Quebec’s New Action Plan To Counter The Impact Of The Pandemic On Women

Minister Charest announces the deployment of eleven innovative projects to support community workers

As part of the Action Plan to Counter the Impact on Women in the Context of a Pandemic (Women and COVID Plan) presented on March 8, 2021, the Minister for Education and Minister responsible for the Status of Women, ^Ms.  Isabelle Charest, is pleased to announce that she is granting nearly $1 million in funding for the implementation of 11 innovative projects in as many national organizations that are well established in the field. This support aims to break the isolation and act on the psychological distress of women in the context of the crisis.

The Secretariat for the Status of Women (SCF) wishes to act on the consequences of the health crisis. Indeed, one of the needs identified by several organizations is to act on the distress experienced by community workers who have been tested by the context of the pandemic, the increased workload and the constant need for adaptation.

In order to respond to concerns aimed at preserving the mental health of working women and helping them adapt to the situation linked to the pandemic, the SCF has supported projects whose activities must target at least one of the two main objectives following:

• preserve the mental health of the workers of the member organizations of their network and help them adapt to the situation related to the pandemic and its consequences;
• support initiatives aimed at breaking the isolation of women and acting on the psychological distress experienced in the context of the pandemic.

“Violence and inequalities between women and men were present before the pandemic, but the current situation has aggravated some persistent inequalities. We were quick to act. Since the start of the pandemic, we have multiplied emergency interventions in order to act on the consequences of the health crisis experienced by women. 

“Moreover, our government has implemented an action plan to counter the impacts of the pandemic on them. This plan targets the main issues for achieving equality between women and men, taking into account the challenges encountered since March 2020.

“The Women and COVID Plan has resulted in very concrete investments, particularly in the networks of ‘organizations that act directly with women entrepreneurs, in search of employment, immigrants and racialized women or those in vulnerable situations, for example. Today’s announcement demonstrates this once again. The organizations supported will thus have more means of action and I am proud of that. »

Isabelle Charest, Minister for Education and Minister responsible for the Status of Women

This financial aid is in line with action 4.1 of the Women and COVID Plan – Breaking the isolation of women and acting on the psychological distress experienced in the context of the crisis. The maximum financial assistance granted is $100,000 per organization.

Funding for these projects makes it possible to reach, on the one hand, women in vulnerable situations (immigrant or racialized women, handicapped, etc.), and on the other hand, community workers.