The federal government has announced more than $900,000 for two community organizations in the Yukon to help Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Yukon MP Brendan Hanley revealed the funding on Dec. 21, speaking on behalf of Marci Ien, the minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth.

The Liard Aboriginal Women’s Society (LAWS) is receiving more than $400,000 for its Intergenerational Equality Planning project.

Meanwhile, the Whitehorse Aboriginal Women’s Circle is getting $500,000 for its Increasing the Capacity of Whitehorse Aboriginal Women’s Circle project.

The money will enable the organizations to address the root causes of gender-based violence and ensure that Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, and their communities, can prosper now and in the future, Hanley said.

The announcement builds on the bilateral agreement the federal and Yukon governments announced in October 2023 that supports the implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

The funding is also aligned with Pillar 4 of the National Action Plan, which focused on implementing Indigenous-led approaches.

In November 2022, the Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Forum of Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women launched the 10-year National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

The Plan is a strategic framework for addressing gender-based violence.

It includes five pillars: support for victims, survivors, and their families; prevention; a responsive justice system; implementing Indigenous-led approaches; and social infrastructure and enabling environment.

“Community organizations are at the heart of systemic change and supporting their life-saving work remains a top priority for the Government of Canada,” said Hanley.

“The funding announced today will help these organizations chart a path towards building safer communities across the Yukon for Indigenous women and girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.”

The new funding is part of the approximately $601.3 million that the federal government committed through Budget 2021 to increase efforts to end gender-based violence.   

The announcement builds on previous Women and Gender Equality Canada funding of over $13 million for more than 100 commemoration projects to help honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.  

The funding is a key initiative of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.

The funding is also a significant contribution to Implementing Indigenous-led approaches, Pillar 4 of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. 

Although roughly five per cent of the female population in Canada identified as Indigenous, 21 per cent of all gender-related homicides between 2011 and 2021 involved Indigenous women and girls, data show. 

“The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls highlighted the underlying systemic causes of ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people,” the federal government said Dec. 21.

“The COVID-19 pandemic also created unprecedented challenges for victims and survivors seeking help and the frontline organizations that support them.”