Question Period Note: Budget 2024

How does Budget 2024 advance equality for women and 2SLGBQTI+ people?

•Since 2015, the federal government has made record investments to support women and 2SLGBTQI+ people.
•Budget 2024 builds on important progress through initiatives such as:
•$1.5B over five years for a National Pharmacare Plan that provides coverage of contraceptives, improving access for 9 million women;
•$1B over five years for a National School Food Program, which will help relieve grocery costs for single mothers;
•Key investments in childcare so that more mothers can participate in the workforce.
•To combat hate in all its forms, Budget 2024 proposes to invest $273.6M over six years and $29.3M ongoing, for Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate, including:
o $12M over five years to fund projects aimed at combatting hate against the 2SLGBTQI+ community; and
o $3M over two years to support security needs for Pride festivals.
•This is in addition to over $1.7B in historic investments for WAGE to advance gender equality since 2015. These investments will go a long way to foster an inclusive Canada that is welcoming for all.

Budget 2024 Investments
•Budget 2024 proposes to provide $1.5 billion over five years, starting in 2024-25, to Health Canada to support the launch of the National Pharmacare Plan.
o Coverage of contraceptives will mean that nine million women in Canada will have better access to contraception and reproductive autonomy, reducing the risk of unintended pregnancies and improving their ability to plan for the future.
•Budget 2024 announces the creation of a National School Food Program, which will provide $1 billion over five years to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, and Indigenous Services Canada, starting in 2024-25, to work with provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners to expand access to school food programs.
•To launch a $1 billion Child Care Expansion Loan Program, Budget 2024 proposes to provide $179.4 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, with $5.7 million in future years, to CMHC.
•Budget 2024 also proposes to reallocate up to $41.5 million over four years, starting in 2025-26, and up to $15 million ongoing from within ESDC to establish a new capacity building program to help providers apply for funding through the Child Care Expansion Loan Program, and to support Early Learning and Child Care research initiatives.
•To confront hate in all its forms, Budget 2024 proposes to provide $273.6 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, with $29.3 million ongoing, for Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate to support community outreach and law enforcement reform, tackle the rise in hate crimes, enhance community security, counter radicalization, and increase support for victims. These investments include:
o $12 million over five years, starting in 2024-25, to WAGE to fund projects to combat hate against 2SLGBTQI+ communities;
o $3 million over two years, starting in 2024-25, to WAGE to support security needs for Pride festivals.

Previous Budget Commitments for WAGE

Women’s Program Investments
•Since 2015, WAGE has invested over $400M under the Women’s Program in over 925 projects to advance women’s equality, including:
o $160 million over three years, starting in 2023-24, for the Women’s Program to provide funding to women’s organizations and equality-seeking groups.
o $100M in historic Budget 2018 funding for projects to strengthen the capacity of the women’s movement. An additional $16.5 million has supported a one-year extension of existing projects until March 2024.
o $160M in Budget 2019 funding for projects tackling systemic barriers for women in the areas of leadership, economic security and prosperity, and gender-based violence. This funding was primarily used for the Feminist Response and Recovery Fund.

National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence
•Budget 2022 invested $539.3M over five years, starting in 2022-23, to enable provinces and territories to supplement and enhance services and supports within their jurisdictions to prevent gender-based violence and support survivors.
•Budget 2021 invested $601.3M over five years, starting in 2021-2022, “to advance towards a new National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.”

Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan
•Budget 2022 committed $100M over five years to implement the Action Plan.
•Budget 2021 announced $15M over three years for a 2SLGBTQI+ Projects Fund for communities working to address barriers to 2SLGBTQI+ equality.
•Budget 2019 invested $20M to enhance the capacity of 2SLGBTQI+ organizations.

Menstrual Equity Fund
•Budget 2022 committed $25 million to establishing a national pilot project for a Menstrual Equity Fund (MEF) that will help make menstrual products available to Canadians in need. In September 2023, Food Banks Canada was announced as the selected recipient to lead the MEF pilot implementation.

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