(Ottawa, ON – April 8, 2025) The Board of Directors of the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT) is disheartened by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent cabinet announcement’s elimination of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth (WAGE).
The CCWESTT Board of Directors supports the joint news release available on the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women (CRIAW-ICREF) website, signed by more than 300 organizations and individuals. We encourage our members to review the news release and share with their networks.
While we understand this cabinet will only serve until after the upcoming federal election, we strongly encourage the next Prime Minister (whoever it may be) to ensure effective representation dedicated to WAGE in the cabinet. WAGE programs have done important work towards increasing the representation of women and gender-diverse people in fields critical to economic growth and innovation, such as in entrepreneurship, leadership, the skilled trades and STEM fields.
Not only is this the first cabinet without a minister focused on the status of women in nearly 50 years, but this decision comes at a time when the fight for women’s rights and gender equality has never been more urgent. Women are disproportionately affected by economic instability, particularly those with intersecting identities, including Indigenous peoples, racialized women, new Canadians, 2SLGBTQIA+ and people with disabilities.
Women and gender-diverse people make up more than 50% of the population. They are key to addressing the current and future skilled labour shortages, building infrastructure, and driving economic growth. It is crucial that appropriate leadership and sufficient budget are in place to work with the communities working in the gender equality space.
The CCWESTT Board believes women and gender-diverse people must have dedicated and action-focused representation in the cabinet. Its absence risks tarnishing Canada’s reputation as a world leader in advancing gender rights.
About CCWESTT
Established in 1992, the Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades and Technology (CCWESTT) is a voluntary, non-profit national coalition of individual members and groups from across the country who advocate for a diverse and inclusive Canadian Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology (SETT) workforce. We collectively support over 500,000 people in our network.
CCWESTT strives for inclusion, compassion, respect, cooperation, trust and integrity in our partnerships and collaborations. The long history of the Coalition, shared core values, collaborative efforts and significant regional and national activities of member groups have provided a firm base from which CCWESTT has built a national voice for women and gender diverse people in SETT to change, build, and lead policy and practice for a diverse workforce.
