Status of Women Committee on Nov. 26th, 2007

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

So if I understand correctly, you're going to present this motion in the House?

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

The motion once again is to be passed here, yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

It's to be passed here and then go to the House.

Yes, Ms. Davidson.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I want to thank Madam Neville for putting this motion on the floor again. Certainly it's something we talked about at great length when we were doing our study, and a lot of us were here when we did the human trafficking study. We know that this is a really serious, growing issue for women and children, and not just outside of Canada but within Canada as well. I think it's right that this government also is doing things to take action on this. We talked about it in budget 2007; we talked about allocating the $6 million. We did allocate the $6 million to combat child exploitation and trafficking.

We know that the 2010 Olympics could be the hotspot, if we want to call it that. There's certainly heightened recognition of the fact that this could be an avenue that we really need to take some action on. I believe the justice committee, or public safety, is already working on that. They are taking action on examining measures on how they can put measures together. They're certainly taking advantage of our recommendations, when we talked about heightened education and awareness, and ability to recognize, in the law enforcement area. A lot of that is being done through the RCMP, so there are training projects that are already under way. A lot of things are already being done.

I'm certainly not opposed to the motion. I know it's an extremely sensitive and serious issue, but there are a lot of things already being done, and a lot of it's being done through other departments.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Ms. Neville, would you like to respond?

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Just very briefly, Madam Chair.

I acknowledged in my opening comment that there is work being done, but there's much that needs to be done. When we dealt with the trafficking report, we focused on the trafficking of women from outside Canada. I think it's equally important that there be strategies developed internally in Canada.

I would again ask for the support of this committee in passing this motion. It reinforces it; it comes from the perspective of women; and it comes from the perspective of knowing that in British Columbia a disproportionate number of aboriginal women have gone missing. I would like to see the government moving forward even more zealously on it.

I do acknowledge that there are initiatives, and I didn't know about other committee initiatives. They too could only be making recommendations on it. But I'd like to see this committee—I'm repeating myself now—from the perspective of women put forward this motion to government.

[La présidente, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Ms. Demers, we are listening.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I would just like to replace "trafficking of women" with "trafficking of women and children", in the French version.

Second ...

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Excuse me, could you repeat that?

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

In the motion, Madam Chair, it says "... a plan ... to curtail the trafficking of women". I would prefer that it say "... a plan ... to curtail the trafficking of women and children ".

I am aware, Madam Chair, that the Department of Justice and the Department of Public Safety are currently examining this problem. I am also concerned because, when we examine only the problem, we are not thinking about the cases of the people who are affected by it. The people who are affected by this problem are children and women who may have to return to their country of origin and be caught up in the same vicious circle.

It is therefore important that this kind of motion be brought to the government. We must also ensure that structures are put in place by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, and that changes are made to the legislation that governs that department, to help women and children who are victims of violence or the sex trade.

The legislation governing the Department of Health also has to be amended. At present, a person can be provided with care under the department's aegis for a certain number of days. I do not believe that it is sufficient. If we really want to cover this entire problem, we have to ensure that women and children who are victims of violence or the sex trade are not victimized a second time.

This plan must therefore be complete and comprehensive. It has to study this problem as a whole, and not just from the standpoint of justice or public safety. It also has to show compassion for the victims.

[La présidente, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you, Ms. Demers.

Ms. Davidson.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

This is not to belabour the issue—I'm certainly not against the motion—but I want to point out that actions are being taken, and certainly the mover of the motion has recognized that. I think the RCMP is leading the federal partners in developing these law enforcement investigative tools and enhancing the knowledge of the law enforcers. But they're also making sure that people who deal with the victims understand and know the services that are required for the victims. So that's all part of it.

I think Status of Women is working with these groups, is actively involved with that. It's a good measure that they are....

Yes, hopefully there will be some information.

That's my information, anyway, that Status of Women is actively involved.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

You know, Ms. Davidson, I didn't know about some of what you've given us today. I'm sure that what Ms. Neville is suggesting is not a bad idea, because all of us will get more educated about it.

Seeing no further discussion, Ms. Neville's motion is on record.

May we have a vote?

All those in favour of the motion, please raise your hand.

Oh, you abstain from a motion?

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

You're drawing attention to....

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Yes. You're chatting away while we have a very important motion, one that Ms. Davidson thought was extremely important.

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Well, it's adopted.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

All right.

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Committee members, we have today with us three people from Status of Women Canada: Ms. Clare Beckton, the coordinator; Ms. Dawn Nicholson-O'Brien, the deputy coordinator; and Ms. Cindy Paquette, the director of the corporate services directorate.

Ms. Clare Beckton has taken the lead, and she'll be speaking for 10 minutes.

I know you've been through this routine before. Committee members from both sides will be asking questions.

Without any further ado, I will let you start your remarks, Ms. Beckton. This is the first time you've come to the status of women committee, so welcome.

[Clare Beckton, Coordinator, Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women Canada]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you, committee members. It is indeed a pleasure to be here today to discuss the supplementary estimates for the organization.

I've had the opportunity over the past several months to review the work of the committee. It has been varied, comprehensive, and impressive, so I'm delighted to be here today.

Over the last year, Status of Women Canada has certainly been in the news. Today I will outline the future direction of Status of Women Canada.

This year has been a time of change, transition, and renewal for the agency, including a governance review and efficiency restraint exercise. As well, in budget 2007, $10 million a year in funding to Status of Women Canada was announced. However, Status of Women Canada's legal mandate to coordinate policy with respect to the status of women and administer related programs remains the same as when the organization was created in 1976.

In addition, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the United Nations Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action reinforced the legal foundation for the work of Status of Women Canada.

Although there are many instruments available to achieve equality, there are systemic barriers that prevent women from participating fully in Canadian society: stereotypes and barriers to career development, to representation on decision-making bodies, to participation in business partnerships, to participation in politics and to access to funding. The list goes on. For women who belong to a visible minority, immigrants, seniors or aboriginal women, those barriers are often higher.

Measures must be taken to remove these existing systemic barriers, not only by government, but also in partnership with the private sector, non-governmental organizations and civil society.

Status of Women Canada is in a good position to knock down these barriers, because it has two essential instruments for taking action: its functions in relation to strategic policy and partnerships and its funding mechanisms under the Women's Program. Those two instruments cannot operate in a vacuum. They are in fact interdependent and each informs the other.

In addition, our work is supported by the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Forum of Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women and international forums such as the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the Commonwealth, La Francophonie and the Organization of American States, and by bilateral relations with other governments at the international level.

As well, Canada is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, CEDAW. Canada must report periodically on the measures it has taken to comply with the convention. Canada recently submitted its seventh report to CEDAW and will appear before the CEDAW committee in 2008.

Status of Women Canada addresses the broader systemic barriers facing women by working in several policy areas that are aligned to two key priorities—women's economic security and violence against women.

I would like to just take a few minutes to share with you some of our current work. I won't read everything that's in here because it will go beyond 10 minutes and I'm very mindful of the committee's time.

As you know through your own study and from the discussion I heard as we were coming in, trafficking in persons remains a serious and growing concern for women and girls, both in Canada and beyond our borders. The committee knows that well.

Budget 2007 allocated $6 million to combat child exploitation and trafficking. With the Vancouver 2010 Olympics on the horizon, there is a heightened recognition that international sporting events may create opportunities for trafficking, particularly in the sex trade. As a result, the government is examining measures to avert traffickers from the Vancouver event.

Currently the RCMP is leading partners in developing and piloting training to law enforcement and other front-line officials to teach investigative tools and enhance knowledge of laws surrounding trafficking and the services that victims require. With other departments as well, Status of Women Canada is actively participating in this work around the issue of trafficking.

The Government of Canada continues its partnership with the Native Women's Association of Canada to improve the lives of aboriginal women. Over the five-year period 2005 to 2010, the federal government is providing $5 million to the Native Women's Association for the Sisters in Spirit campaign to address racialized and sexualized violence against aboriginal women. This project is a living example of creating direct benefits for women while simultaneously using the results to inform policy changes.

In June, the first National Aboriginal Women's Summit was held in Newfoundland and Labrador. There was remarkable consensus on the need for action on issues facing aboriginal women, including poverty, human rights, and violence. We are following up and will be working towards the next summit in Yellowknife in 2008.

This kind of work requires an understanding of the differential impacts of policies and programs on various groups of women, as well as cross-country coordination and partnership. This is our role at Status of Women.

Status of Women remains committed to the ongoing effort of working with federal, provincial, and territorial status of women ministers and officials. In fact, we have a meeting with officials going on as we speak today. In July, the ministers concluded with an agreement to promote women's economic self-sufficiency, safety, and security, and to work towards improving the situation of aboriginal women in Canada.

As you know, gender-based analysis is an important tool for us in fulfilling our work, because it's used to apply a gender lens to public policy, programs, and legislation. GBA allows us to understand and assess the impact of these programs and policies on women. It is one of the means we use to achieve our goal, because in the final analysis it is the outcomes that matter, and by using GBA we're able to put women into the equation and achieve effective outcomes.

We have been working on the questions of accountability with Finance, Treasury Board, and PCO, the three central agencies. I know this committee was very interested in this aspect.

If we are to achieve concrete results in our sphere of activities we must have the capacity to monitor, oversee and measure the progress made, based on the goals and objectives of government policies and programs designed to increase both accountability and measurable results.

Status of Women Canada therefore works closely with the central agencies and key departments.

With regard to integrating gender reporting into government accountability mechanisms and creating a set of indicators on trends in the situation of women over time, the Status of Women's work, as you know, is highly regarded in this internationally. We are called upon to assist, most recently to work with other national governments such as South Africa, Haiti, Korea, and Russia.

I'd like to spend a couple of minutes on gender budgeting. I know that's an issue the committee is interested in. We will, or course, be making a more detailed presentation later for the committee.

A nation's budget is one of the ultimate policy documents reflecting the highest level of political commitment and the policies of the government. A gender-responsive budgeting process provides a key step in building equality for women. The outcome of gender-responsive budget initiatives tends to focus on resetting priorities to produce better results rather than relying on necessarily increased expenditures. Approximately 60 countries around the world engage in gender-responsive budget exercises, many of them, of course, in different ways. There doesn't seem to be any one particular way of doing it.

The Department of Finance, we understand, conducted a gender-based analysis on policy measures, particularly on tax policy where data permitted, and on tax proposals presented to the Minister of Finance in budget 2006-07. In partnership with Status of Women Canada, the Department of Finance is now exploring various models of gender budgets. In fact, applying a gender-based analysis is one of the first steps towards a gender-responsive budget.

Status of Women Canada has compiled an analytical package of gender budget-related information, which we would be pleased to share when we come again with committee members.

I'd like to finish by just spending a couple of minutes on the women's program. I know that's of great interest to the committee. Over the past year the women's program has seen a lot of change. The terms and conditions of the women's program were changed in 2006 to encourage community-based initiatives having a direct impact on women and girls. The terms and conditions are flexible and they can be tailored to meet desired outcomes on specific issues for all women, or for targeted populations. Modifications can be made on an annual basis through various calls for proposals.

As you know, there has been much debate and some misunderstanding over the elimination of funding of lobbying activities. I heard this as I travelled across the country. We tried to make it clear that organizations that lobby are still eligible for funding if they submit proposals that meet the current women's program criteria. In fact, we do fund some groups.

As of April 1, the women's program now has two components—the Women's Community Fund and the Women's Partnership Fund. Presently $12.3 million is in the Women's Community Fund, which supports projects at the local, regional, and national levels that aim to enable the full participation of women in all aspects of Canadian life. Then we have the partnership fund, which is broader. I have a few examples, which I'm sure you will be able to read with pleasure.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Could we get that as part of the questions? I think you have run out of time.

[Clare Beckton]

Yes, absolutely. We will certainly give you a copy of the presentation, if you do not already have it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

We do all have the copy of the presentation, but we also want the opportunity to ask questions. You may be able to enhance that topic then.

For the first round of questions, Ms. Minna, for seven minutes.

[Maria Minna, Liberal, Beaches—East York, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you for coming to this meeting today.

I want to go straight to the last comments that you were making, Madam Beckton. It's right to the heart of some of the things, but not all of the things, that we've been dealing with for some time now, and that is the terms for funding. You're saying that lobby organizations can in fact do that.

Despite the fact that the criteria—or the criteria that I saw and that we all saw after it was changed—clearly states that no advocacy is allowed for municipal-provincial-federal, and a number of organizations, like NAWL and others, have actually lost their funding, are you saying to me today that if I were to ask, as an NGO, for research funds, and the result of that research I would use to advocate on behalf of women to government at all levels, I would get funding?

[Clare Beckton]

No, what I was saying is the fact that it's an organization that lobbies is not a bar to it receiving funding, but the project itself must meet the terms and conditions that—