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We all deserve a government that is committed to ending gender-based violence.

Canada will be having a federal election on April 28th, 2025. Every vote helps shape the policies that matter— gender equity and safety. Federal elections shape policies that impact gender equity and safety in our communities. Women, girls, and gender-diverse people across Canada—especially Indigenous, Black, trans, Two-Spirit, non-binary individuals, immigrant, refugee, and non-status women, and women with disabilities—are facing heightened risks of violence.

Every election matters, but now more than ever, Canada needs strong leadership and coordination across all levels of government to ensure sustained investments in gender-based violence prevention. 1 woman or girl is killed every 48 hours in Canada. Voting is a powerful way to hold candidates accountable and demand a future that prioritizes gender equity and safety for all.

Make gender equity a priority this election. Stay informed, ask questions, and vote for the future you want to see!

Read our press release on the elections

For more information voting visit: https://www.elections.ca/home.aspx

Calls to Action:
We urge all political parties to commit to ending gender-based violence through increased investment, coordinated strategy, and systemic change. Specifically, this election, we are calling for:

  1. A coordinated, funded, and community-led national strategy to end gender-based violence that prioritizes violence prevention.
  2. Strengthen systems collaboration focused on prevention, particularly for Indigenous and rural communities.
  3. Investment in affordable and safe housing options for women, gender-diverse people and their families, including the option to remain safely in their own homes. 
  4. To declare Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) an epidemic.
  5. Allocate funding towards a comprehensive data collection and evaluation strategy to support evidence-based policies and programs for survivors.
Download and share our 2025 Federal Election Campaign social media assets here!

Policy Recommendations

For policymakers and community members seeking to understand WomanACT’s policy positions and recommendations, please see our written submissions and statements below.

WomanACT’s Written Submission for the Study on Intimate Partner Violence – Standing Committee on Justice Policy

Open Letter: The Current State of Intimate Partner Violence in Ontario – Bill 173 Research and Resources

WomanACT Written Submission to the Toronto Police Service Board

How New Laws & Regulations are Created in The Province of Ontario

Issue Brief: Gender-Based Violence Service Provision and Access in Times of Crisis

Issue Brief: Information sharing and intimate partner violence in Canada

National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence: What we heard

Creating a Gender Equity Strategy and Gender Equality Office for Toronto

Ontario’s Social Assistance Programs: A Violence Against Women Perspective

Policy Impacts on Violence Against Women in Canada: A Review of Literature on Selected Policies

VAW Sector Representatives Recommendations: Income Security – A Roadmap for Change

Gender Housing Justice – Read Written Testimony

Support other community-based election campaigns

We all deserve an Ontario government that is committed to ending gender-based violence.

This campaign was created by a dedicated coalition of anti-gender-based violence advocates and survivors who have united to urge all political candidates in the Ontario election to commit to ending GBV.

Ontario is having a snap election on February 27th, 2025. Women, girls, and gender-diverse people across Ontario—especially Indigenous, Black, trans, Two-Spirit, non-binary individuals, immigrant, refugee, and non-status women, and women with disabilities—are facing heightened risks of violence.

Learn more by visiting: www.votetoendgbv.com

Call to Action:
We urge all provincial political parties to commit to ending gender-based violence through increased investment, coordinated strategy, and systemic change. This election, let’s urge all political candidates to:

  1. Declare intimate partner violence an epidemic to acknowledge the public health and safety crisis.
  2. Establish an independent accountability mechanism to advance community-led long-term planning efforts to address and eradicate gender-based violence and to ensure leadership and accountability across parties and election cycles.
  3. Fund and sustain the solutions required to respond to and prevent gender-based violence.

Policy Recommendations

For policymakers and community members seeking to understand WomanACT’s policy positions and recommendations, please see our written submissions and statements below.

WomanACT’s Written Submission for the Study on Intimate Partner Violence – Standing Committee on Justice Policy

Open Letter: The Current State of Intimate Partner Violence in Ontario – Bill 173 Research and Resources

WomanACT Written Submission to the Toronto Police Service Board

How New Laws & Regulations are Created in The Province of Ontario

Issue Brief: Gender-Based Violence Service Provision and Access in Times of Crisis

Issue Brief: Information sharing and intimate partner violence in Canada

National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence: What we heard

Creating a Gender Equity Strategy and Gender Equality Office for Toronto

Ontario’s Social Assistance Programs: A Violence Against Women Perspective

Policy Impacts on Violence Against Women in Canada: A Review of Literature on Selected Policies

VAW Sector Representatives Recommendations: Income Security – A Roadmap for Change

Policies Matter: Addressing Violence Against Women Through Reflection, Knowledge and Action

On November 12th, 2024, Harmy Mendoza, the Executive Director of Woman ACT, spoke at the Toronto Police Service Board Meeting about the increasing incidents of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Family Violence in Toronto. In alignment with the Toronto Police Service’s recognition and acknowledgment of IPV, coupled with the ongoing community advocacy for Bill 173 – the Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act, it is essential to address the rise of intimate partner violence through a collaborative, multi-sectoral approach. This approach should prioritize survivor-centered, trauma-informed practices.

This submission to the Toronto Service Police Board includes several key recommendations, including strengthening coordination across various systems, comprehensive data collection, and building an integrated multi-sector approach. These efforts aim to better prevent, respond to, and support survivors of intimate partner violence.

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We all deserve an Ontario government that is committed to ending gender-based violence.

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is an epidemic in Ontario. We are at a crucial point in getting the Ontario government to pass Bill 173, Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act. Passing this Bill would formally recognize IPV as an epidemic in Ontario – acknowledging the widespread and lasting harm that IPV has on survivors, children, family members and communities in general.

The context of this epidemic is well documented and consistently shared by survivors and the organizations who support them (WomanACT, 2024). Given the extensive and lasting impacts on the health and wellbeing of communities, addressing violence as a public health issue is widely regarded as a best practice (World Health Organization, 2016).

We need your help!

WomanACT is launching a community mobilization campaign to amplify the voices of survivors and community members. This is your opportunity to let your Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) know how IPV has impacted you and your family or community.

Use our template to write your own letter or email to your local Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP). This is your chance to share your or your community’s experience of IPV and why addressing IPV is important to you.

Download the email instructions and template to send to your MPP today!

Download as a Word doc

For more information, please contact: Aakanksha Mathur, Manager of Public Policy, Advocacy and Communications at amathur@womanact.ca

Read our endorsed resource package “The Current State of Intimate Partner Violence in Ontario”

Read our Written Submission for the Study on Intimate Partner Violence – Standing Committee on Justice Policy

On August 14th, 2024, WomanACT’s Executive Director, Harmy Mendoza, spoke at the Province’s Standing Committee on Justice Policy as part of their study on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). WomanACT emphasized on the importance of adopting a prevention-focused response model to end intimate partner violence and gender-based violence in Ontario.

This written submission details evidence-based literature on the necessity of declaring IPV as an epidemic in Ontario as well as an evaluation from a public health perspective. It elaborates on our policy recommendations focusing on: affordable housing, improved systems collaboration with a focus on prevention, the need for whole-of-society approach to GBV education and bystander training, and addressing the lack of coordinated and comprehensive data and evaluation strategy and open access to GBV data.

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Understanding the legislative process is crucial to grasping how decisions are made, and laws are passed in our province. In Ontario, the journey of a bill from its initial proposal to becoming law involves several key stages and rigorous scrutiny. For Bill 173- The Intimate Partner Violence Act, 2024 to become law, it needs to pass through Ontario’s legislative process that includes the Legislative Assembly (Elected MPPs) and the Monarch (Head of State, represented by the Lieutenant Governor in Ontario).

WomanACT has developed this explainer on how a bill becomes law in the province of Ontario to help build community knowledge and understanding of the provincial legislative process.

We would like to acknowledge MPP Peggy Sattler’s office for their support in the creation of this resource.

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The development of the “Bill 173 – The Current State of Intimate Partner Violence in Ontario” resource package has been a collaborative effort with our members and community partners. Their contributions have been instrumental in gathering a comprehensive collection of research and evidence-based recommendations from experts, community organizations, and academics on the current state of intimate partner violence (IPV). This collaboration reflects our collective specialized knowledge in this field.

Through extensive engagement, we have ensured that the resources included in this package comprehensively acknowledge existing efforts and evidence-based research. These resources address the genuine needs and evolving realities of women and gender-diverse people facing violence in Ontario.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous contributions of our members and our partners in the violence against women sector. Representing a wide range of sectors, populations, and areas of expertise, their support has been crucial in validating the combined research and advocacy efforts behind this bill.

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Indigenous, Black and Racialized women face unique, intersecting, and compounding forms of gender and racial discrimination that impact their employment opportunities and experiences in the workplace.

This brief provides an overview of the structural and individual dimensions of gender and racial discrimination and how this intersection impacts the opportunities and experiences of Indigenous, Black, and Racialized women in Canadian workplaces. Additionally, it spotlights the intersection of gender-based violence in the workplace.

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Crises cause disruptions and changes to structures, systems, and patterns, but the extent and magnitude of the disruptions or changes are rarely understood. This is especially true in prolonged crises or the case of an already precarious industry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the GBV sector faced these changes, but little was known about their extent and magnitude.

This issue brief reviews the main changes that were experienced in the sector, highlighting the impact of COVID-19 on intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors and service provision sectors. The brief informs policy formulation on service sector re-categorization, service provision support, and intra- and inter-sector collaborations. These findings are intended to be useful for policymakers, legislators, and administrators.

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Older women living with disabilities face various forms of abuse, often underreported due to barriers like stigma and isolation.

This issue brief raises awareness about the structural disadvantages faced by older women (65+) with disabilities experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) in the areas of financial security, employment, and housing. Using literature and data from a Canadian and American context, this brief highlights the challenges and barriers faced by IPV survivors living at the intersections of gender, age, and disability.

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