As we approach election day, the Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA BC) calls on all federal party leaders in Canada to make the eradication of gender-based violence a priority for our country led by a strong, dedicated ministry for Women and Gender Equality (WAGE). 

EVA BC is a dynamic, solutions-based provincial association in British Columbia. We train and support 290 frontline provincially funded anti-violence programs that support survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, child abuse, and criminal and sexual harassment. We collaborate across sectors with a community and systems approach that brings together anti-violence workers, police, corrections and child protection to increase survivor safety and perpetrator accountability. Our Be More Than a Bystander prevention program focuses on educating boys and men to increase awareness and understanding about gender-based violence in schools and workplaces. 

From our work alongside more than 900 frontline workers and leaders in the anti-violence sector who witness the impact of gender-based every day, we know that there is still a lot to be done. 

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major global public health concern (World Health Organization) and a prevalent form of gender-based violence in Canada with two-thirds of homicides of women (also known as femicides), caused by IPV (Statistics Canada).  

Recommendations from the Mass Casualty Commission Report, written in response to the April 2020 mass murder in Nova Scotia, identified the central role of IPV in the tragedy and emphasized the importance of ensuring “epidemic-level funding for gender-based violence prevention and interventions.”  

Between 2013 and 2023 the rates of sexual assault in Canada increased by 51%; and stage 2 sexual assault (assault that includes use of a weapon or bodily harm) increased 77% over the same period. The rates are similar in British Columbia. 

In 2019, the Calls for Justice in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, outlined the impact and higher risk of gender-based violence for Indigenous women and girls (four times higher than for non-Indigenous women), and laid out the steps needed to increase safety and ensure justice.

Survivors of gender-based violence share with us that response and support systems are complex and challenging to navigate; they experience systemic barriers and discrimination; and that these systems can sometimes cause re-victimization and further harm. 

As you know, in 2021, Canada created its own National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (NAP) that outlined five pillars to address the issue of gender-based violence in our country: support for survivors and their families; prevention; responsive justice system; implementing Indigenous-led approaches and social infrastructure and enabling environment. 

The Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA BC) was honoured to be involved in the development of the NAP, adding the voices of survivors of gender-based violence through our work with frontline workers and leaders in BC. 

In 2023, BC developed its own Safe and Supported: BC’s Gender-Based Violence Action Plan, that identified priorities of 1) increasing safety and supports for survivors; 2) lifting up Indigenous-led approaches; 3) breaking cycles of violence through prevention, healing and accountability; and 4) learning from and monitoring our progress. 

Through the implementation of the NAP by the Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) ministry, the Gender Equity Office in BC was able to support initiatives that move us closer to achieving our shared goals to end gender-based violence. With transfer payments to the provinces and territories, Canada has committed $62 million over four years to support the ongoing work in BC.

With today’s geopolitical tensions and threats to human rights, it is more important than ever that, in addition to the focus on economic security, we keep our commitments to survivors of gender-based violence and take pride in strengthening the social fabric of our country and safety of our communities.  

We seek your commitment to ensure that a dedicated minister in your cabinet will carry out the work towards ending gender-based violence, creating a safe and resilient society where all Canadians can reach their full potential. 

We are committed to working with governments at the federal and provincial levels to ensure that we are moving closer to eradicating gender-based violence in Canada.