Opinion: Alberta's gender-based violence strategy undermined by government policies In May 2025, the Alberta government released a new 10-year gender-based violence strategy. At a press conference, Arts, Culture and Status of Women Minister Tanya Fir declared it Canada’s “most comprehensive strategy of its kind.” The strategy claims to end violence by empowering women through improved access to employment opportunities, post-secondary education, and housing. However, the government’s own actions continue to undermine these goals, calling its true commitment into question. A central pillar of the strategy is to “empower women to be economically independent,” by supporting workforce participation through improved access to affordable child care. However, in April 2025, Alberta exited the Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care Plan, opting for a flat-rate child-care fee that has increased the cost of child care for many, especially lower-income families. When Alberta joined the federal plan in 2021, child-care costs reportedly dropped by 80 per cent. Abandoning the plan contradicts the government’s stated intention to support economic independence for women fleeing abuse. Affordable child care eases financial pressures and provides safe spaces where women may feel comfortable leaving their children and disclosing abuse. Child-care providers are supportive bystanders who can offer referral pathways to services and resources as many do not know where to turn for help. Alberta’s strategy emphasizes “increasing awareness of what gender-based violence is and what to do when you see it” by expanding access to education and resources for bystanders, professionals, and men and boys to intervene safely. While the strategy broadly references professionals, it does not specify who they are overlooking — the child-care workers as frontline professionals uniquely positioned to offer life-changing support. The strategy also highlights post-secondary education as a key tool in reducing gender-based violence. The stated goal is to encourage women to access post-secondary education, and to support sexual-violence-prevention programs on college campuses. At the same time, the government continues to slash funding to higher education in the province. Budget 2025 freezes operating grants to post-secondary institutions. Institutions are faced with financial pressures causing them to increase tuition and fees. Women, particularly mothers, low-income students, and international students, are especially vulnerable to the negative impacts of tuition hikes because many of them already face barriers in accessing education. Reduced funding also translates into significant cuts in essential student services essential for women experiencing violence, such as campus child care, mental- health support for victims, food banks, and more. While the strategy briefly mentions housing, stating an intention to collaborate with the Canada Housing Benefit program, it falls short of committing to systemic long-term changes. Access to safe, stable, and affordable long-term housing is critical for women leaving violent situations. This leaves tenants — especially vulnerable women and people of diverse gender identities — with little recourse when unpredictable rent increases occur. The lack of affordable housing has compounded the funding shortages emergency shelters in the province experience. Emergency shelters, while essential, are only a short-term solution. But many individuals have to access shelters due to limited housing options. Yet, shelters in the province have limited capacity. In 2024, the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters reported turning away 31,248 clients, the highest number ever recorded. While this new strategy recognizes that a key aspect of addressing violence is the empowerment of women through child care, education, and housing, the Alberta government has consistently adopted austerity measures that do the opposite. If the government is serious about ending violence, they will have to start with reversing many of their own economic and social policies Andrea DeKeseredy is a sociology PhD student at the University of Alberta. Dr. Wendy Aujla is a professor of criminal justice at Athabasca University. Ping Lam Ip is a sociology PhD student at the University of Alberta. We invite you to write letters to the editor. A maximum of 150 words is preferred. Letters must carry a first and last name, or two initials and a last name, and include an address and daytime telephone number. All letters are subject to editing. We don’t publish letters addressed to others or sent to other publications. Email: letters@edmontonjournal.com

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Andrea Dekeseredy