Advocacy

YWCA Montreal and its Foundation gratefully acknowledge and pay respect to the Kanyen’kehà:ka (Mohawk) and Anishinaabe Nations, traditional custodians of the unceded indigenous territory where we are located.

Advocating for Women and Girls Beyond our Walls

To reduce exclusion and social and gender inequality, as well as all forms of violence against women and girls, we must reach beyond our daily and individual actions for women and girls. That is why we organize, collaborate, and participate in many events and campaigns to promote mobilization, engagement, and awareness around women’s issues.

We also participate in numerous awareness campaigns organized by our partners or collaborators concerning issues that the YWCA considers top-priority, including social and gender inclusion and equality, as well as those promoting the elimination of violence against women and girls.

You can also read about YWCA Canada’s advocacy priorities.

Advocacy News

The socio-economic situation of women: Gender equality still has a long way to go

Taxes reveal inequalities and spawn anxiety. Every spring, people with an income in Quebec and Canada have to submit their tax return for the previous year. This mandatory step, seen by many as time-consuming and laborious, can, for others, be a real source of anxiety and reveal much deeper issues: income inequality, financial dependence, economic Read More >>

#BellLetsTalk Day and women’s mental health

Now a tradition across Canada, the Bell Let’s Talk campaign opens the door to dialogue with the goal of destigmatizing mental health issues. After years of public discussion, the recognition of the importance of mental health has made its way into the public consciousness. And this issue is not losing momentum, especially in a time Read More >>

12 Days of Action to End Violence Against Women

Possible solutions and resources to end violence against women Each year, from November 25th to December 6th, the 12 Days of Action to End Violence against Women takes place at the YWCA Montreal. Violence against women is a critical social issue at the heart of the YWCA’s mission. These 12 days are an opportunity for Read More >>

What kind of Montreal do we want for women and girls?

By Nadine Raymond, CEO of YWCA Montreal I joined YWCA Montreal as CEO last May, quite recently. The YWCA, for its part, was founded in the heart of Montreal 146 years ago. Ever since, we have been tirelessly defending the rights of women and girls to ensure that the city they live in is more Read More >>

#BlockHate : violence on social media, it must stops!

« Go back to your country! I know your address… watch out for your family! » Sadly, words like this and so many other equally disturbing messages, are received and read by many people inLGBTQ +, racialized and Indigenous communities across the country. It is for this reason that YWCA Canada and the Canadian Race Read More >>

Time-out, please.

Much has been said about the Montreal Canadiens’ decision to draft Logan Mailloux despite having committed a sex crime. What has NOT been said – let alone admitted – by the leaders of CH Group is that the organization itself needs to be educated about violence against women, not just the young defender. What we Read More >>

Women, inclusion and the housing crisis

Was this unexpected? This year, Quebec media didn’t wait until July 1st to point out the shortage of available, affordable and safe housing. In Montreal, it’s a veritable crisis, resulting from a situation exacerbated by the pandemic, which impacted mostly women, and to an even greater extent, single-parent women, women who are young, old, immigrants Read More >>

International Women’s Rights Day Or Groundhog Day?

While thinking about the messages we would post on our different platforms to mark International Women’s Rights Day, we felt a sense of immense anger, but also extreme fatigue. An unpleasant feeling of already having seen it, written it, denounced it… What could we say that hadn’t already been said? #WhyIDidntReport #ConsentMatters #MeToo Millions of Read More >>