March 13, 2007
Canada's Government: Concrete Actions Backed By Highest Budget Ever
As the Member of Parliament for Carleton-Mississippi Mills and as a member of Canada’s Government, I believe that making a real difference in the lives of women in their communities is the best way to help them meet those challenges. That is why I was pleased to hear my colleague, Minister Bev Oda, announcing last week an additional $5 million in new funding toward the Women's Program in Status of Women Canada, as well as an innovative new funding mechanism for this program.
As of April 1, 2007, the Women's Program will have two components: the Women's Community Fund and the Women's Partnership Fund. The Women's Community Fund will continue to support projects at the local, regional and national level undertaken by community organizations in meeting their objectives to enable the full participation of women in all aspects of life. The budget for this component has been increased to $12.3 million from $10.8 million.
The newly created Women's Partnership Fund will encourage organizations and other levels of government to work in partnership supporting projects they believe will assist women in their daily lives. Due to the leveraging potential of this component, the $3 million Partnership Fund will generate greater resources for non-governmental organizations to make a real difference for Canadian women. The projects will be larger and more women will benefit.
By working with local organizations and respecting jurisdictional responsibilities, I am convinced that these programs, available to every community across Canada, can directly enhance the opportunities women seek in meeting their challenges. Through this new component, federal tax dollars will go further by being matched with a commitment from other partners.
The $5 million found in efficiencies and streamlining at Status of Women Canada is now directly available to support projects for women. This will result in the Women's Program annual budget increasing by 42 per cent. At $15.3 million, this makes the budget the highest level ever in the history of Status of Women Canada.
These programs will enhance the work of our government which has taken numerous real steps to support Canadian women in their daily lives. Bills to address the rights of aboriginal women and make communities safer from violent repeat sexual offenders coupled with action on making Guaranteed Income Supplements more accessible, pension income splitting and more support for immigrant settlement homes are demonstrations of real concrete action. I am proud to be part of a government that acts and makes a difference.
For more information, please visit the following website: http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca
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