Minister Monsef announces over $2.5 million to help support a vibrant gender equality movement across Canada Français
Projects will advance gender equality in Québec and engage local women leaders in pan-Canadian network
MONTRÉAL, Aug. 9, 2017 /CNW/ - As Canada marks the 150th anniversary of Confederation, it is important to reflect on our legacy for the future. Despite the important milestones witnessed in these 150 years, women, girls, and gender-non-conforming people still face hardships. A lot more work remains to be done for gender equality to become a reality in Canada. By investing in a strong and thriving women's movement today, we are laying the foundation for gender equality tomorrow.
Today, the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Status of Women, announced over $2.5 million in Government of Canada funding for seven projects that will help advance gender equality in Montréal and the province of Quebec.
Seven organizations in Montréal are receiving funding of over $2.5 million for a range of projects that will challenge barriers to gender equality:
- Action Travail des Femmes - $398,045
- to address barriers to the retention of women in Quebec's construction sector
- Atwater Library and Computer Centre - $284,670
- to enhance collaboration among stakeholders to examine the issue of gender-based violence on college campuses in Montréal
- Fédération des Femmes du Québec - $385,067
- to increase access to advancement for women working in an activist organization and a labour union in Montréal
- Relais-femmes - $399,977
- to support the collaboration of women's groups and universities in achieving gender equality in two regions of the province
- Table de concertation en violence conjugale de Montréal - $379,114
- to improve support for women in situations of domestic violence where mental health, substance and child abuse are also factors
- Table de concertation pour les organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes - $352,993
- to increase support for victims of female genital mutilation (FGM)
- Youth Employment Services (YES) - $340,024
- to improve the retention and advancement of women in STEM industries in Montréal
These initiatives are part of a federal investment of over $18 million. In addition to working on these local projects, women leaders will participate in a pan-Canadian network to support feminist action for gender equality at the national level. The network is being convened by the Canadian Women's Foundation.
As a digital partner with Status of Women Canada, Instagram will offer participants at the event a learning session on social media best practices to create communities and maximize audiences.
Quotes
"Strong, dynamic women are the heart of the women's movement and their leadership is key to achieving gender equality. Today's panel will offer us the opportunity to learn from these influential women leaders and feel their determination, commitment and passion for gender equality. Our government believes strongly in investing in the causes these great women have dedicated themselves to, and our initiative will soon bring together all 150 women with the goal of facilitating the exchange of knowledge. Through recognizing and celebrating these women and investing in these projects, the government of Canada is helping to support a strong women's movement, for the next 150 years and beyond."
The Honourable Maryam Monsef, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Status of Women
"Our organization is pleased to collaborate with the federal government on this project that will address systemic barriers to the retention of women in Quebec's construction sector. We plan to build collaborative support mechanisms with four construction labour unions, and a provincial coalition of sexual assault crisis centres, to ensure that women construction workers who are victims of sexual harassment and violence have access to the appropriate services."
Ana María Otero, President
Action Travail des Femmes du Québec Inc.
"This project represents an important collaboration between our organization and the federal government to enhance joint effort by a range of community groups, public agencies, and educational institutions to help address the rape culture on college campuses in Montréal. Action needs to be taken in order to create the proper practices, protocols, and policies to ensure this happens, and we look forward to working with other local stakeholders in this effort."
John Aylen, President
Atwater Library and Computer Centre
"Thanks to this partnership with the Government of Canada, we will work to include women from diverse backgrounds working within activist organizations in Montréal, in particular by strengthening their participation in decision-making authority and processes. The tools and practices developed will then be communicated to other stakeholders in the province to expand the impact of this project."
Émilia Castro, Leader
Fédération des femmes du Québec
"This initiative provides an excellent opportunity to support collaboration between women's groups and universities within the framework of joint projects promoting gender equality in Québec City and in another region of the province. By partnering with the federal government, we hope to create collaboration structures and mechanisms that will also facilitate dialogue and sharing of best practices in the future."
Lise Gervais, Development and Liaison Coordinator
Relais-femmes
"We are delighted to partner with the federal government to improve support for women in situations of domestic violence where mental health, substance and child abuse are also factors. By working together, stakeholders who play a role in addressing violence, mental health, drug addiction and child protection will be able to combine their expertise to develop an effective cross-sectoral collaboration model enabling a better understanding of the experiences of survivors."
Jenny Charest, President
Table de concertation en violence conjugale de Montréal
"The federal government is an important partner for us on this project to increase supports for women and girls who are victims of female genital mutilation. Through these efforts, stakeholders in the immigration, health and social services, and youth protection sectors will be engaged to improve prevention, intervention, and on-going support for victims."
Yasmina Chouakri, Coordonnatrice du Volet femmes
Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes
"Through this partnership with the Government of Canada, we will be working to improve the retention and advancement of women in STEM industries in Montréal by bringing about systemic changes in a number of workplaces. We will also enhance the value of this project by sharing best practices, success stories, and model corporations to foster systemic changes in more STEM workplaces in the future."
Iris Unger, Executive Director
Youth Employment Services
Quick Facts
- In October 2016, Status of Women Canada invited organizations to propose projects that advance gender equality across Canada. As of June 2017, some 50 projects have been approved for over $18 million in Funding to Advance Gender Equality with the goal of empowering great Canadian women and enabling their good work to set the stage for the next 150 years. This is the most funding ever to be approved through a Status of Women Canada call for proposals. Approved projects will take place over three years.
- The Women's Program at Status of Women Canada supports eligible organizations to carry out projects to advance equality by addressing systemic barriers to gender equality in Canada.
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Action Travail des Femmes du Québec Inc. - $398,045
Action Travail des Femmes du Québec Inc. supports women of all ages and backgrounds seeking employment or training. The organization provides support for job search and information on how to obtain subsidized vocational training. They support immigrant women to have prior learning, skills, and education recognized here and follow-up with them in cases of discrimination in employment (labor standards, harassment, discrimination, pay equity, unemployment insurance, etc.).
Action Travail des Femmes du Québec Inc. is receiving $398,045 for this three-year project that will address systemic barriers to the retention of women in Québec's construction sector. The organization will develop intervention protocols, and recommendations to improve legislation addressing sexual harassment and violence in the industry. The project will build collaborative support mechanisms with four construction labour unions and a provincial coalition of sexual assault crisis centres. The goal will be to ensure that women construction workers who are victims of sexual harassment and violence have access to appropriate services. A gender analysis on legal frameworks governing labour and human rights will be carried out. Recommendations will be shared with key institutional and community stakeholders.
Atwater Library and Computer Centre - $284,670
The Atwater Library and Computer Centre is a community library, digital learning centre, and meeting place located in Montreal's downtown. It receives over 100,000 visits a year. In addition to books, the centre offers courses and workshops to help users - young and old - master technology in the digital age. It features a state-of-the art computer centre; hosts literary, educational, and financial literacy sessions; and, offers meeting space for community groups. In recent years, the organization has been working with women and girls, specifically on the prevention of cyberviolence.
Atwater Library and Computer Centre is receiving $284,670 for this three-year project that will enhance collaboration among a range of community groups, public agencies, and educational institutions in order to examine the issue of gender-based violence on college campuses in Montréal. The link between online and offline violence will also be examined. The project will enable the organization to assist stakeholders in the development of practices, protocols, and policies to ensure that institutional responses are efficient and widely available. Best practices will be piloted in selected Anglophone colleges in the Greater Montréal region. Recommendations will be developed and shared with the Francophone and Anglophone academic communities, as well as with media, technology, and video game industry stakeholders to support similar systemic changes in their networks.
Fédération des Femmes du Québec - $385,067
Fédération des Femmes du Québec is a feminist organization that works to eliminate barriers to gender equality in all aspects of life, and foster the full recognition of women's contribution to society. The federation brings together organizations to advance women's equality, and particularly that of marginalized women.
Fédération des Femmes du Québec is receiving $385,067 for this three-year project that will help increase access to advancement opportunities as well as participation in decision-making processes for women working in activist organizations and labour unions in Montréal. The organization will work with the local chapter of a provincial union and a provincial advocacy organization for people receiving social assistance to modify their organizational policies and practices in order to create more inclusive and equitable environments. An intersectional approach will be used to ensure diversity factors are taken into account in identifying and testing solutions that increase advancement opportunities. Results of the project will be shared throughout the province, notably through a forum and a web-based community of practice.
Relais-femmes - $399,977
Relais-femmes is a non-profit, feminist organization that promotes social change and the rights of women. The organization contributes to capacity building for women's organizations. More than ninety local, regional, and provincial women's groups are members of Relais-femmes. It is actively involved in identifying and addressing political, social, economic, or cultural issues that affect women. The organization provides knowledge sharing, training, and research on these issues.
Relais-femmes is receiving $399,977 for this three-year project that will promote the collaboration of women's groups and universities in order to implement joint projects that help achieve gender equality in the Québec City and Bas-Saint-Laurent regions. Permanent collaborative structures will be developed and implemented in partnership with a university and a women's umbrella organization so they can carry out joint projects in each of the two regions. A virtual community of practice will be created to support project implementation, collaboration and sharing of best practices. A forum will be held to disseminate project results and encourage similar initiatives in other parts of the province.
Table de concertation en violence conjugale de Montréal - $379,114
Table de concertation en violence conjugale de Montréal's goal is to bring together and mobilize various stakeholders working in partnership to prevent violence and protect women, children, and other victims of domestic violence and its consequences.
Table de concertation en violence conjugale de Montréal is receiving $379,114 for this three-year project to improve support for women in situations of domestic violence where mental health, substance and/or child abuse are also factors. Community and institutional stakeholders from sectors such as violence, mental health, drug addiction and child protection in three regions of Quebec will share expertise to inform the development of an effective collaborative model that considers several intersections. The model will be piloted and recommendations made to improve existing clinical practices and approaches. A permanent committee will develop annual action plans to track implementation and tools. A best practice guide will be made available widely to promote the model and its sustainability.
Table de concertation pour les organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes - $352,993
Table de concertation pour les organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes is a coalition of over a hundred organizations working with refugees, immigrants and individuals without an official status. Its mission is to defend and protect the rights of refugees and immigrants in Quebec through information sharing, settlement worker training and research in partnership with universities.
Table de concertation pour les organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes is receiving $352,993 for this three-year project to increase support for women and girls who are victims of female genital mutilation (FGM) through coordinated approaches that consider various intersections. A needs assessment in six regions of Quebec will be carried out. Results will inform the development of improved, coordinated practices. Stakeholders in the immigration, health and social services, as well as people working in youth protection will be engaged to improve prevention, intervention and on-going support for victims of FGM. The development of protocols for targeted sectors will help sustain best practices. Lessons learned will be documented and widely disseminated to provide a continuum of interventions and facilitate their implementation outside the province of Quebec to better respond to the specific needs of victims of FGM.
Youth Employment Services Foundation (YES) - $340,024
YES is a community-based English-language service provider that has been helping Quebecers throughout the province find employment as well as start and grow businesses for 20 years. Throughout the year, they provide individual career counselling, business coaching, day and evening workshops, mentoring, conferences, and networking opportunities. In addition to an in-house staff, they utilize a network of partners from the business, non-profit, media, academic and corporate communities to deliver services, act as mentors, and provide strategic direction.
YES is receiving $340,024 for this three-year project to bring about systemic changes to improve the retention and advancement of women in STEM industries in Montréal. The goal is to generate changes to organizational practices in three STEM companies of varying sizes. This will be achieved by developing and implementing strategic action plans as well as support tools that help modify core management functions and structures to better promote gender equality. Approaches will be adapted to suit different work environments before implementation. Project results will be shared with an extensive network of companies through a web-based platform. The platform will provide a sustainable support infrastructure showcasing tools, best practices, success stories, and model corporations to foster systemic changes in more STEM workplaces in the future.
Call for proposals: Funding to Advance Gender Equality in Canada – Over $18 million
In October 2016, Status of Women Canada invited organizations to propose projects that advance gender equality across Canada. As of June 2017, some 50 projects have been approved for over $18 million in Funding to Advance Gender Equality.
Over the course of 36-months, the projects will address systemic barriers in Status of Women Canada's three areas of focus: increasing women's economic security and prosperity; encouraging women and girls to be better represented in leadership and decision-making roles; and ending violence against women and girls.
The Canadian Women's Foundation will convene a strong, independent, pan-Canadian network of women leaders to support feminist action for gender equality at the national level. These leaders have been chosen for their remarkable efforts at the local level to advance gender equality with women, girls and gender non-conforming people. By creating a network of visionary women, we will broaden the reach of their efforts beyond their communities – inspiring others from across the country to add their voices and contribute their ideas towards achieving real progress.
It's Time: Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence
It's Time: Canada's Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence is the Government of Canada's response to gender-based violence (GBV). It builds on current federal initiatives, coordinates existing programs and lays the foundation for greater action on GBV.
The Strategy is based on three pillars:
- Prevention;
- Support for survivors and their families; and
- Promotion of responsive legal and justice systems
Associated Links
- Information on Funding to Advance Gender Equality in Canada
- Status of Women Canada – Women's Program
- Canadian Women's Foundation
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SOURCE Status of Women Canada
Inquiries, Philippe Charlebois, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Status of Women, 613-618-8546; Léonie Roux, Public Affairs Officer, Status of Women Canada, 819-420-6821
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