Status of Women Ministers Affirm Commitment to End Violence,
Encourage Women’s Leadership

Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women met in Morell, Prince Edward Island, on June 18 and 19, to discuss priority issues such as promoting women’s leadership and ending violence against women and girls.

The 31st annual meeting was co-chaired by Susan Truppe, Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women, on behalf of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Canada’s Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, and the Honourable Valerie E. Docherty, Prince Edward Island’s Minister of Community Services and Seniors and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women.

FPT Ministers were pleased to release their booklet, The Business Case for Women on Boards, which was produced in collaboration with the Conference Board of Canada and offers tips and advice to companies seeking to increase women’s representation on their boards of directors. Senior FPT officials also recently hosted a symposium in Ottawa on the need to increase the number of women on corporate boards. Women’s representation on corporate boards currently sits at 14.5 per cent in Canada despite overwhelming evidence that boards with more women perform more effectively.

The ministers affirmed their commitment to ending violence against women and girls, including cyberbullying and sexual violence, and underscored the need for multi-level leadership and action to address this critical issue, especially in light of recent tragic events. They credited federal, provincial and territorial counterparts for their important efforts to tackle violence against Aboriginal women. The ministers also highlighted the need to improve support for victims of violence, particularly to ensure victims are not deterred from coming forward and that all protections and supports are afforded to victims who choose to proceed with criminal charges.

Statistics Canada released the FPT Ministers’ updated Measuring Violence against Women: Statistical Trends report on February 25, 2013. This publication presents national and provincial/territorial data on the major indicators of violence against women and the results of a recent study on the costs of spousal violence. As a follow-up to the report, Ministers issued a series of accessible online fact sheets that ensure all Canadians have key information on violence against women and girls. These fact sheets can be found at www.gov.nl.ca/vpi/facts. 

Since their first meeting in 1981, FPT Ministers have met regularly to explore ways to achieve equality for women and to exchange information on issues affecting women in Canada, particularly in the areas of economic security, violence and human rights.

The next meeting of FPT Ministers responsible for the Status of Women will be hosted by Northwest Territories in June 2014.

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2013 06 20             9:10 a.m.