(The Governments of Canada and Alberta sign bilateral agreement to end gender-based violence)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

10-year strategy

Governments of Canada and Alberta sign bilateral agreement to end gender-based violence

Oct 13, 2023 | 11:16 AM

The Governments of Canada and Alberta signed a bilateral agreement on Thursday to end gender-based violence (GBV).

The province will receive $54 million in federal funding to develop and deploy a 10-year strategy to end GBV in Alberta.

“Women and girls in Alberta should be able to live free from fear or violence. Creating a made-in-Alberta long-term strategy will support survivors, address the root causes of violence and create a brighter future for women and girls in Alberta,” said Tanya Fir, Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women and ensure survivors of are supported.

Officials say more than 11 million people in Canada have experienced intimate partner violence, a type of GBV, at least once since the age of 15. As of 2019, approximately 43 per cent of Albertans, 1.8 million in total, have experienced at least one incident of sexual violence in their lifetime, they say.

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Over the next month, the Alberta government says they will be seeking input through public engagement to shape a made-in-Alberta 10-year strategy to end GBV, scheduled to begin with an online survey, open to all Albertans until November 17. The provincial government says they will also meet with survivors, GBV specialists, community organizations, Indigenous communities, and other partners to hear their perspectives.

After the engagement is complete, they state the $54 million in federal funding will be distributed over four years, beginning with $6.9 million in startup funds for 2023-24 and $15.7 million annually for the following three years, to community organizations like shelters and societies that help women and girls escape violence, address gaps in services and attack the root causes of gender-based violence.

The Government of Alberta claims the plan will also support the shift to a culture of consent, engage men and boys and complement the work underway through the Premier’s Council on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the Human Trafficking Action Plan.

Lisa Hepfner, Parliamentary Secretary to the Federal Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, says the funding also supports the province’s implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence.

Officials state that in 2009, it was estimated that spousal violence has an economic cost of $7.4 billion annually, and sexual violence, a cost of $4.8 billion annually. It is further estimated that Canadian businesses lose millions due to decreased productivity and individuals being unable to work as a result of GBV.

Launched in November 2022 by Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers responsible for the Status of Women, the 10-year plan sets a framework to have a Canada free of GBV, supporting victims, survivors, and their families. She says the plan reflects the shared commitment to preventing GBV, while empowering communities through community-led solutions, and focusing on three priority areas: increasing prevention efforts; reaching underserved and at-risk populations; and stabilizing the gender-based violence sector.

She adds the funding will now support the current work already being done in Alberta to address GBV and enhance services and supports, while they put together their own 10-year plan.

“Gender-based violence is unacceptable and has no place in our country. Today’s announcement brings us one step closer to a future where everyone can live free from violence. Thank you to all front-line workers in Alberta that work hard to keep women and children safe, and to the Government of Alberta for working with us to tackle this systemic and deeply rooted issue,” she said.

The announcement is among a series of bilateral agreements that are being signed between the federal government and the provinces and territories.

On a municipal level, Hepfner also announced a separate $3.7 million for eight organizations, seven in Calgary and one in Medicine Hat, to prevent and address GBV. The announcement also included a community-based research project led by the Elizabeth Fry Society of Calgary to help create the foundation for improving GBV services for victims.

The eight projects will collect data on the lived experiences of women and gender-diverse people to better inform the supports, services and pathways to safety for those experiencing GBV. The population groups most at-risk of GBV or underserved when experiencing it, they say, are women and girls aged 15 to 24, Indigenous women and girls, Black and racialized women, immigrant and refugee women, 2SLGBTQI+ people; women, girls and gender diverse people with disabilities, and women living in Northern, rural, and remote communities.