Domestic Violence Action Plan

Our government is investing more than $82 million of new funding over four years in the Domestic Violence Action Plan, which exceeds our original commitment of $66 million. The plan has reached the halfway mark. 

Our investments support a range of community service, including shelters, counseling services, and community and housing supports.

We are focusing on:

• Public education designed to change attitudes and mobilize communities to stop violence before it happens:
• In June, we announced the Neighbours, Friends and Families campaign that helps mobilize communities to get involved by helping them recognize the warning signs of domestic violence and how to safely provide assistance.
• In November, we launched the Equality Rules public education campaign that teaches youth ages eight to fourteen about healthy, equal and respectful relationships to help break the cycle of violence before it starts. The campaign reaches this group through television and movie theatre ads, and an interactive website.
• Early intervention and prevention strategies such as training front-line workers, research, and conferences in key sectors to help victims get the information and support they need
• Strengthening the justice system response to better support women and children and hold abusers accountable for their violent behaviour.
• Improving French-language communities’ access to violence prevention services with targeted investments.

The plan has reached its halfway mark and this progress has been captured in the Domestic Violence Action Plan Update.

 

Economic Independence

To help women achieve economic independence, the Ontario government invested in:

• The Employment Training Pilot Program to help vulnerable women develop new skills, find employment and achieve economic independence
• The Information Technology Training for Women, a program that enables women to secure employment through further training and certification in the IT sector.
• The Women in Skilled Trades program supports training programs to help low-income women gain a foothold in the lucrative skilled trades sector. The McGuinty government has provided a total of more than $3.3 million to train hundreds of women since 2003.

Status of Women Canada

2007 marks the 26th anniversary of Canada's ratification of the most comprehensive international treaty on women's rights, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

The law guarantees women and men equal rights, opportunities and responsibilities in all aspects of Canadian life. Much has been accomplished to put into place legal foundations such as the Canadian Human Rights Act, pay and employment equity laws, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and maternity and parental benefits.

Governments at all levels along with community partners continue to work to resolve barriers to women’s equality. With these efforts, the goal is to remove these barriers  from society so that women can achieve their fullest potential.

 

International Women's Day Resources and Links

These links lead to national and international sites and include information on the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, factsheets, women’s networks, historical progress and other sites of interest.