Overview

We established Ontario's Task Force on Women and the Economy to help address the unique and disproportionate economic barriers women face.

Recommendations from the Task Force will continue to inform the government’s plan to strengthen the conditions for long‐term economic growth that will create jobs and lead to greater prosperity for all people in Ontario.

Areas of focus

Ontario's Task Force on Women and the Economy met throughout the summer of 2021. The Task Force focused on the following three key areas relating to women's participation in economic growth:

  • supporting women as they enter and re-enter the workforce,
  • supporting women's entrepreneurship, and
  • removing barriers for women to enter fields in which they are underrepresented, including skilled trades and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

About the Task Force

The government announced the creation of Ontario’s Task Force on Women and the Economy (Task Force) in the 2021 Budget. Its mandate was to provide advice to the Minister of Finance and the Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues to help address the unique and disproportionate economic barriers women face.

Members of the Task Force were selected for their broad range of expertise, experience and insights into issues related to women’s economic participation.

The Task Force’s recommendations have also been informed by direct consultations with diverse stakeholder groups whose work touches on women’s participation in the economy and workforce through a series of roundtable discussions.

Consultations for Ontario’s Task Force on Women and the Economy are now closed. We thank all Task Force members and consultation participants for their valuable work and feedback.

Task Force members

The Task Force was chaired by Dr. Karin Schnarr, Associate Professor of Policy & Law at the Lazaridis School of Business & Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University where she also serves as the Director of the Undergraduate Business Program. Dr. Schnarr has 15 years of experience in government and private sector management consulting.

Members of the Task Force included:

  • Bernadette Sarazin, Data Strategy Advisor, Fasken
  • Chen Xia, CEO & Co-founder, Gotcare
  • Diane Scott, Co-founder & Partner, SX2 Ventures, and Chairman & CEO, JMCC Canada Corp
  • Kimberley Mason, Senior Vice President and Head, Private Banking Canada, Royal Bank Canada
  • Melanie Debassige, Executive Director, Ontario First Nations Technical Services Corporation
  • Nadine Spencer, CEO & President, BrandEQ Agency and President, Black Business and Professional Association
  • Victoria Mancinelli, Director of Public Relations, Communications, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships, Labourers' International Union of North America
  • Cheryl Fort, Mayor, Township of Hornepayne, and Locomotive Engineer for the Canadian National Railway