Question Period Note: Funding Overview

Overview of funding programs offered by Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE)

• Women’s organizations and equality-seeking organizations provide vital supports to our communities by supporting women, girls, LGBTQ2 people and people of all gender identities and expressions in Canada.
• The Department for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) provides funding to many of these organizations to advance equality in social, economic and political spheres; to build capacity; and to develop and test promising practices to support at-risk populations and survivors of gender-based violence and their families.
• Since November 2015, the Government of Canada has significantly increased funding to the sector. Since that time, the Department has funded 790 projects, amounting to more than $300 million, to ensure that everyone can participate fully as members of Canadian society.

Women’s Program
The Women’s Program aims to achieve the full participation of women in the economic, social and democratic life of Canada by investing in projects that address systemic barriers to women’s equality.

In February 2021, the Department launched the $100 million Feminist Response and Recovery Fund Call for Proposals, to support a feminist response and recovery from the current impacts of COVID-19, particularly for underrepresented women, through systemic change projects across the Women’s Program three priority areas (ending violence against women and girls; improving the economic security and prosperity of women and girls; and encouraging women and girls in leadership roles).

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Program
Established as part of It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, the GBV Program provides funding to organizations in the GBV sector to support the development and implementation of promising practices to address gaps in supports for survivors and their families. Approximately $50 million is being invested in 60 projects.

Budget 2021 proposes additional investments to combat gender-based violence, including:
• $200 million over two years for WAGE to enhance the capacity and responsiveness of organizations such as sexual assault centres, women’s shelters, and other organizations that provide critical and often life-saving services and supports for women, girls, LGBTQ2, and gender non-binary people experiencing violence; and
• $105 million over five years for WAGE to enhance its GBV Program, with funding going to initiative that engage men and boys, combat human trafficking, and provide support for at-risk populations and survivors.

Human Trafficking Initiative
On September 4, 2019, the National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking (National Strategy) was launched by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, with investments of $57.22 million over five years and $10.28 million per year ongoing. Through the National Strategy, WAGE received $10 million over 5 years and $2 million per year ongoing to develop the Continuum of Care – Prevention and Interventions for Vulnerable Populations initiative. WAGE committed a further $6.4 million from the Women’s Program to launch a Call for Proposals (CFP) in July 2020.

On December 15, 2020, the Government of Canada announced $22.4 million in funding to 63 organizations for projects designed to prevent and address human trafficking and support at-risk populations and survivors. Of these 63 projects, WAGE will be funding 43 projects from its CFP, for a total of $14M.

LGBTQ2 Funding
The LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund was announced in Budget 2019 with $20 million over three years, starting in 2019-20, to enhance the capacity of LGBTQ2 organizations in Canada. In 2019, WAGE entered into seven agreements, totalling $2.24 million, with seven leading organizations to undertake work to advance LGBTQ2 equality in Canada, including increasing the readiness of the sector for a call for proposals (CFP). The CFP for the LGBTQ2 Community Capacity Fund was launched across the country on March 5, 2020, and closed on May 14, 2020. In February 2021, the Government of Canada announced approximately $15 million in funding for 76 LGBTQ2 community-led projects across Canada through the Fund. This included 70 new projects and amendments for 6 of the national projects funded in 2019.

Budget 2021 announced $15 million over 3 years, starting in 2021-22, for a new LGBTQ2 Projects Fund to support community-informed initiatives to overcome key issues facing LGBTQ2 communities, such as accessing mental health services and employment support.

COVID-19 Emergency Funding for Shelters, Sexual Assault Centres and Women’s Organizations
Through the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, the Government of Canada put in place measures to support those most in need, which includes $90 million through WAGE for organizations serving women and children experiencing gender-based violence.

To date, funding has been provided to over 1,000 organizations, including shelters, Indigenous shelters off-reserve, sexual assault centres, women’s organizations and other organizations delivering critical frontline supports to women and children experiencing violence and abuse across the country. As of April 2021, this funding had helped nearly 800,000 women and children get support.
 

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