On Tuesday, March 28th, Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland released the Federal Budget for 2023-2024, citing “Canada has made a remarkable recovery from the COVID recession.” 

While we acknowledge the importance of strong economic fundamentals, the focus on “post-pandemic” inflation and recession fails to recognize the lasting effects of the pandemic on racialized and Indigenous women, on newcomers and migrant workers, on women with disabilities, on working class women, on all women and gender diverse individuals in Canada and their families and communities.  

Budget 2023 has once again kept the Statement and Impacts Report on Gender, Diversity, and Quality of Life separate from the budget. Further, The National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (NAP) – introduced in Budget 2021 and vaguely referenced in Budget 2022 – is not mentioned once in Budget 2023. The messaging is heard loud and clear. 

The following is Aura Freedom’s analysis of Budget 2023-2024, through the lenses of gender-based violence eradication, equity, human rights and intersectional feminism, as always. 

Gender Equity and Violence Against Women

The Federal Government claims it “remains committed to ensuring that gender equality and fairness and inclusion considerations remain a core focus of the annual federal budget”. The “commitment” has been an increasingly-vague monetary proposal for too long.

On the heels of a $600 million National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence in 2021 and further $539.3 million commitment in 2022 to “prevent gender-based violence and support survivors”, we are disappointed that Budget 2023 has further refocused away from acknowledging the national emergency of gender-based violence (GBV), and the human rights abuses of women in Canada. 

Budget 2023 proposes to provide $160 million over three years “to organizations in Canada that serve women”. We continue to question what this all means. With no additional details on the NAP and no clear plan, there is no sense of urgency for the safety and rights of women in Canada, yet femicide and hate crimes against women and girls continue to increase drastically. As we said last year, gender-based violence does not just “go away”. As a deeply rooted societal issue, it will take years – if not generations – to be eradicated. Thus, it must be addressed consistently and in every fiscal budget, not just once.

We recognize that the same spotlight that “turned on” to gender-based violence over the pandemic has now turned away. We also recognize that women, girls, and gender-diverse people continue to face violence at alarming rates – the government themselves report a steady increase “year-over-year” of GBV before the pandemic began. While the pandemic exacerbated gender-based violence, a “post-pandemic” world is not a post-violence world for women. Moreover, those of us in the violence against women (VAW) sector know the effects of the spike in VAW during COVID will be felt for years to come, both socially and fiscally.

We implore governments to follow through on the promised National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and supplemental gender-equality funding, and do so overtly and transparently. We know gender-based violence is preventable, but it will require years of intentional planning towards addressing the root causes, including sexism, colonialism, gender inequity, racism, homo/transphobia, ableism, and more.

Indigenous Women & Reconciliation

The atrocities committed against Indigenous Peoples that continue to be enforced through oppressive colonial systems, coupled with the intergenerational impacts of residential schools, over-policing, forced sterilization, child-apprehension, and MMIWG2S, constitute an ongoing and state-sponsored genocide. 

Earlier this year, the federal government signed an agreement to compensate 325 bands that opted in the Gottfriedson Band Class litigation to address the collective harms caused by the loss of language, culture, and heritage through the residential school system. The Budget 2023 provides $2.8 billion as part of the Band Class settlement to establish a trust to support healing, wellness, education, heritage and language. 

Still, systemic racism and colonialism has resulted in the public devaluation of Indigenous women and girls which keep them in intergenerational cycles of violence and hardship. Families in Winnipeg are still waiting for the Prairie Green Landfill to be searched for their loved ones murdered by a serial killer and believed to have been buried at the site. Although not a simple task and certainly one that requires planning, one must wonder what the authorities are so afraid of uncovering.

We recognize the federal government’s commitment to accelerating the implementation of the National Action Plan to End the Tragedy of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Budget 2023 proposes a breakdown of the National Action Plan, providing:

• $20 million over 4 years to support Indigenous-led projects for safer communities through the Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative 
• $95.8 million over 5 years that has been allocated over five years to help Indigenous families access information about their missing and murdered loved ones, and enhancing victim services to support their healing journeys.
• $2.6 million over 3 years will support the National Family and Survivors Circle to keep families and survivors at the center of the National Action Plan 
• $2.2 million over 5 years to establish an oversight mechanism to monitor and report on the progress of implementation
• $1.6 million over 2 years to recommend an Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson 
• $2.5 million over 5 years to advance the National Action Plan by creating a Federal-Provinical-Territorial-Indigenous table on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. 

Our Indigenous partners and Indigenous voices have spoken: any funding or plans for Indigenous communities must continue to be Indigenous-designed and Indigenous-led, with Indigenous communities at the table well before funding is released. We implore that initiatives such as the Federal-Providincial-Territorial-Indigenous table on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQ+ people be prioritized to ensure Indigenous voices are at the forefront of advancing the National Action Plan.

Hate Crime

We recognize that Budget 2023 has acknowledged the increase in hate crimes in Canada, citing an alarming increase by 72% between 2019 and 2021. We know these statistics are not accurate reflections of all forms of  hate crimes in Canada – and we have been imploring Canada to do better. The GBV sector has been outspoken in our demands that the federal government recognize applicable types of violence against women as hate crimes. The budget recognizes that “hate has no place in Canada”, yet femicide continues to not be recognized by the Canadian Criminal Code. 

We want to be clear – we champion the continued recognition of and fight against hate crimes such as anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Black racism, anti-Asian racism, Antisemitism and Islamophobia. Budget 2023 also (briefly) mentions hate crimes against 2SLBGTQI+ communities. Still, hate crimes against women and girls go unrecognized and often, flat-out ignored. This is especially important when we consider the intersectionality of government-recognized hate crimes – how many victims and survivors are women? And how many of them were targeted because they were women? What about female journalists and the increase in hate, harassment and violence that they have been experiencing? Does any of this matter?

We continue to see women systematically targeted in mass killings, public transit attacks, serial killings, and more, yet these crimes are never recognized as stemming from hate. Those of us working in the VAW sector know different – we deal with the effects of misogyny every single day. As such, we will continue to advocate for femicide and other forms of GBV to be recognized as hate crimes and look forward to more meaningful conversations in this space.

Human Trafficking

For the second year in a row, human trafficking in Canada is overlooked in Budget 2023. Human Trafficking is referred to once, and mentioned only in relation to money laundering and terrorist financing. It is one of a series of international crimes listed that may impact Canadians. We know human trafficking is more than a crime – it is a human rights abuse, and one that Canadians are facing domestically. The budget paints human trafficking as an international concern when we know different. 

At Aura Freedom, we recognize that human trafficking  takes place across many industries, including the sex industry, domestic labour, the care sector, the service industry, farming industry, fishing industry, and more. Forced/child marriage and  forced crime are other forms affecting Canadians today.

We urge the federal government to listen to grassroots organizations and survivors to allocate additional funds to address the complex human rights abuse of trafficking that takes place within Canada every single day. 

Mental Health

Unlike in relation to gender-based violence, Budget 2023 openly admits that there are lingering mental health impacts of the pandemic. We know the pandemic did not impact everyone equally – women reported lower self-perceived mental health across all population groups, but it was particularly low among 2SLGBTQI+ women and Indigenous women.

However, the only newly proposed answer in Budget 2023 is the implementation of the three-digit suicide prevention line to access crisis support. Where is the budgeting for intersectional, culturally-centered and trauma-informed organizations and services that work to prevent the need for crisis and suicide-prevention lines? This is yet another “reactive” approach to systemic problems that will disproportionately affect communities like 2SLGBTQI+, Black, and Indigenous women. 

Chilc Care

We celebrate Canada’s establishment of an affordable Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care System, with a goal of bringing fees down to $10/day on average by 2026. By April 2, 2023, six provinces and territories will be providing regulated child care for an average of just $10/day or less. All others are on track to achieve this by 2026.

Women continue to be primary caregivers, are disproportionately responsible for unpaid care, and are significantly more likely to take on additional household labour tasks than male counterparts. This is a win for parents everywhere, yes, but we know child care costs disproportionately impact the livelihoods of marginalized women in Canada (i.e. racialized women, disabled women, immigrant and refugee women). Further, this will additionally support and empower girls in families where child care was a gendered responsibility placed on them when parents were unable to care for younger children (i.e. due to employment). 

We celebrate the provinces and territories that recognized the importance of affordable child care and provided this initiative ahead of schedule, and will continue to monitor and hold those that have committed to achieving this by 2026. 

Housing

Budget 2023 continues to invest in the housing crisis – a third round of the Rapid Housing Initiative will be launched to Canadians, providing $1.5 billion to create 4, 500 new affordable housing units for Canadians. 

We called for Canada to address the housing crisis with a gendered and intersectional lens as we know women who experience violence experience homelessness at higher rates, and women experiencing homelessness experience violence at higher rates. Their response? 25% of investments will go to housing projects targeted towards women. While we are happy to see the acknowledgement of the gendered issue of housing instability, we see this as another vague commitment. We continue to call for strategic housing crisis plans that acknowledge intersectional identities – supporting women experiencing violence, as well as Black, Indigenous, disabled, newcomer, and other identities of women that we know result in higher rates of homelessness.

When Canada reports that almost half of Canadians felt “very concerned” over their ability to afford housing or rent in 2022, we know that supplying housing units is not enough to address the housing crisis. 

Sexual and Reproductive Health: Safeguarding Access to Abortion

We applaud Canada’s recognition in Budget 2023 of the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States and the importance of sexual and reproductive health care, as well as bodily autonomy. The federal government has committed to ensuring that no Canadian pays out of pocket to receive an abortion. 

Budget 2023 proposes to provide $36 million starting in 2024-25 to Health Canada to renew the Secual and Reproductive Health fund, which will support community-based organizations that help make access to abortion, sexual and reproductive health care, information and services for populations. 

Budget 2023 has committed to global sexual and reproductive health and rights by investing $700 million starting in 2023. We will monitor the impacts of this, and implore Canada to address sexual and reproductive coercion as the gender-based violence that it is. 

Conclusion

Overall, Budget 2023 fails to convey strategic, transparent, and coordinated action plans, continuing to utilize a reactive rather than proactive approach to addressing systemic issues. When it comes to gender-equality and gender-based violence, Budget 2023 primarily reiterates commitments made in previous years. We implore the Canadian government to commit to the long-term funding that will be required to end violence for all, especially the most marginalized women and girls, and we will continue to monitor future Budgets and Action Plans to hold our leadership accountable.

The spotlight that was rightfully placed on gender-based violence over the pandemic has been removed. We know that because of this, women, girls, and gender-diverse people will continue to face alarming rates of violence and femicide. The impacts on gender-based violence rates by a pandemic do not end when the pandemic does, even if Budget 2023 demonstrates that the consideration in federal funding does. 

The question remains: When will women matter enough?

When envisioning a world where women and girls achieve gender equity and freedom from violence, we at Aura Freedom push ourselves to not only imagine freedom from, but freedom to. Not just freedom from violence, from prosecution, from inequality – but freedom to make choices: about our bodies, our education, our health, our families, our movement, our paths. 

In response to the recent publication of a leaked document from SCOTUS that points to an imminent overturn of Roe v Wade, Aura Freedom would like to discuss the impact of this document and the impending decision from SCOTUS, and the matter of reproductive justice. 

Roe v Wade was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in 1973, which affirmed women’s rights to privacy as outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Under this right to privacy, it was decided that women had the right to access abortion without extensive government restriction. While States have differing regulations regarding abortion, Roe v Wade signalled a massive step forward in the movement for reproductive justice and bodily autonomy both in the United States and abroad. This landmark decision hugely influenced other countries in their subsequent decisions to decriminalize abortion, and its will undoubtedly have similar effects, especially in neighbouring countries in South America.

Of course, we know that abortions existed and were performed before the Roe v Wade ruling. Illegal or informal abortions have always existed underground in contexts where abortion is criminalized, with varying levels of safety and accessibility. These illegal abortions present significant social, financial and health risks to all women, and these risks are more significant for poor, racialized, immigrant, disabled and queer women (to name a few). 

Leading up to the legalization of abortion, feminist groups across North America organized self-help clinics to place knowledge and tools about women’s reproductive health in the hands of women. These clinics touched on subjects ranging from pregnancy tests, reproductive anatomy, and self-induced abortions.These feminist consciousness-raising groups recognized reproductive health as a site of political power, and reappropriated biomedical knowledge and tools to place this power in the hands of women. 

Feminist self-help clinics are a heart-warming example of resilience and grassroots feminist movement-building in the face of oppressive restriction on bodily autonomy and integrity. However, the reality of abortion before Roe v Wade for most women was in stark contrast to the empowerment and sisterhood that defined self-help clinics.

For decades, feminists have endlessly repeated what we all know to be true: criminalizing abortion will not prevent abortions from occurring, it will only make them more dangerous and less accessible, especially for marginalized women. This is backed up by research that concretely demonstrates that abortion levels are roughly the same across countries where it is legal and countries where it is criminalized. In countries with high levels of poverty where abortion is criminalized, abortion rates are four times higher than in higher-income countries where abortion is legal. 

This research confirms that the restriction and criminalization of abortion only results in unsafe and unregulated abortion procedures, which puts the lives and the health of women at immense risk. Furthermore, it demonstrates that rates of abortion are more influenced by social factors, such as income and social status, than by legal restrictions or rights. 

The criminalization of abortion is therefore not simply a matter of reducing abortion rates – it is a matter of restricting women’s bodily autonomy and integrity, and thus an infringement on their Human Rights. The criminalization of abortion is violence against women, in action.

So, where does this leave us? 

On Thursday, April 7th, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled her second federal budget for Canada to move ‘beyond the pandemic’.

While we recognize there have been large investments allocated towards housing, and further investments in the childcare sector, we argue that the government has failed to recognize how the effects of the pandemic will continue to be felt by many working class women, racialized and Indigenous women, LGBTQ2S+ caregivers, newcomers, women with disabilities, migrant workers, and more.

Although Budget 2022 has been touted as a feminist one, gender equality did not seem to be a priority this year. Indeed, the Statement and Impacts Report on Gender, Diversity, and Quality of Life is separated from the budget, as opposed to being embedded in it.

The following is Aura Freedom’s analysis of Budget 2022-2023, through the lenses of gender-based violence eradication, equity, human rights and intersectional feminism.

The National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (NAP)

The release of Budget 2021 was a victorious day for feminists and advocates working to end gender-based violence in Canada. After decades of advocacy, we finally had our moment with an announcement of over $600 million to finally implement a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

Many of us were looking forward to hearing more in Budget 2022, but were met with vague language on the “forthcoming National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence”. The complete lack of information in this short section is deeply concerning for the GBV sector.

Budget 2022 proposes $539.3 million over five years “to enable provinces and territories to supplement and enhance services and supports within their jurisdictions to prevent gender-based violence and support survivors.” This does not seem like a coordinated, national plan. What does it all mean? Moreover, most of the money is forecasted in 2024-2027, which poses the question of how we are to get this long overdue and urgent NAP off the ground.

Gender-based violence does not just “go away”. As a deeply rooted societal issue, it will take years – if not generations – to eradicate it. Thus, it must be addressed consistently and in every fiscal budget, not just once.

In a world that has collectively mobilized to respond to COVID-19, from finding a vaccine to a multibillion-dollar plan to build the economy in five years, the question still remains: can we not mobilize in the same way for a pandemic that has affected the lives of millions of women and girls for centuries?

We believe that we can. With sustainable funding that places trust in grassroots organizations, and a strong political will, we can eradicate gender-based violence for good.

It just has to mean enough to us.

We will be monitoring this issue closely in the coming months and look forward to hearing more on the roll-out of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Gender diverse peoples.

Indigenous Peoples and Reconciliation

$11 billion will be invested over six years in recognition of past harm and discrimination towards Indigenous children and families, to support Indigenous communities and advance self-determination. This is a significant reduction from the $40 billion announced in 2021 and much less than the amounts called for by Indigenous leaders and organizations.

The recognition of the intergenerational impact of the residential school and child welfare services on Indigenous communities, and the prioritization of the safety and health of Indigenous children are two essential steps towards Reconciliation and towards reproductive justice for Indigenous women.

Missing from the budget, however, was any mention of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ Calls to Justice – and no new investments to implement those calls. We recognize that in 2021, $2.2 billion was announced over five years to respond to MMIWG2S, but there has been no further allocation of funding to get the work off the ground. In fact, “missing and murdered Indigenous women” was mentioned 16 times in Budget 2021, but only once in Budget 2022.

Genocide cannot be undone in one budget year.

The lack of prioritization of responding to the genocide of Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit peoples is simply not good enough. We implore a sustained commitment to addressing the root causes of violence towards Indigenous women and girls, and new investments in preventative programs to address this violence and empower survivors.

Also noted in this section of Budget 2022 is the lack of distinction between Indigenous groups and the diverse needs of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. Funding to address the criminalization of Indigenous land defenders was also missing, which is directly related to the ongoing discrimination and displacement of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Human Trafficking

There is not one mention of human trafficking in the entirety of Budget 2022, yet those of us working in this space know there has been a sharp increase in online youth exploitation and increased exploitation of migrant workers during the pandemic. This indifference to one of the worst human rights abuses of our time is infuriating and unacceptable.

Sexual Violence and Misconduct in the Military

In December of 2021, a public, formal apology was issued towards all Defence Team members and veterans that were victims of, or affected by sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination based on sex, gender, or sexual orientation.

This apology was a big step forward, recognizing the responsibility of the Canadian military to protect its service members, and acknowledging its long history of silencing victims of sexual violence and not bringing perpetrators to justice. 

To address this, Budget 2022 will invest $100.5 million over six years to address sexual violence within the Canadian Military. Since the language is vague on how the monies will be employed, we suggest a strong focus on the prevention of sexual violence, rather than the response to the violence after it has already occurred. This means investments in addressing the deeply rooted patriarchal beliefs and culture of the military, as well as training for leadership.

Housing

Budget 2022 presented significant investments in housing, responding to a long-standing housing crisis and rising levels of homelessness. Housing is a key social determinant of health, safety and wellbeing – and a human right.

While the report announced many exciting investments with regards to housing, there was no explicit mention of how these investments will immediately address housing insecurity and homelessness, especially for women – who have a higher incidence of core-housing needs, especially when they belong to marginalized communities, are a lone-parent, have a disability, or when they experience violence. We know that many women must choose between living in a violent home or facing homelessness. In the same way, we know that women who experience homelessness face much higher rates of violence and are extremely vulnerable to trafficking. Canada must address the housing crisis with a gendered and human rights lens to respond to the unique issues faced by women experiencing housing insecurity.

Housing supply is mentioned frequently in the budget, with claims that “Increasing our housing supply will be key to making housing more affordable for everyone.” However, supply alone will not end the housing crisis. Even with more supply, too many people living in Canada will still not be able to afford homes, including women, single parents, migrant workers, refugees, and those living in poverty. Livable incomes and wages are the biggest factor to housing stability and seem to be missing from the housing equation.

Delivering on Child Care

Budget 2021 made an historic investment of $30 billion over five years to build a high-quality, affordable and accessible early learning and child care system across Canada. In less than a year, the federal government reached agreements with all 13 provinces and territories, meaning that by 2025-26, it will mean an average child care fee of $10-a-day for all regulated child care spaces across Canada.

This investment will save lives – literally. It is well-documented that many women must choose between leaving an abusive relationship or living in poverty. Our own community research has shown that many survivors stay in violent homes because they cannot afford daycare on their own. Read more here.

Women are, for the most part, the primary caregivers of children in their families. Therefore, child care costs are also a major barrier to economic empowerment for the most marginalized women in Canada, including single mothers, immigrant and refugee women, Indigenous and racialized women.

Budget 2022 will provide an additional $625 million over four years, beginning in 2023-24, for an Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund. We are worried that this current funding, however, is inefficient to support the expansion needed (workforce, facilities, training, etc.) to make the child care dream a reality. We will be monitoring this situation closely in the coming months.

Anti-Racism and Combatting Hate

Anti-Racism Strategy and National Action Plan on Combatting Hate

$85 million over 4 years has been allocated to launch an Anti-Racism Strategy and National Action Plan on Combatting Hate is a positive step, however advocates have consistently said that more is needed to address the deeply embedded racism in Canada’s systems and the rising rates of hatred we are all bearing witness to in our communities.

Important to note here is that misogyny is also a form of hate, and must be addressed in order to prevent brutal gendered attacks like the Montreal Massacre, the Toronto Van Attack, the Nova Scotia Mass Shooting and Canada’s rising rates of femicide and filicide.

Funding for Black Researchers

Budget 2022 promises $40.0 million over five years and $9.7 million to the federal granting councils to support targeted scholarships and fellowships for promising Black student researchers. This funding is critical to support Black researchers and developing research on marginalized Black communities. It is important for the federal granting council to not only consist of diverse members who represent various backgrounds, but that the recipients are diverse as well. This will ensure research is created that is diverse, intersectional, and reflects the lived realities of Canadians.

Women at Work

Sick Days

Missing from the Budget 2022 was any mention of paid sick days, and how the lack of them particularly affects women who make up the majority of the work force in the childcare sector, long-term care sector, and most other caring professions.

Union Training and Innovation Program

Budget 2022 proposes $84.2 million over four years to support 3,500 apprentices per year from underrepresented communities (women, newcomers, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples, and racialized Canadians) to access good-quality and high-paying jobs in the trade industry through the Union Training and Innovation Program. This is a great initiative that can lead to women’s economic development, and we look forward to the relevant communities being easily able to access the program. 

Menstrual Equity Fund

Budget 2022 proposes to provide $25 million over two years, starting in 2022-23, for Women and Gender Equality Canada to establish a national pilot project for a Menstrual Equity Fund that will help make menstrual products available to those in need.

Over two years, Women and Gender Equality Canada will be provided $25 million to establish and pilot a Menstrual Equity Fund that will provide menstrual products to marginalized women, girls and gender diverse peoples. This project is critical in eliminating barriers to education and participation for women and girls. We look forward to the project roll-out and learning of the ways these investments will be accessible to all marginalized people who are not adequately supported by the healthcare system.

Addressing Mis/Disinformation

Budget 2022 has allocated an investment of $10 million over five years to combat disinformation in order to protect Canada’s democracy. We recognize the immense potential of mis- and disinformation for real-life harmful effects, especially on frequently targeted populations such as BIPOC, LGBTQ2S+, and religious minority communities, and applaud this investment.

Budget 2022 acknowledges that there has been a rise in anti-democratic ideology in concurrence with a rise in misinformation, the COVID-19 pandemic, and increasing geopolitical tensions. However, the budget fails to acknowledge how anti-democratic ideology is directly connected to misogyny and other anti-gender equality ideology – and the proof of this is right next door. We are disappointed that the Budget did not acknowledge the ongoing movement to restrict reproductive rights and freedoms in the USA, nor propose action to combat similar misinformation campaigns about reproductive rights in Canada.

Supporting Charities

Budget 2022 greatly lacks sustainable investments to support the charity sector. While the funding for the Performance Art and Heritage sector is welcomed, there is no mention of the need to provide the charitable sector with sustained, core funding to do their important work.

In short, project funding is destroying the charitable sector. Organizations must spend the bulk of their time writing project grants, and then reporting back on those grants in tedious ways that kill us softly. Moreover, project funding forces organizations to carry out their projects in siloed ways and limits the possibilities of salary increases for our overworked and underpaid staff members. We strongly advocate for sustained, core funding for the charitable sector, as well as simplified grant applications and reporting requirements that do not drain smaller, grassroots organizations of their time and resources.

After all, it is the charitable sector doing the work of lifting up communities and supporting marginalized people to participate in the economy, and we deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.

International: Responding to the War in Ukraine

Budget 2022 proposes to invest $111 million over five years to implement two new immigration streams for Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s invasion.

While we commend Canada’s commitment to supporting Ukraine during the Russian invasion, we were concerned at the lack of attention paid to Ukrainian women, girls and gender diverse people, and the issue of wartime sexual violence. Indeed, while the Statement and Impacts Report on Gender, Diversity, and Quality of Life for the 2022 Budget states that more women will benefit from the new immigration streams, there is an urgent need for funding for local organizations in Ukraine to address sexual violence and support survivors.

Conclusion

Overall, while positive investments have been made, Budget 2022 lacked a human rights-based approach and a gender-informed, intersectional framework. Small ‘bits and bobs’ in the budget simply will not amount to the systemic change that is needed to eradicate gender-based violence and lift marginalized communities out of poverty.

For women in Canada who experience gender-based violence in their homes, every day is an emergency. Every day is life or death. For these women and their children, COVID-19 presented complex risks that went beyond the virus itself, and continues to affect their daily lives. These are the women who were not represented in Budget 2022.

In early 2022, Aura Freedom led multiple community consultations in partnership with Social Planning Toronto to inform the Gender Equity Strategy that will be implemented by the City of Toronto. 

We consulted with a number of community partners in Toronto to ensure that their lived experiences, research, and grassroots expertise on gender-based-violence and human trafficking are an integral part of the Gender Equity Strategy for the city. 

Our community partners highlighted various ways women, girls and gender diverse people face inequality, discrimination, violence and control in Toronto. Marginalized and racialized women and girls experience added layers of discrimination and barriers to support, as well as youth in care and ones battling mental health. Moreover, colonialism, systemic racism, and homo/transphobia have created intergenerational trauma within communities, which are then targeted by traffickers and exploiters. Indigenous, Black, and other racialized women, girls and youth often lack social support, leaving room for exploitation under the guise of love, community and a better life.

Through our community consultations, we also heard about the impact of gender-based violence and exploitation in communities, and how violence against women, girls and gender diverse people is affecting every aspect of life in Toronto, from housing and food security, to mental health and addiction, to education and the economy. Therefore, we must actively work to eradicate GBV not only to advance gender equity, but to restore health and prosperity to our communities. 

Gender-based violence is a human rights abuse, although never treated as such, and the right to live free from gender-based violence is enshrined in multiple international treaties and declarations. In order to implement a successful Gender Equity Strategy in Toronto, we strongly encourage the City of Toronto to zoom out, unpack societal power imbalances and inequities, and most importantly, employ a strong anti-GBV lens that is intersectional, survivor-centric, and trauma-informed.

We also recommend the Gender Equity Strategy be central to all other planning at the city level, and not simply an afterthought.

Aura Freedom was invited to share our views on Canada’s implementation and application of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols on human trafficking and migrant smuggling as part of a national consultation with civil society conducted by the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform (ICCLR) of UBC.

As Canada is a party to the Convention and the aforementioned two protocols, the Government of Canada engaged in a self-assessment exercise as part of an international review process under the auspices of the United Nations Conference of the Parties to the Convention. The review was designed to assess countries’ responses to transnational organized crime through civil society inputs, and facilitate the exchange of lessons learned for future progress.

Click here for more information and to download the full publication.

The U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report was published in June 2021, highlighting the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on anti-trafficking efforts and focuses on building future and current efforts through an equity-building lens. 

The Pandemic

The report broke down human trafficking in the context of a global pandemic, in addition to the definitions commonly used in understanding human trafficking. It notes the exacerbation of new and old vulnerabilities caused by the economic and social distress generated by the pandemic – we recognize that this will need more research to confirm the exact effects and determine next steps for the future. The report also discusses the increase in forms of online sexual exploitation which has also been noted by Aura Freedom and partners in the beginning of the pandemic and connecting this issue to the recirculation of sensationalized and fabricated trafficking-related stories and mis/disinformation on social media platforms.

Due to governments across the world diverting resources and attention towards the pandemic, resulting in cuts to social supports and anti-trafficking efforts, systemic gaps and inequalities were exacerbated and impossible to ignore. The TIP Report notes these issues and calls for sustained collaboration among key anti-trafficking actors in the name of equity such as governments, civil society organizations, private sector, and survivor leaders. This is good, but it must also be noted that addressing inequities without grassroots inclusion will lead to the dog chasing its tail in vain.

Resilience

Interestingly, the report included a special focus on how anti-trafficking stakeholders adapted during the pandemic, including the resilience of survivor-led and survivor-informed innovations. This is indeed a positive aspect to highlight, however it could lead to an overdependence on the resilience of survivors and grassroots groups without lending proper support to ensure this resilience is sustainable. 

Lived Experience

A section in the report gave space for experts and those with lived experience to highlight special topics. This is a great practice in equity by showcasing other expertise and lived experience, and contributes to the growing dialogue of progress within the anti-trafficking sector. This is explored further in a separate section below.

Use of Survivor Experiences and Photographs

A stark contrast from the 2020 TIP Report is the inclusion of a disclaimer on the sharing of survivor experiences and pictures. The re-exploitation and re-traumatization of survivors through the use of sensationalized imagery in the anti-trafficking sphere has been well-noted – this practice of including survivors in the TIP report while staying mindful of their rights is a step towards progress that we hope many in the anti-trafficking field would appreciate and/or adopt into their practices.

Topics of Special Interest

This section gave space to discuss special topics ranging from navigating the unique complexities in familial trafficking to unifying trauma-informed practices, voices of survivor leadership, and the negative impacts of human trafficking misinformation. The importance of this section is clear – from centering survivor experiences to dispelling dangerous beliefs and misinformation campaigns, this section stands out and should be a permanent feature going forward.

In the article, The Role of the Financial Sector, Canada’s Project PROTECT and FINTRAC was highlighted. FINTRAC has been successful in disclosing suspicious transactions of money laundering to law enforcement to aid in their cases. Unfortunately, there is not a survivor equity lens in this analysis as it fails to mention that survivors of human trafficking lack support in rebuilding their credit scores after their traffickers use their financial information to take out credit cards and loans in their names.

A grassroots analysis would have benefited this report, to note the organizing efforts of grassroots women’s organizations who are currently advocating to expand the federal strategy to end gender-based violence to include financial and economic abuse. Economic abuse has been a barrier for survivors in leaving, accessing supports, and in their pursuit of a higher quality of life. Canada and its banks have failed to recognize this issue with regards to human trafficking, nor has it taken any steps to enacting policies to support survivors of economic abuse and human trafficking who have had their identities stolen and credits ruined.