Our projects

Our projects provide opportunities to explore the feminist issues identified by our member organizations in greater depth and to take meaningful action on the priorities affecting women and people experiencing gender-based oppression in our region. Because our members work directly with these communities, our projects are grounded in lived experience and respond to the realities they face. 

The women’s health advisory committee was first established in 1997 and worked in close partnership with the regional Health and Social Services Network for nearly 15 years. The committee was dissolved in March 2015 following the restructuring of Quebec’s health system, when the Regional Health Agency was replaced by an Integrated Health and Social Services Centre.

Recognizing the importance of maintaining a collaborative forum dedicated to women’s health, the organizations that had participated on the committee remained committed to its mission. In 2017 and 2018, at the initiative of the Table de concertation féministe Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, a series of consultation and planning sessions were held to rebuild regional collaboration around women’s health.

These efforts led to the committee’s official relaunch in 2019 as an advisory committee to the Gaspésie Integrated Health and Social Services Centre. In 2024, its collaboration expanded to include the Integrated Health and Social Services Centre of the Magdalen Islands.

With the creation of Santé Québec and the implementation of its new governance structure, the advisory committee was dissolved in December 2025. The roundtable has since submitted a request to the new regional board of directors to re-establish a formal advisory mechanism. The roundtable plans to pursue similar discussions with Santé Québec des Îles-de-la-Madeleine to ensure that women’s voices continue to inform regional health planning and decision-making.

In its 2019–2022 Action Plan, the women’s health advisory committee identified several key priorities, including improving perinatal care, expanding access to midwifery services, and increasing access to pregnancy termination services. As part of this work, the committee launched a regional awareness campaign to highlight these issues and promote equitable access to reproductive healthcare.

The 2022–2025 Action Plan focused on women’s experiences within the health and social services system, the impact of the mental load carried by women, and documenting the realities faced by parents who are caregivers across the Gaspé Peninsula and the Magdalen Islands.

Building on this work, the committee’s new action plan places particular emphasis on health rights, reproductive rights, and reproductive health. Improving access to reliable, locally relevant information about menopause has emerged as a key priority. By bringing this important topic to the forefront of public discussion, the committee aims to raise awareness, improve access to information, and support better health outcomes for women throughout the region.

The women’s health advisory committee is funded through the Action Plan for Women’s Health and Well-Being of Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services.

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The aim of the situation report is to document the major issues of concern to the Table de concertation féministe Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine and to provide partners and stakeholders with an information base from which to plan actions to improve the living conditions of women in the region and move towards genuine equality for all. The document contains qualitative and quantitative data presented under five main headings and suggests a number of courses of action for each. These issues are the presence of women in politics, violence, economic autonomy, health and education.

It highlights persistent inequalities and socio-economic gaps between women and men, points to a number of specific problems and reminds us of the importance of using analysis processes that take into account the distinct effects of policies, programs and measures on all citizens, to ensure that no one is excluded from actions aimed at regional development.

This project was made possible thanks to the financial participation of the Gouvernement du Québec.

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Festif & Safe is a project that aims to support festivals and nightlife spaces in implementing effective, non-judgmental prevention measures for victims of sexual assault or involuntary intoxication.

Recognizing that these crimes can occur more frequently in festive environments, the Table de concertation féministe Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine (TCF-GÎM) and its partners—the CALACS La Bôme-Gaspésie, CALACS L’Espoir des Îles, Mi-Chemin, and the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine Regional Public Health Directorate—have combined their expertise to develop the Festif & Safe project. To ensure a presence at events, the roundtable has also partnered with other local organizations, including community outreach workers in Gaspésie, Aire Ouverte, as well as shelters and support organizations for women experiencing intimate partner violence.

Festif & Safe offers different types of support depending on the needs of festivals and nightlife spaces. The measures implemented include:

  • Creating a safe space for people who need one
  • Having qualified professionals on site to provide information, raise awareness, and intervene during events
  • Communication materials for display at the festival or nightlife venue
  • A social media communications toolkit
  • Training for volunteers and festival or nightlife venue staff

All of these measures aim to communicate a clear message of zero tolerance for sexual assault and other forms of violence.

Initially launched as a pilot project with six festivals and nightlife spaces in 2023, Festif & Safe: Everyone Plays a Role has been implemented every summer since.

The Festif & Safe project is made possible through the financial support and contribution of the partners of the 2024–2027 Sectoral Development Agreement on Gender Equality in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region, namely: the Minister responsible for the Status of Women, the Minister of Municipal Affairs, the Minister of Employment, the Direction régionale de santé publique de la Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, the Communauté maritime des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, the MRC du Rocher-Percé, the MRC de la Côte-de-Gaspé, the MRC de la Haute-Gaspésie, the MRC de Bonaventure, the MRC Avignon, the Réseau des partenaires en développement social des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, the Table des préfets de MRC de la Gaspésie, and the Table de concertation féministe de la Gaspésie et des Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

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The Development Agreement on Gender Equality supports the implementation of regional initiatives that advance gender equality throughout the Gaspé Peninsula and the Magdalen Islands. 

The roundtable is both a signatory to the agreement and its designated regional representative. The agreement brings together thirteen regional and provincial partners committed to promoting gender equality through coordinated action. 

Together, the partners work toward the following objectives: 

  • Promoting gender equality by challenging stereotypes, sexism, and discriminatory attitudes. 
  • Advancing equality in employment and economic opportunities. 
  • Encouraging the equitable sharing of family responsibilities and supporting work-life balance. 
  • Improving women’s health and well-being. 
  • Increasing gender parity in leadership and decision-making roles. 
  • Promoting the use of Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) in planning and decision-making. 
  • Preventing domestic violence, sexual violence, and sexual exploitation while strengthening support for survivors. 

As part of the agreement’s first phase, partners identified two priority initiatives: 

  • The implementation of the Festif & Safe: Everyone’s Watching Out project, which promotes safer and more inclusive festivals and community events. 
  • The delivery of training and support on Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) from an intersectional perspective for the region’s Regional County Municipalities (RCMs) and the Municipality of Îles-de-la-Madeleine. 

The agreement brings together the following partners: 

  • Secretariat for the Status of Women 
  • Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing 
  • Services Québec 
  • Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine Regional Public Health Directorate 
  • Municipality of Îles-de-la-Madeleine 
  • Haute-Gaspésie Regional County Municipality 
  • Côte-de-Gaspé Regional County Municipality 
  • Rocher-Percé Regional County Municipality 
  • Bonaventure Regional County Municipality 
  • Avignon Regional County Municipality 
  • Îles-de-la-Madeleine Social Development Partners Network 
  • Table of Prefects of the Gaspésie Regional County Municipalities 
  • Table de concertation féministe Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine

The Development Agreement on Gender Equality is an initiative of the Secretariat for the Status of Women and forms part of Quebec’s Government Strategy for Gender Equality 2022–2027. 

Running from April 2025 to March 2027, this project aims to better understand the realities and needs of English-speaking women in the Gaspé Peninsula and the Magdalen Islands and strengthen the representation and defence of their rights.

Working with organizations serving the region’s English-speaking communities, the TCFGÎM will hold focus groups with women from the region, with particular attention to the experiences of women facing various forms of marginalization. The project will also provide Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) training to partner organizations, helping them better integrate gender and other intersecting factors into their programs and services.

The knowledge gathered will contribute to a regional profile of the realities and needs of English-speaking women, which will be used to raise awareness, inform decision-makers, and support collective advocacy.

Ultimately, the project seeks to ensure that the voices and experiences of English-speaking women are better understood and represented by community organizations, elected officials, decision-makers, and the wider public.

This project is made possible through the financial support of Canadian Heritage.

Workshops on targeted topics are offered to educators in response to needs identified in the field and to support the sustainable transformation of educational practices. New tools and practical resources are being developed for direct use by educational staff to help raise awareness among children and youth about sexist gender stereotypes while adopting an intersectional approach that also addresses stereotypes affecting other groups within the region, including immigrants, 2SLGBTQ+ people, Indigenous Peoples, racialized communities, and neurodivergent individuals.

In addition, workshops and individualized support will be provided to educational settings across the region’s three linguistic communities—Mi’gmaq, English-speaking, and French-speaking—to ensure these resources are accessible and responsive to the diverse realities of the communities they serve.

This project is made possible through the financial support of the Government of Quebec.

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