Message from Tony Clement, Minister of Health International Women's Day - March 8, 2007

International Women's Day on March 8 is the global day connecting women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential.  On this day, we celebrate the collective power of women past, present, and future.

This day comes during International Women's Week from March 4 to10 under the theme Ending Violence Against Women: Action for Real Results.  In Canada, as in many parts of the world, violence against women and girls, along with poverty, continue to significantly impact women's health.  Canada's New Government is committed to exploring these broader determinants of health in order to help maintain and improve the health of women and girls in Canada.

Through the Public Health Agency of Canada, the federal government provides $7 million in permanent annual funding to support the Family Violence Initiative, which aims to reduce the occurrence of family violence in Canada.  The Family Violence Initiative promotes public awareness of the risk factors of family violence, including intimate partner violence against women, and the need for public involvement in responding to it.  The Initiative also strengthens the response capacity of the criminal justice, housing, and health systems, and supports data collection, research, and evaluation efforts to help identify effective interventions.

The Government of Canada has also made significant strides with regard to women's health equality through the creation of Health Canada's Women's Health Strategy. 

Tony Clement
Minister of Health
Government of Canada