The Canadian Council of Muslim Women Welcomes Federal Budget 2021

The Canadian Council of Muslim Women welcomes the investments in women and gender equality announced in Budget 2021.

Pledging unprecedented sums to reverse the impact of the pandemic on women, the investments were announced by Chrystia Freeland, who made history as the first woman Finance Minister to present a Budget.

The announcements include a national action plan on gender-based violence, increased support for gender-based violence services, investments toward women’s economic well-being and ambitious new initiatives like a national child care program. 

Women are among the groups most vulnerable to the worst impact of the pandemic and lockdowns, and the plan delivers much-needed good news as the pandemic’s third wave sweeps across the country.

CCMW particularly welcomes the investment in women’s and gender equality organizations, which have been struggling to provide essential support and programs to women, girls, gender-diverse people, and communities.  

The federal government’s decision to make gender-based violence (GBV) a central consideration in the budget is also heartening. The pandemic has resulted in a dramatic increase in violence experienced by women, girls, and gender-diverse people in Canada; including in Islamophobic and gender-based attacks, assaults, abuse and cyberbullying.

With an overall investment of $600 million in initiatives as part of a National Action Plan on Violence Against Women & Gender-Based Violence (NAP), the measures will help address the root causes and wider social implications of gender-based violence and systemic racism.

The budget plan will also make early learning and child care programs accessible, affordable and inclusive across Canada with an investment of up to $30-billion over the next five years to bolster access to affordable child-care and early-learning services. Women often bear the brunt of providing or arranging child care and the pandemic has forced many women to leave the workforce or to cut back on hours to look after their children. The government’s support for child care through this investment will help ensure women are not left out of the economic recovery.

“The pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing inequities faced by women and a budget that not only recognizes the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on women but also reflects on their differential experiences, including Muslim women the majority of whom are racialized, is truly historic,” says Nuzhat Jafri, Executive Director of the Canadian Council of Muslim Women. “The budget will help lay the framework for gender-responsive recovery. It is a big step forward for all Canadians and a milestone for women across the country.”

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