What does the Federal Budget mean for women & those experiencing gender-based discrimination?
Canadian Federal Budget 2023 Analysis by Fora Research Assistant, Kassandra Neranjan
Introduction: Research Focus
This brief analyzes the Canadian Parliament’s newly released 2023 Federal Budget (Budget 2023) in relation to the question, What does this budget mean for young women and those marginalized by their gender in Canada? It goes on to question what the macro implications of such a budget might entail for Canada’s potential in building a young feminist economy. This paper ultimately finds that although there are several gains made through direct investments to support young leaders, the budget fails to make meaningful and intersectional advancements across different economic sectors to empower the agency, autonomy, and leadership of young women and those navigating gender-based discrimination.
Direct and Indirect Investments: Traversing Successes and Gaps
Budget 2023 details landmark investments explicitly allocating funds towards the security of young women and those marginalized by their gender. These include the introduction of pregnancy loss leave (Department of Finance Canada 2023); $2.5 million over five years to establish a standing Federal-Provincial-Territorial-Indigenous table on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People (2023); and $1.5 billion to create 4,500 new affordable housing units for Canadians in severe housing need, with 25 per cent of investments going to housing projects targeted towards women (2023) . Critically, $160 million will be invested over three years to organizations empowering women and those navigating gender-based discrimination (2023). These funds communicate feminist underpinnings to the budget highlighting the importance of physical safety for those experiencing gender-based discrimination.
The above-explored direct investments are limited, however, when read against the overarching budget. There are several missed opportunities for intersectionality to propel the needs of women and people experiencing gender-based discrimination across budgetary foci that do not necessarily center the status of young leaders. One sector this is evident within is that of clean energy. Budget 2023 dedicates an entire chapter to investing in “affordable energy, good jobs, and a growing clean economy” (2023). It is known that youth find climate justice essential to their well-being (Canadian Heritage 2021), but little investment is made to directly support young leaders. Per the GBA+ analysis3, many of these programs benefit male-dominated industries. This fails to incorporate intentional intersectional considerations such as encouraging programming and/or careers for Women in STEM or parental leave supports. Furthermore, a failure to include catered investment in student loan/debt incentives for young leaders to pursue careers in clean energy continues to fail young leaders’ reported concerns that the cost of being involved in climate action can be arduous due to varying socioeconomic circumstances (although the budget includes calls for fair wages, existing funding for internships, and general supports for students including increased student grants) (Canadian Heritage 2021; Department of Finance 2023). Although it is true that vulnerable populations including racialized, remote, and Indigenous communities stand to benefit from these projects including clean electricity projects, these impacts are ricocheted from a siloed approach to green investment.
“An intersectional approach could provide more nuanced solutions that foster the skills and leadership of young women and those experiencing gender-based discrimination towards building a young feminist economy. ”
A critical space for women as economic actors is in the care economy. Budget 2023 invests in “encouraging more doctors and nurses to practise in rural and remote communities” which indirectly benefits women predominantly as they are overrepresented in the nursing field (Department of Finance 2023, 295). It also implements measures to strengthen retirement saving for Personal Support Workers (PSW) – an employment group predominantly composed of racialized women. Without greater institutional supports, for example for nurses to meaningfully live in rural areas (afford cost of living, ensure physical safety especially for racial minorities, and access transportation), these measures fall short of holistic considerations for women in the care economy. Young leaders’ roles as caregivers are also indirectly supported in Budget 2023 through dedicated increases in child and disability benefits, and a one-time grocery rebate. Again, these benefits put into question what greater policies can provide more long-term sustainable solutions intentionally considered to support those experiencing gender-based discrimination to pursue lifestyles and careers young leaders value, while contributing to the economy.
Budget 2023’s direct investments in women and those experiencing gender-based discrimination largely fall within categories of economic productivity and physical security. A failure to perceive these young leaders beyond roles as producers and/or victims of violence within the economy speaks volumes to government priorities. Fundamentally missing from this budget is investment in young leaders’ democratic participation, decision-making, and leadership potential.
“Apart from investments to already existing programs and organizations, young leaders’ potential remains untapped, calling into question their future in the economy and whether it can truly be feminist without adequately providing them institutional supports to lead in the economy. ”
Due to a lack of intersectional language throughout the budget, there are also initiatives that may cause harm for women and persons navigating gender-based discrimination. This analysis calls into question the government’s contention to provide further funding to the RCMP to have greater ‘investigative capacities’ in interrogating online foreign threats (2023). The historic discrimination faced by Black, Indigenous, Muslim and other minority communities in Canada who have been overly surveilled by law enforcement gives context to this initiative having direct implications for young leaders (Maynard 2017; Smith 2009; Nagra & Maurutto 2016). Discriminatory hyper-surveillance has long been studied to have adverse impacts on physical, social, and economic wellness (Kempa & Singh 2008; Nagra & Maurutto 2020).
The Counterintuition of GBA+
Budget 2023 is organized into 6 chapters, 3 annexes, and a final ‘Statement and Impacts Report on Gender, Equality, Diversity and Quality of Life’. This final statement is where Canada’s GBA+ framework and Canadian Gender Budgeting Act are introduced – after the budget. Although this statement provides an in-depth analysis of how gender might be implicated in each budgetary item, the failure to integrate these analyses into the core federal budget effectively silos the budget into initiatives that consider equity, and initiatives that do not. Furthermore, although employing the term ‘gender’ repeatedly, the word is often conflated with ‘women,’ stripping 2SLGTBQIA+ communities of their agency and distinct needs throughout the budget. Not only are 2SLGTBQIA+ young leaders underrepresented in the budget, but they are also neglected in the equity frameworks intended to cater to their unique identities. For example, to assess who may benefit more from particular budget items, the Statement includes a metric of five circles with the first leaning more towards ‘men’ and the fifth towards ‘women’. Where 2SLGTBQIA+ Canadians land on this spectrum is unclear (see Appendix B).
Conclusion
What does Budget 2023 mean for women and those experiencing gender-based discrimination? Although there are several dedicated funds to supporting women’s physical and economic security, it is arguably a piecemeal attempt to set Canada ‘back on track’ amidst fears of recession and realities of inflation. It consequently fails to put those that may be the most egregiously impacted by such economic phenomena on the back burner. Although there are gains for programming that have been lobbied for countless years, numerous opportunities remain to empower young leaders to help establish a young feminist economy.
*For the complete paper, as well as accompanying sources and appendices, please click here.
