Under the guise of inclusion, the federal Department of Status of Women ended up excluding the ... Women. The next Prime Minister of Canada will have to correct the situation.
At the time of writing, the new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has abolished the Department of Status of Women. His missions continue, however. Steven Guilbault would oversee it. We understand that this decision is likely temporary.
The firm's thinness is justified by the trade war with the United States. That said, after a federal election, whether Pierre Poilievre or Mark Carney is elected, we believe it is imperative that a department deal with the status of women and gender equality.
From the Status of Women to the Trans Condition
The Department of Status of Women was created to ensure, as its name suggests, that Canadian women can be treated equitably and that the barriers and difficulties they may face can be demonstrated and then overcome.
When Justin Trudeau came to power, he established himself in the discourse as an openly feminist prime minister. But the change of name he has made to the Ministry of the Status of Women shows that the feminism he claims to be is in fact a feminism that is dangerous for women.
It is now called Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE). The female condition, or the fact of being a woman, is therefore no longer the basis of this search for equality.
This ministry seems to be based on two incompatible logics. On the one hand, it could defend rights based on an objective biological reality — to be a woman is to be an adult human female. On the other hand, it could adhere to a subjective conception of identity — anyone who identifies as a woman must be recognized as such and benefit from the associated rights. These two approaches, however, are mutually exclusive: one is based on the body, the other on feeling.
On the one hand, therefore, the ministry must put in place actions to protect women's rights, and on the other, it must take care of dismantling the very condition of what it means to be a woman.
Given the adversarial nature of advocating for women's rights simultaneously and that of LGBTQ communities, it is clearly stated that its mission is placed under the sign of the concept of "intersectionality".
Young people are recruited with notions that disturb their developmenté
Being a woman or a man (it is in principle the goal of this department to ensure equality between the two sexes) no longer seems to be so important compared to other characteristics such as race, ethnicity or gender identity, as this excerpt from WAGE's mission show :
"The Department promotes a better understanding of the interaction of sex and gender with other identity factors, including race, national and ethnic origin, Indigenous origin or identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, place of residence and disability."
This is probably why a large proportion of the grants awarded by the WAGE seem to be awarded to organizations that tick as many boxes as possible in the list of so-called "oppressed" groups.
WAGE's ESSOGIE program (in English: Equality for Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression Program) defines its mission as follows: "The objective of the ESSOGIE program is to advance social, political and economic equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression."
Incompatible missions
It is therefore understandable that an organization that only defends women is less aligned with this "intersectional" vocation, unlike, for example, the Quebec LGBT Council, which, since 2019, has received more than $1,400,000 in grants for various projects that do not directly concern women's equality.
In the same vein, between 2020 and 2026, GRIS obtained more than $1,600,000 (approximately $700,000 for GRIS Montreal and $900,000 for GRIS Québec) from CECF. That an organization involved in the education and defense of the rights of LGBT people is not a problem in itself. But the size of the subsidies granted from the envelope of a ministry that should, in principle, defend women's rights, hurts.Par comparaison, entre 2019 et 2027, le FEGC a octroyé 1 100 000$ à la Fédération des femmes du Québec. Donc techniquement moins que ce qu’a reçu le Gris et le Conseil québécois LGBT.
The department therefore speaks out of both sides of its mouth.
That is not to mention all the money that could be given to organizations that support women, which are instead given to small groups that defend very specific causes and relate to a very small part of the population.
Preferential treatment
An example of the disproportion between the number of people affected and the size of the envelope is the treatment received by Le Réseau enchanté , which is receiving $900,000 over two years (24-26) to "establish the fundamentals of the first national Black and 2SLGBTQI+ organization."
The WAGE also subsidizes groups whose mission is to go to schools to offer training to young people and teachers. Under the guise of openness and inclusion, these programs spread an ideology without scientific basis to minds that are still malleable.
We induce ideas in the heads of children, we recruit young people with notions that disturb their development and their understanding of what sex is. Again, with the funds that are in principle for gender equality.
It is clear that the department is prioritizing so-called "diversity" groups to the detriment of the universal cause of women in view of last year's report on departmental results.
Message to the next Prime Minister
If we had one suggestion to make to the next Prime Minister, it would be not to mix contradictory missions in the same ministry. Women's rights cannot be jeopardized by the defense of other groups, no matter how legitimate their demands may be.
Currently, a more than substantial amount of our taxes is used to subsidize organizations that, under the guise of fighting for inclusion, increasingly exclude women from our society by flouting their rights.
