Canada Announces Support for Indigenous Women and Queer People in Northwest Territories and Nunavut
On behalf of the Honorable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, Michael V. McLeod, Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, has announced an allocation of more than $1.15 million to two community organizations in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.
Six hundred and fifteen thousand dollars will go toward the Gender-Based Violence Awareness and Training Workshops initiative run by the Northwest Territories/Nunavut Council of Friendship Centres.
The Nunavut Inuit Women's Association's project, which aims to support Inuit women in leadership positions, will receive more than $544,000 in funding.
This is predicated on the belief that the only way to guarantee the present and future prosperity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ communities is to strengthen the organizations that represent them so that they can combat gender-based violence.
In order to promote the execution of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, the Canadian government has already announced bilateral agreements with the Northwest Territories in September 2023 and with Nunavut in October 2023.
This announcement builds upon those agreements. Pillar 4 of the National Action Plan, which centers on adopting ways led by Indigenous peoples, is likewise in line with this funding.
A National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence was launched in November 2022 by the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Forum of Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women. The plan is set to run for 10 years.
To combat violence against women and girls, the Plan provides a roadmap for action.
It rests on five pillars: victim, survivor, and family support; prevention; a just system that responds to needs; social infrastructure and an enabling environment; and initiatives led by Indigenous people.