Canada is pleased to submit to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women its combined eighth and ninth periodic reports on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (hereinafter the “Convention”) , ratified by Canada on December 10, 1981.The present reports provide information on key steps taken by the federal, provincial and territorial governments to further improve implementation of the Convention since the submission of the last periodic report, in response to most of the Committee's concluding observations published on 7 November 2008, following consideration of Canada's combined sixth and seventh periodic reports on October 22, 2008.In general, information that can be found in other reports submitted by Canada is not repeated in this document, but appropriate references are added. These include Canada's Common Core Document; the interim reports submitted at the request of the Committee in relation to paragraphs 14 and 32 of the concluding observations; and the January 2014 Response to the Committee's Follow-up Questions in Annex 1A to the Canadian Government's Comments on the Canada Investigation Report (January 2014 Response).In 2013, 17.7 million women represented 50.4% of Canada's population, maintaining a narrow female majority that has lasted more than 3 decades. Information and data related to issues such as women's family status, education, employment, financial well-being, unpaid work, and health can be found in the sixth edition of Women in Canada: A gender-based statistical report ( Women in Canada: gender-based statistical report).
This section of the report contains information related to articles 1, 2 and 3 of the Convention, and addresses the legal framework for the protection of women's rights and the governance mechanism for the advancement of women. It focuses on observations 9 to 12, 17 to 18, 25 to 28 and 49 to 52 of the Committee.
Canadian federalism is based on collaborative and complementary laws, policies and programs of the federal, provincial and territorial governments that protect the rights and freedoms of the people of Canada. As they seek to find innovative and practical solutions to problems and adopt policies and programs tailored to local needs and circumstances, governments also share common goals and a strong commitment to building our society. There may be differences in the actions taken by governments at the federal, provincial and territorial levels, but Canadian federalism encourages a joint approach by different partners to realize rights, reflecting Canada's diversity and values.The Convention is implemented through constitutional and statutory guarantees and legislative, administrative and other measures such as the following:•Schedule B of the Canada Act 1982 (the “Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms”), which applies to all government activities and guarantees all people fundamental rights and freedoms, including an explicit guarantee of equal rights for women;•Canada's Bill of Rights, which applies to federal laws and protects fundamental freedoms, legal rights and equality before the law;•Human rights legislation of the federal, provincial and territorial governments, which applies to the public and private sectors and prohibits discrimination on grounds such as sex, with respect to employment, the provision of goods, services and facilities that are normally they are made available to the population, and to accommodation;•Specific laws, policies, and programs of the federal, provincial, and territorial governments that regulate areas that affect women.Information on the Canadian legal system can be found in paragraphs 120 to 130 of the Canadian Common Core Document.
In paragraphs 25 and 26 of its concluding observations, the Committee expressed concern about changes in the Canadian Commission on the Status of Women. This remains a federal government organization charged with promoting women's equality and their full participation in the economic, social and democratic life of the country.The implementation of the Canadian Commission on the Status of Women's Women's Program continues to improve through initiatives such as streamlined application processes, innovative calls for proposals, and various strategies to foster efficiency. Support for community projects through the Program has nearly doubled ($10.8 million to almost $19 million) from 2006 to 2007. Funding is provided to organizations to support projects at the local, regional and that address the agency's three priority areas: ending violence against women and girls; improving the economic security and prosperity of women and girls;