Definitely.
Evidence of meeting #41 for Finance in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was halifax.
Evidence of meeting #41 for Finance in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was halifax.
2 p.m.
Conservative
Dean Del Mastro Conservative Peterborough, ON
Mr. Morley, we made a number of announcements with respect to the Canadian Armed Forces, specifically new supply ships that would be based out of Halifax. Maybe you could speak a little on the benefit to Halifax of these investments that number well into the billions of dollars.
2 p.m.
Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist, Greater Halifax Partnership
These investments have been, and will be, very valuable going forward, both in terms of the fabrication and also where these ships will be based over time. This kind of investment certainly has been well received in Halifax. We are, at the foundation of our community, a military community. We still have a strong and committed attitude towards the Canadian military, so we applaud these kinds of investments. I'd like to see more of them.
2 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Brian Pallister
Thank you, sir.
We will continue with Madam Judith Wasylycia-Leis.
2 p.m.
NDP
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North, MB
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairperson.
Thanks to all of you for your great presentations.
Do I have only five minutes?
2 p.m.
NDP
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North, MB
Let me start with Stella Lord, who is here representing 15 different groups, so an impressive consortium.
You've raised a very important set of issues around some of the changes in recent policies affecting different organizations, and cutbacks.
Given the changes in the status of women program and the new criteria, the $1 billion cut that we heard about a couple of weeks ago and the failure to move on the national child care plan, tell us about the impact these changes will have on our population. Who is most likely to be affected? How will we see the results of these kinds of cutbacks and changes?
2 p.m.
Co-Chair, Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, Consortium of Women's Organizations of Nova Scotia
Yes. We talk about this in our brief.
On the surface of it, the recent cuts look like they were across the board, all over the place. But when you actually drill down and look at where the cuts are in terms of the status of women and the court challenges programs, of course those affect the equality of women and their ability to participate in civic, political, and economic life.
When you go down below that and you look at the cuts to literacy and the cuts to CAP programs, and so on and so forth, all of those programs that were recently cut will disproportionately affect low-income people, and the majority of low-income people are women.
We see these cuts as being cumulative. They started in the nineties, and they have been cumulative.
The recent cut to the child care program is going to be devastating for low-income women who want to get into the labour force. If they earn anything over about $25,000 a year in this province, they're entitled to hardly to any subsidy.
The costs of that and then the other cuts to programs, skills learning, and training are really going to affect the ability of low-income women in particular to participate, economically and socially.
2 p.m.
NDP
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North, MB
Okay. Thank you.
You should know that the Minister of Status of Women, following a presentation to our committee by REAL Women, basically dismissed most of the groups you represent and most of the ideas you're presenting as ideological and of special interest and therefore not worthy of government support and funding. How do you counter that?
2 p.m.
Co-Chair, Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, Consortium of Women's Organizations of Nova Scotia
How do I counter that? Well, I think that's ideological.
I mean, the fact is that the women's groups listed on our brief serve women on a daily basis in this province. Transition House Association of Nova Scotia—one of my colleagues is here today—and the women's centres in Nova Scotia mainly deal with issues affecting women at the very grassroots level in rural communities in this province.
I should say that a lot of the issues we're talking about and a lot of the cuts we're talking about on the CAP sites, skills learning, and literacy will not only disproportionately affect women but will also disproportionately affect rural Nova Scotians across the board.
To say these groups, which have been funded to carry out this kind of work, are ideological is an insult not only to the groups and the people who are working their butts off trying to do the work for less and less money every year, but also to the people they serve.
2:05 p.m.
NDP
Judy Wasylycia-Leis NDP Winnipeg North, MB
If I have a moment, let me ask Mr. McKelvie about this whole issue of supporting a labour force in your field that is largely female. Many of them work at the bottom end of the scale and struggle to provide for themselves, and there's not much support for child care.
From your point of view, would it make sense to ensure we have good working conditions and support for women workers, so that your area is in fact well served, rather than looking for cuts in taxes that only cut back on services?
2:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Brian Pallister
Thank you, Madam Wasylycia-Leis.
Mr. McKelvie, I expect you'll get another question. If you'd like to work a response into it later, that's fine, but she's used her time in the preamble.
My one question is for you, Ms. Lord, and it involves an ideological position that I've taken for a long time.
2:05 p.m.
Co-Chair, Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, Consortium of Women's Organizations of Nova Scotia
What would that be?
2:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Brian Pallister
It would be the belief in the equality of aboriginal women. The rights they should have that the rest of the country takes for granted in terms of matrimonial property don't exist, as you know. There are no rules in place in most of Canada's first nations communities.
You're here representing a consortium of women's organizations and you are also the co-chair of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women. I'm interested in knowing your views on the importance of establishing rules so that aboriginal women aren't forced to live in relationships they shouldn't be forced to live in and aboriginal women can have the kind of protection the rest of the country takes for granted.
2:05 p.m.
Co-Chair, Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, Consortium of Women's Organizations of Nova Scotia
Well, I wish aboriginal women were here to speak for themselves. And I would like to put on record, before I answer directly the question, that frankly, when I looked at the website for these hearings, I thought, I'm surprised that there's anybody here speaking on behalf of low-income people.
2:05 p.m.
Co-Chair, Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, Consortium of Women's Organizations of Nova Scotia
The way the questions were framed is not conducive to hearing groups.
2:05 p.m.
Conservative
2:05 p.m.
Co-Chair, Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, Consortium of Women's Organizations of Nova Scotia
Getting to the aboriginal women, I think not only the issue of property rights but the issue around marriage and second-generation or third-generation offspring of aboriginal women not having title is obviously a real concern for aboriginal women. It definitely needs to be addressed, along with a lot of other issues that affect aboriginal women, in terms of access to programs and services in their communities.
2:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Brian Pallister
It's the multitude of issues facing aboriginal women that has unfortunately been used in the past as an excuse for not dealing with this single issue that I asked you about. Again in your answer, I think you illustrated part of the reason that past governments in this country have been able to ignore this issue and put it on the back burner for so long. So I'll ask you again: do you—
2:05 p.m.
Co-Chair, Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, Consortium of Women's Organizations of Nova Scotia
Well, why don't you invite the aboriginal women's association—
2:05 p.m.
Co-Chair, Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, Consortium of Women's Organizations of Nova Scotia
—to speak to you directly--
2:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Brian Pallister
We have heard from numerous aboriginal spokespeople. And in fact your condemnation of our promotional material is most unjustified. The fact is we have heard and continue to hear from aboriginal representatives.
If you have specific ideas after this meeting on how we could do a better job of advancing that cause, I'd be glad to hear them. But we will continue now, Madam, with questions from other committee members.
Thank you for your response.
2:05 p.m.
Co-Chair, Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, Consortium of Women's Organizations of Nova Scotia
It's not your promotional material, it's that the questions you're asking are very much in terms of economic policy and so on and so forth. I think there needs to be much more focus on social policy, including the issues you just mentioned.