Trudeau government unable to define the term ‘woman’

An organization founded by Canadian women to protect sex-based rights in the nation, caWsbar, revealed this fact earlier this month, after one of their associates asked the department of Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) in Canada "I'd like to know what definition your Ministry uses to define the word 'woman.'"

In answer, the government responded "WAGE does not use a specific definition of 'woman.'" This seems odd, given that the word 'women' is part of the agency's name.

"We find it astounding," caWsbar told The Post Millennial, "that a federal department can so easily and casually push women aside. Just as Bill C-16 was rammed through without meaningful consultation with women, the de facto re-tooling of this federal women's department exhibits a shocking lack of respect for women and a refusal to acknowledge that we have distinct issues and concerns. As these policies start to roll out across departments, women will soon learn how little our sitting government thinks of our sex class. We call on Canadian women to start becoming informed and vocal now, before more damage is done."

The government's response to the question of how the Ministry defines "woman" was primarily about how they don't want to define the word at all. They wrote:

"The mandate of Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) is to advance equality with respect to sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression through the inclusion of people of all genders, including women, in Canada's economic, social, and political life. WAGE works to advance gender equality through an intersectional gendered lens.

"Working in partnership with key stakeholders, including civil society organizations, labour groups, the private sector, other orders of government, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, we actively promotes [sic] the including of all people in Canada's economic, social, and political life.

"WAGE works to uphold its mandate to advance gender equality by performing a central coordination function within the Government of Canada by developing and implementing policies, providing grants and contributions, delivering programs, investing in research, and providing advice to achieve equality for people of all genders, including women.

"WAGE does not use a specific definition of 'woman.'"

CaWsbar has been tracking the developments of the Trudeau Liberals' erasure of the concept of women for some time. WAGE, in fact, used to be known as the Status of Women Canada. But they changed that name for the purpose of inclusivity to those who are not women in 2018.

CaWsbar tried to get some perspective from the government at that time, but were met with silence as to why the government removed a ministry specifically for women, replacing it with one for "all genders."