Canada launched its second NAP in November 2017 for the period 2017-2022. This NAP is a follow up on the first Canadian NAP that was drafted in 2006 and was not adopted until 2010 and covered the period up to 31 March 2016. The lead partners for the second Action Plan are Global Affairs Canada, the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Supporting partners are Public Safety Canada (PS), Status of Women Canada (SWC), Immigration, Refugees and Citisenship Canada (IRCC) and the Department of Justice. Each supporting partner has its own implementation plan to achieve the goals of the NAP and strengthens Women, Peace and Security. The NAP aims to support women’s full participation in peace and security efforts, to prevent, address and fight impunity for conflict-related sexual violence and to consolidate women’s and girls’ empowerment and advance gender equality, including in the world’s most dangerous and complex conflicts.
Canada does not have a recent history of internal armed conflict or face serious external armed threats. However, Canada is a contributor to UN Peacekeeping missions, UN-sanctioned NATO military missions. Although Canada is not a fragile or conflict-affected state, women in Canada face a variety of challenges, including gender-based violence. Indigenous women and girls in particular face intersecting discrimination and violence based on gender, race, socioeconomic status, and other identity factors, as well as underlying historic causes — in particular, the legacy of colonialism and the devastation caused by the residential school system.
The NAP implementation has national and international elements. Each supporting partner has its own objectives, actions and indicators. The NAP emphasises Canada’s commitment to its Feminist Foreign Policy, which requires engaging men and boys, alongside women and girls, as agents and beneficiaries of change in peace and gender equality. The NAP recognises the crucial role of civil society, especially local women’s organisations and movements that advance women’s rights. To amplify women’s voices around the world, Canada will also collaborate with Canadian civil society and women’s organisations at the grassroots level. Recognising the crucial role of civil society, Canada announced $150 million in funding for local women’s organisations that will facilitate programming in a range of sectors, including reconciliation and conflict prevention. Even though the NAP includes budget for actions aimed at achieving its objectives, the NAP fails to address disarmament as a tool for promoting the WPS Agenda.