Federal government enhances safety and advances gender equality Français

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Women and Gender Equality Canada

Mar 05, 2026, 10:13 ET

TORONTO, March 5, 2026 /CNW/ - As Canada prepares to mark International Women's Day on March 8th, ensuring the safety of Canadians remains essential to advancing gender equality. Gender-based violence remains one of the most serious barriers to women's full participation in society. It also carries significant costs to the Canadian economy each year, affecting families, communities, and workplaces, and impacting justice, health, and social services.

Today, the Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), announced over $4.3 million in funding for eight organizations to expand proven, community-based initiatives that strengthen supports for women and their families experiencing violence.

These investments build on earlier federal funding that has demonstrated impact and will expand access to culturally safe, coordinated, and survivor-centered services in communities across Canada. Together, these initiatives will reduce barriers to justice, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, and expand culturally responsive and trauma-informed services.

Funding is being provided for the following projects:

  • Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research (SOAR) (Vernon, British Columbia) is receiving funding for their project, Accelerating Impact: Building Capacity to Respond to Intimate Partner Violence-Caused Brain Injury, building national capacity through frontline training and peer supports for survivors experiencing violence-related brain injury.
  • Y des femmes de Montréal (Montréal, Quebec) is receiving funding for their project, Project UNIQUE: Learning in Action, delivering multidisciplinary supports to help women address the legal issues and challenges to accessing justice when going through separation or divorce.
  • THS Society of Transition Houses (Vancouver, British Columbia) is receiving funding for their project, Cedar Blankets and Beyond: Enhancing Wraparound Supports for Indigenous Women and Children Across BC, expanding culturally safe wraparound supports for Indigenous survivors in four regions of the province.
  • Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador) is receiving funding for their project, Scaling Access to Justice Supports for Coastal Communities in Labrador, improving legal information and navigation services for survivors of intimate partner and sexual violence in remote communities.
  • The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, Ontario) is receiving funding for their project, Child Sex Trafficking: Scaling Promising Practices in Pediatric Health Care and Community Response Protocols, expanding trauma-informed pediatric care and community response models for children affected by or at risk of sex trafficking.
  • Institut PEVC (Protection des enfants en contexte de violence conjugale) (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Quebec) is receiving funding for their project, The PEVC Model: Application in Intercultural or Immigration Context, strengthening child protection responses to intimate partner violence in immigrant and racialized families.
  • PLEA Community Services Society of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) is receiving additional funding (original federal investment of $412,305) for their project, Redefining Masculinity: Preventing GBV by educating youth about toxic masculinity and not being a by-stander, scaling the delivery of its youth-focused, gender-based violence protection workshops.
  • Alberta Council of Women's Shelters (Edmonton, Alberta) is receiving funding for their project, Addressing the Gaps: Upscaling Intersectional Assessments, expanding the use of its survivor-centred and trauma-informed assessment tools in partnership with organizations across diverse communities.

Ending violence is not only about protection. It is about ensuring women can live, work, and lead without fear. Women and Gender Equality Canada continues to strengthen federal action on gender-based violence with the recent Budget 2025 commitment of $223.4 million over five years, including $44.7 million in ongoing funding, to advance the vision of a Canada free from gender-based violence. A strong Canadian economy is built when women are safe, supported and empowered.

Quotes

"International Women's Day is a time to celebrate progress and recommit to action, but we cannot talk about opportunity, leadership, or economic growth without addressing safety. By scaling up proven, community-based initiatives, we are strengthening the supports that women and their families need to live free from violence and to fully participate in society."
The Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism)

"Across Canada and here in Toronto, we know that addressing gender-based violence requires strong, coordinated action at the community level. Today's investment will help frontline organisations across the country work together more effectively, ensuring survivors receive timely, life-saving support."
Leslie Church, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretaries of State for Labour, for Seniors, and for Children and Youth, and to the Minister of Jobs and Families (Persons with Disabilities), and Member of Parliament for Toronto--St. Paul's, Ontario

"Everyone deserves to live free from violence and feel safe in their home and community. This funding will strengthen trusted, community-based organizations so survivors can access coordinated, trauma-informed supports when they need them most."
Chi Nguyen, Member of Parliament, Spadina--Harbourfront, Ontario

Quick facts

  • The Gender-based Violence (GBV) Program helps community organizations across the country to provide support to at-risk or underserved populations. To date, over $84 million has been committed as part of the GBV Program enhancement for approximately 185 projects that support victims and survivors, prevent GBV, engage men and boys, and advance initiatives to stop human trafficking.
  • Since the launch of the Federal GBV Strategy in 2017, the federal government has invested more than $820 million to end gender-based violence across the country.
  • Gender-based violence has significant social and economic costs, limiting participation in the workforce and community life.
  • More than 11 million people in Canada have experienced intimate partner violence (a type of gender-based violence) at least once since the age of 15.

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Contacts: Chris Zhou, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), 343-551-0457, [email protected]; Media Relations, Women and Gender Equality Canada, 819-420-6530,  [email protected]

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