Latest news with #RechieValdez
Cision Canada
3 days ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Federal support to help women with disabilities overcome barriers to economic security
TORONTO, Aug. 14, 2025 /CNW/ - Women with disabilities continue to face persistent barriers to fully participating in the workforce — barriers that limit their economic security, leadership opportunities, and ability to contribute their talents to Canada's growth. The federal government is committed to removing those barriers, because building a strong, resilient economy is only possible when all women can participate and thrive. Today, the Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), along with Chi Nguyen, Member of Parliament for Spadina—Harbourfront, announced $656,053 for Realize. Their project, Breaking Barriers and Shaping Inclusive Workplaces for Women with Episodic Disabilities, will tackle the systemic obstacles that keep women with episodic disabilities from achieving their full potential in the workforce. Through training opportunities, employer engagement, and community-building initiatives, this project will challenge harmful gender norms and attitudes, strengthen workplace policies, and expand opportunities for employment and career advancement. Quotes "The Government of Canada is committed to supporting women in every part of our economy, because when women succeed, Canada succeeds. Women with episodic disabilities bring skills, leadership, and resilience to their workplaces, yet too often face barriers that hold them back. By partnering with organizations like Realize, we're breaking down those barriers and creating more inclusive workplaces where every woman can contribute her talents, grow her career, and help build a stronger, more competitive Canada." The Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism) "Realize's project plays an important role in building a stronger economy for everyone, where women living with episodic disabilities can fully participate and meaningfully contribute as they enter or rejoin the workforce. Supporting inclusive workplaces helps workers, employers, and Canada." The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, Member of Parliament for University—Rosedale "Throughout my career, I've seen firsthand how removing barriers for women and diverse people unlocks potential, strengthens communities, and drives economic growth. The Government of Canada's investment in Realize will help ensure that women and gender diverse people with episodic disabilities have the opportunities and support they need to share their talents." Chi Nguyen, Member of Parliament for Spadina—Harbourfront "Episodic disabilities do not always show visible signs, but millions of women in Canada live with them. Fostering greater understanding of the unique needs of women living with episodic health conditions in the workplace is essential to an economy that works for everyone." Melissa Egan, Co-Director, National Programs, Realize Quick facts As complex chronic illnesses with disabling impacts, episodic disabilities are unpredictable in their length, severity, and occurrence. Examples include long-COVID, multiple sclerosis, lupus, arthritis, HIV, diabetes, mental health conditions and many others. This translates into millions of women in Canada impacted by episodic disabilities facing uncertainty and often exclusion when it comes to work and income. Statistics Canada's Survey Series on Accessibility (SSA) reported in 2024 that nearly three in five (59%) persons with disabilities or long-term conditions experienced a labour market-related barrier to accessibility. Types of barriers include those experienced at work or during a hiring process, or those that discouraged or prevented one from working due to their conditions. People with disabilities tend to have lower participation in the workforce and subsequently lower personal income, compared to those without disabilities. They are less likely to experience financial security and more likely to live in poverty than people without disabilities. In 2022, women in Canada (43%) were more likely than men (39%) to have severe or very severe disabilities. Associated links Follow Women and Gender Equality Canada: SOURCE Women and Gender Equality Canada Contacts: Chris Zhou, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), [email protected], 343-551-0457; Media Relations, Women and Gender Equality Canada, [email protected], 819-420-6530
CBC
16-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Territorial ministers seek full funding for national plan on gender-based violence
Amid the federal government's bid to reduce spending, territorial ministers are asking the Carney government to fully fund a national plan to end gender-based violence. Women and gender equality ministers for the N.W.T., Nunavut and Yukon met with their federal counterpart, Rechie Valdez, last week. They asked her to secure funding for the remaining six years of the national plan's 10-year lifespan. In an interview, Valdez said she's committed to backing the plan, which was originally announced in November 2022, even though the federal finance minister has asked ministers to find savings within their departments. Last week, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne directed Cabinet ministers to find areas to reduce spending by 7.5 per cent starting in 2026, 10 per cent in 2027 and 15 per cent in 2028. Asked whether her department would see any reduction in programs or services, Valdez said her department is seeking "more clarity around the details" from the Prime Minister's office. N.W.T. Status of Women Minister Lucy Kuptana said territorial governments want firm commitments on the plan's funding. Funds from Women and Gender Equality Canada flow to the N.W.T.'s Gender Equity Division, which works with Status of Women, Native Women's Association, Northern Mosaic Network and shelter networks. Military spending has implication for women, girls Aside from spending cuts, Prime Minister Mark Carney also pledged to NATO allies in June to increase military spending to five percent of Canada's GDP by 2035. As the federal government pushes to fast track resource development projects and pledges billions to militarize Canada and the North, Kuptana said there similarly need to be resources and services for women, girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people. From the time of the fur traders, to the establishment of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line, increasing industrialization and militarization of Northern communities have historically brought violence upon women and girls, said Kuptana. "Women and families were affected [deeply] by all of that," she said. In a meeting with all three ministers, Valdez also heard that housing is key to ending gender-based violence, and these disparities which make women vulnerable are more prevalent in the North. Valdez said she'll push on commitments under the remaining years of the national action plan to support frontline workers, especially through the Women's Shelter Network. Programs educating men and boys Yukon's Minister for Women and Gender Equity, Jeanie McLean, said much of the work achieved in the Yukon in the last 10 years has been in part because of the direct access to cabinet through the federal minister. She said the Yukon government matches federal funding from the national plan. Among other things, it uses it to help fund First Nations projects educating men and boys to help end violence against women. McLean, who is also the Yukon's education minister, said she is considering curriculum-based education for grades 6 to 9, replicating programs like the Nova Scotia-born GuysWork, which explores alternatives to pervasive and unhealthy norms around masculinity. McLean said she has also met with national Indigenous organizations looking to connect the goals of the national action plan to end gender based violence and MMIWG in areas of justice reform and human trafficking. Territories have responsibilities for community safety and justice, but the federal government holds "tremendous responsibility" for reform on release conditions considering emergent technologies that enable digital abuse, she said. "Women particularly can be tracked just on their devices on Snapchat, on all of these other types of platforms. That needs to be emphasized at the federal level with our criminal justice system," said McLean.
Cision Canada
23-06-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
CEFA EARLY LEARNING CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING OF FIRST MISSISSAUGA LOCATION
MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 23, 2025 /CNW/ - CEFA Early Learning, Canada's leading private early education provider, officially opened its first Mississauga campus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by The Honourable Rechie Valdez, MP for Mississauga–Streetsville and Minister of Women and Gender Equality, and The Honourable Nina Tangri, MPP for Mississauga–Streetsville and Associate Minister of Small Business. Founded in 1998 in West Vancouver, CEFA Early Learning Mississauga marks the organization's 44th location nationwide. Its state-of-the-art, 13,880 sq ft. facility features nine classrooms and can accommodate up to 149 students ages one to six. Every CEFA teacher is ECE-certified and receives ongoing, specialized training in CEFA's proprietary methodology, enabling them to effectively deliver an enriched junior kindergarten curriculum. "At CEFA, we believe early education should do more than prepare children for school. It should ignite their potential and lay the foundation for a lifetime of learning and discovery," said Arno Krug, President, CEFA Early Learning. "This centre is designed to do exactly that. With CEFA Mississauga, we've created a thoughtfully designed space where infants, toddlers, and preschoolers can learn, explore, and thrive." CEFA's science-backed curriculum is designed around the synaptic blooming period, a critical stage of brain development between ages one and five when millions of neural connections are formed every second. Drawing on Montessori and Reggio Emilia philosophies, and enhanced by CEFA's own proprietary innovations, the program supports each child's academic, emotional, social, and physical growth. CEFA Early Learning Mississauga is currently accepting inquiries from interested families. To learn more about CEFA's curriculum or find a school near you, visit ABOUT CEFA EARLY LEARNING CEFA Early Learning (Core Education & Fine Arts) is Canada's leading private early learning provider, founded by Natacha V. Beim in 1998 for children aged one to six. With over 25 years of experience and more than 40 locations across British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, CEFA offers a proprietary, award-winning junior kindergarten curriculum that uniquely combines core academic subjects such as reading, mathematics, and STEM with fine arts and enrichment activities including drama, music, visual arts, dance, and yoga. CEFA provides children with carefully designed learning environments and experiences that nurture holistic growth academically, emotionally, socially, and physically, setting a strong foundation for lifelong learning and success. For more information about CEFA, visit
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rechie Valdez makes history with cabinet position: 'People aren't used to someone who looks like me'
Many of us who watched Prime Minister Mark Carney's swearing-in ceremony on the morning of May 13 most likely noticed that when Rechie Valdez took the oath as Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Small Business (WAGE), she was overcome with emotion. 'It was a profound moment for me,' Valdez tells Yahoo! via Zoom from her office in Ottawa. Valdez became the first Filipino-Canadian woman elected to Parliament and cabinet minister. 'My husband and children were in the room, but more than that, my parents were watching from Mississauga,' she says. 'They had uprooted their lives twice: from the Philippines to Zambia, and then later from Zambia to Canada. They made incredible sacrifices to give my brother and me a better life — so during the swearing-in, all of the memories of that sacrifice just came rushing back.' The Prime Minister personally approached Valdez to take on the responsibility. 'When he contacted me and asked me if I would take on the role, I was profoundly taken aback and in tears. I was also jumping for joy,' she says, throwing her arms in the air to demonstrate her internal reaction at the time. 'But I calmly said, 'Thank you for the opportunity, Prime Minister,'' she adds, laughing. The department of WAGE was previously aligned with Youth under Marci Ien, until she resigned on March 7. Then, after Carney was sworn in on March 14 (after former Justin Trudeau stepped down), the department was downgraded under the ministry of Canadian Heritage helmed by Stephen Guilbeaut. Many women's right activists, including former minister Marci Ien herself, were taken aback at the Carney government's initial decision to cut the ministry and called the move a significant setback for women. Weeks before the April 28 election, there was a lot of lobbying and back channel movement going on behind the scenes to bring the ministry back if the Liberals won the election — something Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre likely wouldn't have done had he won. But all of that is in the past, and Valdez is focused on the future. This time, instead of being aligned with Youth, Small Business has been added to the file — something that fits Valdez, previously the minister of Small Business — really well. 'I think this alignment of WAGE to Small Business is a profound opportunity because, while it's a very social portfolio in that it advocates for women and gender-diverse people, it also creates empowerment for these people through our economy,' she says. Valdez, who says she faced many challenges in her own experience as a visible minority woman entering the workforce as a corporate banker, and later, as an entrepreneur. 'The journey was difficult and I know what it feels like,' she says. With the new ministry, Valdez wants to make it her mandate to help women and gender-diverse people see their power and true potential. That's why the economic slant is especially vital in our times, she says. 'What we're seeing down south with the rollback of DEI [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion], it's very scary and worrisome to us,' Valdez emphasizes. 'Women are afraid, and 2SLGBTQ+ people are afraid because we've made so much progress in our country. You simply cannot be the strongest economy in the G7 without the inclusion of women and gender-diverse people,' she says, adding dryly: 'We only make up half the population.' Being the former Minister of Small Business also gives her a unique perspective. 'I think our women entrepreneurship strategy, for example, is truly an investment,' she says. 'It can actually even prevent gender-based violence because it's empowering. Meeting with many women entrepreneurs across the country, and seeing the impact they have within their community will have a ripple effect.' Valdez is excited about working across the different provincial and territorial governments, and bringing inclusivity to rural and remote communities. 'As we roll these programs out, it does go down to that individual woman and gender-diverse person; that entrepreneur on the ground. That's my number one job as the communicator of the things we're doing at the federal level.' Valdez, was at one time, that entrepreneur on the ground herself. Long before the 45-year-old got into politics, she worked for the financial sector. 'I had never had dreams nor had ever envisioned myself as a politician,' she says. What changed for Valdez was when her daughter, Cassidy, turned a year old. 'That's when I made her first birthday cake,' she remembers. 'I'll never forget it because I felt like I had found a creative passion.' She turned the passion into a small business. 'It was an incredible journey building my business from the ground up for the world to see,' she says. 'It was a way to find my voice.' What Valdez learned at that time is something she brings with her in her role as minister of WAGE. 'The thing about being a sole proprietor entrepreneur is that if you work on an island, you're setting yourself up to fail.' She realized there was strength in collaboration and reached out via social media, creating events and opportunities for other entrepreneurs. 'I saw the value of bringing community together.' She sees her new role as an extension of that. 'It allows me to advocate for the larger community and be the voice for the voiceless,' she says. What makes Valdez a unique voice is that there hasn't been a Filipino voice in federal politics for 17 years. 'Being the only Filipino out of almost a million Filipinos in the country, and being that voice to stand up for the things that matter to me is so important to me,' she says. As someone who has experienced both racism and sexism on a daily basis at times, Valdez feels she is in the best position to understand the plight of those afflicted by the same. 'It's not something that happens just once in a while,' she says. 'I definitely experienced both, especially online. Whether it's hate, misogyny, being a person of colour, and even just being a person on the hill every day, it can be a challenge because people aren't used to someone who looks like me,' she explains. 'I would be stopped and ID'd on a regular basis even though I'm a federal minister — that's pretty telling.' That's why representation is so important, she says. 'It's about facing those challenges head on.' When it comes to women and gender equality, Valdez believes we have come a long way, but that we also have a long way to go. 'I was recently at a conference that had to do with trades,' she says. 'I was pleasantly surprised when one of the members of the trade groups came up to me and said he was excited about WAGE. He said he's seen the impact women are making in trades and the support they're getting from the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), like the Canada Child Benefit, and others. They've seen the impact for women who choose trades as a future career. These are the opportunities in a place I would never expect, and that's the impact of WAGE.' Valdez's main priorities for the department will be gender-based violence and advancing economic justice for women and gender-diverse people. 'We can't just stop at crisis response — we really need that structural change,' she asserts. 'We also want to ensure that Canada leads in this space. Gender equality isn't just a social issue, it's imperative to our economy and to the sustainability of our country. Marci Ien handed me a beautiful baton, but there is still much more work to do.'
Cision Canada
21-06-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Statement by Minister Valdez to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day Français
OTTAWA, ON, /CNW/ - The Honourable Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Secretary of State (Small Business and Tourism), made the following statement: "Today, I join communities across the country in celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day. "This is a time to honour the rich histories, vibrant cultures and enduring contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis. From coast to coast to coast, we celebrate the strength, resilience, and leadership of Indigenous communities. "Today, more than 50,000 small businesses are majority-owned by Indigenous entrepreneurs. Indigenous-led businesses are fuelling economic growth and uplifting communities across the country. "In 2023 alone, Indigenous tourism operators generated an estimated 34,700 jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity. These numbers tell a powerful story of resilience and innovation and highlight the vital role Indigenous businesses play in our tourism economy. "As Minister of Women and Gender Equality, I am committed to supporting Indigenous-led efforts to end gender-based violence. Through the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples, our government is working in partnership with First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities to develop policies and fund programs to end the national crisis facing Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. This work is essential to healing, justice and safety for Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, wherever they live. "Our government is deeply committed to advancing reconciliation and to building lasting partnerships with Indigenous Peoples by supporting entrepreneurs, fostering economic opportunity and building an inclusive economy that leaves no one behind. Stay connected Follow the department on . For easy access to government programs for businesses, download the Canada Business app.
