Part IV - Measures Adopted by the Governments of the Territories - Yukon

Article 2: Anti-Discrimination Measures

Legal aid

711. To address unmet needs in areas of poverty law, Yukon Legal Services Society (Legal Aid) introduced the Neighbourhood Law Centre in July 2004 as an Investment in Legal Aid Renewal Fund innovation. The Centre is a community clinic, providing legal aid to individuals in non-family civil matters impacting their livelihood, physical or mental health, or ability to provide food, clothing, and shelter for themselves or their families.

712. Since its inception, the following matters have remained the Centre's primary areas of service:

  • Social Assistance
  • Canada Pension Plan – Old Age Security
  • Canada Pension Plan – Disability
  • Disability
  • Employment Insurance
  • Landlord/Tenant
  • Creditor/Debtor
  • Immigration and refugee services

713. The Centre is not specifically geared towards women but the majority of its clients are women. In the two years of operation of the Centre, a total of 155 women accessed its services. Data is not available on the number of women accessing legal aid in criminal matters

Complaints of gender-related discrimination

714. Since 2003, there have been 24 complaints related to sex discrimination. The annual breakdown is as follows: three in 2002-2003; five in 2003-2004; seven in 2004-2005; and eight in 2005-2006.

Aboriginal Women

715. The Yukon Human Rights Commission presented a session on harassment to the Yukon Aboriginal Women's Circle conference. The commission works with women's organizations within the Yukon including the Aboriginal Women's Circle and the Yukon Status of Women.

716. Due to limited resources, the Commission has not been able to develop specific programs for Aboriginal women. It relies on direct requests from community groups and assists as it is best able. The Commission notes that its general public awareness campaigns on human rights seem to be successful as they are resulting in more requests for information from rural communities and Aboriginal people.

717. The Government sponsored a two-day workshop hosted by the Whitehorse Aboriginal Women's Circle, which brought together First Nation women from across the territory to empower Aboriginal women in becoming advocates against violence in their community; to develop and practice facilitation and group leadership; to develop capacity and support networks in their respective community; to foster an understanding of national issues surrounding violence and to advocate towards “ no tolerance."

718. The Government also increased the budget of the Women's Directorate by $47,000 in its 2003-2004 Budget to increase “ women's programming". The Government dedicated the majority of this money in 2004-2005 to the development of a self-advocacy training course (the rest was dedicated to women and the trades). The Government provided a Contribution Agreement for $40,000 to Yukon Learn and the Yukon Public Legal Education Association to administer the program. Facilitators (lawyers and women's advocates) have combined experiences and backgrounds in women's equality issues, advocacy, human rights and legal education.

Aboriginal women in custody

719. Aboriginal women in the Yukon are over-represented in the Whitehorse Correctional Centre. In 2005-2006, there were 67 admissions of females to the Whitehorse Correctional Centre. Of these, 53 were Aboriginal (79 percent). Twenty-three percent of Yukon women are Aboriginal.

720. Measures being taken to address the situation include: in general, the Courts try to avoid the use of incarceration if at all possible; hiring a special First Nations Counsellor to work with the women at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre; a Spousal Abuse Counsellor from the Victim Services, Family Violence Prevention Unit that visits the Whitehorse Correctional Centre regularly to provide individual counselling to inmates. Additional measures are planned in the Corrections Implementation Plan 2006, such as a special unit and special services designed for and likely delivered by women.

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Article 3: Measures to Ensure the Advancement of Women

Violence against women and girls

721. Accurate data, broken down by sex, is crucial to the ongoing monitoring of the prevalence and severity of violence against women. There are high rates of violence against women in the Yukon, yet due to their small population, it is often difficult to get an accurate statistical picture.

722. The Government is facilitating discussion between the Yukon Bureau of Statistics, transition homes, women's organizations, and victim services to determine the most accurate and accessible statistics on violence against women in the Yukon. Concerns about availability, consistency, use when analyzing key success factors and accuracy of statistics will be addressed.

723. At the Yukon's request, a specific section addressing the situation of women in the North was included in the statistical update entitled Measuring Violence Against Women: Statistical Trends 2006 (see Introduction to the present report). This section is an important addition to the understanding of the impacts of programming and policy development.

724. The Violence Against Women Statistics Committee, facilitated by the Government's Women's Directorate, is continuing to discuss statistics that are available, as well as data gaps.

725. A Client Satisfaction Survey on the Yukon's Victim Services was completed in 2006 and indicated that there was an overall satisfaction with the services offered to victims of violence (8-9 on a scale of 1-10). There was, however, concern that victims in the smaller Yukon communities did not have sufficient access to counselors.

726. The Yukon's Domestic Violence Treatment Option court was evaluated in 2005 and concluded that the court system and the Spousal Abuse Program together were very effective in preventing re-assaults.

727. The Equality Bulletin of the A Cappella North II project highlighted the need to address discrimination among youth, particularly racism and homophobia. The Government is addressing the issue of discrimination through the development of a bullying policy and safe schools initiative.

728. The Yukon Government has in place, for its employees, a Corporate Health and Safety policy and a Workplace Harrassment policy.

729. The Women's Directorate and the Department of Justice are co-facilitating a working group to develop a long-term public education campaign on the prevention of violence against women and children. This three-year campaign began with a poster campaign in November 2005 and was followed by training and workshops in years two and three. As part of the campaign, the Government worked with youth to develop a photojournalism exhibit focused on prevention of sexualized violence and promotion of healthy relationships.

Aboriginal women

730. An Aboriginal Women' Forum on Violence was hosted on February 20, 2004, in collaboration with the Yukon Aboriginal Women's Council's Annual General Meeting. Approximately 36 Aboriginal women attended the forum. The purpose was to seek advice on what women need to address violence in their communities. At the forum, women discussed the need for several things including education materials on violence, long, term support and resources to address violence, and treatment for addictions in the Yukon

731. The Yukon Government Women's Directorate sent a five-person delegation to attend a national Policy Forum on Aboriginal Women and Violence. The objectives of the Policy Forum include:

  • analysis on policy or legislative issues that are creating barriers to Aboriginal Women's equality;
  • raising awareness;
  • providing recommendations as to how legislation, policies and programs could be improved;
  • sharing best practices on policy and programs that show measurable results;
  • fulfilling Canada's commitments under the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

732. In May 2005, the Government appointed a First Nation woman as the First Nation Liaison Coordinator. Among other things, this position is responsible for co-facilitating the development of a long-term public education campaign on the prevention of violence against women and children, as well as working with First Nation women on relevant government policies and programs.

733. In 2004, the Government initiated an annual fund dedicated to prevention of violence against Aboriginal women in the amount of $100,000 per year. The Women's Directorate sought advice from Aboriginal women on how to use these funds through a Violence Prevention Forum. Projects funded under this program are initiated by Aboriginal women to address violence in their communities.

Shelters for victims of violence

734. Funding for the Yukon Women's Transition Home is as follows: $632,000 in 2003-2004; $677,000 in 2005-2006; and $770,000 in 2006-2007.

735. Yukon shelters are open to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal women. Remaining challenges in ensuring access to shelters include access and/or transportation to shelters from remote communities, as well as safety, confidentiality and stigma in small communities.

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Article 7: Women in Politics and Public Life

736. Of the 18 members of the Yukon Legislative Assembly, three (17 percent) are women.

737. The Government is sponsoring an initiative to encourage women to run in territorial and municipal elections.

738. Nominations — the entry point to politics — are the biggest barrier to women's participation in politics. Once nominated in winnable ridings, female candidates are just as likely to succeed as male candidates.

Aboriginal women

739. There is no data available on the number of women participating in negotiations of land claims agreements. However, it appears that very few women have taken an active role over a sustained period of time. Many First Nations had women – either beneficiaries or women from other Yukon First Nations – working on their behalf, but in most cases those women were not there for long. In some communities women were very active on self-government, in negotiations and in caucus although they were not the primary negotiators.

740. In response to community women, the Government contracted Legend Seekers to develop and offer a course focusing on women's roles (historically and currently) in the land claims negotiation process and self-governance implementation. The Government will continue to pursue ways to provide continued support to these programs to encourage Aboriginal women to participate in First Nations governance processes.

741. The Government also worked with Aboriginal women's organizations to host the Aboriginal Women and Self-Governance Policy Forum (December 17, 2004), a forum on women, leadership and self-governance. Thirty-five Aboriginal women met to dialogue on social priorities within their communities. The objective of the forum was to provide an opportunity for education and awareness about Aboriginal women in leadership and provide an opportunity for Aboriginal women to come together to develop a “ shared vision" on how best to proceed in the areas of leadership and self-governance. This “ shared vision" will help to form a framework that clearly outlines the social and economic policy issues that impact women's lives and strategies and processes for meaningful participation in governance legislation and/or programming.

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Article 11: Employment

Employment measures

742. Women make up 63 percent of the Government of Yukon workforce and 49.8 percent of the Yukon population.

743. The Government of Yukon has not identified any specific barriers to women entering standard employment within its workforce. Both men and women are employed in casual, temporary, on-call, seasonal and part-time positions. Men make up a greater percentage of the seasonal workforce, women make up a greater percentage of part-time, on-call and temporary positions.

744. Since 2004, the Government has encouraged the promotion of flexible working arrangements as one way to help its employees establish a good work-life balance.

Aboriginal women

745. Eleven out of 14 Yukon First Nations now have self-government agreements that provide First Nations with the authority and responsibility for their citizens, economic development, etc.

Affordable childcare

746. A Four-Year Plan for Yukon Early Childhood Education and Care was developed in 2003.

747. The Government of Yukon increased funding to child care initiatives (e.g. over 30 percent increase – an additional $675,000 - to the Direct Operating Grant, funding for a public education campaign, and additional funding for the Supported Child Care budget)

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Article 12: Health

Specific health issues

748. The Yukon Women's Directorate hosted a women's health forum in 2006. Topics discussed included emotional and mental well-being, sexuality and sexual health, women and addictions, and women and aging. The objectives were to:

  • promote self-care so individuals and communities can reduce the need for medical dependency and increase the awareness and understanding of how women's bodies are often medicalized;
  • provide practical material and health information for women to take back and share with their communities;
  • influence pivotal players by increasing their understanding of women's needs and encourage a woman-centered approach that revitalizes the health environment for women;
  • ensure participants leave the forum feeling better than when they arrived by incorporating a daily “ self-care" component.

749. A medical panel invited delegates to dialogue through a moderated question and answer session and a World Café was designed to address emerging health policy issues and the concept of a “ women-centered approach to health".

750. The Government of Yukon organized a drug summit in June 2005, to seek input into the development of an action plan. The action plan was completed in 2006 and implementation continues.

751. A targeted review of the draft action plan was undertaken with stakeholders, including service providers, youth and women's organizations, community groups and the substance abuse advisory committee, on the proposed initiatives within the plan. One of the key issues identified was the need to enhance services rather than develop new programs. The Government has highlighted the relationship between women's experiences of violence and trauma and substance abuse. Another issue is pregnancy and the use of alcohol, which contributes to an increased risk of a child being born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Aboriginal women

752. In addition to the measures described above, the Government continues to work with Aboriginal women in supporting and facilitating initiatives that enhance the well being of First Nations women .

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Article 13: Economic and Social Life

Support programs and services

753. Allowance for social assistance recipients with disabilities was increased from $125 per month to $250 per month in 2005.

754. In 2005, the Government enacted the Decision-Making, Support and Protection to Adults Act , which provides more legal tools to assist adults with decision-making and provides a mechanism for responding to allegations of abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults.

755. The Workforce Diversity Employment Office was created in 2004 in part to help people with disabilities get and keep jobs within the Yukon public service. A total of 22 people, including 12 women, have been hired since the Office opened.

Women's access to housing

756. In 2004, the evaluation of the Yukon Housing Corporation's Social Housing Program was completed and the consultants recommended that, due to an aging population and housing stock, the Corporation should better target the allocation of units. The issue of priority assessment based on sex was not identified. However, as an outcome of the evaluation, the Board of Directors made changes to eligibility criteria so that victims of violence/abuse receive priority consideration for social housing. In addition, in 2004, the Corporation eliminated the practice of considering child support payments as part of the rent assessment determination.

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