Status of Women committee  Thank you very much for the invitation. If anybody would like to visit the friendship centre, you're always welcome.

Status of Women committee  I would like to add to what Ms. Audette said. We have to ensure that indigenous people are involved in the development of these projects and are truly consulted. Their needs have to be heard. We saw how the population mobilized to respond to the virus that attacked it. In terms of violence against women, however, there are still many barriers that seem impossible to overcome, and I wonder if there is a lack of will to do so.

Status of Women committee  I think we have quite a few recommendations that were already also given to the inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women. In Quebec, we also had a commission called the “Commission Viens”, which investigated the relationship following the events that happened in Val-d'Or, the relationship between indigenous people and those public services.

Status of Women committee  As Ms. Audette has explained, the healing process and the protective factors go hand in hand with cultural revitalization, when women are allowed to live their culture and reclaim their territory. You can't take the aboriginal woman out of her territory. It is extremely important to establish the connection, but also to consult women and hear what they have to say when new projects come up.

Status of Women committee  Since I don't work directly in the communities, I can't really speak to the impact of negotiated agreements. However, at another time, I worked for Quebec Native Women, and I can tell you that this organization was created to give indigenous women a voice. The scope of consultations could certainly be broadened so that they aren't limited to band councils.

Status of Women committee  Friendship centres don't collect data on these issues. However, I can tell you stories of women who have experienced violence in communities further north where there are mining development projects, for example. Of course, these are already vulnerable women. They sometimes fall into prostitution, while many men from abroad come to work for these companies for short periods of time.

Status of Women committee  It's a little difficult to say. I can't say that the situation has worsened or that it's improved. I think it's fairly stable. That said, the numbers show that indigenous women are still the most likely to be victims of violence. They are caught up in a cycle of violence that continues today, so it is obvious that the situation hasn't been resolved.

Status of Women committee  Investments are important for developing programs and services. However, it's often project‑based funding. That doesn't fundamentally contribute to a social awareness and a willingness to change these effects. Action is needed on multiple fronts. For example, systemic racism is embedded in the Canadian system.

Status of Women committee  [Witness spoke in indigenous language] [English] My name is Jennifer Brazeau. I'm the executive director of the Lanaudière Native Friendship Centre. I'm here today representing the Regroupement des centres d'amitié autochtone du Québec, which is a provincial association that has campaigned for more than 45 years for the defence of rights and interests of indigenous people in the urban centres, as well as supporting indigenous friendship centres in Quebec in frontline service delivery.