Question Period Note: Menstrual Equity Fund

How is the Government addressing period poverty through its Menstrual Equity Fund?

• Menstrual products are a basic necessity and are essential to upholding sexual and reproductive health and rights. Unfortunately, too many women, girls, trans, and non-binary Canadians struggle to afford these products.

• In Canada, it is estimated that 1.24 million people who menstruate struggle to access necessary products. Lack of access, along with period stigma and shame, make it hard for people to fully participate in school, work, and other aspects of public life. This is not an equitable situation.

• Budget 2022 committed $25M over 2 years to establish a national pilot for a Menstrual Equity Fund that will help make menstrual products available to Canadians who struggle to afford them.

• Extensive research and engagement, including looking at models in other jurisdictions, will inform the approach to rolling out the pilot for the Fund, to ensure it helps determine the way ahead on improving menstrual equity.

• The Government has also taken steps to improve menstrual equity in schools in First Nations and across Canada, and for federally regulated workplaces.

Investment

• Budget 2022 committed $25M over two years to establish a national pilot for a Menstrual Equity Fund.

Results

• The results of the information gathering and stakeholder engagement through the pilot activities will inform the design and implementation plan for the way ahead on menstrual equity. It will also position WAGE to undertake awareness activities to address stigma, shame, and the lack of information related to menstruation and menstrual cycles.

Project Examples.

• Not applicable

BACKGROUND:

• Women and Gender Equality Canada is currently:
o working with key federal partners, engaging with the provinces and territories and reaching out to community organizations and experts across Canada to help develop the Menstrual Equity Fund pilot to ensure that it will be as useful as possible in determining the way ahead;
o supporting research to inform the pilot, including an environmental scan to identify existing projects and organizations already conducting work in the menstrual equity sector, and a literature review of the social impacts of period poverty.

• The Menstrual Equity Fund pilot will be the latest step the federal government is taking to support menstrual equity in Canada:
o On November 5, 2021, the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services, released a statement that all students in First Nations operated schools on reserve and in federal schools across Canada will have access to free menstrual products.
o The 2021 mandate letter for the Minister of Labour reiterates the Government of Canada’s commitment to provide free menstrual products in federally regulated workplaces.

• These actions support work being done at the provincial level. British Columbia became the first province to provide free menstrual products in schools in 2019. Since then, Prince Edward Island, Ontario and Manitoba have also begun initiatives to provide free menstrual products in schools.

Research:
• Menstrual equity is the unhindered access to menstrual management products, including access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, access to educational materials on the topic, and the ability to discuss issues pertaining to menstruation without any fear or shame.

• Period poverty, or menstrual inequity, is the inability to access menstrual products due to financial limitations or other barriers. Marginalized populations such as refugees, those who are homeless, sex workers, trans and non-binary people, Indigenous communities, and people living in rural, remote, and Northern communities face additional barriers to accessing menstrual supplies and are at greater risk of period poverty.

• Canadians experiencing period poverty, especially those who are homeless, can adopt poor menstruation management practices such as using menstrual products for too long. These practices can have detrimental impacts on the overall mental and physical health of menstruators, including sexual and reproductive health.

• A 2022 Plan International Canada Survey found that:

o One in five (21%) girls, women, and people who menstruate in Canada struggle to afford menstrual products for themselves or their dependents.
o More than four in five respondents who menstruate (83%) believe period products are too expensive.
o One in five (22%) ration or use products longer than they should because they can’t afford more. This rises to 33% among those with a household income of under $50,000 and 48% for Indigenous respondents.
o A barrier between those who identify as women/girls and men/boys persists. A majority of those who menstruate continue to feel compelled to hide menstrual products as they go to the washroom (74%) and not let male colleagues/peers know when they have their period (66%).
o 95% of women and girls and 89% of men and boys support offering free menstrual products in schools.

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