Question Period Note: Gendered Impacts of COVID-19

How is WAGE addressing the gendered impacts of COVID-19?

• The Government of Canada is committed to addressing the gendered impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as we know that different populations, particularly women, have been disproportionately affected.
• To respond, WAGE:
o Delivered approximately $100 million to organizations providing critical supports and services to women and children experiencing gender-based violence during the pandemic;
o Is ensuring that response measures are informed by Gender-based Analysis Plus; and
o Is investing $100 million through the Feminist Response and Recovery Fund.
• The Government of Canada is committed to tackling systemic barriers, reversing the ‘she-cession’ and removing obstacles to women’s full participation in the economic recovery by:
o Investing $601.3 million over five years, starting in 2021-22, to advance towards a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence;
o Investing $30 billion to establish a Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System to drive economic growth and increase women’s participation in the workforce; and
o Investing $146.9 million to strengthen the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy to increase access to financing, mentorship, and training.

Gendered Impacts on Employment
• Women, particularly young women, those who are Indigenous, visible minorities and immigrants, have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 since women are concentrated in jobs in services, retail, care, and hospitality sectors, which have been more severely affected by public health measures.
• Job losses among women (-6.9%) were almost double that experienced among men (-3.7%) in March 2020. As the economy began to reopen in May 2020, employment increased twice as fast among men than women (+2.5% vs. +1.1%). While total employment recovered to pre-pandemic levels in September 2021 and full-time employment among core-age (25-54) men and women was back to pre-pandemic levels by October 2021, additional business lockdowns may hinder continued recovery.
• School and daycare closures impact women’s ability to participate in the labour force or continue their own education; women have shouldered much of the increased unpaid domestic and care work. For example, in June 2020, almost two-thirds (64.3%) of women reported that they mostly performed homeschooling or helped children with homework, while fewer than one in five (18.5%) men reported being mostly responsible for this task.
• Employment rates among Indigenous people are almost unchanged from before the pandemic. In November 2021, the employment rates among both Indigenous women (57.0%) and men (60.6%) were essentially the same as in November 2019. Indigenous men had a lower rate employment (close to 5% lower) compared to non-Indigenous men, while employment rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous women were comparable.
• Youth were hard hit by the pandemic, suffering sharper employment losses than all other age groups, largely due to the industries in which they work, and that they are more likely to work part-time than other age groups. The youth unemployment rate reached a record-high of 29.1% in May 2020.
• To address economic vulnerabilities, the Government:
o Created the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB);
o Transitioned to a temporarily revised Employment Insurance program;
o Instituted the Canada Recovery, Canada Recovery Sickness, and Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefits;
o Boosted Canada Child Benefit payments; and,
o Established the $100M Feminist Response and Recovery Fund, which is funding 237 projects to increase women and girls’ participation in Canada’s economic, social, democratic and political life.
• Budget 2021 included several further initiatives:
o $30B for a Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System;
o $146.9M to the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy; and,
o $15M for a LGBTQ2 Projects Fund to support community-led initiatives.
• Through Bill C-2, to further support workers and businesses amidst ongoing COVID-19 waves, the Government:
o Extended the Canada Recovery Caregiving and Sickness Benefits until May 7, 2022;
o Launched the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit to support workers whose employment is interrupted due to a government-imposed lockdown;
o Established programs that would provide targeted wage and rent subsidies to businesses, including the: Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program, the Hardest-Hit Business Recovery Program, and the Local Lockdown Program; and,
o Extended the Canada Recovery Hiring Program, until May 7, 2022, to help businesses continue to hire back workers, increase hours and create additional jobs.

Gender-Based Violence
• Many organizations providing gender-based violence-related supports and services in Canada have reported increased demand since the beginning of the pandemic. Others have reported the opposite, raising concerns that those experiencing gender-based violence cannot access help.
• Statistics Canada data from March-April 2020 indicates 6% of men and 10% of women respondents were concerned about the possibility of violence in the home in the context of COVID-19. Young women were more likely than young men to be anxious about violence in the home (12% versus 8%, respectively).
• A May 2020 Statistics Canada survey found that young women, visible minorities, and Indigenous participants were more likely to have concerns about safety in their neighbourhood during COVID-19.
• Specific groups of women and LGBTQ2 people may be at an increased risk of experiencing gender-based violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. National pre-pandemic data show that Indigenous women, women living in rural or remote areas, women living with disabilities, transgender and gender diverse people, as well as lesbian, bisexual and gay people are significantly more likely to experience GBV and/or be more vulnerable to its impacts.
• In 2020, as part of the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, the Government of Canada allocated a total of $100M in emergency gender-based violence funding for women’s shelters, sexual assault centres, and other organizations providing supports to those experiencing GBV across the country. WAGE received $90M. Since April 2020, more than 1.3 million women and children experiencing violence had a place to turn to because of this funding.
• Reinforcing the Government’s commitment to end gender-based violence, Budget 2021 announced $601.3M over five years to advance towards the development of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (GBV National Action Plan). Of this amount, $415M was provided to WAGE to support the following:
o $200M over 2 years to support gender-based violence organizations;
o $30M over 5 years so crisis hotlines can serve the urgent needs of more people in Canada who are experiencing gender-based violence;
o $105M over 5 years to enhance WAGE’s Gender-Based Violence Program;
o $14M over 5 years for a dedicated secretariat to coordinate ongoing work towards the development and implementation of the GBV National Action Plan;
o $11M over 5 years for GBV research and knowledge mobilization; and
o $55M over 5 years to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Poverty Reduction, Health and Well-Being
• Pre-existing economic insecurities were exacerbated by COVID-19.
• Women, and other equity-deserving individuals and communities have experienced notable mental health challenges during the pandemic, with women (57%), gender-diverse people (71%), youth (64%), Indigenous peoples (60%), persons with long-term conditions or disabilities (57%) and recent immigrants (52%) reporting worsening mental health.
• To support impoverished and at-risk communities, the Government:
o Launched the Surplus Food Rescue Program;
o Provided $394M to the Reaching Home initiative; and,
o Created the $1.1B Indigenous Community Support Fund.
• Budget 2021 also included:
o $45M to organizations that improve sexual and reproductive health care information and service accessibility;
o $6.9B to expand the Canada Workers Benefit;
o $567M to the Reaching Home Initiative;
o $1.5B to the Rapid Housing Initiative, with 25% of funding for women-focused housing projects;
o $100M to support mental health intervention projects for populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19; and
o An additional $760.8M to the Indigenous Community Support Fund.
 

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