Abstract Book of the 4th World Conference on Gender Equality
Year: 2026
[PDF]
Canada’s Approach to Gender Mainstreaming: Best practices and Lessons Learnt
Miga Chultem
ABSTRACT:
Gender mainstreaming is a strategic approach for advancing gender equality by integrating a gender perspective into all aspects of public policy and other initiatives. Canada has a longstanding commitment to gender mainstreaming through its Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus), which is an analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies and programs. In 2025, Canada is celebrating the 30th anniversary of GBA Plus as part of Canada’s commitment to gender equality, following the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Since 1995, GBA Plus has evolved, and it has become an integrated component of Government of Canada decision-making processes. In 2018, important legislation and measures were advanced, including the Gender Budgeting Act and the Gender Results Framework. That same year, the Department for Women and Gender Equality Act also came into effect, which transformed Status of Women into an official government department with an expanded mandate. This analysis will explore the best practices and lessons leant that contribute to the success of gender mainstreaming in Canada. This research highlights the importance of having legislative requirements that support the principle of gender equality and suggests collecting best practices of implementing gender analysis from international communities in order to make gender equality a central consideration in all areas of public policy.
Keywords: Gender-Based Analysis Plus, Gender Equality, Public Policy On Gender