Photo by Vince Fedoroff
FUNDING A VITAL CAUSE – Jenna Sudds, the parliamentary secretary to Marci Ien, the minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, makes the funding announcement Friday in Whitehorse. Listening are Jeanie McLean (centre), the minister responsible for the territory’s Women and Gender Equity Directorate, and Michelle Parsons from the Yukon Women’s Transition Home Society.
Jenna Sudds, the parliamentary secretary to Marci Ien, the minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, visited Whitehorse late last week to announce $500,000 to support crisis hotlines across the Yukon.
Jenna Sudds, the parliamentary secretary to Marci Ien, the minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, visited Whitehorse late last week to announce $500,000 to support crisis hotlines across the Yukon.
“Crisis hotlines are a lifeline to survivors of gender-based violence and are critical support services,” Women and Gender Equality Canada said in a statement Friday.
“Rates of gender-based violence in the Yukon are three times greater than the national average.”
Crisis hotlines across Canada saw a dramatic surge in calls from June to October 2020, when COVID-19 lockdown measures first eased.
Organizations operating crisis lines in Yukon report that the volume of calls rose during the pandemic, as victims of violence and those seeking related services experienced perceived and real barriers to safely accessing services.
The new funding will help Yukon crisis hotlines serve the urgent needs of Canadians, the government said.
“The crisis hotlines will offer more robust services, resources, and support to prevent the escalation of gender-based violence.”
“Providing timely funding for crisis hotlines is a necessity, and in the Yukon, where the rate of sexual assault is higher than the national average, it is crucial that we support these services,” Sudds said.
“Through this investment, these hotlines are able to continue providing life-saving services for women fleeing violence. The Government of Canada will remain committed to making Canada safer for everyone from coast to coast to coast.”
Friday’s announcement marks one of the bilateral agreements recently signed with provincial and territorial governments.
Over the next few months, the Government of Canada will continue to work with other provinces and territories to finalize similar bilateral agreements.
Sudds also announced that the Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Council will receive just over $400,000 to provide gender-based violence prevention services and supports.
The government said the announcements build on its commitment to provide approximately $300 million in emergency COVID-19 funding to support individuals experiencing gender-based violence.
Since April 2020, Ottawa has invested over $240 million of emergency COVID-19 funding in 1,400 women’s shelters, sexual assault centres, and other organizations, including almost 140 organizations that serve Indigenous individuals.
“Women and girls are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence, and we know that the pandemic has only increased domestic violence across the country,” said Jeanie McLean, the territorial minister responsible for the Women and Gender Equity Directorate.
“It is important that we continue to provide resources for those experiencing gender-based violence, in particular Indigenous women and girls and those who identify as LGBTQQIA2S+.
“These crisis hotlines, supported by local organizations, help ensure all Yukoners can talk to someone about their options, no matter where they live in the territory,” McLean said,
Yukon MP Brendan Hanley noted, “Gender-based violence is never acceptable. While it disproportionately affects women and girls, every Yukoner deserves to feel safe regardless of their identified or perceived gender.
“These crisis hotlines provide an essential and accessible resource for individuals seeking help during life’s most difficult moments,” the MP added.
“I am proud to be part of a government standing alongside our Yukon counterparts to sign another historic agreement to support crisis hotlines.”
The Aboriginal women’s council funding comes from the $55-million call for proposals launched earlier this year.
The call is part of the approximately $3 billion over five years the federal government committed through Budget 2021 to increase efforts to end gender-based violence. This includes $601.3 million over five years to advance toward a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.
Between 2016 and 2021, the Yukon led the country in population growth (+12.1 per cent, to 40,232). It was also the sole territory that grew at a faster pace than Canada overall.
“Gender-based violence dispro-portionately affects women and girls,” the government pointed out.
“Certain intersectional populations also experience high levels of violence or are underserved in the gender-based violence sector, such as Indigenous women and girls; Black and racialized women; immigrant and refugee women; members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities; people with disabilities; and women living in Northern, rural, and remote communities.”
McLean posted on Facebook, “We know victims of gender-based violence face barriers to accessing services across the territory.
“Crisis hotlines offer some flexibility to address these barriers.
“Our government is committed to improving services for victims of gender-based violence, and this investment today from our federal partners will help support local organization and ensure all Yukoners can talk to someone about their options.”
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Comments (12)
Up 9 Down 0
Anie on Oct 21, 2022 at 3:20 pm
'gender based violence". Bullies pick on people who are smaller than them. Women are generally smaller than men. Therefore women are more often the victims of violence. How about we forget all the pigeon holing and focus of stopping violence? How about instead of teaching little boys not to hit little girls we just teach children not to hit each other ? Think of all the $ we'd have to focus on prevention violence if we only didn't have all these categories and special identity organizations competing for the same resources
Up 9 Down 1
Crisis Lines are Complicated on Oct 19, 2022 at 11:06 pm
These hotlines are complicated. It's really easy for govt's to pledge money to a hotline, much harder for the organization to actually pull one off. 500k is just enough for one year of a 40 hour per week coordinator and a single 24/7 staff.
Then throw in infrastructure, training, rent, benefits.
So then often these lines rely on volunteers, but they are unreliable and in limited supply and also require expensive training.
It makes way more sense to have a national line, I realize it isn't 'local' as one might hope, but honestly the Yukon doesn't have the population to justify a 24/7 hotline.
Best of luck, hope that the libs aren't just setting you up for failure.
Up 19 Down 4
Charlie's Aunt on Oct 19, 2022 at 2:00 pm
Just once I would like a few days without reading someone from Ottawa has arrived in town with another load of cash.
Sure let's blow more jet fuel to make this announcement instead of using Zoom or even Canada Post.
Up 16 Down 6
Female Privilege is Protected by the Presumption of a Victim Narrative on Oct 19, 2022 at 10:07 am
Well played women, well played. Anyone with a modicum of sensibility should read - “White Feminism: Women's War On Caucasian Men: White Female Privilege: Hedonism”
“Caucasian men have become the focus of everything that is negative in our society, America's scapegoat behaving badly regarding domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, job discrimination, and the overall oppression of women. White men are labeled as chauvinists, misogynists, bullies, abusers, and racists.”
“Thus, instead of there being an alleged "war on women" there is actually a vigorous war on men. Yet it is Caucasian women who share America's checkered past of historical oppression, along with their Caucasian brothers, against African-Americans and other racial minorities. Caucasian women ironically bandwagon on the coattails of legitimate racial interest groups, climbing their way to the front of the line when it comes to entitlements such as affirmative action, health care preferences, small business ownership, and the marketing of women's rights as a noble commitment.”
“Unfortunately, this is all to the detriment of turning white men into an underclass of individuals deprived of their equal right to the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness. Relegating white men to a glass cellar, today's feminists look down upon the plight of these men from their purported glass ceiling, relishing in the knowledge that they have pulled a coup in painting themselves as victims, and inserting themselves as "women and minorities".
“But who let these white feminists off the hook? While it is conceded that all women have been discriminated against historically, white men now serve unfairly as a subterfuge behind whom Caucasian women benefit, the latter always pushing their politically-correct agenda including false perceptions of wage inequity, job discrimination, abortion, and "The Me Too Movement. It is even contended by Ivy League colleges today that white men should be expunged. "It is those dirty old white men, or boys club, that is responsible for the nation's problems!"
And guys, this is not an endorsement to incivility or violence. It’s a call to get in the conversation from a more balanced perspective.
Link to:
https://www.amazon.ca/White-Feminism-Caucasian-Privilege-Hedonism/dp/0578611988
Up 15 Down 5
Juniper Jackson on Oct 18, 2022 at 4:19 pm
It's really kind of clever how Trudeau has made these special interest groups targets. If I wanted to make life hard on certain groups, I'd pull them out into the public eye, mention all the issues that could go wrong for them.. Just in case no one thought of something to do to them, i'd mention it. I'd take someone's money away and make a big splash about giving it to the group i wanted to target. oh yeah.. sly.. Trudeau isn't smart, but he's sly, sneaky and has done this very same thing very cleverly.
Up 29 Down 5
End all violence! End female privilege! on Oct 18, 2022 at 10:19 am
This one-sided framing of the issue of intimate partner violence is disgusting!
“Intimate partner violence (IPV) or domestic violence (DV) is often framed as a “woman’s issue” or “violence against women” generating the perception of males involved in violent relationships as the aggressor and more capable of inflicting injury or causing harm to their partner.”
“Due to this set of beliefs called the “gender paradigm”, male victims are often met with disbelief or suspicion when they attempt to gain protection from a female partner, or access services. Male victims may also re-port difficulty in locating services specific to their needs, as help lines or shelters are targeted exclusively towards female victims. These issues and the implications for male victims will be discussed.”
From the - NEW MALE STUDIES: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL
“The child who I saw being hit by his mother is three times more likely to become violent in intimate relationships than a child who was not hit. The moment that he hits a woman, it is legislated that he be taken out of the context of his biography and into an automatic legal process in which he will be held absolutely accountable for any violence he committed. He will be defined as a product of patriarchy, and his masculine privilege will account for the sole source of his aggression.”
Linda Mills, Insult to Injury (2003, p. 3)
You are being lied to by a divisive, manipulative, and controlling government who cares nothing about “YOU” but rather the preservation of their power.
END all violence against all ‘humans’! Everyone should feel safe - Rise up against the invisible spectre of the Matriarchy!
Up 31 Down 3
What A Crock! on Oct 18, 2022 at 8:09 am
Important to protect a crisis line but apparently not so important to protect small children in a public school from a predator. When that happens it's CYA and 'No comment' time from government staffers and politicians. Funny how what the Yukon government recently tried to minimize, cover up and hide at Hidden Valley Elementary school feels like a repeat of what governments back in the day failed at as well.
Up 22 Down 5
bonanzajoe on Oct 17, 2022 at 8:21 pm
@"gender-based violence in the Yukon". Funny I haven't heard about this. At least the media hasn't informed us of this problem. Could you Libs be a little more specific. Or is this just another Liberal money laundry scheme.
Up 22 Down 11
bonanzajoe on Oct 17, 2022 at 8:17 pm
Let me get this straight, is the liberal government trying to find out what caused all this gender based violence? Well, how about asking Justin Trudeau. He caused it with his tyrannical covid mandates. Now, he wants to look good by doling out thousands of dollars to create a phony reason as a diversion. So they send a group of MPs to the Yukon to put on a dog a pony show. Disgusting.
Up 30 Down 4
New levels for newspeak? on Oct 17, 2022 at 7:57 pm
This is a ridiculous acronym:
LGBTQQIA2S+
I’m not going to learn it or say it for the sake of a bunch of dickheads who won’t learn grammar, multiplication tables, history nor the scientific method.
Up 14 Down 3
New levels for newspeak? on Oct 17, 2022 at 7:43 pm
Hey, Star, couldn’t possibly offer a reaction to the rhetoric fest that is this story, but what’s with the sudden new trend to hyphenating words that aren’t usually hyphenated? IE: popul-ations. I’m pretty sure I saw you recently print under-standing, too. WTF?
Up 33 Down 2
Fracking, Frack, Frack! on Oct 17, 2022 at 5:22 pm
The crisis lines are not a lifeline. Call the RCMP first! The only way that these ‘humans’ will be safe is when the perpetrators are in jail. The Saskatchewan stabbings, the Pelly Crossing murders, and the recent killing of a Muslim man by an Indigenous shooter are all rather poignant reminders of this fact!
How about we just deal with everyone who is violent rather than making it a race issue. FFS! All lives matter!!!