Edwards Magazine
Edwards Magazine

 

News From The Hill
Emily MacDonald

August 2007

Status of Women Update: Committee Members Speak Out


In May 2007, without fanfare or attention from the media, the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women released a report entitled The Impacts of Funding and Program Changes at Status of Women Canada. With a dissenting opinion attached from Conservative Government members, the Opposition members of the committee were able to discuss the problems associated with government cuts and changes to Status of Women. Mobilized support for Status of Women, such as from the Status Report mentioned in the October issue of Edwards, has continued and perhaps helped initiate the committee's action.

The report discusses the implications of the reduced operating budget at Status of Women Canada generally as well as some of the more specific changes implemented by the government. The three main focus areas of the report include the closing of twelve of the sixteen Status of Women Canada regional offices, the changes to the terms and conditions of the Women’s Program, and the loss of the Policy Research Fund.

The cut in operational funding (including the closing of regional offices) was presented to the Canadian public by the government as efficiency measures: ways to reduce the administration costs without adversely affecting the services or supports to women. The report references Minster Oda's expressed concern about high administration costs associated with the regional offices in a presentation to the committee on October 5, 2006. At that time she seemed to view the primary role of the regional offices as the processing of funding applications. The closing of regional offices, the government felt, would allow for streamlining of the process by making applications available on the web to more Canadians. The report contradicted this narrow view of the role of regional offices:
Throughout its hearings, the Committee has come to have a greater understanding that the work done by regional staff is not limited to the processing of applications, but includes direct services to organizations to help them develop projects.

The report also noted that many witnesses rejected the idea that an online application process would reach more women. Instead, it was suggested that such a move would make it more difficult for those without Internet access to receive assistance. Further, it would be Aboriginal and immigrant women and those living in poverty or rural and remote areas that would be most affected by the closures.

Lastly, the report gives voice to the concern that in closing regional offices, Status of Women Canada would lose its local connection and knowledge. While officials may be available in Ottawa and other urban areas to help organizations through the application process, those officials will not be aware of the local issues and concerns that are the basis for an application. The agency would lose its connection to regions, provinces and communities around the country.

The changes at Status of Women are best illustrated by the following table, taken from the report. One quickly sees that the political and legal dimensions of the agency’s mandate have been removed. But the changes in the mandate are minor compared to those in the objectives and eligibility. Elements related to advocacy, including the promotion of policies and programs that take account of gender implications, the facilitation of women’s organizations playing a role in the public policy process, and support for increased public awareness have all been removed.

In terms of eligibility, the recent changes make for-profit organizations eligible for funding. More generally, however, the overall tone of the eligibility section has changed from clearly stating the emphasis on equality seeking to simply “organizations whose mandates are consistent with the objectives of the Women’s Program.” It also says what is not included: advocacy or lobbying. Some would argue that it is not the place of a government agency to lobby other government departments. These changes at Status of Women, however, go further than limiting the agency: they also limit support given to external women’s organizations that want to advocate for change with different levels of government.

Previous Terms and Conditions
Current Terms and Conditions
Mandate:
The Women’s Program of Status of Women Canada (SWC) provides technical and financial support to women’s organizations and other partners seeking to advance equality for women by addressing women’s economic, social, political and legal situation.		 Mandate:
The mandate of the WP is to facilitate women’s participation in Canadian society by addressing their economic, social and cultural situation through Canadian organizations.
Objectives:
1. To promote policies and programs within key institutions that take account of gender implications, the diversity of women’s perspectives and enable women to take part in decision-making processes;
2. To facilitate the involvement of women’s organizations in the public policy process;
3. To increase public understanding in order to encourage action on women’s equality issues; and
4. To enhance the effectiveness of actions undertaken by women’s organizations to improve the situation of women.		 Objective:
1. To achieve the full participation of women in the economic, social and cultural life of Canada.
To do so, the Program supports projects that improve the situation of women in key areas such as women’s economic status and violence against women and girls.
Eligibility
1. Women’s organizations in Canada whose objectives are to promote equality for women in Canadian society; and
2. Other non-profit, voluntary organizations in Canada committed to equality for women in Canadian society.

Initiatives not eligible include:
1. Provide direct social or health services;
2. Are emotional, spiritual, personal or professional development.		 Eligibility
1. Incorporated not-for-profit and for-profit Canadian organizations whose mandates are consistent with the objectives of the Women’s Program.

Initiatives not eligible include:
1. Capacity building for organizations unless related to a clearly articulated need in order to carry out a project that will result in an outcome that would improve directly the situation of women;
2. Research and polling activities not directly tied to a project that will result in an outcome that would improve directly the situation of women; and
3. Domestic advocacy activities and lobbying of federal, provincial and municipal governments.
Source: The Impact of Funding and Program Changes at Status of Women. Standing Committee on the Status of Women (May 2007).


The Policy Research Fund within Status of Women Canada allowed the agency to “support independent, nationally relevant forward-thinking policy research on gender equality issues.”
The fund supported different types of research related to equality: research that identified policy gaps, trends or emerging issues for women. It also evaluated current policies. The fund operated by taking proposals from organizations and individuals which were then adjudicated by an external committee prior to approval. Completed research was translated and printed and ultimately made available to the public on the Status of Women website.

Minister Oda informed the committee in October that the Policy Research Fund would be replaced. It was said that instead, an “internal capacity” would be developed to manage research. What exactly this means or what support the agency would be given to carry out this work is still unknown.

The committee heard from members of the Fund’s External Committee who stated that the program had excellent value for money. They also warned that losing the fund would mean the possibility of also losing the new ideas and innovation that the outside research brings to the agency. Others thought the changes to the Policy Research Fund was symbolic of an overall loss in federal support for research projects on women’s issues across the board.

Still other groups were greatly in favour of the change. Although no group in particular is mentioned, I would guess that REAL Women was one of them who questioned the funding and types of research supported in the past by the Policy Research Fund. The report speaks of the groups in favour of the change:

"They were of the opinion that research funded by Status of Women Canada has not provided alternative solutions to women’s problems because the department did not fund research which represented all perspectives."

In the end, the report recommended that Status of Women take the following actions:

• reverse its decision to close the twelve regional offices of Status of Women Canada;
• maintain its Policy Research Fund to fund independent policy research;
• reinstate the goal of equality in the mandate of the Women’s Program;
• remove limitations on funding for research and advocacy activities in the revised terms and conditions of the Women’s Program; and
• make Women’s Program funding available only to non-profit organizations.

The report also requests that a government response be tabled before the committee. This is a common practice in our parliamentary committee system and is good news for those Canadians, including myself, who do not want the cuts and changes made to Status of Women Canada to fall off the radar. With Parliament in summer recess, it is uncertain when a government response would be tabled. And, now that the changes identified in the report have been made, it is doubtful that the government will reverse them. Nevertheless, it is important that Canadians, and specifically Canadian women, be informed about the developments. In my mind the root of this debate is what the role of Status of Women should be or even whether we need a Status of Women agency in government. Most readers know that I believe Status of Women plays an important role. I believe that there is a need for advocacy, lobbying and support for research about women’s issues and equality. Because of these beliefs, I, like many other women and readers of Edwards will continue to monitor this debate and the future of Status of Women Canada.

For a full version of the report click here.

For More Information:

Status Report
The Women are Angry
Status of Women Canada

Other articles by Emily:

 

 

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