The dissolution of the cabinet position for the Ministry of Women and Gender Equality and Youth has some feminist not-for-profits worried about their role in combatting women’s issues.
Upon taking office on March 14, Liberal leader Mark Carney eliminated various roles. One of these included Marci Ien’s previous position in the cabinet as the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, which has existed in different iterations since 1971.
The abrupt move came as a shock for various feminist organizations. Executive Director of Women’s Shelters Canada, Anuradha Dugal, said she was made aware via a press release.
“We had no prior warning, considering that we had a very close relationships with the Ministry and the minister over the last four years, and for some of us much longer. There was no communication from the government,” said Dugal.
Women’s Shelters Canada advocates for issues related to gender-based violence, violence against women, and the shelter sector.
The relationship with the previous minister was mutual, where Dugal sat on the Minister’s Advisory Council on Gender Based Violence. That council was disbanded before the cabinet position for Women and Gender Equality and Youth was eliminated.
“We did activities where we brought the news from the front lines to the minister and to the department. We gave advice on things like the budget, and on how it can be spent to address the issues for women and gender diverse people and how it relates to gender based violence,” she explained. She also noted that that was ‘not everything’ that the Ministry and her organization worked on together.
Dugal’s fear is that crucial matters will no longer be a priority for the current government.
“I don’t think gender equality and justice for all genders will be at the front consideration at the cabinet table. To do such complex work, we need dedicated leadership and accountability. We need to see our government working on this, and it can’t be achieved through work that is done within a much larger and unrelated ministry,” said Dugal.
Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, director of policy and advocacy at Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, agreed, saying that there is an underlying message behind the moves.
“The message is that this government is focused on the economy. But the other message, the one that’s not being said out loud, is that the issues pertaining to gender equality, LGBTQ inclusion, disability rights, seniors, issues, labor, these things were nice to haves that we had over the last 10 years under the previous iteration of the Liberal government. And the message it also sends, is that these are no longer a priority, especially when we’re in this situation where our economy and our sovereignty is under threat,” said Owusu-Akyeeah.
Owusu-Akyeeah also explained that her organization has had a ‘collaborative relationship’ with the government, and that the government is to be ‘held accountable’ for its choices.
“One of the things that we are doing now is to remind people in Canada what they have the power to do and to control, as people who can hold decision makers accountable, she said.
Owusu-Akyeeah explained that losing this voice in cabinet meant that important social programs were under threat.
We are up against…a far-right populist backlash that is actually trying to frame what are really popular policies like our public health care system, like PharmaCare, dental care, child care, they’re really trying hard to frame these as unnecessary. It is our job to remind people that they’re actually necessary for us to have the strong economy that we are talking about,” she continued.
In order to remedy the potential harm that the removals may cause, Dugal demands the return of the ministry to cabinet.
“I think the Prime Minister could sit down with some of the groups who created the joint statement. It would be great to hear what the Prime Minister’s plan is for this role in future cabinets. I would like all parties to tell us what their plans are, and then I would like to see some clear statements on what this role means to the government,” she explained.
Owusu-Akyeeah agrees, noting that people across the country are paying attention to the developments.
“People are upset and are willing to hold this government in particular accountable to ensuring that our issues don’t disappear because all of a sudden the boys are back, quote, unquote,” Owusu-Akyeeah said.
Editor’s Note 2025/03/28: This article was updated to more accurately reflect the work that Women’s Shelters Canada is involved in.
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