Question Period Note: Supporting women’s shelters, sexual assault centres, and organizations providing gender-based violence services and supports across Canada during COVID-19

What is the Government doing to support women’s shelters, sexual assault centres and organizations providing gender-based violence services and supports during the COVID-19 pandemic?

• The Government of Canada is taking strong and quick action to protect our economy, and the health, safety, and jobs of all Canadians during the global COVID-19 outbreak.

• 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, and in close contact with a violent partner can be a terrifying prospect.

• This is why the Government is investing to support women and children fleeing violence by providing up to $50 million to women’s shelters, sexual assault centres and organizations providing gender-based violence services and supports to help with their capacity to manage or prevent an outbreak in their facilities. This includes funding for facilities in Indigenous communities.

• I am pleased to announce that, thanks to the work of our partners at Women’s Shelters Canada, Canadian Women’s Foundation and the Government of Quebec, these much-needed resources are already flowing to organizations.

On March 18, 2020, the Prime Minister announced a new set of economic measures to help stabilize the economy and help Canadians affected by the impacts of this challenging period.

These measures, delivered as part of the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, will provide up to $27 billion in direct support to Canadian workers and businesses, plus $55 billion to meet liquidity needs of Canadian businesses and households through tax deferrals to help stabilize the economy. Combined, this $82 billion in support represents more than 3 per cent of Canada’s GDP. This wide-ranging support will help ensure Canadians can pay for rent and groceries, and help businesses continue to pay their employees and their bills during this period of uncertainty.

This support includes up to $50 million to women’s shelters, sexual assault centres and organizations providing gender-based violence services and supports to increase their capacity as first responders during the current health crisis, as well as to prevent outbreaks or manage them should they occur in their facilities. This includes funding for facilities in Indigenous communities.

Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) received up to $40 million. Of this amount, up to $30 million was allocated to address the immediate needs of women’s shelters, sexual assault centres and organizations providing gender-based violence services and supports across the country. The funds have been distributed as follows:
• Up to $20.54 million to Women’s Shelters Canada (WSC) to distribute to over 430 women’s shelters across the country (excluding Quebec, as well as Indigenous shelters funded by Indigenous Services Canada).
• Up to $3 million to Canadian Women’s Foundation (CWF) to distribute to over 90 sexual assault centres across the country (excluding Quebec).
• Up to $6.46 million to the Government of Quebec to distribute to women’s shelters and sexual assault centres in the province.

An additional $10 million has been provided to the CWF to distribute to over 340 organizations across Canada (excluding Quebec) that provide services and supports to those experiencing gender-based violence, as well as $2.3 million to the Government of Quebec to distribute to organizations throughout the province.

In addition, up to $10 million was provided to Indigenous Services Canada's (ISC) existing network of 46 emergency shelters on reserve and in Yukon to support Indigenous women and children fleeing violence.
• These funds are flowing directly to shelters and will provide them with additional operational funding to manage or prevent outbreaks in their facilities.
• The operational funding is being delivered through ISC’s Family Violence Prevention Program. The amount for each shelter has been determined based on factors such as on-reserve population, remoteness, and number of beds.

As of August 14, 2020, over 900 shelters, sexual assault centres and other organizations providing critical gender-based violence services and supports across Canada have received funding, totalling over $33 million.

Funding is being used to increase safety and emergency preparedness, and to support the ability of these organizations to serve women and children fleeing violence.

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