Thank you Madam Chair and committee members for inviting me here today.
As stated, I am currently the Brenda Strafford Chair in the Prevention of Domestic Violence in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Calgary, where I'm also leading an initiative called “Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence”.
For the past four and a half years, our research focus has been on identifying, designing, and implementing primary prevention strategies; that is, trying to stop the violence before it starts. In preparation for today, I reviewed many of your past meetings and was struck by the amount of research that you've already been presented regarding the prevalence and root causes of violence against women.
With that in mind, today my presentation is going to focus on 10 commitments that the Government of Canada can make that will prevent violence against women.
Number one, the Government of Canada must develop, implement, and evaluate a national action plan to address violence against women and children in partnership with provincial and territorial governments. The plan needs to focus on primary prevention strategies using a lifespan approach, and most importantly, it cannot be created in isolation. It needs to be developed in partnership with the key research centres, the private sector, and civil society. This plan must also be customized to meet the unique risk factors and protective factors associated with different populations like the aboriginal, LGBTQ, and immigrant and refugee communities.
Number two is to invest in a national child care strategy, one that is based on the principles of affordability, accessibility and high-quality care. This national strategy would support healthy child development and improve opportunities for women who wish to go back to the workforce, or get out of unhealthy or abusive relationships.
Number three is to invest in the prevention of child maltreatment. Children who are abused often grow up to become abusers. We can prevent physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect by doing the following things. First, implement a guaranteed income supplement to low-income families with children. We know that increasing household income lowers the risk of child maltreatment. Second, prohibit corporal punishment by repealing section 43 in the Criminal Code. Research shows that corporal punishment has detrimental effects on children and is associated with later violence perpetration. Third, prevent young parenting and unplanned pregnancies. Young parents and parents of unplanned children are more likely to abuse their children. Therefore, the Government of Canada needs to consider universal access to sexual health education starting in grade 4, no-cost birth control, and universal access to abortion. Health Canada should immediately approve the medical abortion drug Mifepristone. Fourth, an effective way to prevent child maltreatment is to invest in a national parenting strategy to build the capacity and skills of all parents including an investment in programs targeted to those at risk. Some examples include: triple P, the positive parenting program; the strengthening families program, which you've heard about; the incredible years program; and I know already you're investing in the nurse-family partnership in two provinces. They should be accessible across Canada.
Number four is to invest in a national housing strategy, so that women do not have to choose between being in an abusive relationship and being homeless. I echo the recommendations from the YWCA of Canada that was here with respect to the housing first strategy and add that increasing funds to short-term transitional housing is critical in stopping violence against women.
Number five is to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to engage men and boys as allies, partners, and violence disruptors to end violence against women. We've been researching this area for quite some time and have identified five key leverage areas. The first is supporting men's mental health and emotional well-being. Second is leveraging sports, recreation and workplace settings to influence healthy norms and behaviours, and I know that Status of Women has already started to invest in some of these types of initiatives across Canada. Third is supporting healthy male peer relationships and networks. Fourth is supporting men to heal from past trauma; and fifth is building and promoting positive fatherhood.
The last point, building and promoting positive fatherhood, is especially important as fathers are assuming a greater role in child rearing. Studies indicate that fathers are just as important as mothers in children's development. We are now learning about the best kinds of programming and policies to support young men and at-risk dads to be good fathers. The caring dads program developed by Dr. Katreena Scott and the supporting father involvement program developed by Drs. Kyle Pruett and Marsha Pruett, are just two promising practices, and currently in Calgary we are testing two promising programs with partners who serve teen mothers. We will know more soon about what works with young at-risk dads.
Number six is to invest in trauma-informed care with allied professionals. Those include teachers, social workers, lawyers, and doctors. Studies have shown that adverse childhood experiences such as sexual assault, witnessing domestic violence, child maltreatment, and living in poverty can lead to serious social, economic, and health risks in adulthood. To reduce the impact of trauma, the Government of Canada can invest in training that would support professional faculties, professionals in the field, and their organizations, to better understand the widespread impact of trauma and the way to respond to it in order to help people heal.
Number seven is to develop, implement, and evaluate a gender-equality plan. The plan must include a comprehensive strategy to ensure women have access to reproductive health care, including abortions; policies that facilitate wage parity and a living wage that are enforceable across Canada; a parental-leave policy similar to Sweden's, which gives families up to 18 months of parental leave and makes a minimum six-week parental leave mandatory for fathers; stronger pornography laws similar to David Cameron's family-friendly Internet filters that prevent children from seeing pornographic images; and a substantive increase in funding for Status of Women Canada, both for the department itself and for the funds that go to community-based organizations.
We need to reinvest in women's organizations across this country to better support leadership, build momentum, and ensure there is capacity to implement best and promising practices. Finally, we need stronger policies and strategies that foster women's leadership in all sectors of society. Research shows start-ups led by women are more likely to succeed; innovative firms with more women in top management are more likely to be profitable; and companies with more gender diversity usually have more revenue, customers, market share, and profits. Investing in women's leadership in all sectors is crucial to achieving gender equality.
Number eight is to reduce dating violence by leveraging schools and school systems. Implementing evidence-based practices with grades 7, 8, and 9 students is shown to reduce dating violence. Longitudinal research demonstrates the effectiveness of programs like the fourth R, which is already in 4,000 schools in Canada—some funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada—in reducing dating violence, which may lead to reduction in violence in relationships later on in life. Our teachers and school systems need increased and better training to support children and youth to be in healthy relationships.
Number nine is to invest in a substantive and comprehensive long-term social marketing strategy aimed at changing norms and behaviours that directly or subtly support violence against women. Recent events on university campuses tell us that even after all the progress we've made, these kinds of ideas are still prevalent in our society.
Number 10 is to provide sustainable funding focused on long-term initiatives. Short-term one-off funding will not get underneath a serious issue, and moving to long-term funding and investing in research and evaluation will support better solutions.
It is a privilege and an honour to present these ideas to the committee today. Thank you for listening and for your commitment to ending violence against women.