READOUT: Parliamentary Secretary Jenna Sudds Attends G7 Summit

June 28, 2023 – Nikko, Japan — Women and Gender Equality Canada

From June 24 to 25, Jenna Sudds, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, met with G7 Gender Equality Ministers over a two-day session to discuss lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as gender equality policies to support women’s economic empowerment. The sessions were preceded by a dialogue with the Gender Equality Advisory Council (GEAC) and Chairs of the Women 7 (W7), to ensure that the perspectives of international experts and civil society organizations were included.

Throughout these sessions, Parliamentary Secretary Sudds emphasized that Canada is dedicated to the G7’s goal of advancing gender equality. She also highlighted the importance of promoting gender equality and 2SLGBTQI+ rights both domestically and internationally. Gender equality leads to resilient, inclusive, and democratic societies.

Parliamentary Secretary Sudds called attention to Canada’s intersectional response to recovery from the pandemic with inclusive policies, programs, and initiatives to address the distinct needs of diverse communities. In Canada, pandemic measures, such as lockdowns and service closures, severely impacted people experiencing gender-based violence and exacerbated technology-facilitated gender-based violence. In addition, she spotlighted Canada’s 10-year National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, launched in November 2022.

Parliamentary Secretary Sudds spoke about Canada’s commitments to advance women’s economic security and empowerment through several key initiatives under the Women’s Program and the development of the Early Learning and Child Care System, to provide affordable childcare across the country. She explained how these initiatives are in response to the increased pressure on unpaid care work, primarily affecting women during the pandemic. She acknowledged the persistent gender pay gap resulting from the influence of societal norms and biases, and the unequal distribution of care responsibilities. She recognized the challenges faced by 2SLGBTQI+ communities and referenced the 2SLGBTQI+ National Action Plan, which takes significant steps towards addressing these challenges.