Powering Change. Elevating Communities.

Canada’s only national organization dedicated to women-centred community economic development.

For nearly 25 years, the Women’s Economic Council (WEC) has connected community knowledge to public policy, and frontline organizations to one another, so that the women rendered invisible by systems are precisely those who shape them.

Where we came from

WEC was founded by grassroots feminists who recognized a gap: women were being left behind in the growing community economic development movement, and no national voice existed to address it.

They built one.

What began as an act of advocacy became Canada’s most sustained platform for women-centred economic justice, grounded not in ideology alone, but in the lived realities of women navigating poverty, race, gender, disability, and immigration status all at once.

That foundation has never changed.

What we do

We advance every women’s participation in building resilient, inclusive economies, with particular focus on those facing systemic barriers at the intersection of poverty, race, gender, disability, and immigration status.

We work at two levels simultaneously: directly supporting women and organizations on the ground and making the systemic case for policy change at the national level. Because community-level work without policy change hits a ceiling, and policy without community grounding misses the point.

see our current initiative
A woman holding a protest sign that reads 'PROJECT WOMEN'S RIGHTS' at an outdoor rally with a crowd and trees in the background.

what we believe

  • Our work begins with women’s lived realities. We use gender-based impact analysis not as a compliance exercise but as a discipline, to ensure that what we produce reflects what women experience, not what systems assume they experience.

  • We believe economic security for women requires structural change, not just direct support. We bring community evidence to policy tables and make the case for change with the rigour and persistence that systemic problems demand.

  • Working for all women means respecting the full range of women’s lives. We value the distinct contributions each woman brings and resist any framing that flattens that diversity into a single narrative.

  • We believe in building on what communities already have. Our approach draws on individual, organizational, and community assets, because sustainable change is built from strength, not deficit.

  • We support grassroots, community-based approaches to economic development. National policy matters. So does what happens on the ground. We hold both.

  • We follow through on the commitments we make, to women, to communities, and to funders. When we can’t, we say so.

  • Systemic change is slow and often thankless. We do it anyway.

  • We engage every woman, partner, and community with the dignity their experience deserves, not as a courtesy, but as a practice.

Big Ideas,
Real Impact.

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numbers that speak.

These results come from our capacity-building work with women and small-to-medium organizations across Canada, helping strengthen governance, financial development, and strategic planning so they can better serve their communities.

Five women of diverse backgrounds sitting on a yellow couch, engaged in a conversation

98%

felt empowered during
mentorship sessions

An elderly woman with glasses and a beige blazer assists a young woman with long, curly hair with a craft project at a table, surrounded by papers, fabric, and supplies.

78%

of women reported
enhanced employment
readiness

Five women sitting and standing together, smiling, and laughing during a friendly gathering.

3,500+

participants reached

Four women sitting around a table in a restaurant, engaged in conversation. One woman is holding a phone, others are smiling or listening. The table has a glass of iced coffee, a drink, and a mug. The background features warm lighting, brick walls, and shelves with decorations.

1,200+

accessed tools for strategic planning, governance, and
financial development

Support us and change the course of a women’s life today!

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Meet

our

board

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Meet our board ⦁

Our board of directors brings together leaders from across Canada’s nonprofit, health, and professional sectors, united by a commitment to women’s economic justice.

Géraldine jippé

Elsa vande voorde

President - Chair
Treasurer
A woman with curly black hair, wearing a white shirt and a black blazer, smiling against a plain background.
A woman with gray hair wearing a black and white patterned jacket, pearl earrings, a pearl necklace, and makeup smiling against a beige background.

Rosette joseph

dr saôde savary

Close-up of a woman with long curly brown hair, smiling, wearing a coral blazer over a white blouse, and layered necklaces against a beige background.
Close-up of a young woman with braided hair, smiling, wearing a yellow cardigan and a silver necklace with a small pendant, against a neutral beige background.
A woman with short dark hair styled in a sleek updo with lighter highlights, wearing a black top, with a neutral beige background. 
Director 
Director

dr jane ali

Director

meet our team

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meet our team

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meet our team

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meet our team ⦁ meet our team ⦁ meet our team ⦁

Our fractional leadership team brings together experienced non-profit leaders who provide strategic direction, strengthen operations, and help drive WEC’s mission and impact across Canada.

A woman with shoulder-length gray hair and glasses smiling, wearing a black embroidered jacket with colorful floral patterns, a large floral earring, and a red pin on her lapel, against a light blue background.

Céline Godard Aron

Fractional Chief Executive Officer

A young woman with curly brown hair smiling, wearing a royal blue blazer and a black top, against a light blue background.

yasemin erdoğan

Fractional Development & Partnerships Manager

want to see the work in action?

Read about our current initiative or get in touch if you’d like to explore what working together could look like.

See our current initiative
contact us