Still, more could be done to improve women’s intersectional representation in cabinet, and help ensure that government policies and decision-making responds to the needs of Canadians in all their diversity. This includes taking action to combat rising levels of violence and harassment against women politicians, particularly Black, Indigenous, and racialized women. Such acts are a form of backlash against women’s rights and feminist movements, and intended to keep women out of politics.
The Trudeau government has invested significantly in the feminist movement in Canada. This investment includes funding for capacity-building grants for women’s rights and gender equality organizations, which are set to end in March 2023. Renewed capacity-building funding is needed to help these organizations maintain their vital work and continue building a coordinated feminist movement in Canada, after years of underfunding and losses in fundraising and capacity due to the pandemic.
