Details on transfer payment programs: 2020-21 Departmental Results Report, Women and Gender Equality Canada

Ongoing

Grants and Contributions

Appropriation Annually through Estimates

2017-18

The Department’s interventions facilitate the advancement of gender equality

Community Action and Innovation

The Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Program takes action under the second pillar of “It's Time: Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence” which is "support for survivors and their families". The GBV Program is population-specific, with the objective of supporting organizations working in the GBV sector to develop and implement promising practices in order to address gaps in supports for Indigenous and underserved groups of survivors in Canada.

Funding is provided to eligible organizations in support of projects at the local, regional and national levels, and is available for time-specific projects that address gaps in supports for specific groups of survivors, including Indigenous women and their communities, and other underserved populations, such as: children and youth; ethno-cultural women; LGBTQ2S persons; non-status/refugee/immigrant women; seniors; women living in an official language minority community; women living in northern, rural and remote communities; and women living with a disability.

In 2019, as part of the Government of Canada National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking (National Strategy), funding was announced for the Department for Women and Gender Equality to support the development, testing and implementation of innovative and empowering promising practices to support at-risk and vulnerable populations to reduce their vulnerability to being trafficked, as well as trauma-informed supports for women, girls, LGBTQ2 and gender non-binary people who are survivors of human trafficking. This initiative is using the established Terms and Conditions of the Gender-Based Violence Program while aligning under the Performance Measurement, Reporting, and Governance structure of the National Strategy. A total of 43 projects were funded in 2020-21 for a total investment of more than $14 million.

Implementation of projects is still under way. Results at the short and medium term are presented for the year 2020-21. The following is a description of the work being done at this stage.

WAGE received funding through Budget 2017 ($29 million over five years, starting in 2017-18, with $6 million ongoing) and Budget 2018 ($25.5 million over five years, starting in 2018-19, with $6 million ongoing) for the GBV Program. As of 2020-21, WAGE has invested over $55 million in more than 60 projects through the population specific GBV Program. Funding is helping service providers, organizations, governments and others working to prevent GBV to collaborate more, and to support survivors and their families.

To date, more than 350 new partnerships have been created, facilitating the development of training on cultural safety and trauma informed service delivery, transformation care for LGBTQ2S survivors of GBV, and piloting new supports the help survivors of GBV navigate the legal system.

• 48% of organizations are collaborating to share knowledge, tools and/or providing feedback to assist with the development / implementation of projects.
• 21% of organizations are helping to engage key stakeholders and/or expanding the reach of projects.
• 14% of collaborating organizations are directly involved in the implementation of projects.
• 13% of organizations are involved in the projects’ organizing/advisory committees and/or are involved in decision-making on the development / implementation of projects.

N/A

No evaluation took place in 2020-21.

A mid-term horizontal evaluation of Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, is underway and is expected to be completed in 2022.

The Department for Women and Gender Equality continued to support organizations working in the GBV sector in developing tools and supports to better connect and engage recipients. National and regional offices also worked to connect and support organizations’ capacity building in various ways, such as facilitating partnerships and knowledge sharing.

Ongoing

Grants and Contributions

Appropriation annually through Estimates

2020-21

The Department’s interventions under this program facilitate the advancement of gender equality.

Community Action and Innovation

The purpose of the Women’s Program is to advance equality for women in Canada by working to address or remove systemic barriers to their progress and advancement. The program provides grant and contribution funding to Canadian organizations to support actions that will lead to equality across Canada. Funded projects occur at the national, regional, and local levels and help to create the conditions for women’s success in Canada.

The Program: facilitates collaboration and networking; develops partnerships to address horizontal issues impacting women and girls; shares knowledge; and assists organizations working to advance women’s equality to gain access to expertise, resources and tools. The Program does not have repayable contributions.

In 2018, the Department for Women and Gender Equality received new, time-limited funding through the Women’s Program of $100 million over five years (2018-19 to 2022-23) to support women’s and Indigenous organizations to ensure a strong sustainable women’s movement. With this funding, the Department invested in 255 projects which is increasing organizational and sector capacity and help organizations work collectively to address gender equality issues.

In 2020-21, to support Canada’s most vulnerable people, the Government of Canada invested approximately $100 million in new emergency funding under the Women’s Program for organizations providing supports and services to those experiencing gender-based violence during COVID-19. This included taking critical measures and making new investments to support shelters and transition housing that continue to provide a safe space for women experiencing violence and their families and ensuring anyone facing gender-based violence has a safe place to turn.

COVID-19 Emergency Response Funding

In response to the increased need for support by women experiencing GBV, WAGE acted quickly by distributing nearly $100 million in COVID-19 emergency funding, through the Canadian Women’s Foundation, Women’s Shelters Canada, and the Government of Quebec, as part of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan. This funding helped support the work of over 1,200 frontline organizations, who collectively reached more than 1.1 million women and children experiencing violence. Because of this funding, over 450 organizations were able to hire additional staff, and close to 550 organizations were able to extend staff shifts to respond to the increased demand for services. Over 350 organizations were able to purchase additional protective equipment and cleaning supplies to ensure the safety of their staff and clients. Additionally, over 600 organizations were able to expand programs and services to respond to the increased need and nearly 100 organizations were also able to support children impacted by GBV through childcare and support services.

In 2020–21, the Women’s Program worked to advance the economic, social and democratic life for women in Canada by investing a total of nearly $100 million in over 180 new and ongoing projects at the local, regional and national levels.

Funded Projects Overview

Over the reporting period, 77 funded projects were completed and submitted final reports. These included:

• 19 projects supporting the economic participation and prosperity of women;
• 19 projects working to prevent gender-based violence and increase access to justice;
• 27 projects working towards increased women’s democratic participation and political leadership;
• 2 projects were completed that aimed at building the capacity of women’s and equality-seeking organizations to advance gender equality; and
• 10 projects to commemorate Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Women’s Program Analysis of Projects Completed in 2020-21

Of the 77 projects completed in 2020-21, 29% supported Indigenous women and girls. This funding allowed for more than 1,500 resources and tools to be created and shared, and nearly 50% of projects under this priority resulted in changes to policies and institutions; Systemic changes have been made to reduce barriers and increase the proportion of women in leadership positions.

Priority 1: Encouraging women’s leadership and democratic participation

This year, WAGE invested nearly $25 million to support 39 projects through this priority. Funded projects in this area that were completed in 2020-21 developed and disseminated more than 1,100 different resources to improve access to supports for women leaders. As a result, more than 1.4 million women gained access to services and supports that resulted in better opportunities for leadership positions in various spheres.

Priority 2: Increasing women’s economic security and prosperity

This year, WAGE invested nearly $54 million to support 73 projects through this priority. Funded projects in this area that were completed in 2020-21 developed and disseminated more than 150 different resources to increase awareness of what services and supports were available and how to access them. As a result, nearly 370,000 women gained access to services and supports that resulted in better opportunities in education, employment, health, and social services, and gained skills and knowledge to create more equitable conditions for women in various spheres.

Priority 3: Ending violence against women

This year, through the Women’s Program, WAGE invested nearly $15 million to support 38 projects through this priority. Funded projects in this area that were completed in 2020-21 developed and disseminated more than 180 different resources to increase awareness of what services and supports were available and how to access them. As a result, 2.2 million women gained access to services and supports related to gender-based violence, including access to counselling, court services, and trauma-informed victims’ services.

The following points highlight some of the funded projects in 2020-21 that developed and implemented concrete solutions to the systemic barriers faced by women:

• Successfully advocated for the application of a gender-based analysis lens to Toronto’s new housing plan and for dedicated new housing for women in the city, strengthening relationships between the city and several Violence Against Women (VAW) networks;
• Addressed barriers that contribute to the underrepresentation, retention and advancement of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields and provided improved opportunities for women in the Canadian workplace;
• Strengthened the leadership of Métis women by promoting their traditional role of community culture-keepers, and laying the groundwork for Métis women’s leadership roles within the Métis governance structure; and,
• Fostered a shift in norms and attitudes of boys and men to combat gender-based violence by providing culturally appropriate information and resources to Inuit boys and men, working to heal intergenerational trauma.

92% of all projects that were completed this fiscal year indicated that the Department’s investment resulted in increased knowledge on a particular topic for the organization. Specific examples of this knowledge increase are included below:

• Created knowledge-sharing sessions and gender-based analysis plus training sessions for organizational staff members and key stakeholders, resulting in an increased understanding of GBA Plus, its purpose, and best practices;
• Attended pilot workshops focusing on building feminist, intersectional advocacy for feminist issues, increasing their understanding of inclusive approaches to feminist advocacy;
• Developed a strategic plan to address pay inequity in the private sector, resulting in increased knowledge of pay equity legislation and related advocacy work; and,
• Created gender parity committees to identify promising practices and implement gender parity policies and plans within the boards of organizations, leading to the implementation of an official strategy to reach gender parity within their own board.

The Commemoration Fund

Through this fund, commemoration initiatives were developed to support communities in honouring the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2S individuals. 10 projects were completed under this Fund and submitted final reports in 2020-21 fiscal year.

Indigenous organizations and those affected by the issue, including families, survivors and communities, worked together on initiatives to honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2S individuals. 8 projects stated that the funding generated increased knowledge for the organization. Specific examples of this increased knowledge included:

• Sharing of Indigenous traditional knowledge and teachings, including sewing, cooking, beading, and dance;
• Deeper understanding of underlying MMIWG issues and the affects of post traumatic stress disorder to women and their families who have experienced a missing or murdered loved one;
• Learning cultural intervention practices from traditional clan mothers of the Haudenosaunee; and,
• Increased awareness of MMIWG and the intersection of violence against women with colonialism and Indigeneity.

N/A

Planned evaluation in 2022-23 for the period of 2016/17 to 2021/22

The Women’s Program continued to develop tools and supports to better connect and engage recipients. Regional offices also worked to connect and support organizations’ capacity building in various ways, such as facilitating partnerships and knowledge sharing.

WAGE closely worked with Platform (Young Women’s Leadership Network) to share information and resources for the youth engagement aspect. Information and resources stem from the National Conversations on Gender Equality with Young Canadians (both stream 1 – WAGE Youth Network and stream 2 – Indigenous funded organizations). Platform was invited to be involved in yearly meetings with funded organization to share knowledge, ideas, best practices and identify gaps. Connections were made between the organizations Platform and Equal Voice to evaluate their Daughters of the Vote program.

WAGE also worked with EVA CAN (Ending Violence Association of Canada) through their Coordinating National Action Against Gender-Based Violence project to develop a 5-Year Strategic Plan and involving 12 member organizations. In February 2020, EVA Canada hosted its first in-person meeting of 12 members. This 2-day, facilitated meeting held in Ottawa laid the groundwork for the process of the development and implementation of the 5-year strategic plan. During this meeting, the Board had an opportunity to discuss the organizational history and current operations, including discussing the organizational structure, vision, scope and membership.

2021-22

Grants and Contributions

Main / Supplementary Estimates

2019-20

The Department’s interventions under this program facilitate the advancement of gender equality.

Community Action and Innovation

The objective of the Equality for the Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression Program (SSOGIE) is to advance social, political and economic equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.

In 2020-21, WAGE launched a call for proposals called the “LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund”, which is designed to build stronger capacity and networks of LGBTQ2 community organizations to advance LGBTQ2 equality across Canada.

In 2020-21, WAGE funded 70 projects through the LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund for a total investment of more than $12M.

Given that funding decisions were made in the winter of 2020-21, outcomes resulting from these projects will be available starting in 2021-22.

A preliminary analysis of the Call for Proposals (CFP) results showed that 76% of projects are building the capacity of organizations that serve communities comprising LGBTQ2 individuals who are also individuals with disabilities, racialized individuals, youth, non-status, refugee or immigrants, as well as official language minority communities.

The geographic distribution of projects funded is as follows:

• Atlantic region: 11%
• Ontario: 30%
• Québec: 24%
• West/Northwest Territories and the Yukon: 27%
• National projects: 7%

This Fund is supporting projects that will strengthen the capacity of LGBTQ2 community organizations and networks in one or more of the following ways:

• Building managerial capacity (for example, board governance, strategic planning)
• Enhancing technical expertise within organizations
• Strengthening collaboration among organizations (for example, establishing formalized networks, resource sharing)
• Ensuring long-term sustainability (for example, diversification of funding sources)
• Increasing access to evidence, data, information, and knowledge sources (for example, environmental scans to assess community needs)
• Advancing LGBTQ2 equality with an intersectional approach, such as race, age, official language (for example, to ensure that barriers are not created within the program, leaders should recognize that activities and discussions will have different meanings for different individuals)
• Improving access to funding opportunities (for example, developing knowledge and expertise in grant writing)

Amplifying sector capacity at large (for example, enhancing technical expertise)

N/A

N/A

The Equality for SSOGIE program developed tools and supports to connect and engage recipients. Regional offices also worked to connect and support organizations’ capacity building in facilitating partnerships and knowledge sharing.

WAGE closely worked with National LGBTQ2 organizations such as the Enchanté Network, 2 Spirit in Motion Society, Fierté Canada Pride and Conseil Québécois LGBT in developing a distinct funding approach to support the development of national LGBTQ2 foundational infrastructure. The National region connected with these organizations on many occasions to share knowledge on best practices, challenges and gaps experienced by their member organizations and LGBTQ2 communities and populations across the country. WAGE also actively supported them in the development of their capacities and the establishment of partnerships with other national LGBTQ2 organizations.

The Quebec-Nunavut region organized a virtual event with all the groups funded through the call for proposals: LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund in order to connect and answer questions to support organizations in their project development. This meeting also served as a networking platform for the organizations funded under this call.