Status of Women committee  That was beyond the scope of our project. It was really quite a small project.

Status of Women committee  I think we received $25,000 from the Canadian Women's Foundation and UBC, by coincidence, had received a similar-sized grant. We collaborated and, I think, got tremendous value for quite a small financial cost. That was beyond the scope and it wasn't really the objective of that study.

Status of Women committee  Pauktuutit is forced to rely far too much on annual project-based activities. That involves a proposal in response to government criteria and priorities to be assessed against certain criteria. We're pretty expert proposal writers. Looking at INAC, as an example this year, the practice had been that there would be a request for proposals around six thematic priorities in 2015 and 2016.

Status of Women committee  Even at this point in this fiscal year, there has not been a call for proposals. I've had to almost beg for a hint of what might be funded. We're still having to negotiate, as I said, for the best part of a year with Status of Women Canada for a proposal for funds that were committed by the previous government.

Status of Women committee  That's a very full question.

Status of Women committee  I couldn't reply in any sort of evidence-based way. I worked with the Pauktuutit for more than 20 years overall, and very early on, pornography was identified as a significant priority in the communities. This was before the days of Internet. This was before the days of regularly scheduled flights, mining and resource extraction, and transient workforces.

Status of Women committee  We have three broad priorities. First, are services which include shelters and services for women. I have to talk about child sexual abuse. We have recommendations for community services for children who experience or witness violence and for adult survivors of child sexual abuse.

Status of Women committee  You're welcome to come to our office any time. We would be happy to welcome you.

Status of Women committee  It would be my pleasure. That was in my notes that I didn't get to. With Status of Women Canada, under the previous government we completed the first phase of a two-year project looking at precisely that, engaging Inuit men and boys. We did several pieces as part of that. We did a gender-based analysis that demonstrates the different impacts on men and women because we know women have had greater success in engaging in the wage economy, in securing full-time employment, and there has been a really significant change in the traditional roles.

Status of Women committee  That would be a fair way to describe it. Yes. Absolutely.

Status of Women committee  I don't want to sound completely theoretical and so abstract as to be vague, but people have only lived in settlements for two generations. There was the imposition of foreign systems of education and religion. We could call it patriarchy, colonization. We can describe it many ways.

Status of Women committee  I wouldn't want to say yes or no to that question. Shelters are still a band-aid. They are an emergency response to violence that has already happened. We hope to try to build some evidence around investment and prevention, which would only reduce the hard financial costs of medevacs, rehabilitation treatment out of territory, and so on.

Status of Women committee  Yes. It has only been two generations since Inuit have been living in communities so we've seen huge shifts from the traditional economy to the wage economy. The housing stock has not kept pace with the fastest-growing population in the country so within that context there is such a need to help build capacity in the communities.

Status of Women committee  That's a broad question. I know that our colleagues at Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami are planning a national housing forum in formal partnership with the regional land claims organizations. They are sort of the facilitators of infrastructure, as in bricks and mortar. In thinking about our participation in that forum, we again try to come back to our primary concerns.

Status of Women committee  Thank you very much. I didn't realize that I would be your only witness, so I tried to keep our remarks brief to allow as much time as possible for a discussion. I'd like to begin by bringing greetings on behalf of President Rebecca Kudloo. She sends thanks to the chair, vice-chairs, and committee members for the invitation.