Subcommittee on International Human Rights Committee on Nov. 28th, 2023

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Thank you so much.

I don't know if I have time for a question to CARE.

[The Chair, Liberal, Fayçal El-Khoury]

You have about a minute, Ms. Vandenbeld.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Okay.

We have one minute to talk about something that you and others have also mentioned, which is the stigma. It's one thing to provide education, to provide resources and to provide funding, but ending stigma is a much more difficult thing. In 45 seconds, could you let us know how to do that?

Thank you.

[Nidhi Bansal, Director, Program Quality and Impact, CARE Canada]

Thank you so much for that question.

That is the crux of the matter. It's the belief that it is indeed beneficial to have children with disabilities included in the education that is offered.

Stigma happens at both levels. It has to be addressed at the community level. Therefore, the response that is required is not just in the education system but in the social structure as well. It's also within the education system right from the top, up to the teachers who are providing the education at the school level. As a system, it's about believing there is a need for addressing this issue and then supporting the frontline teachers delivering that education, and then at the community level. All three levels are needed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Fayçal El-Khoury]

Thank you, Ms. Vandenbeld and Ms. Bansal.

I now invite Mr. Brunelle‑Duceppe to take the floor for seven minutes.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks to the witnesses for being with us today, both in person and online.

Two things in particular stood out from their respective presentations. The first is access to vulnerable populations, that is, children with disabilities, in this instance, today. The second is funding.

My first question concerns access to vulnerable populations.

Second, we have worked on Bill C‑41. It was designed in part to ensure that people are able to work with vulnerable populations in countries like Afghanistan. I wonder if the fact that a country is controlled by a terrorist entity, as is the case in Afghanistan, is still a problem for your organizations.

Do you still have trouble accessing vulnerable populations of children with disabilities despite the passage of Bill C‑41?

That's an open question. I know that World Vision Canada took part in the discussions, as did CARE Canada, I believe.

[Michael Messenger]

With respect to Afghanistan, the efforts on Bill C-41, particularly the humanitarian exemption, have certainly opened up the opportunity for us to continue to do the work there. There are still some matters that are being worked out in terms of the details of that, but our commitment is to release funding to ensure that it is reaching the most vulnerable in that context. That includes some of our education programs as well.

We're committed to that. That effort has certainly helped. There still remain some barriers as we work out some of the details, particularly on the development side as opposed to just the humanitarian response, where it's not entirely clear. We're committed and we're positive about the ability to reach those in need.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

My understanding is that there has been an improvement but that the original objective hasn't yet been achieved.

Thank you very much.

As regards funding, Canada has nevertheless adopted a so‑called feminist international aid policy. We've discussed the difference between the treatment reserved for boys and girls with disabilities. I completely support the vision of a Liberal government international feminist policy. However, funding is the issue. Today, international aid represents 0.29% of Canada's gross domestic product, or GDP. That's less than the 0.32% level reached by the Harper government. Perhaps inflation is a contributing factor to that decline.

These days, when people talk to us about inflation, how hard is it for you to get federal government funding? How do you have to advance your international aid program? Are you considering taking action in the public space by appealing to the media, for example?

That's an open question, and I invite all the witnesses to answer it. Everyone has talked to us about funding. I can see the weak areas in the international aid the government provides. Canada is well below the 0.7% threshold requested by the UN. It's also well below the average for members of the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development, the OECD, which is 0.42%.

How can we force the government to provide more funding for initiatives such as yours?

How can we prevent certain political parties from including budget cuts in their political agendas? I'm thinking of the party that proposed to cut international aid spending by 25% in order to capture votes.

Do you have any suggestions to make on that subject?

[Tiyahna Ridley-Padmore, Policy Advisor, World Vision Canada]

Thank you for the question. I think it's very relevant.

We know that Canada has been a leader in funding education and inclusive, gender-equal education. Also, globally, we're seeing rising crises. We're seeing rising conflict, rising needs, and restrictions and limitations to what funding is possible right now.

I think World Vision isn't alone when it says that accessing funding has been challenging. Of course, earlier this year we saw the former minister of international development invest through education and emergencies at the ECW high-level financing conference, which was very welcome. Our needs are continuing to grow.

One thing we do hope to see is Canada continuing its leadership in investing in inclusive education and recognizing that we need financial investment that is flexible, adaptive and responsive to the needs of the most vulnerable. It must also take into consideration that humanitarian development nexus and be able to respond to the different challenges that we're seeing in the world.

When we talk about disability inclusion, I think that piece on responding to the specific challenges is really key, as well as being able to provide flexible funding that allows us not just to sustain, but to actually reach the most vulnerable.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you very much.

I have a question for the Humanity and Inclusion Canada representatives.

However, I see hands still raised for the previous questions.

I yield the floor to you, Ms. Delorme.

[Anne Delorme]

We're in a very difficult budget situation. The message we're getting from the Canadian government is that there's no funding.

We've also seen that programs that target persons with disabilities or that have adopted that strategy are the first ones to be cut because they cost more. It costs more to travel to where children with disabilities live.

I can also answer Ms. Vandenbeld's question on sexual and reproductive rights. Unfortunately, they're the first projects that get cut. That's the way it is in every country. The most vulnerable individuals are exposed to risk, and they're the first ones to lose out when budget cuts are made. It's always the case.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Thank you.

Mr. Simms, you also had your hand raised. You have the floor.

[Peter Simms, Senior Education Advisor, Plan International Canada Inc.]

I will be brief, because I know time is short.

It is about money. It is about the amount of money. Yes, there is never enough, but I think before that we should also be aware that we can do more with the money we have at the moment and be slightly better. That's in a couple of ways. This also relates to what Ms. Vandenbeld was saying.

We can bridge between sectors a little bit better. Inclusive education isn't just solved in the education community by ministries of education. We can link with ministries of health and ministries of social protection as well. Bridging together some of the services that are currently splintered can take us a long way. Then we can look at where more targeted additional money should go.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Chair, do I have any time left?

[The Chair, Liberal, Fayçal El-Khoury]

You have 10 seconds left.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

In that case, the other people who had their hands up can answer my questions in the next round.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Fayçal El-Khoury]

Mr. Boulerice, you now have the floor for seven minutes.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thanks to everyone who has come here today to tell us about this extremely important issue.

I'll go first to the representatives of Save the Children Canada.

We're all aware of the dramatic events that have been unfolding for several weeks in Gaza, which is now living under indiscriminate bombardment. I'd like to hear what the people from Save the Children Canada think about this because they discussed it in their opening remarks.

What do you think are the consequences of this conflict and these bombardments in Gaza for children with disabilities? What impact will this have on their future?

[Danny Glenwright]

Sir, thank you very much for the question.

One of the reasons we chose to focus on fragile places today, especially those affected by conflict and other crises, is that, as some of my colleagues have shared, this is where children with disabilities are forgotten first. This is where they suffer the most, and this is where we are most worried.

The example of Gaza is a good one, because we've all been watching this unfold over the last several weeks. We know that the destruction that's been caused there is going to take months and years to rebuild. In the education system alone, we've seen that more than 300 schools have been damaged or destroyed, and that's more than half of all schools in Gaza. We know that more than 10,000 children have suffered injuries, and many of those injuries will be life-changing injuries. They will result in disabilities that children will be grappling with for the rest of their lives. That is not to mention the infrastructure that's been damaged. Those who have mobility issues will struggle to get to school, because many roads have been damaged over the past several weeks.

This is why we highlight the importance of addressing this, especially in places of conflict, because conflict is increasing. This example in Gaza is the most recent conflict that we've all been seeing.

Save the Children has been working in Gaza since 1953, in many cases in education. Part of why I mention this as well is that in many of these places where we've seen vast strides around education and inclusive education, conflict will set that back. It will make it a challenge for us to meet the sustainable development goal around education.

I haven't even mentioned the psychological and mental health effects of what has unfolded in Gaza, which will affect so many children there. Before this latest escalation of hostilities, we know that three-quarters of the children in the region were struggling. They were struggling to focus in school and they were reporting anxiety. Also, mutism was on the rise, where children lost the ability to speak. The impacts of conflict on children's education are immense. I think it's a critical area for us to be paying attention to. We're certainly relieved to see the pause in fighting in Gaza, and we hope that it holds.

Thank you.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Thank you for your answer.

We're somewhat relieved by this cease-fire, albeit temporarily.

As you know, we're calling for a complete cease-fire.

In conflicts of this kind, the media often talk about people who lose their lives but rarely about the wounded. You're right in saying this will have very long-term consequences.

My question is for anyone who wants to answer it and specifically concerns children with disabilities living in the Gaza Strip.

What role should Canada play in helping children who find themselves in this extremely unusual situation?

I know my Bloc Québécois colleague mentioned Afghanistan a little earlier, but what should Canada's role be in Gaza?

[The Chair, Liberal, Fayçal El-Khoury]

You have the floor, Ms. McGeown.

[Julia McGeown]

Thank you very much for the question.

To add to what others have said, it's important to get the message out there about what the overall effects of this are doing to children in Gaza, and the ongoing effects for children with previous disabilities, but also now for children with new injuries and disabilities.

Canada can play a role by highlighting and being able to spread messages. Many organizations are there doing lots of important work, but finding out the testimonies, finding out what's actually happening on the ground, and being able to help, promote and explain what's happening so that people are aware are all really important.

We have a report coming out before, during and after a crisis, for example. There is also weekly advocacy on things that are happening week by week, just to update the situation, to share what's actually happening on the ground and how we're supporting children, for example, with psychosocial activities, well-being activities, and just the sheer basic needs that are required.

I think it's about being able to raise that to the fore, because as you said, this hasn't had that much of a mention. It's much more, at the moment, about the numbers of dead, rather than the additional issues that are happening. There are people who had disabilities previously. For example, they can't move from the north to the south, because there are no physical means. Everybody else is walking to the south, but they can't get there. What happens to them? They weren't able to move.

These kinds of testimonies aren't really out there in the media. I think it would be really helpful for Canada to be a part of helping to promote that.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Thank you very much.

Ms. McGeown, a little earlier brought up the concept of intersectionality. To what extent should the Canadian government incorporate that idea in inclusive education for children with disabilities?

[The Chair, Liberal, Fayçal El-Khoury]

Would anyone like to answer?

To whom are you directing the question, Mr. Boulerice?

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

It's for Ms. McGeown, if possible, so she can tell us a little more about how important the notion of intersectionality is.