Canada’s National Action Plan on Gender-based Violence
The Next Phase Must Reach the Frontline
$607.4M
committed by the Government of Canada over four years to continue implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence
There is much to welcome in today’s announcement.
The Government of Canada’s commitment of $607.4 million over four years signals that ending gender-based violence remains a national priority and builds on years of work by survivors, advocates, Indigenous leaders, researchers, governments and frontline organizations to establish Canada’s National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.
BWSS is proud to have been part of those earliest national conversations and to have co-chaired the Support for Survivors and Their Families pillar that helped shape the National Action Plan. We recognize today’s announcement as an important reaffirmation of that long-term commitment.
Now comes the next phase
A national action plan is only as effective as its execution.
Over the coming months, provinces and territories will receive their share of this investment, including British Columbia through the implementation of Safe and Supported: British Columbia’s Gender-Based Violence Action Plan. We look forward to seeing how these investments are distributed and, most importantly, how they reach the specialized frontline organizations that meet with victims and survivors every day.
The true measure of success will not simply be the size of the investment announced. It will be whether frontline organizations experience stronger operational capacity, a more stable specialized workforce, and increased ability to respond to the changing realities of intimate partner violence.
An evolving understanding
Since the National Action Plan was first conceived, our understanding of intimate partner violence has evolved significantly. Frontline organizations are increasingly responding to coercive control, non-fatal strangulation, firearms-related intimidation, technology-facilitated abuse, post-separation violence and other indicators associated with escalating lethality and femicide risk. As our understanding of intimate partner violence has advanced, specialized responses have evolved alongside it.
The next phase of implementation should ensure that investments strengthen this specialized expertise.
The questions governments must answer
As governments begin allocating these funds, we look forward to understanding how much will directly strengthen specialized frontline organizations. How much will support operational capacity? How much will stabilize the specialized workforce? How much will build the expertise needed to respond to coercive control, non-fatal strangulation, firearms-related risk, technology-facilitated abuse and other forms of escalating intimate partner violence?
The National Action Plan represents an important commitment.
Its lasting legacy, however, will be measured by whether victims and survivors can access the specialized support they need, when they need it, and that frontline organizations have experienced an increase in their capacity to respond.
That is how national commitments become real safety.
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Background
Canada’s National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence (NAP) was launched in November 2022 as a 10-year federal, provincial and territorial framework to create a coordinated national approach to preventing and responding to gender-based violence.
About the National Action Plan
Five pillars
The Plan is supported by a foundation focused on leadership, coordination, research, data, accountability and reporting.
The National Action Plan builds on more than a decade of advocacy and collaboration by survivors, Indigenous leaders, frontline organizations, researchers and governments. In 2021, Women Shelters Canada convened national expert working groups to develop recommendations that informed the National Action Plan. Those recommendations emphasized coordinated systems, integrated services, sustained operational funding, intersectional practice, and supports centred on Safety, Healing and Justice.
BWSS participated in the earliest development of the National Action Plan and co-chaired the national Support for Survivors and Their Families Working Group.
Implementation of the National Action Plan occurs through bilateral agreements between the Government of Canada and every province and territory. Each jurisdiction has developed its own implementation plan while contributing to the shared national framework.
Federal investment timeline
2022
Government of Canada committed $539.3 million over five years, including $525 million through bilateral agreements with provinces and territories.
2023–2024
Federal bilateral funding totaled $75 million.
2024–2025
Federal bilateral funding increased to $150 million. Combined federal, provincial and territorial investments reached $753 million.
July 16, 2026
Government of Canada announced an additional $607.4 million over four years to continue implementation of the National Action Plan and renew support for provincial and territorial crisis lines.
2024–2025 federal allocations by province and territory
| Province / Territory | Allocation |
|---|---|
| Ontario | $47.784 million |
| Quebec | $28.550 million |
| British Columbia | $18.048 million |
| Alberta | $15.688 million |
| Manitoba | $6.248 million |
| Saskatchewan | $5.658 million |
| Nova Scotia | $5.068 million |
| New Brunswick | $4.478 million |
| Northwest Territories | $4.118 million |
| Nunavut | $4.118 million |
| Yukon | $4.118 million |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $3.652 million |
| Prince Edward Island | $2.472 million |
| Total federal allocation (2024–2025) | $150 million |
British Columbia — Safe and Supported
British Columbia’s implementation framework is Safe and Supported: British Columbia’s Gender-Based Violence Action Plan, focused on four priorities:
Under the Canada–British Columbia bilateral agreement, the Government of Canada committed approximately $62 million over four years (2023–2027) to support implementation of Safe and Supported, alongside matching pre-established provincial investments.
