QUESTION PERIOD — Women and Gender Equality
Budget 2025
November 18, 2025
My question is for the Government Representative. As someone who has worked in and led organizations doing social justice and equality work, you will not be surprised that I commend the government’s decision to fund women and gender equality, which was announced prior to, and confirmed in, the budget.
Can you share with us more details about the funding, and how it will advance gender equality in Canada?
Thank you for the question. Unfortunately, you are just behind me, so I will face the microphone, but I will try to answer your question.
. . . Budget 2025 proposes to provide WAGE with new funding:
$382.5 million over five years, starting in 2026-27, with $76.5 million ongoing, to revitalise and stabilise efforts to advance women’s equality in Canada.
$54.6 million over five years, starting in 2026-27, with $10.9 million ongoing, to support the 2SLGBTQI+ community sector. This includes $7.5 million over five years, with $1.5 million ongoing, for Pride Security.
$223.4 million over five years, starting in 2026-27, with $44.7 million ongoing, to strengthen federal action on gender-based violence.
While I applaud greater support for the gender-equality sector, I’m gravely concerned about the budget cuts to international assistance by $2.7 billion over four years.
Senator Moreau, can you explain this decision and how it will impact Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy, or FIAP, a policy that has successfully focused on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls? Is this a change in direction away from the FIAP?
Thank you for the question.
The Canadian government has been elected, as you know, on a clear mandate to spend less so it can invest more. To do that, the government must make responsible choices and cut spending. In this case, the budget proposed a reduction in development funding where Canada’s contribution has grown disproportionately relative to other similar economies. Those decisions have been taken very seriously.
