Evidence of meeting #36 for Status of Women in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was data.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Linda Savoie  Senior Director General, Women's Program and Regional Operations Directorate, Status of Women Canada
Cathy Connors  Director, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada
Kimberly Elmslie  Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada
Pamela Arnott  Director and Senior Counsel, Policy Centre for Victim Issues, Department of Justice
Gillian Blackell  Senior Counsel and Coordinator, Children's Law and Family Violence Policy Unit, Department of Justice
Kathy AuCoin  Chief, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics , Statistics Canada

10:15 a.m.

Director and Senior Counsel, Policy Centre for Victim Issues, Department of Justice

Pamela Arnott

If I could mention a few more, we've worked with Project KARE, also from Edmonton, and Ka Ni Kanichihk of Medicine Bear Counselling, which is from Winnipeg, and the Tree of Life project, which is in Vancouver.

10:15 a.m.

NDP

The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc

Thank you very much.

We now move to Ms. Duncan, for five minutes.

10:15 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Thank you again, everyone.

For Statistics Canada, with the 2014 general social survey, you've listed new questions that are going to be added, and that's important. Have any questions been changed?

10:15 a.m.

Chief, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics , Statistics Canada

Kathy AuCoin

Yes. There are always changes to a questionnaire. It's a tool. We engage our partners to determine whether there are any emerging issues. We engage members from the police services to look at some of the questions. It's an evolving tool, so there have been changes—

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Have any been removed?

10:20 a.m.

Chief, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics , Statistics Canada

Kathy AuCoin

I couldn't tell you, but I could get that information for you.

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Okay. I really would like to see what was under the long-form census—all the questions—and what will be under this.

10:20 a.m.

Chief, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics , Statistics Canada

Kathy AuCoin

The general social survey on victimization is independent of the long-form census. They're two different tools.

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Could we still see the two side by side?

10:20 a.m.

Chief, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics , Statistics Canada

Kathy AuCoin

When we release data from the social survey on victimization, it's released independent from the census.

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

I understand that, but it still would be useful to see.

Do we have any idea of the percentage coverage? You've said that it's the last five years, so is it every police force...?

10:20 a.m.

Chief, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics , Statistics Canada

Kathy AuCoin

The GSS asks questions of a random sample of individuals about their experiences of victimization for the past 12 months. When we publish, we would say that respondents contacted expressed that they were victimized either violently through a physical assault, robbery, or sexual assault, or a household victimization, and it's for the previous 12 months. There's a dedicated section looking at spousal violence. In those questions, we ask respondents for their experience for the previous five years.

Again, these are two data points, every five years, that are collected.

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Do we have an idea, is it across the police forces? What percentage are reporting?

10:20 a.m.

Chief, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics , Statistics Canada

Kathy AuCoin

The survey goes out to households, to individuals, not to police forces, so—

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Right, but there are two sets. There are the individual households and there are the police. Yes?

10:20 a.m.

Chief, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics , Statistics Canada

Kathy AuCoin

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm getting clarification.

What we know from Canadians is that not all of their violent victimization gets reported to police. We look at the data. The last time we did it in 2009.... Let me get the exact number.

I guess I need clarification on your question. I apologize.

You would like to know police data. We have 99% coverage from all police services.

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

And prior to the five years?

10:20 a.m.

Chief, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics , Statistics Canada

Kathy AuCoin

I think we were at about 78%, and then going back another five years, we were at 43%.

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Do we have that for Health as well?

10:20 a.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Kimberly Elmslie

I don't know the answer to that question, but I'll find out.

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Okay, thank you.

I have one very quick question. You mentioned that we have the 80 violence prevention interventions. I'm wondering if there's any tracking of who's looking at this and whether these are being adopted. If so, by whom, and do the people feel that they're making a difference? What tracking are we doing of that?

10:20 a.m.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention Branch, Public Health Agency of Canada

Kimberly Elmslie

I'm writing that question down, because I'm going to find that out for you as well.

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

That's probably my five minutes.

10:20 a.m.

NDP

The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc

You have 55 seconds, maybe to say thank you, but you're okay?

10:20 a.m.

Liberal

Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON

Yes.