Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Ministers responsible for the Status of Women met virtually on January 21-22 for their 38th annual meeting and endorsed the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministerial Joint Declaration for a Canada free of Gender-Based Violence. This declaration reiterates the longstanding commitment of the federal, provincial and territorial governments in the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) and the advancement of gender equality for people across Canada. It builds on the strong history of federal, provincial and territorial collaboration in preventing and addressing gender-based violence.
This joint declaration affirms a common vision, principles and goals for responding to gender-based violence. This federal, provincial and territorial collaboration represents an important step in developing a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence in Canada. The National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence is separate from but complementary to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Action Plan.
These past few days were also marked by important discussions where Ministers shared perspectives and experiences from their jurisdictions. They also expressed their priorities and most pressing concerns about gender-based violence, including:
- human trafficking, another significant danger to the health and safety of women and girls today,
- COVID-19, and
- the importance of taking into consideration gendered and intersectional economic impacts.
During this meeting, the Ministers reiterated the importance of their collective work on gender equality, and the use of Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) to guide initiatives through the pandemic, taking into account the perspectives of National Indigenous leaders and representatives and the 2SLGBTQQIA communities.
Since the last FPT meeting in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified historic and systemic gender inequalities that continue to have disproportionate impacts on women.
Throughout the pandemic, federal, provincial and territorial governments have had multiple engagements on the challenges of addressing gender-based violence during the pandemic and with the stay-at-home guidelines. All federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions have put measures in place to provide emergency supports and have taken concrete steps to help those experiencing violence.
Through strong collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, the Government of Canada coordinated the delivery of emergency funding to organizations supporting women and children experiencing violence. More than 1,000 organizations across Canada received emergency funding to address immediate needs from the $100 million investment announced in May and October 2020.
Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people are at an increased risk of gender-based violence and of being targeted for human trafficking, as the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) clearly found. It is imperative that all orders of government work in partnership with Indigenous communities, leaders, survivors and their families to address this violence.
Ministers also met with National Indigenous Leaders and Representatives (NILRs) on January 15, 2021 to hear about their vision and priorities to prevent and address gender-based violence and discuss ways to work together. They were joined by the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, who detailed the work currently underway with partners from coast-to-coast-to-coast on the National Action Plan on MMIWG. The Government of Canada is grateful for the dedicated participation of over 100 Indigenous women and the efforts of the provinces and territories in this ongoing work. The Government remains committed to ensuring that the National Action Plan on MMIWG will be distinctions-based, regionally specific, evergreen and accountable, keeping Families and Survivors at the centre. The Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers and representatives from the NILRs discussed the linkages between that work and the ongoing work on the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, recognizing that both national plans must align and reinforce each other.
To note, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is operating in a caretaker period due to a provincial election and is unable to participate.
Quebec supports the general principles of the joint declaration and will continue to be active in the fight against gender-based violence by prioritizing its own actions and measures. It also intends to continue to share information and best practices with other governments on this issue.
