Question Period Note: Funding Overview

What funding programs are offered by Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE)?

• Women’s 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 gender equality in social, economic and political spheres; to build capacity; and to develop and test promising practices to support at-risk populations and victims 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 905 projects, amounting to more than $356.2 million, to ensure that everyone can participate fully as members of Canadian society.

• The $356.2 million in funding includes the following amounts targeting diverse intersections of population groups (data excludes COVID funding).
o $103.1 million to Indigenous projects
o $39.7 million to projects in northern, remote, or rural projects
o $34.5 million to projects for racialized communities
o $32 million to youth focused projects
o $28.7 million to non-status, immigrant, or refugee projects
o $23.7 million to LGBTQ2 projects
o $15.4 million to projects targeting low income
o $10.8 million to official language minority communities
o $5.5 million to projects targeting people with a disability

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.
• Most recently, through the $100 million Feminist Response and Recovery Fund, launched in February 2021, the Department is supporting 237 systemic change projects across the Women’s Program’s 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 victims and survivors and their families. Approximately $50 million is being invested in roughly 60 projects.
• Budget 2021 outlines additional investments to combat gender-based violence, including:
o $105 million over 5 years for WAGE to enhance its Gender-based Violence Program. On August 6, 2021, $27.3 million to support 72 projects was announced to address GBV across Canada.
o $55 million over five years, starting in 2021-2022, to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide GBV prevention programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
o $11M over five years, starting in 2021-2022, for GBV research and knowledge mobilization.
• Stemming from the January 2021 Joint Declaration for a Canada Free of Gender-Based Violence, on August 6, 2021, the Government announced continued collaboration with provinces and territories for joint projects to address GBV in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Yukon.

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 (Human Trafficking Initiative).
• Following a July 2020 call for proposals, on December 15, 2020, the Government of Canada announced $22.4 million in funding to organizations for projects designed to prevent and address human trafficking and support at-risk populations and victims and survivors. WAGE is funding 43 projects, for a total of nearly $14 million.

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 over $2.24 million, with seven leading organizations to undertake work to advance LGBTQ2 equality in Canada.
• 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 leading organizations 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.
• Budget 2021 also provides $7.1 million over three years to continue to support the work of the LGBTQ2 Secretariat and to enable the continued development of an LGBTQ2 Action Plan.

COVID-19 Funding for Organizations Providing GBV Supports and Services
• Since April 2020, approximately $100 million in emergency funding was provided to over 1,200 organizations, including women’s shelters, Indigenous off-reserve shelters, sexual assault centres, women’s organizations and other organizations providing supports and services to those experiencing gender-based violence, in order to ensure the continuity of services during this challenging time. Since April 2020, more than 1.3 million women and children had a place to turn because of this funding.
• Budget 2021 committed a further $200 million over two years to enhance the capacity and responsiveness of GBV organizations that provide critical and often life-saving services and supports for women, girls, LGBTQ2, and gender non-binary people experiencing violence. Funds are being disbursed to frontline organizations as they continue to support those who need it most and pivot to a post-pandemic environment.
• To support crisis hotlines that are experiencing a rise in call volumes during the pandemic, Budget 2021 committed $30 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, so that crisis hotlines can serve the urgent needs of more Canadians and offer more robust services, resources, and supports to those experiencing GBV.
 

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