Since 2015, we have worked to ensure greater equality of opportunity for all Canadians. This began with appointing Canada’s first-ever gender-balanced Cabinet and continued with the last three federal budgets – the first ones in Canada’s history to include in-depth analysis of what our policy choices mean for different people.

Together, we have made a lot of progress.

Our Shared Progress

In the last four years, we have made advancing gender equality and diversity a priority. That’s why we invested in sustainable and predictable funding for a range of women’s and equality-seeking organizations. We created the new department for Women and Gender Equality, established a new federal LGBTQ2 secretariat, and prioritized the use of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) as a driving force when developing federal policies and programs.

We believe in fairness, including the belief that women deserve equal pay for work of equal value – which is why we moved forward with proactive pay equity legislation.

We also know that women have an essential role to play in building strong companies and creating more good jobs – so we invested in helping more women entrepreneurs, created more accessible and affordable child care spaces, and moved forward with more flexible parental leave, to make it easier for new moms to go back to work.

We moved forward with protections for gender identity and expression in the Canada Human Rights Act – because it’s important that the laws that govern our country reflect the diversity we see in our communities.

Because Indigenous women and girls are disproportionately affected by all forms of violence, we moved forward with a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, accepted the Inquiry’s final report, and committed to co-developing and implementing a distinctions-based national action plan to implement the report’s Calls to Justice.

We moved forward with landmark investments to counter systemic racism and biases as part of a new national Anti-Racism Strategy, because no one should be denied opportunity or be made to feel unwelcome in Canada because of who they are.

Because every person – regardless of ability – should be able to fully participate in society, we moved forward with new investments and legislation that marked the most significant advancement in federal disability rights in 30 years.

And on the global stage, we are leading the way with a new Feminist International Assistance Policy,making investments in girls’ education and women’s empowerment, and helping to make sure that more women and girls have access to the full range of safe reproductive health services.

This progress has made a real difference in the lives of people here in Canada, and around the world. But we know there is much more work to be done to make sure that our country is a place where everyone has a real and fair chance at success.

And so we will build on our record of progress and continue to move forward – for women, for people of all genders, for Indigenous Peoples, for racialized Canadians, for people with disabilities, for new Canadians, and for members of the LGBTQ2 communities.

We will move forward for everyone, because we all deserve to be treated equally and fairly in a diverse and inclusive Canada.

Applying the GBA+ Lens

Public policy impacts everyone differently. That is why our government applies the GBA+ lens to every policy decision we make.

Each measure in this platform has been considered through the GBA+ lens. That means that we have taken initial steps to look at how all these proposals will affect people differently, including cost/benefit analyses for each measure.

GBA+ analysis is especially valuable in considering some of the key commitments we are making to Canadians, including:

expanding Old Age Security and offering better protections for survivors’ Canada Pension Plan benefits;

making new investments in before and after school programs for school-age children;

making a down payment on a new health accord that prioritizes access to mental health services;

introducing a new system of Guaranteed Paid Family Leave, so that all parents will be able to afford to spend the first year at home with their child, when it matters most; and

taking steps to promote greater equality and diversity, fight racism, and make equality at work and in the justice system a reality for everyone. We commit that every measure in this platform will be subjected to a complete and rigorous GBA+ by a new Liberal government.

That’s how we’ll continue to move forward – for everyone.