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Vote to End Gender-Based Violence

ELECTION DAY IS FEBRUARY 27

We Can VOTE to End GBV
Ask all candidates to commit to help Ontario end Gender-Based Violence.

62 lives were taken by femicide in Ontario last year, including the killings of Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit people, which Indigenous leaders and a National Inquiry have named as genocide. Those are only the confirmed cases. It is unknown how many remain unconfirmed. Tragically, these are often preventable deaths.

We know that early intervention and prevention efforts save lives.

Today, finding safety is harder than ever for women and children fleeing violence. If we do not act earlier to prevent violence, the human, social and economic costs will continue to cascade into hospitals, schools, social services, courtrooms, mental health and addictions services, employment and across generations and communities.

Safe and affordable housing can help to save lives.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a leading cause of housing insecurity and homelessness for women and gender-diverse people and we know it is one of the main reasons they remain in unsafe situations. There is currently a lack of access to safe and affordable housing. Existing housing models fail to account for survivors’ unique needs, forcing them to choose between unsafe homes or precarious, hidden homelessness.

Elections are your chance to tell political candidates what matters to you.

We need the political will and commitment of our elected leaders to address the root causes of gender-based violence. Economic prosperity and financial independence deeply influence a person’s ability to leave a violent situation, as does one’s social identity. When governments and policymakers address gender-based violence and intimate partner violence through meaningful investments into violence prevention, early intervention, and survivor support services, they are investing in a province where women, girls, and gender diverse people are able to thrive and live lives free from violence.

Through our collective commitment and action, we can end gender-based violence and intimate partner violence.

This election, let’s urge all political candidates to:

  1. Declare intimate partner violence an epidemic to acknowledge the public health and safety crisis.
  2. Establish an independent accountability mechanism to advance community-led long-term planning efforts to address and eradicate gender-based violence and to ensure leadership and accountability across parties and election cycles.
  3. Fund and sustain the solutions required to respond to and prevent gender-based violence.

We know what to do.

There are decades worth of hard lessons from femicide inquests, death reviews, public commissions and national inquiries that have shown us, over and over, how to prevent these predictable deaths by prioritizing healthy relationships and listening to the voices of those most impacted. We will be better positioned to end gender-based violence when we target the root causes of the social inequities and injustices that continue to disadvantage and discriminate against whole populations. The first-hand wisdom found in those communities must help lead us.

99 local governments in Ontario have declared intimate partner violence an epidemic.

The province can too.

This provincial election, we urge all political parties to commit to ending gender-based violence. Together, we can achieve this important and critical goal.

Femicide refers to gender-motivated killings rooted in misogyny, sexism and social norms that devalue and denigrate women’s lives.

Gender-based violence is not random or incidental, it happens in a social context of social and economic inequity, discrimination and colonialism.

The Francophone community, in all its diversity, finds itself on the margins because access to services in French is limited. Women and gender diverse people living with disabilities, with precarious immigration status, living in rural and remote areas, and those who are Indigenous, Black, newcomers and/or racialized are at greater risk of and face disproportionate rates of gender-based violence and femicide. Indigenous women and girls are seven times more likely to be killed than non-Indigenous women and girls.

The final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls calls for a new framework in human services that prioritizes relationships and the voices and leadership of Indigenous women. It is a transformational vision to follow.

On February 27, #VotetoEndGBV

This campaign was created by a dedicated coalition of anti-gender-based violence advocates and survivors who have united to urge all political candidates in the Ontario election to commit to ending GBV.

At YWCA Toronto we are committed to engaging with the election process in a nonpartisan way. What does this mean? This means that we will not endorse or align ourselves with any political party or candidate.

Elections Ontario is the official resource for election information, including details on how, when, and where to vote—visit www.elections.on.ca to learn more.

Why should you vote?

The results of this election will influence policies that directly affect our healthcare, social services, housing, cost of living, and our safety and wellbeing. Voting provides you with the opportunity to help shape the future of Ontario.

How do you know if you are an eligible voter?

To vote in the Ontario Provincial election, you must be:

  • 18 years of age or older;
  • a Canadian citizen; and
  • a resident of Ontario.

Are you automatically registered to vote?

  • You can confirm, update or add your information to the Register for the provincial election at registertovoteon.ca until February 17. You can still vote if you are not registered, just bring a piece of acceptable ID with both your name and home address to your polling station.

You do not have a permanent address; how do you vote?

  • For voters without a permanent address, the place where you (the voter) return to most often to eat or sleep in the past five weeks is considered to be your address. Shelters, food banks, and community health care facilities can provide eligible voters, who do not have a permanent address, a temporary form of ID to use when they go to vote. Learn more.

Whether you are legally eligible to vote or not, everyone has a say in this election. The outcome of this election affects us all, and all voice—regardless of voting status—should be engaged and heard.