“Today, we mark the beginning of Gender Equality Week in Canada. This is an opportunity to celebrate the important contributions women and gender diverse communities have made to Canada and acknowledge that there is still work needed to address long standing gender inequities.
“To build a better Canada for everyone, we must leave no one behind. Since 2015, our government has been a strong ally in advancing gender equality and diversity, both here in Canada and around the world. We led by example by appointing Canada’s first gender-balanced Cabinet, and since then we have been supporting women in the workforce, working to end gender-based violence, and standing-up for a women’s right to choose. This includes launching the development of Canada’s first-ever National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence by working with community experts and organizations, provinces, and territories, to better support and protect women in all their diversity.
“Over the last six years, the Liberals have made the safety and security of Indigenous women, girls, and LGBTQ2 people a priority, including through launching and co-developing a National Action Plan, with Indigenous, provincial, and territorial partners, to address the ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and to provide support for Indigenous women and girls fleeing violence.
“The COVID-19 pandemic created additional challenges for women fleeing gender-based violence. The Liberal government moved quickly to deliver support for 500 women’s shelters and sexual assault centres to help women who needed it the most. The pandemic also brought on the she-cession, forcing many women to leave their jobs. To build a better Canada, we need to help women get back into the workforce. We know that persistent social norms mean that women spend more time doing care work. That’s why the Liberals have already signed agreements with eight provinces and territories to deliver $10 a day child care across the country and create thousands of child care spaces. Additionally, to make it easier for women and other vulnerable groups to access training, we will require businesses to offer wrap-around supports – like access to child care and transportation – if they receive federal funding through our Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program.
“We’re also going to continue to take action on a woman’s right to choose at home and abroad. The Liberal government has invested historic amounts in sexual and reproductive health and rights overseas to ensure all women and adolescent girls, no matter where they live, have access to the safe, quality health care they need. A re-elected Liberal government will further ensure that no matter where someone lives in Canada, they have access to the reproductive health services they need, free from threats and intimidation. While the Liberals have a plan to support a woman’s right to choose, Erin O’Toole and the Conservatives would take us backward by cutting crucial funding for women’s health abroad and allowing Conservative members to introduce legislation to restrict sexual and reproductive health rights.
“The Liberal Party of Canada will always advance gender equality for women, girls, and LGBTQ2 people here in Canada and around the world. This week, let’s celebrate the many important contributions women and gender-diverse people have made, and will continue to make, to ensure that no one is left behind as we recover from the pandemic and build a better Canada together.”
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