Feminist Scorecard 2020: Bolstering Feminist Action to Tackle Inequality and Injustice

Over the past year, the Liberal government made some historic announcements and enacted policy changes – earning applause from feminists in Canada and around the world. This included the largest-ever investments by the Canadian government in sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as in women’s rights organizations and feminist movements worldwide. The government also appointed Canada’s first Ambassador for Women, Peace and Security, launched Global Affairs Canada’s Feminist Humanitarian Assistance Policy and recommitted to a gender-balanced Cabinet following the 2019 federal election.

However, progress has been uneven across the ten policy areas assessed in this scorecard. Gaps are particularly marked for the most marginalized, including Indigenous, racialized and immigrant women, members of the LGBTIQ2 community, and women living with disabilities. In areas such as climate change and extractives, decent work for women, the rights of Indigenous women, and progressive taxation, there have been too few tangible policy and spending decisions to meaningfully move the needle on gender equality.