During the second year of the pandemic, the government rolled out several new income support programs for people affected by the economic fallout of the pandemic and made progress in implementing strategies to tackle poverty, homelessness and racism. However, too many people continue to fall through the cracks, especially those who were poor to begin with and, not surprisingly, face systemic discrimination and marginalization.
Women who are racialized, Indigenous, (im)migrants, refugees, 2SLGBTQ+, living with disabilities, in rural areas and/or lone parents have borne the brunt of the pandemic as they were more likely to be underpaid, stuck in precarious jobs or sectors impacted by lockdowns, or excluded from the workforce altogether.
Budget 2021 allocated $1.5 billion for the Rapid Housing Initiative and $315.4 million for the Canada Housing Benefit, which provides financial assistance for low-income women fleeing violence to help with rent payments. However, the government’s strategy, which focuses on chronic homelessness, lacks a clear understanding of women’s unique housing needs and circumstances.
The government has steadily invested in initiatives to tackle racism, and should move quickly to create a National Action Plan Against Racism and adopt a federal Anti-Racism Act.
Moving quickly to establish a Canada Disability Benefit will be crucial to ensuring women living with disabilities have adequate income supports in place. Also, the government should put in place a Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) amnesty, which would forgive CERB repayments for those living in poverty and near poverty, and ensure other benefits are not clawed back. Women with precarious immigration status continue to face significant barriers to economic security, being ineligible for the Canada Child Benefit and many of the income supports offered to people during the pandemic.
