Question Period Note: Economic Security and Affordability

Why are women and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals still at more risk of housing insecurity and poverty?

• The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified already existing socioeconomic disparities.

• Many women and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals in Canada continue to live in poverty and face barriers to economic security.

• The Government’s efforts to lift more Canadians out of poverty and address housing insecurity include:
o A National Housing Strategy to address challenges across the housing continuum;
o A Reaching Home Strategy to prevent and reduce homelessness;
o A Poverty Reduction Strategy; and
o $30 billion in funding for Early Learning and Child Care.

Investment

• Since November 2015, through the Women’s Program, WAGE has distributed more than $130.9 million to support over 250 projects related to economic security and affordability.

Results

• In 2020-21, projects funded in this area developed and disseminated nearly 150 different resources, including toolkits, guides and various models. As a result, 368,229 women gained access to services and supports that resulted in better opportunities in education, employment, health, and social services.
• In addition, 84% of projects in this category increased people’s knowledge and skills to support more equitable outcomes for women. As a result of these resources and training workshops, nearly 370,000 people gained skills and knowledge to create more equitable conditions for women in various spheres.

Project examples

• Oxfam Canada received $558,331 for a 27-month project to inform and develop pandemic recovery responses that address intersectional barriers to early learning and childcare (ELCC) accessibility, affordability, quality and inclusiveness. Oxfam Canada will help women’s economic recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19 by advancing policy changes to increase access of underrepresented groups to early learning and childcare.

• The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives received $358,597 for a 30-month research and knowledge mobilization project to create a women’s employment dashboard, conduct case studies that provide rich, detailed information about the experiences of marginalized women, and provide evidence-based policy proposals to ensure that those most impacted by the pandemic are a key part of Canada’s post-pandemic economic recovery.

• Mid Island Metis Nation Association received for $300,000 for a 29-month project to identify strategies and pilot initiatives that support economic interdependence amongst Indigenous, racialized and newcomer communities, creating a framework for an anti-poverty strategy.

BACKGROUND:

• In 2020, 6.3% of men and 6.4% of women were living below the poverty line. Poverty is more prevalent in some groups than others; factors such as age, gender identity, family composition, Indigeneity, immigration status, disability, racism, homophobia, and transphobia play a role. People experiencing socio-economic inequities are also at a greater risk of experiencing gender-based violence.

• Women are less likely than men to participate in the labour force, which can contribute to their economic insecurity into their senior years.

• With the rising cost of living for shelter, energy and food, women’s economic security is further affected. In February 2022, the annual change in inflation was 5.7% while women’s wages grew by only 2.2% on average. After a steady increase, inflation decreased to 7.6% in July 2022, down from a 39-year high of 8.1% in June 2022. The gap is particularly pronounced in several key women-majority care occupations and low wage sectors, including nursing, child care, and social and community service workers. After taking inflation into account, at 5.5% over 2019 to 2021, these occupations all experienced real income losses.

• Children in female-led sole-caregiver families continue to be at significantly higher risk of poverty. In 2020, female-led sole-caregiver families had a poverty rate of 15%. The identity of the parent and economic family composition can greatly impact the poverty rate. For example, individuals with a disability living in female sole-caregiver families are at an even greater risk of poverty (30.2%) .

• Housing stability is intrinsically linked with income. Racialized and Indigenous women are more likely to experience economic insecurity and housing discrimination. Young women and young gender diverse people are more at-risk of eviction. For example, 25 to 40% of all homeless youth identify as belonging to Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and additional sexually and gender diverse people (2SLGBTQI+) communities. Women, and in particular lone mothers, are more likely to experience harassment and discrimination (other than based on rental rates) when looking for rental housing .

Measures to address housing and homelessness
• National Housing Strategy (NHS): Launched in 2017 and led by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the 10-year $70B+ plan prioritizes the most vulnerable Canadians, including homeless people, young adults, racialized groups, newcomers, people with disabilities, women and children fleeing violence, Indigenous peoples, those dealing with mental health and addiction issues, seniors, and veterans. Under the NHS, at least 25% of investments will support projects that specifically target the unique needs of women and girls. Budget 2021 announced an additional $315.4M through the Canada Housing Benefit, a component of the NHS, to help low-income women and children fleeing violence pay for rent, to be delivered by provinces and territories.
o Rapid Housing Initiative: Launched in October 2020 (as part of the National Housing Strategy). Budget 2022 announced $1.5B over 2 years, starting in 2022-23, to create at least 6000 new affordable housing units.

• National Housing Co-Investment Fund: Launched in 2017 and led by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, this Fund has supported the construction and repair of 108,000 housing units for the most vulnerable Canadians.

• Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy: Led by Infrastructure Canada, is a community-based program, which provides direct funding to urban, Indigenous, rural and remote communities across Canada to help address local homelessness needs and priorities through a coordinated access system of support. Through Reaching Home, the federal government has committed approximately $3 billion over 9 years to address homelessness. Reaching Home communities have the flexibility to prioritize any populations in their area based on their local homelessness needs, including 2SLGBTQI+ people and women experiencing violence.

Youth-led Initiatives
• The Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) is a horizontal initiative, led by ESDC in collaboration with 11 other federal departments and agencies to help young people (15-30), particularly those who face barriers to employment, including Indigenous youth, develop the skills, supports and employment opportunities to transition into the labour market. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, a YESS federal partner, delivers the Housing Internship Initiative, which provides financial assistance to Indigenous businesses and organizations to create housing-related internships for Indigenous youth, providing work experience and on-the-job training in mostly remote locations and on reserve.

Measures to address affordability of childcare and caregiving
• The Government is investing in affordable childcare, including through:
o Early Learning and Childcare: Investing $30B over the next five years, and $8.3B ongoing to provide families with access to affordable high-quality childcare.
o Canada Child Benefit: Investments have already helped lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and will continue increasing to keep up with the cost of living.

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