was 3 times higher than among men students (5%). Meanwhile, in the 12 months preceding the survey, women students, students living with a disability, bisexual students and students who sometimes wore a visible religious symbol, were more likely to have been sexually assaulted in a postsecondary context. Women students, LGB+ students, transgender and gender-diverse students, students living with a disability, and students who sometimes wore a visible religious symbol, were more likely to have been discriminated against based on their gender, gender identity or sexual orientation in the year preceding the survey.

In August 2019, with funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), Possibility Seeds Consulting released "Courage to Act: Developing a National Framework to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence at Post-Secondary Institutions." The report was informed by advice from a Youth Advisory Committee and over 300 diverse stakeholders and a variety of communities across Canada. The report identifies recommendations, promising practices and key resource gaps in its 3 areas: responding to disclosures of GBV and support for people affected by GBV; GBV prevention education; and reporting, investigations, and adjudication.

With funding from WAGE, Possibility Seeds Consulting is continuing work to address gaps identified in the report, such as toolkits and communities of practice for networking and information sharing.

Addressing radical forms of violence

Some gender-based homicides can be motivated by radical extremism, such as the 'Incel' movement. The Incel movement is primarily an online subgroup of men who believe women owe them sex and blame women when they are unable to find a romantic or sexual partner despite desiring one. They react to this 'involuntary celibacy' through various forms of GBV. The individuals who subscribe to the Incel movement have an ingrained sense of entitlement over women, which is deeply rooted in misogyny, narcissism, racism, and violence.

The Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence, led by Public Safety Canada, was launched in 2017 to provide national leadership, coordination, and support to community groups, practitioners, and stakeholders in their efforts to prevent individuals from radicalizing to violence. In December 2018, the National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence was launched, with a focus on early prevention, prevention of those at-risk and disengagement efforts. The National Strategy prioritizes 3 areas: (1) building, sharing and using information; (2) addressing radicalization to violence in the online space; and (3) supporting interventions. Targeted investments, which support these efforts at the local level, are being made through Public Safety Canada's Community Resilience Fund. Additionally, on February 7, 2019, the Minister of Public Safety launched a National Expert Committee on Radicalization to Violence. The committee members bring a diverse range of experiences and expertise from across Canada – including addressing GBV.

Engage men and boys as partners in advancing gender equality

Gender inequality harms us all. Rigid gender roles, often imposed on children and continuing into adolescence, can result in stereotyping and unrealistic expectations for people of all genders. The Government of Canada understands that fostering healthy masculinity and interrupting intergenerational trauma among men and boys is critical to preventing GBV and making lasting change. Men and boys have a vital role in creating spaces that are free of discrimination and in helping to build a society where harassment and gender-based violence are no longer tolerated.

In Budget 2018, the Government announced $1.8 million over 2 years to develop a strategy to engage men and boys in advancing gender equality. In Summer 2018, WAGE held 12 roundtables across the country, bringing together over 200 participants, including women's and other equality seeking organizations, academics, community leaders and representatives of groups representing persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2 and gender non-binary individuals, seniors, Indigenous Peoples, racialized communities, students, youth, faith-based organizations, the private sector, and labour. Participants shared their experiences and insights on the challenges to engaging men and boys in gender equality, and best practices to promote inclusive attitudes and behaviours.

In the summer of 2019 the "Calling Men and Boys In: What We Heard" report was released and laid out 4 themes to pursue:

1. Identify persistent behaviours contributing to inequality to start unlearning them
2. Challenge and change negative norms, attitudes, behaviours through accountability and healing
3. Sustain efforts through building networks, sharing knowledge, and taking action; and
4. Address resource scarcity and hold men accountable

The consultations also enabled a deeper understanding of the barriers and obstacles in calling in men and boys as partners and allies to advance gender equality and, by extension, preventing GBV. Efforts to engage men and boys must complement the efforts of the women's and 2SLGBTQQIA movements, and recognize the leadership of these movements in advancing the goals of equality and empowerment for all. 4 projects totaling $562,000 were announced to promote promising practices and help address key gaps identified during the roundtables. Next Gen Men, in partnership with the University of Calgary, received $125,000 to build networks and spaces for pro-feminist male leaders to engage among themselves and with women's organizations on gender equality-related issues. The Alberta Council of Women's Shelters received $212,000 to promote sports figures as role models to build awareness of GBV and demonstrate healthy masculinity. Catalyst Canada received $100,000 to work to encourage and support men in calling out sexism in the workplace. And FOXY received $125,000 to engage Indigenous young men and boys in its work on fostering gender equality in the North.

Engaging men and boys to play a positive role in challenging the roots of misogyny and building healthy gender norms by challenging harmful masculinity stereotypes is a solid step forward towards ensuring lasting gender equality, and gaining allies in the effort to end all forms of GBV.

Addressing GBV in federal workplaces

Workplace violence is also on the rise. Following #MeToo, sexual assaults involving a perpetrator with a business relationship to the survivor (such as coworkers, service providers, patrons, and clients of public services) saw the biggest increase amongst police reported incidents.

Bill C-65 was given Royal Assent in 2018 and strengthens provisions in the Canada Labour Code by putting in place 1 comprehensive approach that takes all forms of harassment and violence into consideration. It also expands the coverage of the Code to include parliamentary workplaces. Once the new regulations come into force on January 1, 2021, employers will need to take action to prevent and protect their employees against harassment and violence, respond to incidents when they do occur and offer support to affected employees. They will also be required to investigate, record and report all occurrences of harassment and violence.

Updates on Pillar II – Supporting survivors and their families

Through the GBV Strategy, federal partners are working with key stakeholders to better respond to and support the unique needs of survivors and their families using survivor-centred, trauma- and violence-informed approaches.

As the pandemic continues to lay bare the gaps in accessible and appropriate services, federal departments and other levels of government must develop responsive policies and programs that offer survivors and those at risk of GBV the resources they need to make choices for their healing and safety. Understanding this, the initiatives implemented through Pillar 2 of the GBV Strategy are showing promising steps toward minimizing harm to survivors, ensuring greater access to services, and equipping service providers to respond safely, effectively and appropriately to the diverse needs of those affected by GBV.

The Gender-Based Violence Program administered by WAGE is supporting organizations working in the GBV sector to develop and implement promising practices that address gaps in supports for survivors and their families. Through the GBV Program, more than $50 million is being invested in nearly 60 projects. This investment is working to improve not only the type of supports available to survivors, but also to ensure availability and timely access to those supports.

In partnership with the Family Violence Initiative (FVI), PHAC continues to invest in projects to support survivors of family violence, compile an evidence base, mobilize knowledge, and build capacity among frontline service providers in recognizing and responding to family violence.

This national grants and contributions funding program, launched in 2015, supports projects that deliver and test interventions designed to reduce the physical and mental health impact of family violence, including child maltreatment and intimate partner violence. Through this initiative, PHAC is investing in 21 projects that deliver and measure the impact of community-based initiatives that support the health of survivors. These diverse projects include parenting, mindfulness and yoga, trauma-and violence-informed physical activity, arts- and culture-based programs and peer support programs delivered in shelters, schools and community settings.

Through this initiative, PHAC is also supporting a Knowledge Hub, led by the Centre for Research and Education on Violence against Women and Children, to connect projects and enhance learning and knowledge mobilization. This investment further includes initiatives to enhance the capacity of health care and social service providers to recognize and respond safely to family violence. The Violence Evidence, Guidance and Action project brought together 22 national health and social service professional associations to develop national, evidence-based guidance, curricula and resources supporting a safe and effective response to intimate partner violence, child maltreatment and child exposure to intimate partner violence. On behalf of the FVI, PHAC continues to host and manage the Stop Family Violence webpage, a one-stop source of information on family violence.

Canadian Armed Forces members and families

As with any other Canadian family, Canadian Armed Forces members and/or their spouses, children and extended families can experience GBV and family violence. However, the unique demands of military service - including postings, extended training, and deployments - can create extenuating circumstances that have an impact on family life. While most members of Canadian Armed Forces families are able to effectively cope with and manage the stress and challenges of military life, some have difficulties adjusting.

Understanding the importance of families, the Department of National Defence is committed to having "well-supported, diverse, resilient people and families," as part of a Strong, Secure, Engaged: Canada's Defence Policy. Through the GBV Strategy, funding was provided to the Department of National Defence to enhance Family Crisis Teams at wings and bases across Canada and abroad, to respond to GBV and support Canadian Armed Forces members and their families who may be affected by violence.

To date, funding has been provided to Military Family Resource Centres across Canada and abroad. This funding was used to raise awareness of GBV and provide information on accessing supports, supporting LGBTQ2 children and youth, and providing workshops on technology safety in relationships and the impact of gender stereotypes. Family Crisis Team members received training on responding to sexual assault and family violence calls, the barriers faced by LGBTQ2 individuals when accessing supports and services, how to engage men to promote safety and well-being, and dealing with men's trauma.

The Department of National Defence also supports Canadian Armed Forces members and their families through initiatives such as Family Violence Advisory Teams. The Family Violence Advisory Teams support military members and their families affected by violence by providing education and knowledge to service providers about GBV, family violence and how to best support survivors. In addition, these teams improve the lives of 2SLGBTQQIA military members and family members through targeted training for service providers on diversity, inclusion and the particular barriers that 2SLGBTQQIA individuals face when they experience violence and inequality or seek help. The Family Violence Advisory Teams also engage in prevention efforts through the Healthy Relationships Campaign, which provides a range of resources for military members and their families on how to create and maintain healthy relationships, and how to support friends who may be experiencing an abusive relationship.

In response to the Deschamps Report, which identified that the Canadian Armed Forces fostered a 'sexualized culture', the Department of National Defence took immediate action and launched Operation HONOUR in 2015. The Sexual Misconduct Response Centre was established to provide supportive counselling to all Canadian Forces members. The Department of National Defence's Sexual Assault Centre Contribution Program provides funding to sexual assault centres within close proximity to the 10 largest Canadian Armed Forces bases across Canada to increase the availability and accessibility of survivor supports to members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Supporting underserved communities

Service providers who engage with diverse communities or offer settlement support are often the first point of contact and a lifeline for newcomers, immigrants and refugees who are experiencing GBV. For this reason, service providers who work with newcomers, immigrants and refugees must have culturally appropriate knowledge and skills to effectively support clients with their various needs, whether related to pre-migratory experiences, settlement, integration, or GBV, and to ensure that anyone who is seeking information and support does not encounter barriers while doing so.

In 2019 to 2020, a coordinated partnership of settlement and anti-violence sector umbrella organizations was established, representing service providers across Canada, to implement the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's (IRCC) Gender-Based Violence Settlement Sector Strategy. This strategy focuses on supporting populations such as out-of-status foreign nationals in Canada, whose permanent residence status is tied to their relationship, which may be abusive. This partnership is the first of its kind in the settlement sector and a key opportunity to achieve a strategic impact across both sectors by strengthening relationships and building capacity. IRCC received $1.5 million over 5 years to further enhance its Settlement Program. The funding is being used, in part, to develop a national settlement sector strategy on GBV to support culturally responsive service delivery across Canada for newcomers and refugees possibly at risk of experiencing GBV.

The Government of Canada is undertaking important steps to ensure that 2SLGBTQQIA people no longer face discrimination, have their rights protected and receive access to equal opportunities. Each of these factors reduces GBV against 2SLGBTQQIA people. A new ministerial role—Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth—was established in 2019 to address key issues, including 2SLGBTQQIA equality. Notable achievements this year include the following:

• WAGE, in collaboration with the LGBTQ2 Secretariat at Canadian Heritage, is supporting organizations by providing $20 million in funding under the LGBTQ Community Capacity Fund, the first federal fund specifically dedicated to 2SLGBTQQIA organizations and to advancing equality. To date, approximately $2 million has been distributed to 7 organizations under this fund to enable 2SLGBTQQIA organizations to build stronger infrastructure and community organization networks that advance equality for 2SLGBTQQIA people across Canada
• The Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership will provide increased support for 2SLGBTQQIA refugees fleeing violence and persecution through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

The remainder of Budget 2019 funds are being distributed through a Call for Proposals (CFP) that closed in May 2020.

Support for Indigenous women and girls

Indigenous women in Canada are 3 times more likely to experience violence than non- Indigenous women. They face increased rates of discrimination and additional barriers to seeking supports, including from law enforcement. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (the Inquiry) is an important step towards ending this national tragedy and addressing the higher rates of GBV experienced by Indigenous women and girls as well as LGBTQ and 2-spirit people.

Reclaiming Power and Place, the 2-volume Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, was released on June 3, 2019. It called for transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated Indigenous communities across the country. The report delivered 231 individual Calls for Justice directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries and all Canadians. The Government of Canada acknowledges the tremendous courage and dedication of all involved in producing Reclaiming Power and Place, particularly the truths shared by survivors and their families, and will conduct a thorough review of this report as well as develop and implement a national action plan to address violence against Indigenous women, girls, and LGBTQ and 2- spirit people.

Since the release of these important reports, the Government of Canada has already taken action to respond to a number of recommendations outlined in the Interim Report, including but not limited to:

• establishing a Memorandum of Understanding through which the Government of Canada provides Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada annual funding to help increase its capacity to implement initiatives that address the safety and well-being of Inuit women and children, as well as focus on new and emerging issues, including youth issues and women's leadership
• working pursuant to an Accord signed in February 2019, the Government of Canada and the Native Women's Association of Canada will identify joint priorities and co-develop policy, programs, and legislation to include the distinct perspectives of Indigenous women, girls, and Indigenous LGBTQ and 2-spirit people
• creating a new Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) National Office of Investigative Standards and Practices to act as an internal centre of expertise and oversight for major crime investigations in RCMP jurisdictions, increasing the prospect of successful investigations and criminal prosecutions. The unit will provide independent investigative oversight, recommendations, and guidance to investigators on ongoing and/or stalled investigations
• supporting Public Safety Canada's Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative in the development of community-driven safety plans that address issues identified by communities which are specific to their unique culture, location, circumstances and vulnerabilities. Communities then establish their own priorities in order to address how to make their environments healthier and safer places to live. This customized approach is intended to lead to better circumstances to reduce victimization and criminality of all members of the community, including women and girls
• providing funding for over 300 prevention activities for both on- and -off reserve Indigenous populations, through Indigenous Service Canada's (ISC) Family Violence Prevention Program, with the goal of improving the safety and security of Indigenous women, children, and families. Funding is also provided to the National Aboriginal Circle Against Family Violence, which acts as a national coordinator by supporting shelters and their staff through training forums, prevention activities, research, and collaboration with key stakeholders; and
• in June 2019, the Indigenous Languages Act was passed, which recognized and affirmed Indigenous language rights as inherent, treaty and constitutional rights (protected under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982). Under the Indigenous Languages Act, the Government of Canada committed to supporting and funding Indigenous-led language reclamation, revitalization, and strengthening initiatives. This support and funding will be reviewed on an annual basis by the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous languages, a body also created by the Act

In addition, through WAGE, the Government invested over $13 million in more than 100 commemoration initiatives from coast to coast to coast to help honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, including 2SLGTBQQIA people. A few notable projects include the following:

• WAGE invested $459,400 to support an Eagle Vision project to raise awareness about and honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people. This project includes the development of a podcast series based on televised episodes of "Taken", which tells the personal stories of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people through interviews with loved ones, community leaders, elders, experts, and law enforcement. At the project's completion, the Taken podcasts, which are available in both Cree and English, reached 609,128 Canadians. Numerous testimonials from Canadians on social media reflected the profound effect of the podcast, including a humanization of Indigenous victims for non-Indigenous Canadians. Most importantly, it served as a platform for the expression of Indigenous people's grief and their journey toward justice
• WAGE also invested $495,000 in a 20-month project by the Legacy of Hope Foundation to raise awareness and honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people. This project will include a National Exhibition Launch Event in Ottawa, a National Gathering of Families of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people and a national travelling exhibition to 5 regions

Also in response to the Calls for Justice in the National Inquiry's final report, the Government of Canada committed to developing a National Action Plan to eliminate violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people. With a mandate to develop a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, WAGE is collaborating with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs (CIRNA) to ensure complementarity and alignment between the 2 national action plans. Honouring the voices and experiences of families and survivors will be central to both national action plans. Indigenous organizations, experts and leaders, as well as provincial and territorial governments, will also be consulted throughout the development and implementation process to ensure that the plans are respectful and reflective of the experiences of survivors, victims and their families. In November 2019, CIRNA funded several national and regional Indigenous organizations to help facilitate community engagement in order to identify priority Calls for Justice, as well as wise and promising practices that directly address the disproportionate violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.

Combatting human trafficking

Human trafficking is a grave violation of human rights and a highly gendered crime, with women and girls accounting for nearly all (97%) cases of police-identified human trafficking victims between 2009 and 2018.

In September 2019, the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking 2019 to 2024 (National Strategy) was launched with investments of over $57 million over 5 years and over $10 million per year ongoing. Building on existing anti-trafficking efforts, the National Strategy strengthens the Government's response to human trafficking and puts in place a comprehensive and coordinated framework that will empower victims and survivors; prevent more of these crimes from taking place; better protect those who are most vulnerable to trafficking; prosecute human traffickers for their heinous crimes; and embrace partnerships with provinces and territories and other organizations to maximize the impact. The suite of measures to prevent and address human trafficking includes enhanced supports to victims and survivors of human trafficking to regain control and independence; increased awareness and capacity-building efforts to prevent the victimization of vulnerable and marginalized populations; and improved criminal justice system experiences for victims and survivors. The National Strategy is a flexible framework that will guide federal efforts and allow the Government to be responsive to new emerging trends.

Earlier in 2020, WAGE launched a CFP, amounting to $22.4 million for organizations working to prevent and address human trafficking and support at-risk populations and survivors. In December 2020, Minister Monsef and Minister Blair announced funding to 63 organizations for projects designed to prevent and address human trafficking and support at-risk populations and survivors. This funding will support these organizations in identifying and counselling survivors of trafficking, providing transition and second stage housing, mental health services, and employment services and supports, as well as training and tools to gain financial independence. Other projects are aimed at increasing awareness of human trafficking among vulnerable youth and preventing victimization.

Justice Canada continues to fund projects that focus on the needs of victims of human trafficking, victims of sexual assault and child victims. As of January 2020, a total of 43 human trafficking-related projects led by community organizations and law enforcement agencies had received this funding. These projects include improved services for victims of human trafficking, training for law enforcement officers and frontline service providers working directly with victims of human trafficking, and support for labour trafficking victims, through intensive case management, direct services, education, community capacity building and agency collaboration.

To complement Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, in May 2019, the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, with funding provided by Public Safety Canada, launched the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline, an accessible, 24/7 hotline that offers multilingual, 365 days-a-year, toll-free service, referring callers to social services, such as housing and health services, as well as law enforcement.

The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking has also designed a website for the hotline that is accessible to blind and visually impaired individuals. This website accepts tips and provides resources, including a national directory of social services, education and outreach materials, and statistics and research reports.

Canadian human trafficking hotline: 1-833-900-1010

Housing and shelter supports

Canada launched its first-ever National Housing Strategy in 2017. With the addition of new investments committed in Budget 2019, Canada's National Housing Strategy proposes to become a 10 year, $55+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home. Housing is a significant concern for women and children fleeing domestic violence, which is why the National Housing Strategy prioritizes people with the greatest needs. New initiatives, such as the National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF), are funding at least 7,000 shelter spaces created or repaired for survivors of family violence, reducing wait-times for beds, and helping women who might otherwise return to abusive relationships or turn to the streets. In addition, the Shelter Enhancement Program On-Reserve offers financial assistance for repairs, rehabilitation, and improvements of existing shelters on-reserve for victims of domestic violence. It also provides for the acquisition or construction of new shelters and second stage housing where needed.

A CBC News report stated, "on any given night in Canada, more than 6,000 women and children stay in shelters because home is not safe for them, according to the Canadian Women's Foundation." The report also revealed that "in November 2019, an average of 620 women and children a day were turned away from domestic violence shelters across Canada. That's nearly 19,000 times a month, if November was typical." This fact, complicated by the pandemic, has reinforced the need for more resources and support services for victims and their families.

Access to safe housing is essential for people fleeing gender-based violence and plays a crucial role in ensuring that victims and survivors have safe options that empower them to make decisions about their living situation.

In its ongoing efforts to address affordable housing, in October 2020, the Government of Canada, through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), launched the Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI). The RHI is a $1 billion program to help address urgent housing needs of vulnerable Canadians, especially in the context of COVID-19, through the rapid construction of affordable housing. The initiative provides capital contributions under 2 streams to expedite the delivery of affordable housing.

The RHI will:

• Support the creation of up to 3,000 new permanent affordable housing units;
• Cover the construction of modular housing, as well as the acquisition of land, and the conversion/rehabilitation of existing buildings to affordable housing; and
• Aim to commit all funds before March 31, 2021, and ensure housing is available within 12 months of agreements.

Canadians have been urged to stay at home during this time. However, home is not a safe place for everyone. It is not a safe place for women or their children, who experience domestic or intimate partner violence. For them, being confined at home, isolated, in close contact with a violent partner can be a terrifying prospect. COVID-19 has thrown into sharp focus the needs of women and children who are fleeing violence. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges, there have been strong, innovative responses by governments and communities across the country.

On March 18, 2020, the Government of Canada announced a COVID-19 Economic Response Plan which included an investment of up to $50M to women's shelters, sexual assault centres and organizations providing critical gender-based violence services and supports to women and children, to help with their capacity to manage or prevent an outbreak in their facilities. Below is the breakdown of the $50M:

• $20.54 million was provided to Women's Shelters Canada (WSC). They have distributed the funding to 432 women's shelters across the country (excluding Quebec)
• $3 million was provided to the Canadian Women's Foundation (CWF). They have distributed the funding to 93 sexual assault centres across the country (excluding Quebec)
• $6.46 million is being distributed by the Government of Quebec to approximately 167 women's shelters and organizations that assist victims of sexual and domestic violence in the province
• Up to $10 million has been provided to ISC's existing network of 46 emergency shelters on reserve and in Yukon to support Indigenous women and children fleeing violence. The operational funding is being delivered through ISC's Family Violence Prevention Program. The amount for each shelter was determined based on factors such as on- reserve population, remoteness, and number of beds.
• $10M in contingency funding to the Canadian Women's Foundation (CWF) to distribute funding to organizations, beyond shelters and sexual assault centres, providing critical supports and services to women and children fleeing violence. As of December 18, 2020, 94% (340) of organizations had registered and all of those registered had received funding

An additional $2.3 million from WAGE's Women's Program has been provided to the Government of Quebec to support organizations in Quebec. To date, this funding has been distributed to approximately 94 organizations.

In total, over 1,000 organizations have received funding that is being used to increase safety and emergency preparedness, and to support the ability of these organizations to serve women and their children, who are experiencing violence.

On October 2, 2020, Minister Monsef announced up to an additional $50 million investment to fund organizations providing supports and services to those experiencing gender-based violence, bringing the total investment to $100 million. On December 17, 2020, Minister Monsef, announced that an agreement had been reached with Women's Shelters Canada and the Canadian Women's Foundation to disburse up to $36.3 million of the funding from October 2020, to women's shelters, sexual assault centres, and other organizations providing significant GBV supports and services to women.

This funding will continue to help address the immediate needs of organizations that provide a range of gender-based violence supports and services, such as emergency helplines, crisis and resource centres, counselling support, crisis intervention, drop-in services and support groups. It can be used, for example, for protective equipment, childminding, helping women find alternative housing, and additional staff coverage and capacity. The funding announced in December 2020 is being distributed in provinces and territories outside of Quebec as follows:

• $15.7 million to Women's Shelters Canada:
  • $6.8 million to non-Indigenous shelters; and
  • $8.9 million to off-reserve Indigenous shelters
• $20.6 million to the Canadian Women's Foundation:
  • $1 million to sexual assault centres; and
  • $19.6 million to women's organizations and other organizations offering significant GBV supports and services to women. This funding will be distributed following an open registration process by the Canadian Women's Foundation

In addition, up to $5 million of the $50 million announced in October will support the mobilization of grassroots and community organizations to further coordinate and support their important work.

The Government of Canada is also currently working with the Government of Quebec on an agreement to flow funds to support organizations in Quebec.

Please see Annex A-1 for a list of testimonials from shelters on the impact of the emergency COVID-19 funding to date.

Updates on Pillar III – Promoting responsive legal and justice systems

Legal and justice systems play a critical role in preventing and addressing GBV. The Government consults with experts on best practices to support survivors navigating the web of justice, legal, health and social services, with the identified goals of increasing the proportion of GBV incidents reported to police, preventing re-victimization, holding offenders accountable, and—over the long term— contributing to reduced rates of GBV.

Training and awareness

To that end, following its pilot in March 2020, the Cultural Awareness and Humility course was made available to Canada's other law enforcement and security agencies via the Canadian Police Knowledge Network (CPKN) online portal. This course is designed to increase knowledge, enhance self-awareness and strengthen the skills of RCMP employees and other Canadian law enforcement who work directly and indirectly with different cultures. The 2-hour online course presents terminology, diversity, aspects of history and background information for understanding social disparities and inequities from Canadian multicultural and Indigenous perspectives.

Through its Measures to Enhance Criminal Justice System Responses to Adult Sexual Assault in Canada, Justice Canada has made resources available to non-governmental organizations and provincial and territorial governments to enhance the criminal justice system's response to sexual assaults. This includes the development and delivery of specialized training on legal frameworks, sexual violence, and intimate partner violence, as well as increasing access to justice and enhancing victim services.

The Federal Victims Strategy (FVS), led by Justice Canada, brings together federal efforts to provide a more effective voice for survivors of crime in the criminal justice system. Through the Federal Victims Strategy, Justice Canada chairs the Federal–Provincial–Territorial Working Group on Victims of Crime, increases public awareness of survivors' issues, undertakes criminal law reform and policy development, and manages the Victims Fund. The Victims Fund is a grants and contributions program administered by Justice Canada that supports projects and activities encouraging the development of new approaches, promoting access to justice, improving the capacity of service providers, fostering the establishment of referral networks, and/or increasing awareness of services available to victims of crime and their families.

Improved investigations and increased accountability

Law enforcement interactions with survivors and how complaints and allegations are handled are also crucial to addressing GBV. The RCMP created the Sexual Assault Review Team (SART) to undertake an extensive review of "unfounded" cases. As of April 2019, the RCMP has expanded and completed the review of over 30,000 sexual assault case files. The SART will use the lessons from the review to strengthen police training and awareness, investigative accountability, victim support, public education and communication. The SART will also provide national leadership, guidance and oversight through the creation of Divisional Sexual Assault Investigations Review

Committees to establish a survivor-centred and trauma-informed approach to the RCMP's response to sexual violence.

With Government of Canada funding through the GBV Strategy, the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre (ORCC) and the Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW) have launched pilot projects reviewing police investigations into sexual assault and intimate partner violence. Based on the 'Philadelphia model' pioneered in the United States, this program was rolled out in Ottawa, Kingston, Stratford, Timmins, Peterborough, London and Calgary. Events were held in 2018 to 2019 on improving policing accountability and community-based approaches, to feed into the development of a "survivor toolkit" and a database that would capture barriers experienced by survivors in accessing institutional supports and services.

Legislative changes

A responsive justice system also includes amending legislation when necessary.

Bill C-16, An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, came into force on June 19, 2017. This Act amends the Canadian Human Rights Act by adding "gender identity or expression" to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination and amends the Criminal Code to include violence motivated by a person's gender identity or expression as a hate crime.

On October 25, 2018, Bill C-65 received Royal Assent. This Bill, which comes into force on January 1, 2021, amends the Canada Labour Code by requiring federally regulated workplaces to strengthen the existing framework for the prevention of harassment and sexual violence in the workplace. The Act also provides employees with the choice of informal resolution processes or neutral, third party investigations. This initiative will help to transform workplaces in a sustainable manner with the aim of preventing and countering GBV.

Bill C-51, which came into force on December 13, 2018, clarified and strengthened sexual assault provisions in the Criminal Code. The new legislation reflects the Government of Canada's ongoing commitment to ensure that Canada's criminal justice system protects Canadians, holds offenders to account, shows compassion to victims, and upholds the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Notably, the amendments clarify that an unconscious person is incapable of consenting to sexual activity; that the defence of "mistaken belief of consent" is not available if the mistake is based on a mistake of law; and that "rape shield" provisions include communications of a sexual nature or communications for a sexual purpose.

In addition, Bill C-86 also came into force on December 13, 2018. This new legislation provides 5 days of paid leave for victims of family violence working in a federally regulated sector (for example, banking, air transportation, the federal Public Service, et cetera).

On June 21, 2019, Bill C-75 received Royal Assent. It enhances victim safety and toughens criminal laws in the context of intimate partner violence. This new law clarifies that abusing a current or former partner in the commission of an offence is an aggravating factor for sentencing, and allows for higher penalties in cases involving repeat offenders of intimate partner violence. In addition, Bill C-75 includes amendments that facilitate human trafficking prosecutions.

On June 21, 2019, Bill C-77, an Act to amend the National Defence Act, received Royal Assent. This law will provide victims in the military justice system with the rights to information, protection, participation, and restitution in respect to service offences. These rights will mirror those contained in the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, which is not applicable to service offences in the military justice system.

Bill C-78, which also received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019, proposes amendments to the Divorce Act. This Bill promotes the best interests of the child, addresses family violence, reduces child poverty, and makes Canada's family justice system more accessible and efficient. The bill is the first substantial revision of Canada's federal family law–related legislation in 20 years.

In September 2020, Bill C-3 was re-introduced, proposing changes to the Judges Act and the Criminal Code. The Bill has 3 central purposes. First, it adds a new eligibility requirement for lawyers to qualify to become a judge of a superior court in any province – namely, that they must undertake to participate in continuing education on matters related to sexual assault law and social context. Second, it requires the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) to submit an annual report to Parliament through the Minister of Justice on the delivery of and participation in sexual assault law seminars established by the CJC. Third, it requires judges to provide reasons for decisions in sexual assault cases. These reasons must be recorded or provided in writing (if not recorded). The Bill is aimed at enhancing confidence in the criminal justice system and seeks to ensure that judges hearing sexual assault matters will have the necessary training to fairly decide matters, without the influence of myths and stereotypes.

Data and evidence

The Government of Canada is committed to addressing GBV in a way that reflects an evidence- based approach, relying on sound research and data. A key component to and the focal point of the GBV Strategy, the GBV Knowledge Centre was established in fall 2018, providing an online platform for survivors, researchers, advocates, all levels of government bodies and GBV organizations to access key information, research and data to help support their work to address GBV. Additionally, the GBV Knowledge Centre leads the governance and coordination of the GBV Strategy, reports annually on results, and works with key federal partners to collect data and conduct research on GBV priority areas and policy development. Since it launched in December 2018 until September 2020, the GBV Knowledge Centre's online platform was visited close to 37,200 times.

In complement of work undertaken by the GBV Knowledge Centre, WAGE has received funding to undertake data collection and research in key priority areas. In collaboration with Statistics Canada, 3 national surveys have been developed: the Survey on Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS), the Survey on Individual Safety in the Postsecondary Student Population (SISPSP), and a Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Workplace (SSMW) (results to be released in 2021). These surveys reflect the different lived experiences of GBV among diverse populations, improve the ability to identify underserved populations and enhance the availability of data to inform GBA+ in public policy and provide a deeper understanding of GBV in Canada. The first 2 surveys have been completed and the last survey is forthcoming.

In addition, a qualitative and policy-research-focused CFP on Gender Equality and Gender- Based Violence was launched in 2018. As a result, eleven projects are currently being funded in areas such as prevention of GBV, supports to survivors and families, economic and democratic participation, and access to justice. This includes 2 Indigenous-led projects on GBV prevention that started in 2020 and are expected to be completed in 2022. Additional Indigenous- led research identified through consultations with Indigenous partners is underway.

Conclusion

The Government of Canada would like to thank the Standing Committee on the Status of Women for their continued focus on these important issues impacting diverse populations in Canada. The Government of Canada is committed to continuing its work to prevent and address gender-based violence as well as provide the necessary supports to victims, survivors and their families. Through a multifaceted approach, efforts will continue to further implement the GBV Strategy, including the development and implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Additionally, work undertaken by multiple federal partners will continue to move forward to ensure all relevant aspects of Government are working together to end gender-based violence.

Annex A - 1: Testimonials from shelters on the impact of emergency COVID-19 funding

Annex B - Update on government efforts on Women's Economic Security: Securing the Future of Canada's Economy

On October 15, 2018, the Government of Canada responded to recommendations made by the Standing Committee on the Status of Women in its report entitled Women's Economic Security: Securing the Future of Canada's Economy, tabled in the House of Commons on June 14, 2018. In our initial letter, we provided a comprehensive response that demonstrated the progress made in the 6 key areas identified in the Government's 2018 Gender Based Results Framework as areas where change is required to advance gender equality. This letter provides updates on those initial recommendations.

The Government remains committed to advancing the economic security and equality of women and gender diverse people in all areas of Canadian society, and we are pleased to provide you with an update on progress made since 2018. We remain committed to the principles of gender equality and to the use of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) in the development of all of our policies and programs. We are also continuing our commitment to transparent, merit-based appointments, to help ensure that people of all gender identities, Indigenous Peoples, racialized people, persons with disabilities and minority groups are reflected in positions of leadership.

To build on progress made in Budget 2018 with the introduction of the Gender Results Framework, in Budget 2019, progress on the Gender Results Framework indicators was published with the federal budget through a Gender Equality Statement. Moreover, with Budget 2019, a Gender Results Framework portal was released to publically communicate the goals and progress made on the Gender Results Framework. This portal will be updated annually to reflect commitment and progress made through each federal budget. In complement to the Gender Results Framework, in September 2018, Statistics Canada launched the Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics, which provides quick facts, statistics and analysis related to gender equality and diversity as well as detailed information and data pertaining to the Gender Results Framework indicators.

Our commitment to the economic security and equality of women is of increasing importance as we come to the end of an exceptionally challenging year defined by the global COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic has affected all Canadians, women, along with youth, less- educated workers, visible minorities, recent immigrants and temporary employees have been disproportionately impacted. The pandemic has highlighted the weaknesses in Canada's social safety net, aggravated existing inequalities in the labour market and has resulted in a 'She- cession' that threatens to roll back many of the hard-won gains women have worked for over past decades. Women workers – many of whom work in low-wage retail and hospitality industries – experienced a significantly larger drop in employment than that of men in the early stages of the pandemic, and businesses owned by women struggled more to make rent and mortgage payments. As the economy began to recover at the end of the summer, women also often faced the difficult choice of returning to work or continuing to stay home to care for children and family members as schools and daycares remained closed.

These challenges informed the Government's COVID-19 Emergency Response Plan during the spring and summer, and they continue to be addressed by the Fall Economic Statement that was delivered on November 30, 2020. As we move forward with the recovery, it is imperative that we create a more inclusive and resilient Canada that is rooted in the economic security and equality of women. To do so, the Government is announcing the creation of a task force of diverse experts to help develop an Action Plan for Women in the Economy. The Action Plan will help more women get back into the workforce and ensure a feminist, intersectional response to this pandemic and recovery. The task force will advise the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance on policies and measures to support women's employment through the recovery periods to be included in the Government's stimulus plan. The task force will provide advice on advancing gender equality and equity more broadly over the medium and longer-term, consistent with the goals and intent of the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act and the Government's Gender Results Framework, to address the inequities faced by Indigenous, Black and racialized women, as well as other vulnerable women.

As was the case with our initial response to the committee's recommendations, this update is organized in accordance with the 6 pillars of gender equality articulated in the Gender Results Framework: education and skills development, economic participation and prosperity, leadership and democratic participation, poverty reduction, health and well-being, gender-based violence and access to justice, and gender equality around the world. These pillars continue to provide a frame for presenting the actions the Government has undertaken to advance women's economic security since they are inclusive, covering a wide range of issues that can impact women and their economic situation. Recommendations related to cross-cutting initiatives as well as those on GBA+ have been addressed in a separate section.

The following addresses the report's recommendations under each of the 6 pillars of the Gender Results Framework.

Education and skills development

Women's access to education and diversified career pathways

This first Gender Results Framework pillar focuses on the importance of fostering equal and diversified learning and skills development opportunities, which is an essential aspect of preparing Canadians for the jobs of the future and addressing challenges such as the changing nature of work and the impact of new technologies. The Government supports students, including women, by making post-secondary education more affordable via its financial assistance programs. The Canada Student Loans Program provides post-secondary education students, the majority of whom are women, with financial assistance in the form of grants, loans and repayment assistance based on financial need. In the 2018 to 2019 academic year, women represented the majority of loan recipients (327,000 or 60%), and of students from low- and middle- income families who received Canada Student Grants (315,000 or 59%). Of the approximately 64,000 borrowers who received the Canada Student Grants for Students with Dependents, 77% were women. The Government of Canada also encourages the use of Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP) to save for a child's post-secondary education, which includes full- or part-time studies at a trade school, Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel or college, university, or in an apprenticeship program. To further support savings for the post-secondary education of a child, the Government offers 2 education savings incentives linked to RESPs; namely, the Canada Education Savings Grant and the Canada Learning Bond. A GBA+ analysis concluded that the proportion of boys and girls within the population benefiting from the incentives is similar to the overall Canadian population (51% and 49% respectively, based on census data).

The Government of Canada also provides Canadian learners with the necessary financial and non-financial supports to graduate high school and transition to, and persist in, post-secondary education through the Supports for Student Learning Program, as well as through Goal Getters, part of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy.

In 2020 to 2021, to help students afford their education during the pandemic, the Government doubled the Canada Student Grants so that full-time students could receive up to $6,000 and up to $3,600 for part-time students. The Canada Student Grants for Students with Permanent Disabilities and Students with Dependants were also doubled. In recognition that many students and families struggled to save for school in 2020 to 2021, no student or spousal contribution was expected this year. The maximum weekly amount of Canada Student Loans was also increased from $210 to $350 for the 2020 to 2021 school year. Taken together, these measures are expected to benefit more than 765,000 students in loan year 2020 to 2021 at an estimated cost of $1.9 billion.

One of the priorities of the Canada Summer Jobs program is to support organizations that offer jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as well as information and communications and technology, particularly for women. This is in line with the Committee's recommendation that the Government, when setting priorities for Canada Summer Job allocations, include as 1 priority the promotion of jobs for young women in traditionally male- dominated fields. As the Committee heard, while there is a scarcity of qualified workers in numerous STEM and skilled trades fields, women remain underrepresented in these sectors. Witnesses also indicated that employment in these fields could not only yield economic opportunities for women, but also be advantageous for the sectors' sustainability and the economy in Canada. In Budget 2018, the Government announced 2 new measures directly aimed at increasing women's representation in male-dominated trades. The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant for Women, launched in 2018 to 2019, provides women in Red Seal trades with a new grant of $3,000/level for completion of each of the first 2 years/level of training. The second initiative, the Women in Construction Fund, launched in 2018 to 2019 aims to increase the participation of women in construction trades. It supports projects building on existing models that have proven to be effective in attracting women to the trades. These models provide supports such as mentoring, coaching and tailored supports that help women to progress through their training and find and retain jobs in the trades.

These 2 measures also build on other initiatives that provide incentives for women to join the trades and STEM occupations, including the Student Work Placement program, which supports the creation of work-integrated learning placements for post-secondary students across Canada. The Student Work Placement program incentivizes women's representation in the fields of STEM by offering employers enhanced wage subsidies of up to 70% of wages (up to a maximum for $7,000) for student work-integrated learning placements created for women in STEM and other underrepresented groups. The Government is on track to reach commitments made in 2018 to 2019 to create 11,500 new student work-integrated learning placements over 4 years in partnership with employers and post-secondary institutions, including 1,500 new work-integrated learning opportunities in the cybersecurity and artificial intelligence fields. In the Student Work Placement program's first 3 years of activity (2017 to 2020) it helped support the creation of over 12,500 student work-integrated learning placements, 33% of which were for women in STEM.

To provide wrap-around supports to people, including women and other underrepresented groups, who are considering a career in the skilled trades, the Government launched the Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness Program in 2018 to encourage Canadians to explore and prepare for careers in the skilled trades. Activities funded under the Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness Program include career exploration opportunities to support well-informed career decisions, skills training to better prepare individuals for success, and work experience to offer hands-on job experience and connections with employers.

To support union-based apprenticeship training, innovation and enhanced partnerships in the Red Seal trades, the Government launched the Union Training and Innovation ProgramStream 1 and 2 in 2017. Stream 1 provides direct funding through the investment of capital equipment and other trades-related training materials and technology; and Stream 2 provides support for innovative approaches and enhanced partnerships to address long-standing challenges limiting apprenticeship outcomes. Priority is given to projects that target the participation and success of key groups, such as women, Indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and newcomers. To account for specificities in Québec's apprentice training system, the Union Training and Innovation Program is implemented in Québec through a separate agreement with the provincial government.

Economic participation and prosperity

This second Gender Results Framework pillar focuses on increasing access to labour market opportunities and higher quality jobs for women, reducing the gender wage gap and supporting equal sharing of caregiving responsibilities. While women's labour force participation has increased by 24.2 percentage points from 1976 to 2019 (for women aged 15 to 64), a gender gap in participation and earnings remains. Women and men have approximately equal labour force participation prior to entering the family building stage where a gender gap emerges. Women with children are less likely to participate in the labour market, and more likely than males to take on caregiving responsibilities. In 2015, it was estimated that Canadian mothers provided nearly 2-thirds (65%) of the total hours spent caring for children. In addition, there is a greater proportion of women in lower-paid fields, sectors and occupations, while women remain underrepresented in high-paying jobs and leadership positions. In 2019, for the population aged 15 and above in Canada working full-time, women earned 89 cents for every dollar earned by men on an average hourly basis.

The gender wage gap is a multifaceted problem with deep structural and societal roots and regarded as an indicator of the broader state of gender equality in Canada. The pandemic disproportionately impacted women workers over the summer, raising concerns over progress made on the gender wage gap. At the height of the first wave, the labour force participation rate of women workers dropped to its lowest level in 30 years, indicating that women continued to engage in non-employment-related activities—including caring for children and family members—at a higher rate than prior to the pandemic. While women's participation in the labour market rebounded in the fall with the re-opening of daycares, there is concern that the pandemic has had a lasting impact on gender equality as women's job recovery was a combination of full- time and part-time work.

Evidence suggests that women from certain visible minority groups and Indigenous women continue to face employment disparities at higher rates than non-visible minority or non- Indigenous people in Canada. Visible minority women also experienced higher rates of unemployment than visible minority men. Additionally, according to Égale Canada, a majority (52%) of LGBTQ2 households have been affected by lay-offs and reduced hours as a result of the pandemic compared to 43% overall of Canadian households.

In addition to the increased precarious state of work for many women during the pandemic, women have also been more likely to shoulder the additional unpaid care responsibilities that are a result of COVID-19. This includes caring for elderly or sick family members and children who have been unable to attend school or childcare programming throughout the pandemic. For example, throughout the summer, employment for mothers of children aged 6 to 17 stayed at approximately 95% of pre-COVID-19 levels, yet for fathers, employment recovered to pre- pandemic levels (99.8% in August 2020). These additional unpaid care responsibilities have impacts, and can limit career advancement opportunities, the ability to save, return to education or training programs and to join or rejoin the labour force.

While working to better understand the complexity behind the gender wage gap, the Government has taken steps to demonstrate leadership to address it through a range of measures. These include proactive pay equity legislation – which received Royal Assent on December 13, 2018 and is targeted to come into force later in 2021 – that will ensure that women in federally regulated sectors receive equal pay for work of equal value, as well as pay transparency to provide Canadians with easily accessible information on pay practices of employers in the federally regulated private sector. In recognition of women's work during the pandemic as personal support workers, the Government also provided up to $3 billion in support to increase the wages of low-income essential workers, allowing each province or territory to determine which workers were to be eligible for support, and how much support they received.

Recognizing that barriers to women's labour market participation can be complex and slow to move, the Government hosted a major symposium on women and the workplace in the spring of 2019. This symposium brought together leaders in the private and public sectors to discuss and share best practices. The objective of the symposium was to encourage and provide tools for Canadian employers to address issues faced by women in the workplace, from wage gaps to harassment.

In the Speech from the Throne, the Government committed to the creation of a National Action Plan for Women in the Economy to help get more women into the workforce and to ensure a feminist, intersectional reponse to the pandemic recovery. This Plan will be guided by a Task Force comprised of experts whose diverse voices will inform a whole-of-government approach.

To further bolster training supports for those hardest hit by the pandemic, including marginalized and racialized women, in the Fall Economic Statement, the Government proposed to invest an additional $50 million over 2 years in the Women's Employment Readiness Canada pilot project, starting in 2021 to 2022.

Recongizing that gender inequality in the labour market begins early, the Government has developed initiatives intended to foster skills development in Canada's youth. In June 2019, the Government modernized the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, a strategy that is delivered by 11 federal government departments, agencies and Crown Corporations. One of the key elements of the modernization of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy programs was to ensure that young people (aged 15-30), particularly youth facing barriers, gain the skills, work experience and abilities they need to make a successful transition into the labour market. This includes comprehensive supports to enable youth to participate in work or training opportunities, such as housing supports, transportation and/or childcare subsidies. The Fall Economic Statement has announced additional investments of $575.3 million over the next 2 years through the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy to help young people, particularly those who may have been driven further from the labour force due to the pandemic, gain the skills and experience needed to find and keep quality work.

This is also achieved though the Canada Summer Jobs program, which is part of the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy. The Canada Summer Jobs is an initiative designed to create summer employment opportunities for students by offering wage subsidies to employers. This is why the Canada Summer Jobs program was expanded to include all eligible youth across Canada ages 15 to 30. Since 2018, national priorities of the Canada Summer Jobs program have included support to organizations that offer jobs in STEM, particularly for women, which is in line with the Committee's recommendation. The Canada Summer Jobs program also helps young women build resiliency and connections to the labour market as it serves almost twice as many young women as young men.

Student employment, particularly among female students, also experienced a dramatic decline over the summer as economic lockdowns were imposed across the country. As a result, many students lost valuable opportunities for summer employment. In response, the Government introduced several temporary flexibilities to the Canada Summer Jobs program. In the Fall Economic Statement, the Government also proposed to provide approximately $447.5 million in new investments in the program next year support up to 120,000 job placements through Canada Summer Jobs in 2021 to 2022 – an increase of 40,000 from 2020 to 2021 levels.

Child care

Investing in accessible, high quality, affordable and inclusive child care is not only good for families, it makes good economic sense. Not only do good jobs help families individually, increased maternal labour force participation is also good for economic growth and increases Gross Domestic Product per capita. In Québec, where the provincial government has been investing in high-quality accessible child care for over 2 decades, maternal labour force participation rates were 5 to 9 percentage points higher than in the rest of Canada in 2019. In particular, Québec women with children under 3 have some of the highest employment rates in the world.

More accessible and less costly child care will help children develop, help parents who wish to work or return to work, and support families by reducing the burden of child care costs. To this end, the Government has committed $7.5 billion over 11 years to support and create more high quality, affordable child care across the country. Since early learning and child care programming is delivered through the provinces and territories, the Government of Canada provides funding support to each province and territory through bilateral agreements that reflect their unique early learning and child care needs. The Government of Canada entered into bilateral agreements with each province and territory, providing $1.2 billion over 3 years for early learning and child care programs starting in 2017 to 2018, with an additional $400 million being provided in 2020 to 2021.

Provinces and territories use investments allocated by the Government of Canada to further build early learning and child care systems by addressing local, regional and system priorities that have an impact on families more in need, such as: lower-income families, Indigenous families, lone-parent families, families in underserved communities, those working non-standard hours, and/or families with children with varying abilities. These important investments in early learning and child care helped to create close to 40,000 more affordable child care spaces nationally prior to the pandemic, including inclusive spaces to help children from families in need, as well as flexible child care spaces for children whose parents work non-standard hours or in seasonal employment. Federal funding also helped to support 1,780 early childhood educators and staff across Canada to participate in training or professional development opportunities in 2017 to 2018.

As part of the $7.5 billion investment, the Government of Canada is also investing $95 million from 2018 to 2019 through to 2027 to 2028 on Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) data and research to strengthen evidence-based decision-making, and lead to a better understanding of the sector, including the benefits of ELCC to families and children. The Government is also investing $100 million over 10 years to enable innovative practices in early learning and child care by providing funding to eligible organizations that support parents, families and communities in their efforts to ensure the best possible future for their children and families.

For Indigenous children and families, culturally appropriate programs that take into account the cultures, languages, traditions, values and customs of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities can be crucial in creating a foundation for a child's cultural identity and sense of worth.

Informed by extensive engagement, the Government worked with Indigenous partners to co- develop the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework. New funding of $1.7 billion over 10 years, starting in 2018 to 2019, is being invested to support Indigenous-led early learning and child care priorities and advance the vision of the Framework. These investments nearly double federal Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care funding every year. Using the Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Framework as a guide, the Government of Canada has supported Early Learning and Child Care priorities set by Indigenous leadership and communities, with new funding reaching First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation communities resulting in: all 634 First Nations receiving new funding for a range of early learning and child care needs; 73 Inuit communities receiving funding to support improved existing early learning and child care services; and, new Métis-specific Early Learning and Child Care programs and services, including provision of child care subsidies, at-home learning kits and the launch of Michif and Dene language immersion programs.

In addition, the Government of Canada has provided funding support for 15 Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Quality Improvement Projects that promote promising practices. These investments celebrate the importance of culturally-grounded early learning and child care as a key component of high-quality early learning and child care in an Indigenous context.

The Government of Canada also announced an investment of more than $19 billion to help provinces and territories safely restart their economies, including $625 million to address the reduced availability of child care and the unique needs stemming from the pandemic. This includes $112 million for First Nations to support a safe return to schools on reserve and $206.1 million to support a safe restart in Indigenous communities, including adapting community infrastructure and other supports for safe restart in Indigenous post-secondary education institutions and Indigenous early learning and child care.

In the Fall Economic Statement, the Government laid the groundwork for a Canada-wide early learning and child care system by announcing key early investments including investing in a Federal Secretariat on Early Learning and Child Care as well as sustaining the existing federal Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care Secretariat and helping build Indigenous governance capacity and support Indigenous participation in the development of a Canada-wide system. Further, the Government proposed to sustain its previous investments in early learning and childcare made through Budget 2016 and 2017 by making this funding permanent at 2027 to 2028 levels by providing $870 million per year and ongoing, starting in 2028 to 29 – of which $210 million will be dedicated to sustain previous investment in Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care. In the Fall Economic Statement, the Government further proposed to provide $420 million in 2021 to 2022 for provinces and territories to attract and retain early childhood educators.

The Government also remains committed to subsidizing before- and after-school program costs, as stated in the Speech from the Throne, delivered on September 23, 2020. With the way that this pandemic has affected parents and families, flexible care options for primary school children are more important than ever.

Federal labour standards

The Government has also made changes to the Canada Labour Code (the Code) to benefit hard- working Canadians. The Code was amended to prohibit unpaid internships in the federally regulated private sector that are not part of a formal educational program and ensure that unpaid interns whose internship is part of a formal educational program are entitled to certain labour standards protections. This amendment is expected to benefit women as they make up over 70% of unpaid, or underpaid, interns in Canada.

The Code has also been amended to give employees in the federally regulated private sector the right to request flexible work arrangements from their employer, such as flexible start and finish times and the ability to work from home. Furthermore, employees are now eligible to new 5 day leaves for personal and family responsibilities (first 3 days are paid if eligibility criteria are met), 5 days of unpaid leave to participate in traditional Indigenous practices and 10 days of leave to seek care if they are victims of family violence or the parent/guardian of a minor child who is the victim of family violence and to make bereavement leave more flexible (first 5 days of this leave are paid if eligibility criteria are met).

Further amendments to the Code introduce new hours of work provisions – including breaks, daily rest periods and a requirement for employers to provide advance notice of schedules and shift changes. Amendments have also expanded annual vacation entitlements (for example an additional week for employees with 10 years of continuous employment), eliminated length of service requirements to qualify for maternity, parental and other leaves, broadened the scope of medical leave and added protections for employees rehired by a new employer following a contract retendering. New compliance and enforcement tools, and additional funding to increase the Labour Program's inspectorate, will help ensure that employees benefit from these, as well as pre-existing, federal labour standards.

All these changes are expected to benefit women who, in comparison with men, traditionally bear a disproportionate share of caregiving responsibilities.

Family-related benefits and leaves

The Government understands that gender equality benefits all Canadians and can have a pivotal role in building a strong economy. To support greater gender equality for all workers, the Employment Insurance (EI) program applies a GBA+ lens to all the EI programs, initiatives and proposals considered. Program officials monitor the access requirements for all workers, including those who are in precarious work, seasonal work and low-wage workers. The changes to EI caregiver, maternity and parental benefits and corresponding job-protected leaves in Budgets 2017 and 2018 were informed and accompanied by detailed GBA+ analyses.

In Budget 2017, we proposed amendments to the Code to introduce new unpaid leaves for federally regulated employees, including a personal leave that came into force in September 2019. This new leave gives employees the right to take up to 5 days of job protected leave per calendar year – the first 3 of which are to be paid if they have at least 3 months of continuous employment – to treat a personal illness or injury, carry out responsibilities related to the health or care of a family member or the education of a family member under the age of 18, address urgent personal or family matters or attend their citizenship ceremony.

As announced in the 2018 federal budget and launched on March 17, 2019, the Government provided $1.2 billion over 5 years, starting in 2018 to 2019, and $344.7 million per year thereafter to provide additional weeks of benefits to parents who agree to share their parental benefits. With this change, 5 additional weeks of benefits are available to parents who choose the standard 35- week parental leave option, for a total of 40 weeks. If parents choose the extended option, paid at a lower rate over 61 weeks, they receive up to 8 additional weeks, for a total of 69 weeks. This measure promotes greater gender equality in the home and workplace by encouraging Canadian parents, including adoptive and same-sex parents, to share the work of raising their children more equally. The introduction of this benefit aligns with the Committee's recommendation – supported by numerous witnesses – that the Government immediately establish, in the federal jurisdiction, dedicated parental leave for the second parent in the style of "use it or lose it" in order to encourage the sharing between parents of care responsibilities and leave from the workplace. It will also advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #5 (Gender Equality) by encouraging greater equality when it comes to child care and the distribution of unpaid work within the family, while allowing flexibility for earlier returns to work. Amendments were made to the Code to provide employees in federally regulated workplaces with corresponding job protected leaves.

The pandemic highlighted the limitations of the current Employment Insurance system. As provincial economies went into lock-down, gig workers and the self-employed remained ineligible for benefits, and the EI system remained too slow to respond to the high volume of claimants. As announced in the Fall Economic Statement, the Government intends to modernize the EI system over the long term. During this transition, the Government proposes to invest up to $10.2 billion over 3 years, starting in 2020 to 2021, to introduce temporary changes to the EI program to make it more simple, flexible and generous. These measures are also expected to benefit women who are overrepresented in lower-paying jobs, more vulnerable to work stoppages, more likely to work in part-time or temporary jobs and more likely to receive parental benefits.

Pay and employment equity

As mentioned previously, the Government is committed to move forward to address pay equity issues. In our response to the report of the Special Committee on Pay Equity entitled It's Time to Act, the Government introduced proactive pay equity legislation for the federal jurisdiction. In October 2018, we tabled proactive pay equity legislation as part of the Budget Implementation Act, 2018, no.2, and on December 13, 2018, the bill, including the new Pay Equity Act, received Royal Assent.

The new Act takes into consideration the complexity of the federal jurisdiction. When it comes into force, the Act will apply to employers with 10 or more employees and ensure that workers in federally regulated workplaces, including the federal private sector, the federal public service, Prime Minister's and Ministers' offices receive equal pay for work of equal value. The proactive regime will also apply to parliamentary workplaces through amendments to the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act in a manner tailored to respect parliamentary privilege. Amendments to the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act were tabled and received Royal Assent alongside the new Act, through the Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2. Employers with fewer than 10 employees will continue to be subject to the complaint-based regime set out in the Canadian Human Rights Act. To enable the coming into force of the Pay Equity Act, the proposed Pay Equity Regulations were pre-published in Canada Gazette, Part I on November 14, 2020. These regulations will prescribe key elements and details required to ensure that employers, bargaining agents and employees are able to fulfill their duties and obligations under the Pay Equity Act. Both the legislation and the regulations are expected to come into force later in 2021.

The Pay Equity Act also sets out that a Pay Equity Commissioner will be responsible for the administration, enforcement and education surrounding the Act. The Commissioner will be a member of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The Commissioner will also be responsible for dealing with any complaints of discriminatory practice related to pay equity under the Canadian Human Rights Act. In doing this work, the Commissioner will be supported by a specialized Pay Equity Unit. This unit will be comprised of officers and employees of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Since September 19, 2019, Ms. Karen Jensen has been a full-time member of the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Ms. Jensen will serve as Canada's first federal Pay Equity Commissioner when the Pay Equity Act comes into force.

In addition, pay equity requirements will be extended, as a non-legislative measure, to certain participants of the Federal Contractors Program with contracts to supply the Government of Canada with $1 million or more worth of goods and services. The Minister of Labour will be responsible for administering the Federal Contractors Program for Pay Equity.

While progress has been made, there is still work to be done with regards to employment equity. While educational and work experience gaps are narrowing, the gap in wages between men and women persists among workers in Canada. The Government fulfils its commitment to addressing wage gaps through the introduction of pay transparency measures for federally regulated private- sector employers subject to the Employment Equity Act. Budget 2018 provided $3 million over 5 years to introduce pay transparency for these employers. Pay transparency will provide Canadians with accessible, comparable online information on federally regulated employers to raise awareness of wage gaps that affect women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities. Pay transparency will prompt employers to examine their human resource practices and show leadership in reducing wage gaps, helping to shift business culture and expectations towards greater equality. Budget 2019 announced amendments to the Employment Equity Act and Regulations to support the implementation of pay transparency measures. The amendments came into force on January 1, 2021 and will apply to the annual employment equity reports submitted by employers in 2022. This initiative demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment to strengthening the middle class by supporting equality and diversity in federally regulated Canadian workplaces.

In the Fall Economic Statement, the Government has announced 2 new commitments related to Employment Equity. The first is an investment of $6.6 million to support a task force on modernizing the Employment Equity Act. The task force 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. The second is an investment of $3.6 million on an ongoing basis to expand the Workplace Opportunities and Barriers to Equity Program, to promote projects that help federally regulated workplaces become more representative of Canada's diversity.

Indigenous women

The Government recognizes that certain groups of women, such as Indigenous women, immigrant and refugee women, and women living with disabilities, may face additional challenges on the path to economic prosperity and security. The Government is committed to a renewed relationship with Indigenous Peoples, one that is framed by principles of reconciliation, including recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership. We are investing in Indigenous Peoples, including Indigenous women, to remove obstacles impeding their success and supporting their full participation in the economy.

In 2016 and 2017, the Government engaged with key Indigenous partners and organizations across the country to review and renew the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy. Following this engagement, and as part of the Budget 2018 announcements, the Government announced an investment of $2 billion over 5 years, and $408.2 million per year ongoing, to support the creation of the new, co-developed Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program. The program builds on what was successful about Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy, and reflects what was heard from Indigenous partners, to include new distinctions-based strategies and funding streams to help meet the unique needs of First Nations, Métis, Inuit and urban/non-affiliated Indigenous People. The program focuses on the full continuum of skills development, and is able to help deliver tailored supports such as child care, tuition, job starts, and other resources, to help Indigenous women reach their employment and skills training goals. In the Fall Economic Statement, the Government has proposed an additional investment of $144.2 million in the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program program in 2021 to 2022.

The Government of Canada released Opportunity for All – Canada's First Poverty Reduction Strategy on August 21, 2018. In Opportunity for All, the Government committed to "work with National Indigenous Organizations and others to identify and co-develop indicators of poverty and well-being, including non-income-based measures of poverty, that reflect the multiple dimensions of poverty and well-being experienced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis." During the consultations for Opportunity for All, the Government of Canada heard that it should take a strengths-based approach to poverty reduction that focuses on well-being and supporting resilience. Indigenous women also indicated that poverty is about more than a lack of income, it is also about social disconnection, and they explained that cultural activities promote social and economic well-being by improving, self-confidence and building identity.

The Government has favored approaches that include consultations and engagement with Indigenous groups to support evidence-based programming and optimal service delivery. For instance, we currently conduct outreach with Northern, on-reserve and urban Indigenous communities, ensuring that all Indigenous populations benefit and have access to service delivery, and use available data to identify Indigenous communities most in need of services. Through this outreach, Indigenous Peoples, including women and families, have increased access to social benefits such as the Canada Child Benefit, enhancing their economic security.

Immigrant and refugee women

Women face additional barriers to their foreign credential recognition and entry in the labour market than men. This is exemplified by the fact that female newcomers (particularly racialized women) with post-secondary degrees experience significantly higher rates of unemployment than men. Therefore, it is important for Canada to continue supporting these groups of internationally trained individuals to assist their integration into the Canadian labour market. Through the Foreign Credential Recognition Program, the Government of Canada invests $21.4 million per year to support the labour market integration of skilled newcomers, including women, by simplifying and harmonizing national credential recognition processes; providing loans and support services to help with the foreign credential recognition processes; and helping skilled newcomers gain their first Canadian work experience in their profession or field of study.

Through the Settlement Program, the Government supports the timely delivery of services and supports – including language training – that respond to the needs of newcomers, including immigrant and refugee women. In 2018 to 2019, the Government will invest approximately $785 million (outside of Québec) to support the settlement needs of newcomers, including immigrant and refugee women. The Resettlement Assistance Program mirrors these efforts by providing income support and assistance for a range of immediate essential services. National calls for proposals included projects like the integration of vulnerable populations, such as youth, women, seniors and LGBTQ2 newcomers. The largest proportion of the federal settlement funding envelope – approximately 36% – will be spent on language training. Historically, the majority of language training participants have been women. Programming takes into consideration that some newcomers, including women, may face multiple barriers such as low literacy or official language capacity, low educational attainment, exposure to trauma, disability and racism.

Language courses are offered in tandem with support services that facilitate newcomers' participation in language training, such as care for newcomer children, transportation assistance, and where appropriate, referrals to linguistically appropriate crisis counselling and interpretation services. Federally funded settlement language programming is complemented by provincial and territorial programs and investments in language training in some jurisdictions. Government officials continue to work closely with provincial and territorial counterparts to ensure a strategic and coordinated national approach to the delivery of settlement language training, to find areas of alignment in programming, and identify partnerships.

Additionally, a 3 year pilot was announced as part of Budget 2018 to assist newcomer women, who are also members of a visible minority, to find and keep good jobs through various combinations of employment interventions and case management, with $31.8 million over 3 years starting in 2018 to 2019. In this regard, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada launched an expression of interest process for new service providers not currently funded by the Government. Funding of up to $7 million was provided for new, innovative programs and services to support visible minority women in accessing the labour market and to build capacity in smaller organizations that serve or are led by visible minority women. Up to $5 million in additional funding was added to existing contribution agreements of select service provider organizations across Canada to increase capacity and expand existing employment services to address the needs of visible minority newcomer women. An additional $9 million in funding has been proposed by the Government to strengthen the program. The Government is also taking action in a number of areas to improve wait times for federally-funded language training that may impact eligible newcomers, including women. For example, following a review of its planning and approval processes, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada updated departmental operational documentation, such as its Grants and Contribution Manual Chapter on planning, to support timely and effective evidence-based decision-making. The Government is also improving waitlist management tools used by service provider organizations delivering government-funded language programming.

Women living with disabilities

Persons with disabilities, including women, need to overcome additional barriers to find and keep good jobs, due to accessibility challenges and systemic biases that exclude them from labour market opportunities available to women and men without disabilities. The 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability found that 59% of persons with disabilities between the ages of 25 and 64 reported that they were employed, and the figure for persons without disabilities was 80%. Among those living with disabilities, women are less likely to have a post-secondary education, resulting in poorer employment outcomes. In addition, women with disabilities also have lower average personal incomes compared to women without disabilities and men (with or without disabilities), suggesting they face particular barriers to economic security. For instance, they are more likely than women without disabilities and men (with or without disabilities) to be lone parents. Women with disabilities are also more likely to work part-time, and twice as likely to experience violent victimization, compared to the general population.

The Government is strongly committed to a more accessible, inclusive, and barrier-free Canada. To that end, the Government has taken numerous steps to support this objective of long-term culture change, including the appointment of a Minister of Disability Inclusion, who is responsible for the timely and ambitious implementation of the Accessible Canada Act. The Act came into force on July 11, 2019 and will benefit all persons, especially persons with disabilities, through the realization of a barrier-free Canada by January 1, 2040. Working within federal jurisdiction, the Act will achieve this through the proactive identification, removal, and prevention of barriers to accessibility in priority areas: the built environment, employment, the design and delivery of programs and services, the procurement of goods, services and facilities, transportation, information and communication technologies, as well as communication (other than information and communication technologies). In 2019, the Government of Canada committed to engage First Nations people and governments and other Indigenous organizations on the potential tailoring of the application of the Act on-reserve. To carry this out, a number of organizations, such as the Native Women's Association of Canada, are being supported to engage their members and communities through grants from the disability component of Employment and Social Development Canada's Social Development Partnerships Program. The Government has allocated approximately $290 million over 6 years, starting in 2018 to 2019, to implement and further the objectives of the Act.

The Government of Canada has also pursued initiatives at the international level that support women with disabilities. The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Canada ratified in March 11, 2010, calls on States Parties to ensure the full development, advancement and empowerment of women with disabilities to ensure their enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms. In December 2018, with the full support of all provincial and territorial governments, Canada acceded to the Optional Protocol to the Convention. The Optional Protocol provides an international complaint mechanism for individuals or groups who believe their rights under the Convention have been violated. The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the international forum through which implementation of the Convention is monitored, has issued several recommendations to Canada related to women with disabilities. This includes addressing intersecting forms of discrimination in public policy, removing barriers and developing inclusive practices to support women with disabilities, and providing funding to disability organizations representing women with disabilities to strengthen their advocacy roles. Canada is currently working on its combined second and third report on implementation of the Convention, which will be submitted to the Committee in 2021.

The Government offers financial support ($13.7 million per year) to not-for-profit organizations through the Disability Component of the Social Development Partnerships Program by providing operating and project funding to improve the participation and social inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of Canadian society. The national disability organizations in receipt of operating funding are required to report annually on gender-based analysis to bring awareness to the unique needs of sub-groups of persons with disabilities including women and girls. The Disability Component of the Social Development Partnerships Program has also helped to improve the lives of women with disabilities by providing project funding to organizations including DisAbled Women's Network Canada and the Native Women's Association of Canada.

There are 2 main avenues that are focused on providing employment supports for persons with disabilities: Workforce Development Agreements and the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities.

The Workforce Development Agreements are Canada's single largest source of employment support for persons with disabilities. The Government of Canada has established new Workforce Development Agreements with provincial and territorial governments. The Agreements provide $722 million annually, as well as an additional $900 million over 6 years from 2017 to 2018 up to 2022 to 2023, for the development and delivery of programs and services that help Canadians, including Persons with Disabilities, get training, develop their skills and gain work experience.

The Opportunities Fund serves persons with disabilities who are removed from the labour market, but seeking entry into it. The Opportunities Fund is delivered by the Government in partnership with organizations in the community, and assists persons with all types of disabilities to prepare for, obtain and maintain employment.

In response to the pandemic, the Government also introduced a new investment of $15 million in 2020 to 2021 to create National Workplace Accessibility stream under the Opportunities Fund. This funding provides community organizations with resources to improve workplace accessibility and access to jobs in response to the pandemic, including by helping employers set up accessible and effective work-from-home arrangements. This support also covers expanding accessible online training opportunities and helping connect Canadians with disabilities working from home with employers. On top of this, the Government has proposed an additional $65 million in 2020- 21 to support the Fund in the Fall Economic Statement.

Furthermore, to help Canadians with disabilities cover extraordinary expenses incurred during the pandemic, the Government provided a One Time Payment to Persons with Disabilities. This one-time-, tax-free, non-reportable payment of up to $600 helped Canadians with disabilities who are recipients of any of the following programs or benefits:

1. holders of a valid Disability Tax Credit; or
2. beneficiaries as of July 1, 2020 of the:
   • Canada Pension Plan Disability
   • Québec Pension Plan Disability Pension; or
   • Disability supports provided by Veterans Affairs Canada

To improve accessibility and safety in communities and workplaces across Canada, Budget 2017 announced an additional $77 million over 10 years, starting in 2018 to 2019. This was done to expand the activities of the Enabling Accessibility Fund, which will bring the total annual Enabling Accessibility Fund budget to $22.7 million per year and enable the program to support more small and mid-sized projects in Canadian communities and workplaces. The Enabling Accessibility Fund has a positive impact on women's economic security as it increases the social and economic participation of persons with disabilities, independent of gender, by improving physical accessibility and safety in communities and workplaces.

In the Speech from the Throne, the Government announced its intention to establish a Disability Inclusion Plan, which will have: a new Canadian Disability Benefit modelled after the Guaranteed Income Supplement for seniors; a robust employment strategy for Canadians with disabilities; and a better process to determine eligibility for Government disability programs and benefits.

Leadership and democratic participation

Women entrepreneurship

With Budget 2018, the Government announced Canada's first Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, a nearly $2 billion, nationally-coordinated suite of initiatives designed to address barriers hindering the full participation of women in entrepreneurship and better support women entrepreneurs in growing their businesses. The Strategy will help to achieve the Government's goal of doubling the number of majority women-owned small and medium sized enterprises to approximately 340,000 by 2025. Since the launch of the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy in 2018, the umbrella of contributions has increased to include new investments as well as additional funding to existing programs and initiatives. The total Women Entrepreneurship Strategy investment has more than doubled in size and is now close to $5 billion.

As part of this Strategy, Budget 2018 included an investment of $105 million over 5 years to provide nationally coordinated, regionally tailored support for women entrepreneurs to help them grow and export, as well as to support regional innovation ecosystems. This investment will build capacity in the women entrepreneurial ecosystem, help women businesses access network and mentoring opportunities and increase the participation of diverse women in entrepreneurship.

Work has already begun on implementing some of the initiatives under the Strategy. Through the Women Entrepreneur Strategy Ecosystem Fund, the Government has invested in several organizations supporting Indigenous women entrepreneurs. Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, serving Inuit Nunangat, received approximately $2 million to sustain and enhance existing networking and mentorship initiatives while identifying and addressing Inuit women's key economic development issues and priorities. The National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association received up to $1.2 million to create tools and supports for Indigenous women entrepreneurs to build or grow a business, to enhance the capacity of Aboriginal Financial Institutions and to develop a proof of concept for an Indigenous women's microfinance fund.

Finally, the Native Women's Association of Canada received up to $1.2 million to advise and connect entrepreneurs with appropriate services as well as develop an online platform for networking and accessing resources. In spring 2020, the Government also provided $15 million in new funding to the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy's Ecosystem Fund to provide timely support and advice to women entrepreneurs facing hardship due to the pandemic.

The Government also supported the launch, in July 2018, of an $8.6 million competitive process to create an independent, third party-led Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub aiming to accelerate the accumulation and dissemination of data, knowledge, and best practices regarding women entrepreneurs, including diverse women. In November 2020, the Hub released a new report called Women Entrepreneurs Beyond the Stereotypes, while also launching an awareness campaign to celebrate women entrepreneur success stories and debunk male-dominated stereotypes of entrepreneurship. Called See It Be It, the awareness campaign includes a database of 1000 award-winning and successful diverse Canadian women entrepreneurs with a goal of challenging stereotypes.

In addition, to help connect businesses owned by women with international market opportunities, Budget 2018 announced an investment of $10 million over 5 years to expand the Trade Commissioner Service's Business Women in International Trade program. Moreover, Budget 2018 provided an investment of $250 million over 3 years, through Export Development Canada, for financing and insurance solutions for women-owned or women-led businesses that are exporting or looking to start exporting. Building on these investments, Export Development Canada has increased its support available through the Women in Trade Investments Program to $100 million in 2020, up from $50 million in 2019.

To work towards eliminating the barriers facing women-owned small- and medium-sized enterprises when bidding on federally issued procurement projects, the Government's Innovative Solutions Canada, a hybrid innovation procurement program, continues to make it a priority to target under-represented groups, which include women-owned businesses, in its outreach activities.

In the Fall Economic Statement, the Government proposed a $16 million top-up to the Ecosystem Fund as part of its Speech From the Throne commitment to accelerate the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy and continue to help women grow their businesses.

Women in leadership

The Government has also passed Bill C-25, an Act to amend the Canada Business Corporations Act, which received Royal Assent on May 1, 2018. This bill aims to bring greater diversity to corporate boards and senior management ranks by requiring publicly-traded companies incorporated under the Act to disclose diversity information (such as related to the makeup of their boards of directors and senior management and to their policies on diversity) to their shareholders annually. The provisions of Bill C-25 regarding diversity on boards of directors and among senior management, as well as the associated regulations, were approved by Order in Council. These measures aim to foster diversity at the highest levels of corporate leadership in Canada, improve shareholder democracy, and drive shareholder value through better transparency. For all annual meetings held on or after January 1, 2020, corporations will report on the representation of women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities.

Since the implementation of the new nomination process for Governor-in-Council appointments, the gender representation of women serving as Governor-in-Council appointees has increased from 34 % in late 2015 to 47 % in 2019. As of December 6, 2019, there are over 1,800 people currently appointed to administrative tribunals, agencies, boards, commissions, international organizations, and Crown corporations. Of these appointees, over 50% identify as women.

Finally, the Government recognizes the benefits of a more balanced distribution of men and women at all levels of decision-making and in all spheres of activities, including on panels at events and conferences, both nationally and internationally. In 2019, the Government created the Government of Canada Award for Corporate Leadership in Women's Advancement aimed at enhancing gender equality and corporate inclusion. The award will be delivered in partnership with the private sector and will build on existing initiatives to recognize diversity, inclusion, and women's advancement in the workplace.

Gender-based violence and access to justice

Gender-based violence

As the Committee heard, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) can have negative repercussions on women's economic security and income. The Government is committed to preventing and addressing GBV in all its forms and has a suite of programs and initiatives to prevent GBV and support survivors of violence. In Budget 2017, the Government announced $100.9 million over 5 years and $20.7 million ongoing to establish a strategy to prevent and address GBV. The Government launched "It's Time: Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence" (the Strategy) in 2017. The Strategy became the first to put in place a federal action plan to end GBV. It includes 3 pillars of action: prevention, support for survivors and their families, and promoting responsive legal and justice systems. The Strategy takes a whole-of- government approach to prevent and address GBV that builds on federal initiatives underway, includes new funding (for example, to fill gaps in knowledge) and coordinates all federal actions related to GBV through a new Knowledge Centre on GBV. The Government's GBV Program, which takes action under Pillar 2 of the Strategy, intends to support organizations working in the GBV sector in developing and implementing promising practices to address gaps in supports for Indigenous and underserved groups of survivors in Canada. Budget 2018 announced an additional $86 million over 5 years and $20 million ongoing to enhance and expand the Strategy, including doubling the GBV Program's funding and providing funding to work with partners to develop a framework to address GBV in post-secondary institutions to support women and vulnerable populations continue their education. The Strategy and the related GBV Program as well as the Family Violence Prevention Program (outlined below) address the Committee's recommendation to invest in programs to address violence against women, in which federal spending is delivered to service providers.

The Government also provides funding, via the Family Violence Prevention Program, for the operations of shelters across Canada that offer services for Indigenous women and children living on reserve as well as funding for community-driven prevention projects on and off-reserve that prioritize work in a range of areas such as trauma informed care, awareness for youth, and the engagement of men and boys. The Government is providing $44.8 million to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation over 5 years to build 10 new shelters in First Nations communities on reserves across the country, and 2 in the territories, to support Indigenous women and children escaping violence. Indigenous Services Canada will also invest $40.8 million in operational funding for these new shelters over 5 years and $10.2 million annually thereafter.

In the Fall Economic Statement, the Government has also announced $724.1 million to launch a comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy to expand access to a continuum of culturally relevant supports for Indigenous women, children and LGBTQ and 2-spirit people facing gender-based violence. This strategy will support new shelters and transition housing for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples across the country, including on reserve, and in the North and in urban areas.

The Government recognizes that harassment and GBV continue to be serious issues, with potentially long-standing and far-reaching negative impacts on both individuals and society. To help victims of violence, we enacted legislation to provide 10 days of leave to employees in the federally regulated private sector who are victims of family violence or the parent/guardian of a minor child who is the victim of family violence. The first 5 days of leave are to be paid with respect to employees who have completed at least 3 months of continuous employment. This amendment to the Code aligns with the Committee's recommendation that legislation be introduced to modify the Code to implement paid leave for victims of intimate partner violence.

The Government also tabled Bill C-65 to create a more robust and integrated regime to protect employees from harassment and violence in federal workplaces, including the federally regulated private sector, the federal public service and Parliamentary workplaces. It was introduced in the House of Commons on November 7, 2017 and received Royal Assent on October 25, 2018. The Bill and the associated Work Place Harassment and Violence Prevention Regulations came into force on January 1, 2021. This new, single regime will address the full spectrum of behaviours connected to harassment and violence, ranging from teasing and bullying to sexual harassment and physical violence. In Budget 2018, the Government committed to providing $34.9 million over 5 years, starting in 2018 to 2019, with $7.4 million per year ongoing, to support Bill C-65.

This includes $3.5 million/annum dedicated to grants and contributions through the Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention Fund. Announced on International Women's Day 2019, the Fund was established to help guide culture change around harassment and violence in the workplace. There are 7 projects receiving funding through the new fund including the Western University Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children, the Canadian Women's Foundation, #AfterMeToo, and other partners. This funding has also been used to develop training programs for labour inspectors, create an awareness campaign, provide educational materials and tools to workplace parties, hire additional labour investigators, put in place an outreach hub accessible through a 1-800 number and support regulatory development and enforcement activities.

The Government agrees that public education and awareness campaigns can also help to influence positive social norms and help to challenge values, attitudes and behaviours that contribute to discrimination, sexism and GBV experienced by women in the workforce. To this end, the Government has proposed to implement both legislative (such as Bill C-65) and knowledge building strategies to tackle this issue. Budget 2018 proposed to establish a Centre of Diversity, Inclusion, and Wellness within the public service that will have, as part of its mandate, to better support public servants in dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace within the public service. Budget 2018 also announced an investment of $25 million over 5 years for a pan-Canadian outreach program to better inform workers, particularly the most vulnerable, about their rights and how to access help if they are sexually harassed in the workplace.

The Government acknowledges that all partners and stakeholders have a role to play in reducing GBV. The Government has engaged with provincial and territorial Ministers on issues related to GBV and had agreed to work closely and find complementarity between Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence and respective provincial/territorial strategies. The 2015 scan of Provincial-Territorial Action Plans and Strategies – Violence against women and girls is being updated to include federal strategies on addressing GBV.

In response to the reported increase in gender-based violence during the pandemic, the Government is providing additional support for women's shelters, sexual assault centres and organizations that provide support and services to those experiencing gender-based violence, as well as Indigenous women's gender-based violence services operating off reserve. As announced in the Fall Economic Statement, the government proposes $100 million in 2020 to 2021 to fund surge capacity and associated services to combat gender-based violence in women's shelters, sexual assault centres and women's organizations.

Finally, as accounced in the Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada recognized that the safety of women in the foundation on which all progress must be built. As such, the Government remains committed to moving forward to develop a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence with a focus on ensuring that anyone facing gender-based violence has reliable and timely access to services.

Access to legal aid

Access to legal aid promotes justice for economically disadvantaged persons and helps ensure the Canadian justice system remains fair and efficient. The federal government recognizes the importance of civil legal aid programs in assisting vulnerable women such as survivors of violence, Indigenous women and women living with disabilities. The Government provides support for provincially-delivered services such as civil legal aid through the Canada Social Transfer. The Canada Social Transfer is a block funding transfer to the provinces and territories in support of post-secondary education, social assistance and social services, early childhood development and early learning and childcare. It is designed to provide provinces and territories with flexibility to invest their funds according to the needs and priorities of their residents. The Government is committed to maintaining the current structure of the Canada Social Transfer under which provinces and territories are free to spend the funds according to their own priorities.

However, in recognition of the need to address the legal concerns of victims of workplace sexual harassment, in Budget 2018, the Government pledged $25.4 million over 5 years to boosting legal aid funding across the country with a focus on supporting victims of workplace sexual harassment Furthermore, in response to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights report on Access to Justice (Part 2), we are committed to considering issues relating to the funding of legal aid, in collaboration- with our provincial and territorial partners.

Poverty reduction, health and well-being

Poverty reduction

We believe that every Canadian should have an equal and fair chance at success and are committed to growing and strengthening the middle class. Indeed, 1 of the Government's overarching goals is to increase economic and social security for all Canadians, especially those who are the most vulnerable. These include lone parents, the vast majority of whom are women, and their children, as over one-quarter of those female lone parent families live in poverty.

Women are also more likely to both assume caregiving responsibilities and put more hours into their care giving activities than men, which becomes much more stressful if they are also struggling to make ends meet. Moreover, poverty is shown to make women and their dependents more vulnerable to situations, such as abusive relationships and GBV.

As part of Opportunity for All – Canada's first Poverty Reduction Strategy – the Government has established an official measure of poverty – Canada's first Official Poverty Line – set ambitious poverty reduction targets, and established the National Advisory Council on Poverty to advise the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and to publicly report annually on the progress of poverty reduction in Canada. The Poverty Reduction Act received Royal Assent in June 2019. The Act entrenches the poverty reduction targets, Canada's Official Poverty Line, and the National Advisory Council on Poverty into law. In addition, recognizing the importance of poverty data in evidence-based decision-making by all levels of government, the federal government has invested $12.1 million over 5 years, and $1.5 million per year ongoing, to address key gaps in poverty measurement in Canada. This includes ensuring that poverty data is inclusive of all Canadians, data on various dimensions of poverty are captured, and the data are robust and timely.

The Strategy helps to address the Committee's first recommendation, namely that the Government develops an official definition of poverty, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative measures, to be used across all federal government departments and projects. The Strategy was developed using a GBA+ lens in order to take into consideration the variation in experiences and barriers that different groups face related to poverty. Some of these groups include women, persons with disabilities, newcomers to Canada, single parents, unattached individuals, Indigenous Peoples, transgender and non-binary individuals, and individuals from Black and other racialized communities. Understanding the unique risk factors, the impact of intersecting experiences, and the needs of diverse groups will help the Government to tailor interventions under the Strategy to more effectively address poverty in Canada. Furthermore, the Strategy supports a human rights-based approach to poverty reduction, reflecting principles that include universality, non-discrimination and equality, participation of those living in poverty, accountability and working together. This was done by engaging people across Canada, including those with lived experience of poverty and marginalized groups in the development and implementation of the Strategy, establishing measureable targets and timelines, ensuring accountability through the National Advisory Council on Poverty, and introducing legislation to ensure poverty reduction remains a priority well into the future. The Strategy also recognizes the importance of concrete initiatives and policies to effectively reduce poverty. The Government recently made a number of commitments that will help to address poverty, including laying the groundwork for a Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care System, investing in housing so that more people have a safe and affordable place to call home, carrying out a campaign to create jobs, supporting initiatives to improve food security that will help people put nutritious food on their tables, and bringing forward a new benefit and employment strategy for Canadians with disabilities.

Significant progress has been made on reducing poverty in Canada. About 3.2 million Canadians, or 8.7% of the population, lived below Canada's Official Poverty Line in 2018, down from 9.5% in 2017. However, children in lone-parent families remain more vulnerable to poverty. In 2018, the child poverty rate was 5.8% for those living in couple families, compared with 26.2% for those in female lone-parent families.

The economic consequences of the pandemic threaten to roll back the progress that has been made in reducing poverty. To mitigate these negative impacts in the early states of the pandemic, the Government developed the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), which provided a taxable benefit of $2,000 every 4 weeks for up to 28 weeks to eligible workers who stopped working or whose work hours were reduced due to the pandemic. While men accounted for a slightly larger share of CERB claimants for the first 24 weeks of the program, in September women accounted for 54.8% of the beneficiaries while men accounted for 45.2%.

To support post-secondary students negatively affected by the pandemic, the Government provided the Canada Emergency Student Benefit. The Canada Emergency Student Benefit was a taxable benefit of $1,250 every 4 weeks to students or $2,000 to students with dependents or with disabilities who were not eligible for the CERB or Employment Insurance or unable to work due to the pandemic. Financial support was provided to over 708,000 post-secondary students and recent graduates who could not find summer employment due to the pandemic.

In recognition of the enormous disruption faced by post-secondary students as a result of the pandemic, the Government also temporarily paused the repayment of Canada Student Loans from March 30, 2020, until September 30, 2020. During this time, payments were not required and interest did not accrue. The Government has further proposed to reduce the financial burden of student debt during the economic recovery by eliminating the interest on repayment of the federal portion of the Canada Student Loans and Canada Apprentice Loans for 2021 to 2022. As announced in the Fall Economic Statement, this measure will bring $329.4 million in relief to up to 1.4 million Canadians who are looking for work or otherwise in the early stages of their careers.

Housing and infrastructure

The Investing in Canada: Canada's Long-Term Infrastructure Plan, announced in Budgets 2016 and 2017, is the Government's comprehensive, long-term plan for building a prosperous and inclusive country through historic infrastructure investments. Over the 12 years of the Plan, starting in 2016, the Government will invest over $180 billion in infrastructure – more than doubling previous federal infrastructure funding. The Plan was developed based on feedback from provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous partners as well as national and regional stakeholders. It has 5 investment streams – public transit, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, rural and northern infrastructure as well as trade and transportation infrastructure – and acknowledges that strong relationships across the federal government and among all its partners are essential to delivering results.

Under the Plan, the Government is investing $25.3 billion over 12 years in social infrastructure. The Plan allocates dedicated funding for housing, shelters, and early learning and child care infrastructure. These investments will lead to new opportunities and improved social inclusion for many Canadians, especially women, Indigenous Peoples, and low-income populations. They also align with the Committee's recommendation that the Government immediately and on an ongoing basis, provide funding for social infrastructure – facilities and services that assist individuals and families to meet their social needs – in order to provide benefits to women who work in and rely on these sectors.

A safe, affordable home is a launchpad for better socio-economic outcomes, and that is why the Government is committed to helping more Canadians access housing that meets their needs and that they can afford through the National Housing Strategy. The Strategy is a 10 year, $55-billion plan, with a primary focus on meeting the needs of vulnerable populations. The Strategy aims to support these populations through a number of housing programs that work in distinct but complementary ways. As indicated in the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's 2018-2022 Summary of the Corporate Plan, the National Housing Strategy will aim for 33% of all investments to support projects that specifically target the unique needs of women and girls. Similarly, measures to tackle homelessness – via Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy – are considering the distinct barriers faced by different groups of women, such as women fleeing violence.

In the Fall Economic Statement, Government has proposed an additional $299.4 million in 2021 to 2022 through Reaching Home to enable physical distancing, enhanced cleaning and other emergency health and safety measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in shelters, during the pandemic. Funding will also help prevent at-risk Canadians from becoming homeless by supporting targeted interventions that enable people to stay housed. This is in addition to the Government's September 2020 announcement of $236.7 million to extend support for community-led responses to the pandemic, and builds on the $157.5 million announced in Spring 2020, which enabled emergency shelters to implement physical distancing and other measures to protect health and safety.

In 2017, the Government committed to reducing chronic homelessness by 50%. The National Housing Strategy has already helped more than a million people find a safe and affordable place to call home, including through significant new support to homeless Canadians. Given this progress, the Government promised, in the Speech from the Throne, that it is now focused on eliminating chronic homelessness in Canada.

In support of this objective, the Government is providing $1 billion in new funding through the Rapid Housing Initiative. This initiative is managed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and funding is available to municipalities, provinces and territories, Indigenous governing bodies and organizations and non-profit organizations. Funding will be used for construction of modular housing, as well as the acquisition of land and conversion of existing buildings into affordable housing units.

As part of the Investing in Canada Plan, the Government is also signing new bilateral agreements with all provinces and territories that will see more than $33 billion in federal investment towards significant infrastructure projects across the country under 4 priority areas, including public transit. With a focus on achieving outcomes that serve Canadians, federally funded public transit projects are being strongly encouraged to improve the modal share of public transit and active transportation, the proximity of transit services, and the quality and safety of existing and future transit systems. Since 2009, the Government has provided funding for a number of projects that improve safety and security in public transit systems. These projects have included the installation of security cameras on transit fleets and upgrades to existing safety features at transit facilities.

At this time, expanding the eligibility requirements for the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund to include not-for-profit and non-governmental community transit organizations, where municipally funded transportation services are not available, is not feasible given that all funding under this program was committed to projects as of March 31, 2018. However, looking forward, the Government will take into account the issue of expanding eligibility requirements when developing new programing for public transit funding.

Funding to women's organizations and front-line community groups

Since 2015, the Government of Canada has been working to improve women's economic security and limit vulnerabilities. Between 2015 and 2020, WAGE invested $37 million in 193 projects through the Women's Program to improve women's and girls' economic security and prosperity.

In Budget 2019, the Government of Canada committed a historic investment of $160 million over 5 years in new funding. Starting in 2019 to 2020, this investment has enabled further community action to tackle systemic barriers impeding women's progress, including economic barriers, while recognizing and addressing the diverse experiences of gender and inequality across Canada. Thus far, WAGE has developed 3 innovative funding agreements for up to $10 million with Community Foundations of Canada, Canadian Women's Foundation and Grand Challenges Canada. These organizations will match the federal investment to advance equality across Canada, with a particular focus on diversity, rural and remote communities, as well as support for Indigenous women. For example, with this support from the Government of Canada, Community Foundations of Canada has funded 112 projects with local gender equality and equality-seeking organizations within 40 communities across Canada.

This investment builds on the funding provided in Budget 2018 of $100 million over 5 years beginning in 2018 to 2019, to ensure a strong sustainable women's movement by increasing organizational capacity and helping organizations address gender inequality. Funding towards advancing broader gender equality and sustaining the women's movement results in a stronger network to support women's economic security.

A key priority for the Government of Canada is to strengthen diversity and inclusion so that everyone can participate fully as members of Canadian society. In December 2018, Status of Women Canada became Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) with an expanded mandate that includes the advancement of equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression (SSOGIE). Through its Equality for SSOGIE program,

Budget 2019 allocated $20 million in new funding to support the capacity-building of LGBTQ2 organizations in Canada. As the first-ever federal program specifically dedicated to advancing LGBTQ2 equality, support is focused on organizations working within LGBTQ2 communities whose initiatives contribute to strengthened LGBTQ2 communities in Canada.

In the Speech from the Throne, the Government announced its renewed commitment to make direct investments in social sector and social infrastructure. Through its Social Innovation and Social Finance strategy, such as Investment Readiness Program being funded through Social Finance Fund, the Government is funding various community organizations to tackle social issues confronted by vulnerable groups such as indigenous groups, seniors, youth, immigrants, and women fleeing violence. For example, 1 of the funding intermediaries, Canadian Women's Foundation, has been funding several communities programs including 'out of violence,' 'out of poverty,' 'empowering girls,' and 'inclusive leadership' Going forward, Social Innovation and Social Finance strategy will be used to skill up workers and provide incentives to employers to hire and retain workers.

Federal programs and benefits for Canadians

The Government is committed to helping all members of our society have a fair chance at succeeding and at joining the middle class. As part of Budget 2018, the Government introduced the Canada Workers Benefit (CWB), a strengthened version of the Working Income Tax benefit, a refundable tax credit that supplements the earnings of low-income workers. By letting low- income workers take home more money while they work, the benefit encourages more people to join and remain in the workforce. The Government has increased the maximum CWB annual benefits, as well as the income level at which the benefit is phased out. For the 2020 tax year, an unattached worker will receive a maximum benefit of up to $1,381, an increase from $1,355, and couples of single parents will receive up to $2,379, an increase from $2,335. The maximum benefit provided through the CWB disability supplement was also increased to offer greater support to Canadians with disabilities who face financial barriers to entering the workforce. The disability supplement can represent an additional $713 for both individuals and families. Enhancements to the CWB for 2019 are estimated to lift approximately 74,000 Canadians out of poverty.

The Government also recognizes that some low-income workers are not receiving the benefits to which they are entitled. To address this issue, the Canada Revenue Agency is now automatically determining whether tax filers are eligible for the benefit, even if they do not claim it, to ensure that everyone entitled to the CWB receives it. Automatic enrollment is expected to benefit an estimated 300,000 additional low-income workers.

In addition, the Government has taken further action to improve access to the CWB. The CWB is generally paid once a year as part of the annual tax refund. However, eligible recipients have the option to apply for and receive up to 4 advance payments, totalling up to a maximum of 50% of the benefit, including, if applicable, the disability supplement. In Budget 2019, the Government provided the Canada Revenue Agency with $4 million over 2 years, starting in 2019–2020, to conduct targeted outreach, give low-income workers improved access to the CWB throughout the year, and increase awareness of the CWB, including the advance payment provision. This new funding will also allow low-income workers to apply for the CWB's advance payment online through Canada Revenue Agency's My Account.

The Government has taken significant actions to strengthen existing benefits and programs that help Canadians meet basic needs and prevent them from falling into poverty. For instance, the Government introduced the Canada Child Benefit (CCB) in July 2016, which is simpler, more generous and better targeted than the old system of child benefits.

Because the CCB is tax free and based on income, it provides more support to families who need help the most. The CCB helps almost 3.7 million families and about 6.5 million children, with close to 65% of families receiving the maximum CCB amounts being single-parent families, more than 90% of which are led by single mothers. For the 2020 to 2021 benefit year, the maximum annual benefit will be $6,765 per child under 6 years of age, and $5,708 per child aged 6 through 17. The CCB has played a key role in reducing the number of children living in poverty, which has declined by 367,000 between 2015 and 2018. To keep pace with the rising cost of living for Canadian families, the CCB has been indexed since July 2018.

To provide families with children with extra support during the pandemic, the Government increased the CCB in May 2020 by $300 for families currently receiving the benefit. This increase meant approximately $550 on average per family. In addition, to continue helping families with young children through the period of recovery, the Government announced in the Fall Economic Statement a proposal to provide temporary support of up to $1,200 in 2021 for each child under the age of 6 for families entitled to the CCB.

The Government has also increased Guaranteed Income Supplement payments by up to $947 per year for the lowest-income single recipients, which is helping nearly 900,000 low-income seniors, of which 70% are women.

To help Canadian seniors cover increased costs due to the pandemic, including staying home and staying safe, seniors received a special Old Age Security top-up of $300 and, for those eligible, a Guaranteed Income Supplement top-up of $200 in July 2020. After the initial payments were issued, there were a number of seniors who were found to be eligible for an Old Age Security pension retroactively. As a result, a second series of one-time payments was issued during the week of September 28. The Government also temporarily extended Guaranteed Income Supplement and Allowance payments during the pandemic if seniors' 2019 income information had not been received so that the most vulnerable seniors would continue to receive their benefits when they need them the most.

The Goods and Services (GST)/Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) Credit is a tax-free quarterly payment that helps individuals and families with low and modest incomes offset all or part of the GST/HST that they pay. Per year, Canadians can receive up to $451 if you are single; $592 if you are married or living common-law; and $155 for each child under the age of 19. Given their over-representation in lower-wage employment, this measure is expected to particularly benefit women workers.

As agreed to in principle by federal and provincial Ministers of Finance, once formal consent by provinces is obtained, the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) will protect CPP enhancement benefits for parents who take time off work to care for young children and for persons with disabilities. The new Child-Rearing drop-in is projected to provide credits for 125,000 people, most of whom are women, each year, which will increase the enhancement component of their later benefits. The new Disability drop-in is projected to benefit more than 400,000 individuals with disabilities over the next 20 years. These changes recognize the value of unpaid work and are in addition to protection already provided in the existing – or base – CPP. The base CPP will continue to remove low-earnings months that would otherwise lower the average earnings upon which a benefit is based, whereas the enhancement will drop in credits into low-earnings months, raising the average.

The Government recognizes the critical role that many Canadians play in supporting individuals who are dependent on them by reason of mental or physical infirmity, often while balancing work and other personal responsibilities. For this reason, Budget 2017 simplified the existing caregiver credit system by replacing the Caregiver Credit, Infirm Dependent Credit and Family Caregiver Tax Credit with a single credit: the Canada Caregiver Credit. This credit provides better support to those who need it the most, those providing care to dependent relatives with infirmities (including persons with disabilities). For families, it is estimated that this change represents additional tax relief of $310 million over the 2016 to 2017 to 2021 to 2022 period. It is estimated that about 520,000 caregivers claimed the Canada Caregiver Credit for the 2017 tax year.

In 2020, the Government invested $9.4 billion into the new Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit to help support Canadian workers who are unable to work for at least 50% of the week because they must provide supervised care for a family member for reasons related to the pandemic. The Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit will provide $500 per week to qualified workers and is likely to benefit workers and parents, particularly women and their children, dependents or family members. Women tend to shoulder the majority of caregiving responsibilities in Canada and make up the vast majority of EI parental, family caregiving and compassionate care benefit claimants. The flexibility of the eligibility rules will also facilitate access to self-employed individuals, including vulnerable workers such as women, persons with disabilities and recent immigrants.

The Fall Economic Statement also proposed several investments to increase the take up of benefits, including $32 million over 2 years, starting in 2020 to 2021, for improving the Government's ability to reach all Canadians by addressing workload pressures caused by the pandemic. Further to this, the Government is investing $31 million over 2 years, starting in 2021 to 2022, to support the ongoing delivery of key benefits via the safe re-opening of in-person Service Canada Centres. Efforts will continue to be made by ensuring federal programs are available to Canadians belonging to underrepresented and underserviced groups by fighting to end systemic racism, ensuring equal access to all Canadians regardless of their demographic and supporting Indigenous service delivery on reserves by providing funding of $27 million over 3 years, starting in 2020 to 2021.

Indigenous women

Many of the Government's initiatives and programs are designed to further our understanding of, as well as improve, the socio-economic conditions of Indigenous Peoples, notably with regards to access to quality health services, educational opportunities and Indigenous women's economic participation and economic security. The creation of the previously mentioned Indigenous Skill and Employment Training Program provides greater flexibility for Indigenous organizations to design programming that meets the needs of their people and communities. By working with Indigenous partners, the program promotes equal access to skills development and training opportunities by delivering tailored supports for Indigenous women such as child care, so that they are able to contribute more fully to the economic success of their communities.

The Government of Canada works with a number of partners and stakeholders to promote and ease access to education savings incentives. A notable example of this work is the Canada Learning Bond Champions Network. This network is made up of federal and provincial departments and agencies, non-governmental organizations, community service providers, and organizations that offer Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP). The network is focused on promoting the benefits of early savings in RESPs, as well as federal and provincial education savings incentives. The Government is also working to help increase take-up of the Canada Learning Bond in Indigenous communities. As part of these efforts, the Canada Learning Bond brochure has been translated into 6 different Indigenous languages. Additionally, the Government of Canada is working to ensure that Indigenous students, including Indigenous women, have access to post-secondary education by providing federal investments to Indspire, a national Indigenous-led registered charity that invests in the education of Indigenous students through the administration of scholarships and bursaries.

Furthermore, Budget 2017 announced that the Government of Canada would undertake a comprehensive and collaborative review with Indigenous partners of all current federal programs that support Indigenous students who wish to pursue post-secondary education. The Government has undertaken a partner and stakeholder-led review to ensure that federal programs meet the needs of individual students.

The Government is committed to systemic change in how it provides health services to Indigenous Peoples, and to developing models that bring control back to Indigenous communities. The Government is working with provincial and territorial governments, and regional and national Indigenous organizations, including those serving Indigenous women and girls, to provide effective, sustainable and culturally appropriate health programs and services to improve the health of First Nations and Inuit. These services are considered a key element of increasing well-being, economic and otherwise, among Indigenous Peoples. Canada invests $2.7 billion annually to support First Nations and Inuit health, including over $341 million annually to support First Nations and Inuit mental wellness. Budget 2018 announced significant new investments of $1.5 billion over 5 years to improve health outcomes of First Nations and Inuit and keep communities healthy. This includes $498 million to sustain access to critical medical care and services in remote and isolated First Nations communities, $200 million for culturally appropriate addictions treatment and prevention services in First Nations communities with high needs, and $490 million to preserve medically necessary health benefits and services through the Non-Insured Benefits Program. In addition to these investments, funding was also provided through Budget 2018 to increase health supports for survivors of Indian residential schools and their families; support for the elimination of tuberculosis in Inuit Nunangat and a permanent Inuit health survey to build capacity in Inuit communities to develop and collect survey information; support to the Métis Nation in gathering health data and developing a health strategy; and the renewal and enhancement of the Federal Tobacco Control Strategy, which includes targeted actions for Indigenous communities.

Furthermore, the Pan-Canadian Health Inequalities Reporting Initiative supports the development of evidence on health inequalities among Canadian populations, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis women and men. Through the initiative, over 70 indicators covering health outcomes and key determinants of health are measured, monitored, and reported on. Two key products of the initiative, namely the interactive Health Inequalities Data Tool and a narrative report on the health inequalities in Canada, provide data and evidence to study and monitor mental health and related services, educational attainment and economic security among Indigenous populations, including women. These resources can inform actions to improve the socio-economic conditions and wellbeing of Indigenous women.

Gender equality around the world

The Government of Canada is committed to the advancement of gender equality and women's empowerment around the world, and sees the elimination of poverty and the building of a more peaceful, inclusive and prosperous world, rooted in the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, as a means to achieve this goal. As such, the Government adopted a Feminist International Assistance Policy in 2017, identified the advancement of gender equality and women's empowerment as a cross-cutting theme of its 2018 G7 Presidency, and is embracing a feminist approach in all its international policies and programming, including diplomacy, security, development and trade. Through Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy, the Government will provide $400 million in additional resources to support the recovery and resilience of developing countries and address short-term humanitarian and development needs caused by the pandemic and other crises.

The Government of Canada is also an active member of the Equal Pay International Coalition, including by sitting on its Steering Committee. Equal Pay International Coalition is a multi- stakeholder partnership launched in 217 focused on advancing the objective of equal pay for work of equal value. Equal Pay International Coalition is led by the International Labour Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and UN Women. Furthermore, Canada has supported the adoption of a UN resolution proclaiming 18 September as International Equal Pay Day. This important day was celebrated for the first time in September 2020.

The Government of Canada continues to engage with the international community to advance advance women's economic security through the advancement of gender-equality. More specifically, our Government has leveraged the expertise and experience of civil society organizations across Canada as an integral part of our international engagement as civil society organizations help to mobilize and advance gender equality issues. 2020 marked a number of gender equality milestones, including the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action (Beijing+25); the 20th year of Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security; the fifth year of the Sustainable Development Goals; 10 years of the creation of UN Women; and 75 years of the United Nations.

Canada continues to serve as a member of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, a role it has held since 2017 and that will end in 2021. This has provided Canada the opportunity to further demonstrate leadership and influence on gender equality priorities in the work of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Since 2018, Women and Gender Equality Canada has invited and funded the participation of National Indigenous Leaders and Representatives on Canada's official delegation to provide their knowledge and expertise on issues affecting Indigenous women and girls.

Given the impacts and scaling back of United Nations Commission on the Status of Women 64 due to the pandemic, on July 1, 2020, Canada issued its country statement to the UN Commission on the Status of Women virtually, recognizing the profound impact that the pandemic has had on the world, especially on the most at-risk groups. The differential and gendered impacts of the pandemic are a reminder to Canada and the world that efforts to advance gender equality remain critically important.

The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA) is the central international policy document for the promotion of gender equality. Canada has been a strong supporter of the BPfA since its inception in 1995. 2020 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary. The BPfA calls for strategic action in critical areas of concern including: women and poverty, education and training of women, and women and the economy. Every 5 years the UNCSW undertakes a review of the progress and challenges to date in the implementation of the BPfA. Canada's National Review Report was submitted to the United Nations in July 2019. To maintain the BPfA momentum, the Government of Canada is working to engage partners in the lead up to the Generation Equality Forum which will be launched next year.

The Inter-American Commission of Women of the Organization of American States is the first and only hemispheric forum on women's rights and gender equality. Its main function is to advance the rights of women in the hemisphere and to support the Member States in their efforts to comply with their international and inter-American commitments on women's human rights and gender equality by providing technical assistance, establishing guidelines, and galvanizing regional action to uphold the human rights of women. Every 3 years the Inter-American Commission of Women gathers the highest authorities on women's issues of the region (usually Ministers of Women) at its Assembly of Delegates to set the priorities and work plan of the Commission and elect its Executive Committee for the next 3 years. The last Assembly of Delegates took place in May 2019, where the Executive Committee for 2019 to 2022 was selected. Canada successfully pursued a leadership position on the Executive Committee to influence regional discussions on gender equality issues. Canada is now 1 of 3 Vice Presidents of the Inter-American Commission of Women's Executive Committee for 2019 to 2022.

In June 2019, Canada had the honour of hosting the Women Deliver 2019 Conference, a worldwide gathering of civil society organizations, youth, private sector representatives, UN agencies, and governments from over 50 countries with a focus on the health, rights and well- being of women and girls. Canada utilized its network of missions abroad to highlight its local and international leadership on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Moreover, at the conference, the Government of Canada made game-changing and innovative investments that promote the empowerment of women and girls and people of all gender identities and expressions. This included providing up to $750,000 to build on the findings of the Feminists Deliver Conference and Tradeshow, a parallel event held in Vancouver during Women Deliver, and drive real progress for women in British Columbia by promoting a feminist approach that targets the most marginalized communities. In addition, the Government of Canada committed to enhancing its investment in the first-ever Women's Entrepreneurship Strategy, which aims to double the number of women entrepreneurs in Canada by 2025. This is also where Canada announced WAGE's 3 innovative funding agreements for up to $10 million with Community Foundations of Canada, Canadian Women's Foundation and Grand Challenges Canada. These organizations will match the federal investment to advance equality across Canada, with a particular focus on diversity, rural and remote communities, as well as support for Indigenous women.

Cross-cutting initiatives

Gender-based analysis plus

Included in the Government of Canada's work on gender equality is the continued implementation of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) across all federal departments and agencies. GBA+ helps to ensure that the development of policies, programs and legislation includes the consideration of differential impacts on diverse groups.

To further implement GBA+, the Canadian Gender Budgeting Act was passed in December 2018, and legislates the commitment of the Government of Canada to publish information on the GBA+ impacts of all new budget measures on all types of Canadians. In response to this new legislation, Budget 2019 provided a comprehensive GBA+ summary of each new measure in a Gender Report annex.

The Government of Canada continues to ensure that all federal initiatives are informed by Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+). This is an important mechanism that helps ensure that measures and supports are provided to those who need it most and that Government interventions reduce inequalities and address the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19. The Government will continue to use the GBA+ tool to implement measures in response to the pandemic.

To conduct robust GBA+, access to gender-disaggregated data and intersecting factors is essential. The Government recognizes this is a key challenge, and efforts are underway to improve access and to make more data available. Budget 2019 provided increased funding to Employment and Social Development Canada for the collection and development of better gender and diversity data with an aim to improve the capacity to better measure, monitor and address gender disparity and promote access of under-represented groups across the Government's skills programming. Budget 2018 invested $6.7 million over 5 years, starting in 2018 to 2019, for Statistics Canada to create a new Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics. The Centre acts as a GBA+ data hub to support future, evidence-based policy development and decision-making, and will work to address gaps in the availability of disaggregated data on gender, race and other intersecting identities. Furthermore, through the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Forum of Ministers Responsible for Status of Women, the Government is working to share knowledge and information with an aim to promote and advance equality for women and girls, and among different groups of women, as well as to undertake collaborative initiatives on issues related to the enhancement of women and girl's equality. In this regard, the Government is working with provincial/territorial Ministers through various forums on GBV and gender inequality.

The Government understands that gender equality benefits all Canadians and can have a pivotal role in building a strong economy. For example, as mentioned previously, to support greater gender equality for all workers, the EI program applies a GBA+ lens to all the EI programs, initiatives and proposals that are considered. In particular, the Employment Insurance Parental Sharing Benefit, which was announced in Budget 2018 and launched on March 17, 2019, was developed on the basis of evidence which demonstrated that father-specific parental leaves have long-term and positive impacts such as increasing work-life balance, reducing labour market inequality and promoting greater gender equality at home and in the workplace. This measure was intended to encourage the sharing of EI parental benefits, aligned with the Economic Participation and Prosperity pillar of the Gender Result Framework.

The Government is also taking GBA+ into consideration when supporting new infrastructure projects, so as to help support a diverse and equitable future for Canada. For instance, the Smart Cities Challenge encourages municipalities and local governments to include GBA+ considerations in their proposals, particularly in the areas of resident engagement and project design, through 3 main ways: 1) evaluating communities on their efforts to include diverse views, represent a cross-section of the community, and remove systemic barriers; 2) providing communities with a comprehensive toolkit, webinars, and other resources on diversity and inclusion in the context of smart cities; and 3) requiring winning communities to present their plans to support the diversification of recruitment, training, and procurement practices in their infrastructure projects. Secondly, in each of Infrastructure Canada's Integrated Bilateral Agreements, the provincial or territorial government must agree to report on community employment benefits provided to at least 3 federal target groups (such as, women, apprentices, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, veterans, youth, recent immigrants, or Small and Medium Enterprises and social enterprises). The agreements also incorporate a performance indicator that will collect data and allow the Government to report on the number of projects that take gender into consideration during the design and/or construction phases of projects. Under the Community, Culture and Recreation stream of the Integrated Bilateral Agreements, projects must have an immediate outcome aligning with improved access to and/or quality of cultural, recreational and/or community infrastructure for Canadians, including Indigenous Peoples and vulnerable populations.

Under the Government's Venture Capital Catalyst Initiative, all proposals will be required to address the improvement of gender balance among Canadian venture capital fund managers and companies, which will be included as part of the assessment process of each candidate. Strategies could include items like: the gender balance of the investment team, targeted investment strategies, specialized training, mentoring or networking, or support of industry or educational programs.

In terms of the federal government's research programs, the Government has paid particular attention to ensuring that such major programs as the Canada Research Chairs and Canada Excellence Research Chairs provide equitable access for women and members of the other under-represented groups. The current Canada Excellence Research Chairs competition, which was anticipated to conclude during 2019, was launched with new application requirements requiring universities to submit detailed equity plans with their applications. The Canada Research Chairs program launched the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan in May 2017 with new requirements for institutions to develop institutional Equity, Diversity and Inclusion action plans and to institute new equity and diversity public accountability requirements. In addition, 60% of the 24 Canada 150 Research Chairs awarded in 2017 to attract top-tier international researchers to Canada are women, owing to a particular focus on equity and diversity under this one-time initiative that was implemented to celebrate Canada's birth as a nation. The Canada Research Coordinating Committee launched in October 2017 will also work to strengthen equity and diversity in research.

Engagement

In October 2018, at their 36th annual meeting, FPT Ministers responsible for the Status of Women met in Whitehorse, Yukon and worked collaboratively to advance key priorities affecting women and girls in Canada. The Ministers discussed the gender pay gap and efforts to promote skills-training and education in preparation for jobs for the future. Ministers also took part in a discussion about women's participation in the economy and leadership and heard from experts – including Colette Acheson, Executive Director for the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, Rhonda Barnet, Chair of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters National Board of Directors and Chief Operation Officer for Steelworks Design, and Dominic Barton, Global Managing Director for McKinsey and Company – who provided advice to jurisdictions to help improve the participation of women in the economy.

At the 37th annual meeting of FPT Ministers responsible for the Status of Women held in Victoria, British Columbia, in December 2019, Ministers heard perspectives from 2 youth panels about poverty, economic opportunity, health and well-being with a focus on the challenges that people from LGBTQ2S communities, girls and young women face. In addition, Ministers agreed to develop a 3 year (2021-2024) FPT Strategic Plan to inform their collective action to advance gender equality across Canada, including work on economic participation and prosperity.

In 2020, the FPT Task Team on Economic Participation and Prosperity has been working on potential actions to build awareness on having more women in leadership positions, including in the private sector, as well as to build social awareness and create opportunities for girls and women to succeed in male-dominated sectors such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and skilled trades.

The Government recognizes that men and boys are implicated in supporting efforts towards gender equality. To this end, in Budget 2018, the Government dedicated $1.8 million over 2 years to develop an engagement strategy promoting equality and piloting targeted approaches to addressing inequality. This investment resulted in a series of roundtable discussions with over 200 participants, conducted across the country in 2018 titled, "Calling Men and Boys In". The report, released in 2019, summarizes that discussions were candid and fruitful, demarcating themes within which main issues fall.

As part of the It's Time: Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, the Government allocated $5.5 million over 5 years (2017 to 2022) and $1.3 million per year ongoing. Budget 2018 announced funding of $7.2 million over 5 years leading to the creation of the Youth Working Group on Gender Equality that spearheaded the initiative "Conversations on Gender Equality with Young Canadians". Moreover, funding was given to 5 Indigenous organizations to parallel efforts for engaging youth in the Indigenous context. Budget 2019 announced an historic $100 million investment in capacity building for women's organizations and $20 million over 2 years investing in capacity building and community-level work of Canadian LGBTQ2 service organizations.

We are proud that Canada continues to celebrate Gender Equality Week since its inauguration in September 2018. In addition, efforts to raise awareness and encourage engagement continue through initiatives such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, the International Day of the Girl, Persons Day, International Women's Day, Women's History Month and the Governor General's Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case that honours Canadians who advance gender equality. We continue to celebrate progress and reinforce the need to continue efforts.

As outlined in these pages, the Government continues to prioritize initiatives and programs that support women's economic security and promote their full participation in the economy. While progress has been made, the economic disruption caused by the pandemic has thrown up significant challenges that must be addressed as we begin to rebuild in a period of post-pandemic recovery. With its Expert Task Force advising on the development of its proposed Action Plan for Women in the Economy, the Government has demonstrated its commitment to continue moving forward with the bold new initiatives needed to further enhance the economic security of women, promote gender equality – including equality for transgender, non-binary and 2- spirited people – and rebuild a more diverse, inclusive and resilient Canada.