MP Michael McLeod and Caroline Cochrane, MLA for Range Lake, announced a joint federal-territorial investment to empower women and girls in the NWT, totalling about $645,000.
The GNWT is receiving $525,000 from the Government of Canada which will add to their own $121,500 investment in promoting women and girls in political leadership roles across the territories through a public information campaign and new school curriculum.
Cochrane said that governments should be representative of the people they serve and that this funding will greatly enhance the GNWT’s efforts to get more women involved in politics.
“That’s why the 18th Legislative Assembly made it a part of our mandate to support initiatives designed to increase the participation of women in politics, and why we are delighted that the Government of Canada shares our understanding of the fundamental importance of achieving this goal. ”
McLeod said that the women leaders of the NWT make incredible contributions to our economy and community every day.
“I’m proud to be a part of a government that is taking action on gender equality because when women succeed, we all succeed.”
The 2019 federal budget proposes to invest a further $160 million over five years starting in 2019–20 to support a viable and sustainable women’s movement across Canada, adding to the $100 million over five years announced in the 2018 budget. The money will go towards Women and Gender Equality Canada’s Women’s Program which means that by 2023–24, the Women’s Program will total $100 million annually.
Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality added that advancing gender equality is everyone’s responsibility and requires collaboration across all levels of government, industry, and civil society.
“By working with the Government of the Northwest Territories, we will empower more women to thrive and become leaders in their communities. Because when we invest in women and girls, everyone benefits.”
Currently, only two out of 19 seats in the legislative assembly are held by women.
