Gallery 3 — A Feminist Recovery Plan for Canada

A Feminist Economic Recovery Plan for Canada

This is how we make the economy work for everyone.

Read the Full Report

Policy Recommendations

A neighbourhood with 6 different types of building and homes. Over top, a light brown hand is holding a magnifying glass over the homes, with a pink handle. Outside the magnifying glass the buildings are grey and colourless. Inside the glass, the bu… — 1. Intersectionality: Understanding Power

By using intersectional gender-based (GBA+) analysis, we can ensure post-pandemic recovery centres the communities most affected by this crisis. We need analysis on both the differential impacts of COVID-19 as well as when designing equitable policies, practices and programs. One of the most significant actions the government can take now is to mandate the collection of disaggregated data on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic along these multiple dimensions of social identities. This data would allow policymakers to assess whether post-pandemic economic recovery policies are having intended effects, or if they are widening inequities. They could also allow policymakers to pivot programs and policies to better reduce inequities.

Image of a brown tree with many branches and some brown-green leaves. On one of the lower branches, there is a yellow sign in black text that reads ‘Black Lives Matter’. Another similar sign reads ‘No Justice, No Peace’. Another yellow sign with bla… — 2. Addressing Root Causes of Systemic Racism

Many different racialized communities have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is important to focus on the needs of Indigenous and Black communities facing disproportionate impacts from COVID-19 due to historic and current anti-Indigenous and anti-Black systemic racism. We call for the implementation of recommendations developed by Indigenous and Black communities such as the Calls to Justice from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission as well as the Calls to Action from the Parliamentary Black Caucus.

There is a trio of images. On the top, there is a smiling woman with light brown skin, darker brown hair in a ponytail and pink lips. She is wearing purple scrubs found on health care workers. On the bottom aspect of the image, there is a darker bro… — 3. Care Work is Essential Work

We need robust investments in the care economy so we create high-quality, affordable and accessible care services as well as good jobs. We need to ensure that there is coordination between recovery measures like opening up schools and going back to work that addresses the capacities of the child care sector.

t is a trio of images. One person represents a gig worker who is working as a food delivery cyclist wearing a white helmet and wearing a pink food delivery backpack. Another is a grocery store clerk packing bags with green hair, light brown skin, a … — 4. Investing in
Good Jobs

We need concrete investments to ensure everyone has access to decent work. This means legislating at least 14 paid sick days for everyone, paid family leave, paying for retraining and professional development for workers and lowering EI eligibility threshold to 360 hours and increasing the replacement rate to 85% for low-income workers.

The illustration is on a light blue background with wisps of white roughly drawn closed loop that falls roughly in the background. There is a light brown hand cradling a brown-toned woman who is sitting in the hand. She is wearing white t-shirt and … — 5. Fighting the Shadow Pandemic

We need immediate investment and implementation of a National Action Plan on Addressing Gender-Based Violence as well as actions to address hate crimes against diverse equity seeking communities.

three buildings on a street with storefronts for different shops. There are 5 different people with long hair distributed throughout the image. One person has long off-whitish hair wearing a red jacket and brown pants walking to the right of the ima… — 6. Bolstering Small Businesses

There needs to be a range of supports for small business especially those led by women, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people including but not limited to: targeted supports for emergency funding, skills training and mentorship; minimum target for public procurement spending directed to businesses led by equity-seeking communities; and increasing awareness of co-operative business models.

A grocery basket with groceries including purple egg box with free Wi-Fi written on it, a blue carton of milk labelled with affordable housing, and carrots with free transit tag on them. A light brown hand is holding the wire basket, and has pink na… — 7. Strengthening Infrastructure for Recovery

A feminist recovery cannot happen without strengthening infrastructure such as access to affordable housing, addressing long-term boil water advisories and improving broadband high-speed internet across the country.

There is an image of the Peace Tower for Canada’s parliament. There are three people surrounding the tower, including a darker skinned person wearing glasses with pink lipstick and brown hijab with salmon shirt. Another person has short dark brown h… — 8. Diverse Voices
in Decisions

Representative leadership at all levels of government will be a critical component to realizing a feminist economic recovery. We need gender balance and intersectional representation on Recovery Task Forces as well as core multi-year funding for organizations that advance gender equity, intersectional feminism and women’s rights in Canada.

1454_YWCA Canada - RGB-White_On Transparent_English.png

Operations Lead - Anjum Sultana, National Director of Public Policy & Strategic Communications, YWCA Canada

Site, illustrations, and report designed by Studio Doki.