Evidence of meeting #40 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 children.
A recording is available from Parliament.
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Conservative
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Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
—bipolar disorder, all of that?
Do you see that too, Lynn?
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Conservative
Stella Ambler Conservative Mississauga South, ON
Thanks.
I wanted to talk to you about enhancing self-esteem. You mentioned that specifically. How does that help? Why is it necessary?
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Executive Director, Armagh House
We've implemented one program, and pertaining to the children, we've implemented a part-time child and youth program through our fundraising efforts this year, and that encompasses a therapeutic dog that comes in with the children. The children will read books and often the books are about safety planning and their feelings and emotions. Those help get them talking about the situation, and then we move into safety planning. That is what we have just started implementing, and it has been successful so far.
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NDP
The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc
You are making my job very difficult to cut times on these discussions. Thank you very much.
This is really interesting. It is hard for me to cut you off.
Ms. Duncan, the floor is yours, for seven minutes.
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Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
To all the witnesses, thank you for your time and effort this morning. More importantly, thank you for the life-saving work you do each and every day. Sharlene is in my riding, and we proudly work together. My heartfelt thanks go to all of you.
I'm looking for a yes or no answer from each of you. The minister has put forward an action plan for family violence.
Ms. Martin, were you consulted—yes or no?
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Executive Director, Canadian Network of Women's Shelters and Transition Houses
No, but I'm not aware of.... Are you talking about something specific to aboriginal women?
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Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Thank you.
I'm going to start with Ms. Martin.
With regard to the survey of shelter workers, you've mentioned the blueprint is ongoing. Can you discuss some of the key elements of what you'd like to see in a national action plan, your top three choices?
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Executive Director, Canadian Network of Women's Shelters and Transition Houses
We are looking at it in terms of prevention mechanisms, social policy responses, legal responses, and service responses. Those are the four main areas that need to be covered.
I spoke in my presentation about what we felt the national action plan could do, but also we feel that the process of developing the plan is as important as the plan itself. So for us, it would be actually very disappointing to hear, as good as any plan could be, that it's a fait accompli, that there is, all of a sudden, an announcement that there is this national action plan, because it is very important that stakeholders be involved.
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Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Thank you.
Ms. Tygesen, you mentioned the national association and the law. Can you describe what the loss of that has meant and what impact it's had on Ernestine's—
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Executive Director, Canadian Network of Women's Shelters and Transition Houses
That's the National Association of Women and the Law.
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Executive Director, Ernestine's Women's Shelter
The impact for us has to do with being able to understand the stuff that's rolling out that legally impacts women. We're not often consulted about a lot of things, including what will happen to women during processes of the law.
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Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
When I've been at the shelter you have talked a lot about GPS.
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Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
You've talked about technology and about how men are now able to find women. Do you think there's a role for government to make changes?
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Executive Director, Ernestine's Women's Shelter
If the powers that be have the ability to review laws or policies, or if legislation comes out to include those kinds of things in strategies to make sure that this is being looked at.... It's using a “violence against women” lens on everything that you do, so that everything that is put forth or that people want to discuss or talk about is put through the lens of how it is going to impact women fleeing violence or end their living in violence.
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Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
You mentioned that there's a difference between the Ontario government program and the federal government's approach to support for victims. Is that correct?