A Word From Your MP

Dear Residents,

Happy Pride 2023 !

August 19-27, 2023 was Pride Week in the Capital. More than 10,000 people walked in the parade in solidarity and 100,000 cheered. Ottawa-Vanier was there.
We stand together !
Congratulations to Capital Pride in the Capital and all the volunteers for a highly successful event !

Have a good read!

Mona

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

All women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people in Canada deserve access to culturally safe, trauma-informed, non-stigmatizing, and high-quality healthcare that reflects and respects their unique intersectional identities, no matter who they are or where they live. Nobody should be disadvantaged by discrimination and inequality and prevented from achieving their optimal health and wellness.

Today, the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced an $8.3M investment from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)’s Institute of Gender and Health and Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) for the Pan-Canadian Women’s Health Coalition – Hubs.

There will be 10 virtual hubs across Canada that will link and form the coalition with a coordinating centre. The objectives are to mobilize and scale-up newly generated and existing knowledge and models of care, maximize research impact within and beyond the coalition, build capacity for the next generation of women's health researchers through training and mentorship opportunities embedded within the hub, and engage in community-based priority setting activities as well as identify future critical areas of women's health research based on community, regional and/or national needs.

The hubs will focus on key priority areas, such as the health of Indigenous Peoples, gender-diverse people, women living with HIV, and women who are incarcerated. The hubs will also focus on reproductive health, prevention of violence against women and girls, and achieving greater equity in health services.

A separate funding opportunity for the coordinating centre was launched in June 2023. The hubs and the coordinating centre will work together to maximize the visibility and impact of women’s health research and practice in Canada by committing to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenous Rights. Click here

Women and gender equality Canada

Members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities in Canada continue to contend with discrimination, violence, and injustice, simply because of who they are. Investing directly in 2SLGBTQI+ communities, and the organizations that support them, will help ensure that all people can participate fully in social, economic, and political life free from discrimination.
On the first anniversary of the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced up to $1.9 million in funding for seven 2SLGBTQI+ organizations in the Ottawa region through the 2SLGBTQI+ Community Capacity Fund.
This announcement builds on a series of initiatives undertaken as part of the continuously evolving, whole-of-government approach adopted to “Building our future, with pride,” the title of the Action Plan. Click here

International Overdose Awareness Day

As you may be aware, Thursday, August 31, 2023 is International Overdose Awareness Day (IOAD).

IOAD is an international day of remembrance for those we have lost to overdose or who have experienced substance use-related harms, as well as an opportunity to raise awareness about how to prevent them.
There are events being held across Canada to commemorate IOAD and we encourage you to find one (lists here and here) near you to join.

Part of International Overdose Awareness Day is about remembering those who died from an overdose and acting to prevent further harms related to substance use. Those who died were cherished colleagues friends and family members and deserve to be remembered without shame or stigma. If you are struggling, please know that support exists. House of Commons employees can contact the Employee and Family Assistance Program (1-800-663-1142) 24-hours a day and, for MinO/PMO staff, there is the Employee Assistance Program (1-800-268-7708). Both are confidential and available 24-hrs a day. Alternatively, you can visit the wellness together Click here, or Pocket Well app.

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day !

With Labor Day fast approaching on Monday, September 4th this year.

Labor Day is more than a holiday in Canada. It’s a celebration of the labor movement’s hard work over decades of fighting for Canadians’ rights through unions and its members.

Weekends, 8-hour workdays, safe and respectful workplaces, fair wages. All of those advancements and many more wasn’t just given to workers. It was fought for and achieved through years of organized labor efforts.

Unions and unionized workers built the middle-class and fought hard for the labor standards Canada enjoys today.

This September 4th, let’s celebrate everything the labor movement accomplishments for Canadian workers.

Inclusion and financial security of people with disabilities

Building on the government of Canada’s commitment to improve inclusion and financial security of Canadians with disabilities, today, the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, Kamal Khera, announced nearly $73 million in funding under the Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities (OF) to support 31 projects that organizations across Canada will launch this year.

This funding is in addition to $118 million announced in June 2023 to support 60 projects, which brings the Government’s total investment under the OF 2022 call for proposals to approximately $191 million.

Minister Khera made this announcement at the YMCA Cape Breton in Sydney, Nova Scotia, who received $1,119,755 in funding under the OF to assist persons with disabilities who face barriers to employment in Cape Breton and the Antigonish County. The organization will connect individuals who self-identify as persons with disabilities to subsidized employment and self-employment opportunities, supporting them through skills training, digital literacy and skills development that are required for high-demand positions in the region. Program participants will also have access to an entire host of services including, employment support, career counselling, and referral services to external agencies assisting in areas such as mental health and addictions disorders.

The OF brings together employers and employees with disabilities, to increase the participation of working-aged persons with disabilities in the workforce. The objective of the program is to assist persons with disabilities to prepare for, obtain and keep employment, advance in their careers, or become self-employed. Through the OF, more Canadians are able to achieve financial independence and participate in all aspects of society.

The funding announced today supports the Government of Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan, specifically the employment pillar, and contributes to its ongoing commitment to create a truly inclusive Canada, free of physical, societal, and attitudinal barriers. Click here