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Women and Gender Equality Canada Implementation Plan for Canada's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security – 2023 to 2029

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Table of contents

Introduction

The United Nations Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on women, peace and security (WPS), and the coinciding resolutions, calls on all countries to address the different impacts of conflict situations on women and girls, as well as support women’s participation in peace and security efforts and decision-making processes. These resolutions link women and girls, in all their diversity, to the peace and security agenda, with a dedicated focus on understanding and addressing the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and the necessity of women’s participation in conflict resolution and sustainable peace.

As the foundation of the WPS agenda, resolution 1325 articulates the important role of women in peace negotiations, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian response, post-conflict reconstruction and in the prevention and resolution of conflicts. In addition, the resolution stresses the importance of women’s equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security. Since the initial adoption of resolution 1325 on October 31, 2000, the WPS agenda has grown and is now comprised of multiple resolutions that add nuance to the agenda. These resolutions include the financing of the WPS agenda, support for women’s civil society organizations, an understanding of the impact of sexual violence in conflict situations and processes for monitoring and evaluation.

Canada’s first and second national action plans were primarily focused internationally, with a strong focus on active, post-conflict and humanitarian settings. In its second implementation plan, Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), formerly Status of Women Canada, provided support to the lead National Action Plan (“action plan”) partner departments—Global Affairs Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Department of National Defence (DND) and Canadian Armed Forces (CAF)—to increase their capacity to apply an intersectional lens to their policies, plans and operations.

Canada’s third National Action Plan, spanning 2023 to 2029, recognizes the important domestic implications of the WPS agenda. Canada will advance the WPS agenda through its diplomatic and programming efforts, including those at home. For example, ending gender-based violence, combatting anti-trans hate—notably against transgender women—empowering women and girls in leadership, decision making, and capacity building roles; and advancing inclusion initiatives and policies are identified as key pillars in domestic gender equality goals. Thus, Canada’s third National Action Plan incorporates a greater domestic focus than in previous iterations, with the purpose of acknowledging and advancing the inclusion of women and girls, in all their diversity, to peace and security discussions within Canada.

While continuing to enable implementation partners both at home and abroad, WAGE will fulfill a unique role in leading domestic efforts in support of Canada’s third National Action Plan on women, peace and security. WAGE is mandated to advance equality with respect to sex, sex characteristics, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression through the inclusion of people of all genders in Canada’s economic, social and political life. As such, WAGE’s implementation plan continues to enhance Canada’s approach to the WPS agenda by leveraging existing mechanisms to advise implementing departments on gender-based violence, 2SLGBTQI+ peace and security issues (including the rise of anti-2SLGBTQI+ hate) and best practices for embedding gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) in their work.

This implementation plan outlines WAGE’s contributions, the targeted focus areas, expected outcomes, alignment with other departmental initiatives and key considerations. It paves the way for WAGE to support Canada’s role as a global leader in women, peace and security, highlighting the domestic implications of the agenda.

Context

Around the world, armed conflict disproportionately affects girls, women and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities. However, discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and gender expression (perceived or actual) has resulted in the exclusion of girls, women and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities from those discussions and operations related to preserving and protecting their communities. In response, the WPS agenda recognizes women are powerful agents of change, thereby calling for their voices to be included and bolstered across a range of peace and security efforts. Canada’s action plans continue to be developed with the intention of providing meaningful opportunities to women and girls around the world in the resolution of conflict and peace and security efforts. The WPS agenda is at the heart of Canada’s priorities, including Canada’s feminist foreign policy―which includes the Feminist International Assistance Policy―and Canada’s defence policy. The Government of Canada is now also seeing the inclusion of the WPS agenda beyond foreign and defence priorities.

On December 13, 2018, Status of Women Canada became the federal department Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE). This change from agency to department modernized and formalized, in law, the roles of the minister and the department―to support the advancement of gender equality as a central priority for the Government of Canada through policy, programming, funding and research. WAGE was also dedicated to coordinating such efforts across the federal government.

One of WAGE’s key contributions to the WPS agenda continues to be the department’s mandate, which directs WAGE to support gender equality and diversity objectives as part of Canada’s efforts to build sustainable peace and communities that are free from conflict and violence. The mandate also includes promoting the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity, so they can participate in community-building processes.

As per the Prime Minister’s mandate letter to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth (2021), WAGE is responsible for supporting ministers working to advance gender equality as it relates to economic participation and prosperity, including economic recovery; preventing, responding to and ending gender-based violence; leadership and democratic participation; poverty reduction; and health and well-being.Footnote 1 The mandate letter describes a vision of a strengthened WAGE as a centre of expertise for advancing gender equality; preventing and addressing gender-based violence; supporting the application of GBA Plus across government decision-making processes; and supporting the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Development in expanding Canada’s efforts to advance gender equality and 2SLGBTQI+ rights abroad (by providing support for the work of global feminist initiatives, relevant international institutions and civil society partners). As such, and in alignment with its mandate, WAGE’s implementation plan will include actions that will enable the department to continue to provide expertise and support on GBA Plus, gender-based violence and 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion to other women, peace and security implementation partners.

While there has been considerable progress since Canada’s second National Action Plan, there continues to be opportunities for improving the application of a robust and intersectional GBA Plus throughout the Government of Canada as it relates to the WPS agenda. Indigenous women and girls, women with disabilities, members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities, youth, and racialized newcomer and migrant women still face unacceptable barriers to their full and effective participation in Canadian society. WAGE is the central hub for GBA Plus knowledge and expertise and works to enhance capacity and expertise for the application of GBA Plus across the federal government. For Canada’s third National Action Plan, WAGE will continue to increase awareness and understanding of GBA Plus and foster collaboration between women, peace and security implementing partners to capture new knowledge and best practices.

Moreover, recognizing the critical role of grassroots organizations, including those representing women, Indigenous Peoples, youth and 2SLGBTQI+ communities, WAGE will continue to provide support to Canadian women’s organizations and equality-seeking groups, with particular attention paid to those that serve Indigenous women, women with disabilities, members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities and racialized newcomer and migrant women. This will position WAGE to provide resources and programs for victims and survivors of gender-based violence and their families, while raising awareness and preventing the rise of anti-2SLGBTQI+ hate.

Indeed, as the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan make clear, there continue to be significant barriers to achieving gender equality in Canada, including gender-based violence and substantial and persisting inequities faced by 2SLGBTQI+ individuals and communities. As such―in addition to supporting the Minister of National Defence in their work to end discrimination, sexual misconduct and gender-based violence in the military and the Minister of Public Safety in their work to accelerate action to reform the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)―WAGE will continue to provide expertise related to gender-based violence and 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion to other government departments.

WAGE’s implementation plan aligns with sustained and coordinated efforts across all orders of government to ensure that sustainable, equitable and meaningful progress is made toward the successful implementation of the WPS agenda. Equally important, the plan is aligned with the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, which reinforce WAGE’s ongoing commitments to partners and stakeholders, such as Indigenous organizations, women’s organizations, equality-seeking groups and 2SLGBTQI+ communities. In addition, WAGE also continues to support federal and international instruments that protect human rights and gender equality, such as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the United Nations Declaration for the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Canada’s third National Action Plan is thus a welcome opportunity for WAGE to work alongside partners to expand their domestic focus on women, peace and security, ensuring coordination with other national policies and plans at every step. The goal is for women and girls, in all their diversity―as well as 2SLGBTQI+ individuals and communities within Canada―to be included and contribute to the protection and promotion of a peaceful and secure world, a world where all people live free from discrimination, violence, hatred, oppression and marginalization.

Focus areas

In alignment with the federal and international instruments that guide WAGE’s work and its mandate letter commitments, WAGE will contribute to the following 3 focus areas: (4) sexual and gender-based violence, (5) leadership and capabilities, and (6) inclusion.

Focus area 4: Sexual and gender-based violence

Gender-based violence (GBV) is one of the most pervasive, deadly and deeply rooted human rights violations of this time. It exists everywhere, and Canada is no exception.

The difficulty in ending GBV is rooted in its origins in systemic prejudices, such as discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, colonialism, racism, ableism, classism and poverty. These prejudices maintain gender inequality and other inequities. For this reason, preventing and addressing GBV in Canada requires a coordinated national approach, with federal, provincial and territorial governments working in close partnership with victims and survivors, Indigenous partners, direct service providers, experts, advocates, municipalities, the private sector and researchers. Ending GBV is about creating a peaceful and secure society for all.

To that end, in November 2022, federal, provincial and territorial ministers for the status of women launched the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, the first action plan to set a strategic framework for addressing gender-based violence across Canada. The 10-year vision of the action plan is to end gender-based violence. The federal contribution to the action plan is the federal gender-based violence strategy. These two plans complement the priorities of the WPS agenda and Canada’s National Action Plan. Some examples include:

WAGE will continue to work with federal departments and agencies, such as the Department of National Defence and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, toward a vision of a Canada free of gender-based violence, consistent with the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

WAGE will also continue to provide information, tools and resources on GBV through its GBV knowledge centre. The Knowledge Centre is a repository of research, resources and information on GBV in Canada. It has become an invaluable resource on GBV for women, peace and security-implementing partner departments, external partners, educators and civil society organizations.

Anti-2SLGBTQI+ violence and hate

Hate and violence against 2SLGBTQI+ people are rooted in traditional, sexual and gender norms, which proliferate when people who value these norms think the norms are under threat. These rigid norms contribute to the barriers and systemic discrimination targeting 2SLGBTQI+ people and are complicated when intersected with norms on race, ethnicity, class, age and disability, among other factors. Consequently, these norms often contribute to negative social, economic and health outcomes for 2SLGBTQI+ individuals and communities. When 2SLGBTQI+ people refuse to, and/or cannot, conform to these norms, they often face homophobia and transphobia, which manifests through increased violence and hate. Statistics gathered through the 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan survey, which gathered input from 25,636 survey respondents across Canada, indicated the prevalence of hate and violence targeting 2SLGBTQI+ communities.

Launched in August 2022, Canada’s first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan seeks to address and prevent discrimination and stigma based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. The goal is also to prevent discrimination from emerging or worsening for future 2SLGBTQI+ generations. It will do so by prioritizing community action and coordinating the government’s work to advance 2SLGBTQI+ issues across federal departments and agencies in a holistic, whole-of-government approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of the types of inequities facing communities. The implementation plan supports and complements Canada’s third National Action Plan by:

WAGE will also continue to work with federal departments and agencies through the action plan’s 2 senior-level interdepartmental tables on initiatives to combat anti-2SLGBTQI+ hate and violence. This includes, for example, continuing to support the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations in addressing violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people by accelerating the implementation of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People and supporting the implementation of the 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action Plan.

Focus area: 4 intermediate outcomes

National Action Plan outcome: Enhanced gender-responsive prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict contexts or perpetrated by actors working in peace, humanitarian, international development and security sectors in Canada or abroad

WAGE outcomes:

Focus area 5: Leadership and capabilities

Canada is a global leader in the advancement and promotion of the WPS agenda in initiatives related to fragile and conflict-affected states. From situations of active conflict to post-conflict settings and peacebuilding processes, Canada has supported communities in vulnerable situations and advocated for intersectional considerations to be included as part of the WPS agenda. To accomplish this respectfully, and to establish sustainable peace―and in line with the Beijing Platform for Action commitments―Canada has sustained its commitment to GBA Plus for more than 25 years. It has remained dedicated to the practice and to the continuous improvement of this public policy tool to strengthen Canada’s capacity to integrate intersectional considerations into all programs, policies, initiatives and services delivered by the Government of Canada, both at home and abroad. Under Canada’s second National Action Plan, the application of GBA Plus highlighted the importance of supporting equity objectives internationally. By increasing the participation of women and other under-represented or marginalized groups in security and peacebuilding discourse, Canada promoted the integration of intersectional perspectives in efforts to prevent violent extremism at all levels. Canada also integrated gender and intersectional equity perspectives when providing advice about justice reform in fragile and conflict-affected states.

Overall, the WPS agenda can be strengthened by bolstering intersectional considerations and experiences. Within Canada, the scope and scale of GBA Plus has increased over time with a view to embed equity and inclusion across all government business for more responsive government initiatives. As the Government of Canada’s centre of expertise on GBA Plus, WAGE will continue to strengthen and enhance GBA Plus so that it reflects the multiple, intersecting factors that contribute to people’s identities and their interaction with the structures and systems that perpetuate inequality and discrimination.

In WAGE’s previous implementation plan (published prior to the establishment of WAGE as a ministry, then known as Status of Women Canada), the application of GBA Plus throughout the Government of Canada was the focus, with the application of GBA Plus in all Cabinet proposals emerging as a new standard of practice. In this new implementation plan, WAGE will enhance the GBA Plus tool by consulting federal departments and external stakeholders to better capture the lived experienced of people across Canada. There is growing recognition of the importance of data disaggregation for ensuring respect for human rights and for advancing equality for women and for every segment of the population. The Government of Canada’s commitment to conducting GBA Plus analysis is underscored by its commitment to data-driven decision making, further aligned with ongoing efforts to improve monitoring and evaluation efforts of the WPS agenda globally. This enhanced GBA Plus may then be employed across departments in their respective efforts in support of Canada’s National Action Plan for women, peace and security, and beyond.

As the lead federal department on gender equality and GBA Plus, WAGE is uniquely positioned to act as a facilitator of knowledge among federal departments and provide support to international women, peace and security partners. As such, WAGE will build on existing research and evidence-building activities, leveraging established mechanisms to advise and consult with implementing departments so they may deepen their expertise on GBV and emerging 2SLGBTQI+ peace and security issues in Canada.

In addition, in alignment with the United Nations’ ongoing prioritization and empowerment of grassroots community organizations to support the UN’s sustainable development goals―and to reinforce the WPS agenda’s foundations in grassroots organizing and activism―WAGE will continue to provide support to women’s movements, organizations, experts and advocates (with a particular focus on Indigenous women, women with disabilities, trans women, gender-diverse people, lesbians and other members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities, as well as newcomer, Black, racialized and migrant women) on matters of public policy relating to women and gender equality. The WPS agenda, and Canada’s third National Action Plan, calls for the engagement and meaningful participation in peacebuilding and decision making, but this can only be achieved when the structures, institutions and policies that govern society recognize women and girls―and indeed, all people―in all their diversity.

Focus area: 5 intermediate outcomes

National Action Plan outcome: Strengthened implementation of the WPS agenda by Government of Canada and its partners

WAGE outcomes:

Focus area 6: Inclusion

Discrimination and barriers to inclusion have far-reaching impacts for both the global security context and the possibility of sustainable peace within Canada. As the recent atrocities of mass shootings and intimate partner violence indicate, a society cannot be considered secure nor peaceful when groups within that society experience persistent violence and injustices that threaten their well-being and jeopardize their ability to participate in public society. Indeed, peacebuilding is not a process to be initiated only when active conflict has ceased. Rather, sustainable peacebuilding requires addressing the systemic inequities and prejudices that result in the systemic exclusion of those groups that must be a part of peacebuilding processes.

To this end, Canada will continue to actively foster an intersectional approach and greater inclusion within its efforts to implement the WPS agenda, while working to understand, acknowledge and address the root causes of gender inequality and other systemic inequities. For example, WAGE is home to the 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat, which works to ensure that issues related to sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression are taken into account in the development of federal policies, programs and laws. This includes regular consultations with stakeholders across the country to inform the government on issues and potential solutions that are important to 2SLGBTQI+ Canadians. The 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat also works across the federal public service to support the integration of 2SLGBTQI+ considerations into the everyday work of the Government of Canada, including in the professional development and advancement of 2SLGBTQI+ individuals.

While it is better understood that violent conflict is gendered and can disrupt gender norms (particularly in relation to women), conflict analyses rarely consider the experiences of gender-diverse and sexually diverse people. By focusing on 2SLGBTQI+ experiences, future research about gender in peacebuilding can avoid the pitfalls of reproducing stereotypes based in fixed binary sex categories. The complexity of 2SLGBTQI+ experiences opens the possibility of not only bringing a more complete gender analysis to peacebuilding, but also appreciating a diversity of sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions around the world. It is precisely the historical targeting of queer people that demands a turning of the lens toward the generative potential of peacebuilding by and for 2SLGBTQI+ peoples and communities.

Guided by the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, the secretariat will promote the adoption and usage of the more inclusive acronym 2SLGBTQI+ across the Government of Canada and in relevant international contexts. Exclusionary language can contribute to a culture of exclusion, and Canada’s National Action Plan partner departments and agencies must work to dismantle stigma and undo the effects of past harmful practices so that women and girls, in all their diversity, and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities feel safe and empowered to participate in society, no matter where they live. The secretariat, as part of this effort, will also continue to implement remaining initiatives from the LGBT Purge Class Action Settlement Agreement.

Focus area: 6 intermediate outcomes

National Action Plan outcome: Strengthened integration of intersectional and diverse perspectives in shaping and implementing the WPS agenda

WAGE outcome: Strengthened equality-seeking movement advancing women, peace and security issues faced by a diverse Canadian population

Alignment/Conclusion

The domestic/international divide is increasingly blurring. Now, more than ever, international conflicts have domestic implications, and domestic peace and security issues are resonating globally.

WAGE’s implementation plan bridges international and domestic commitments to GBA Plus, gender equality, and the prevention of and end to gender-based violence. Canada will continue to lead internationally on the WPS agenda and further demonstrate the unique and impactful role of the agenda in a domestic context. Ultimately, this implementation plan cements WAGE as one of Canada’s key federal departments, with regard to addressing past and persistent inequities, gender-based violence, and the protection and advocacy of human rights, including but not limited to the rights of Indigenous women and girls, women with disabilities, members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities and racialized, newcomer and migrant women.

Canada’s third National Action Plan for the implementation of the WPS agenda is focused on empowering women and girls around the world and promoting their human rights, participation, engagement and well-being in peace and security. Preventing and responding to conflicts to help build a more peaceful and prosperous world is the overall aim, and gender equality is imperative to its success.

WAGE logic model

*Note that WAGE’s logic model will be published with the implementation plan

Ultimate outcome

Enhanced peace, security and equality for girls, women and gender-diverse people

Thematic focus areas

Focus area 4: Sexual and gender-based violence

Intermediate outcomes
Immediate outcomes
Outputs
Activities

Thematic focus areas

Focus area 5: Leadership and capabilities

Intermediate outcomes
Immediate outcomes
Outputs
Activities

Thematic focus areas

Focus area 6: Inclusion

Intermediate outcomes
Immediate outcomes
Outputs
Activities
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