January 28, 2021 - Québec (Québec) - Women and Gender Equality Canada
COVID-19 is a crisis unlike any other. It has hit women harder with jobs lost and women taking on more unpaid work than they already were for their kids as well as their elders. Women are the majority of those on the front lines of the fight against COVID.
Women's organizations provide vital services supporting women and girls to be financially secure, free from violence, and able to participate fully in all aspects of our economy and society. Yet, there is still a lot of work to do to ensure these organizations have the resources their need to continue their essential work. Our government is committed to offering them continued support.
That's why today, Joël Lightbound, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, on behalf of the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development, announced an investment of $249 750 for the La Maison pour femmes immigrantes. This funding will improve the organization's organizational capacity for it to continue its important work in meeting the needs of immigrant and Quebecer women and their children who are victims of domestic violence and who reside in the Quebec City region.
La Maison pour femmes immigrantes is one of more than 250 women's organizations and Indigenous organizations serving women across Canada receiving funding under Women and Gender Equality Canada's Capacity-building Fund. This investment stems from the Budget 2018 announcement of $100 million over five years to support a viable and sustainable women's movement across the country.
Quotes
"I am pleased to announce this important support today because all women, including immigrant women, deserve to have their rights and interests respected, to be protected and have every opportunity to realize their full potential. This investment from the Government of Canada will give the organization a helping hand to adjust to the new reality we are living, to improve its capacity for strategic planning and to plan its human resources to give women the security they need."
Joël Lightbound
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
"Since its opening in 1986, the Maison pour femmes immigrantes (MFI) has participated in various structuring projects in the fight against domestic violence and has contributed through its awareness-raising and advocacy actions as well as its implications in the promotion of values and the principles of equality between women and men.
Since its inception, our organization has been committed to investing financial and human resources to maintain its overall health. However, the investments proved insufficient over time, and we were faced with recurring organizational difficulties. We thank the Government of Canada for this funding. We greatly welcome investments which support the organizational capacity of women's organizations like ours. This funding will help us pursue organizational development initiatives and develop the capacities necessary to improve our organization's effectiveness and, consequently, our power to act on political and social issues that have a positive impact on living conditions of women in Quebec."
La Maison pour femmes immigrantes
Quick facts
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As part of the COVID-19 response, the Government of Canada is investing $350 million in the Emergency Community Support Fund to support charities and non-profit organizations requiring financial assistance to address the pandemic.
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As part of the COVID-19 Economic Response Plan, $50 million was allocated to support organizations providing services to women and their families fleeing violence, $40 million of which was allocated by Women and Gender Equality Canada. Through the first phase of this funding, $30 million was directly delivered to nearly 700 women's shelters and organizations serving survivors of sexual assault. Through the second phase, the remaining $10 million is being distributed to other organizations that provide important services to those experiencing gender-based violence. Through both phases of this funding, the federal government is supporting nearly 1,000 organizations across the country.
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Budget 2018 announced $100 million over five years to support a viable and sustainable women's movement across Canada. Adding to this historic investment, Budget 2019 invested a further $160 million over five years, starting in 2019-20, in Women and Gender Equality Canada's Women's Program. This means that in 2023-24, the Women's Program, which supports eligible organizations to carry out projects to advance equality by addressing systemic barriers, will total $100 million.
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This funding will enable women's organizations and Indigenous organizations serving women to tackle systemic barriers impeding women's progress while recognizing and addressing the diverse experiences of gender and inequality across the country.
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In June 2017, Women and Gender Equality Canada (formerly Status of Women Canada) announced the first-ever federal Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence. To date, the Government of Canada has invested over $200 million to prevent gender-based violence, support survivors and their families, and create more responsive legal and justice systems.
