Government officials announced additional spending for a collaborative national plan to combat gender-based violence from Moncton, N.B., on Thursday. Rechie Valdez, minister of women and gender equality, announced the $607.4 million to be released over four years to advance the next phase the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence. The 10-year plan was launched in 2022, bringing together federal, provincial and territorial governments to address and combat the violence. “Every person deserves to live free from violence,” says Valdez in a statement on Thursday. “That’s why we’re renewing bilateral agreements with provinces and territories to ensure victims, survivors, and their families can continue to access the services they rely on every day.” Alicia Mazerolle, of the Moncton YWCA, is a part of the network providing services to women leaving abusive situations and recovering from gender-based violence. “We provide housing services and we also do anti-trafficking work and so there’s a big connection between gender-based violence and how we see folks who are women,” she says. Mazerolle stresses the importance of multi-level collaboration. The government states every 48 hours, a woman or girl is killed because of gender-based violence. Valdez, co-chair of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women, also announced $31 million over five years to renew federal funding for provincial and territorial crisis hotlines. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
