Funding to Respond to Intimate Partner Violence - QP

CLAUDIA CHENDER: Since October there have been eight confirmed deaths as a result of intimate partner violence in our province - another one just recently. This is an epidemic. Urgent action is needed. Organizations like the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia have been asking for stable core funding for years and they have still not received assurances. Long-term predictable funding will provide life-saving services to those experiencing gender-based violence. Eight lives have been lost since we passed legislation to declare this an epidemic. Why hasn't the government acted with epidemic-level funding?

HON. LEAH MARTIN » : We will always want to do more in this area. I want to acknowledge that intimate partner violence and gender-based violence is an epidemic, and it needs to stop. That's why this government last year identified and then named it as an epidemic. In terms of the funding and the epidemic-level response, we are seeing that, both in the dollars we invested last year with an historic investment - the biggest one in over two decades - and $103 million across all of government. It's not a singular budget line item in one department; it's all of us across government and an all-of-society approach, which is the biggest change that we can possibly achieve.

CLAUDIA CHENDER: Many frontline organizations disagree. One-time announcements and status quo funding bundles are not stable, core funding, and the minister must know that. The most recent budget lets down hundreds of thousands of women and gender-diverse people across this province. There is no new spending to address gender-based violence, and there is no increase in core funding to support the organizations that are doing the work. Nova Scotians deserve better. Will the Premier provide increased stable, core funding to these frontline organizations to help save lives in this budget? Yes or no.

LEAH MARTIN « » : The investments that were made as part of the 2024-2025 Budget are investments that we will stand by year after year. We're standing by the investments, but we're also changing the system. When you're talking about changing the system, that's a huge part of the discussion. That's a major overhaul - that cultural change, that societal change. That's something to speak about and be proud of. Do we want to do more every single day? Absolutely. Every single person in this government is taking a piece of that work, applying it to their day-to-day work, and seeing it show up in every single department. I'm proud of that change, and there's more we want to do, but we'll continue to work hard every day to make that change happen.