Investing in a Feminist Green COVID-19 Recovery

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped our society and economy forever. The pandemic has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of
lost livelihoods, and is exacerbating almost every existing inequality around
the world.

The effects of the pandemic have disproportionately impacted women, especially those who belong to Black, Indigenous or racialized communities, (im)migrants and refugees, women living with disabilities, and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ communities. In line with the federal government’s commitments, a feminist approach to response and recovery efforts is needed. This includes linking economic recovery to poverty reduction in Canada and globally, putting gender equality and feminist leadership at the heart of response and recovery efforts, and adequately resourcing the promises laid out in the 2020 Throne Speech.

Budget 2021 has the opportunity to not only provide solutions to this current crisis, but to invest in the foundations of a feminist economic transformation that reverses long-standing inequalities in Canada and around the world. This brief outlines the key investments the federal government should make to put women and marginalized groups at the centre of the pandemic response.