The federal government says women in all sectors of the economy are facing “gender-based biases, discrimination, and sexual harassment,” making it tough to many women to “unlock their full potential.”
With more than $30 million spent nation-wide on projects to remove barriers for women and place them in “non-traditional professions,” Marci Ien, the federal minister of women and gender quality and youth, is delivering $770,000 over the next two and half years to the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR).
Ottawa said mining is under-represented industry when it comes to the participation of women in this sector (16 per cent), “three times lower than the average across all industries (48 per cent).”
The funding will go toward removing “systematic barriers” by working with mining companies on policies and practices that improve the workplace culture to “better respond to the needs of women and promote industry-wide awareness of “gender equality, sexual harassment, and gender-based violence issues.”
"When we empower women in non-traditional fields, we are creating a stronger and more inclusive workforce in Canada, and unlocking diverse talents that will drive innovation and economic growth,” said Ien in a news release.
A 2023 MiHR poll of Canadian youth in Canada indicated young women have a poor perception of the mining industry in terms of safe work.
Mining faces a tight labour market at a time when critical minerals and metals are increasingly needed to transition Canada to a clean economy,” said MiHR executive director Ryan Montpellier, in a statement. “Our Changing Culture project will develop and implement gender inclusion tools and training to enable the systemic change necessary to increase the sector's supply of skilled talent through women's increased participation."
