Evidence of meeting #113 for Agriculture and Agri-Food in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was farmers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Unfortunately, we're out of time. Thank you, Mr. Longfield.
Mr. MacGregor, do you want the full six minutes?
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Sorry, I think we have the video connection.
Mr. Tremblay and Mr. Roy, welcome.
We will immediately go to your presentation. You have seven minutes.
Gilles Tremblay Researcher Professor, Masculinities and Society Network, Université Laval
Thank you for inviting us. We sent you a PowerPoint presentation in French and were told that it has been translated and given to all the committee members.
To begin, we will tell you about us.
My name is Gilles Tremblay, and I have been focusing on studies on men and masculinity for 35 years. I led a team called Masculinities and Society, and I am now in charge of the new Pôle d'expertise en santé et bien-être des hommes au Québec, funded by Quebec's department of health and social services. I have a great deal of expertise in men's mental health, the link to assistance services and adaptation of services to masculine realities.
Philippe Roy Associate Professor, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Masculinities and Society Network, Université Laval
My name is Philippe Roy, and I am an associate professor at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and at the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Maurice-et-du-Centre-du-Québec.
I wrote my PhD thesis on masculinity and farmers' adaptation to stress. My work was awarded the best PhD thesis award, in particular for its social relevance and the fact that I was giving farmers a voice. So it relates perfectly to today's meeting. My thesis also received an award of excellence for gender, sex and health research. As you can see, this issue relies on research, and we are very happy to see that the world of politics is also interested in it.
Researcher Professor, Masculinities and Society Network, Université Laval
How did we start taking an interest in farmers?
The Masculinities and Society team is made up of 30 researchers with partners on the ground, in particular at the Direction de santé publique de la Montérégie. When we consulted our partners in the beginning to establish research needs, one of the themes that emerged was the need to better understand farmers' realities, especially in terms of their psychological health.
It is in this context that Mr. Roy decided to write his thesis on that topic. We requested funding from colleagues in Australia, Great Britain and western Canada, to conduct a comparative study, but that request was refused. Nevertheless, we are pursuing our efforts, especially in relation to Mr. Roy's thesis.
We can give you the first findings of our studies and then share our recommendations, since time is fairly limited.
Associate Professor, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Masculinities and Society Network, Université Laval
Among the sources of stress that have been identified is the paradox between the simplicity of farming in the past and the its complexity now, when a farmer can no longer do alone today what he was able to do before. We must also take into account very significant economic pressures, and a mistake is often made of focusing on a farmer's income without taking into account their spending.
The lack of social recognition is another problem. Farmers are people who work very hard to feed the population, which sometimes fails to recognize that. Let's also not forget the paradox of being your own boss and making your own decisions while having no control over certain determining factors such as globalization, climate change or trade agreements that have been dominating the news lately.
There is a second observation related to men, masculinity and rural settings. Farmers must deal with a series of paradoxes and contradictions. Here are three examples that do not align with hard work and another element.
Some farmers must choose between hard work and parental duties. For example, a farmer who works with his father tells him that he is going to pick up his daughter from day care. The father, offended, asks him why he is stopping his work to take care of children. The son wants to be an involved father like other men of his generation, but he also wants to work hard like his father has taught him. Also, what about the dichotomy between the value of hard work and hobbies? Farmers see on their Facebook page their friends who are not farmers talk about vacations, but they don't always have that luxury because they are taking care of living animals. Let's also not forget the opposition between hard physical work, and aging and wear and tear. It becomes difficult to maintain a positive identity in the context of that aging.
Our research brings us to a third observation, which is related to farmers seeking help. Hard work, the idea of masculinity based on strength and that work, sometimes lead to an exaggerated feeling of autonomy that prevents farmers from seeking help, from appearing vulnerable or admitting their lack of knowledge in a given area.
We have noted a significant gap between farmers who have consulted therapists in the past and those who have never done so for psychological reasons. People who have done it in the past become the best ambassadors because they are aware of the positive effects and results they have gained. Those who have never seen a therapist show a lot of distrust and suspicion, and they question things. So there is a gap in how the masculine role is perceived. We sometimes hear that it is not very masculine to go to a therapist, but those who have seen one say that it is the responsible thing to do that helped them become more human.
[Technical difficulties]
Liberal
Program Manager, Manitoba Farm, Rural & Northern Support Services
Yes, we're here.
Liberal
NDP
Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC
Thank you very much, Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Smith and Ms. Hyndman-Moffat, for being patient and staying on the line with us.
I really enjoyed listening to your opening statement. I want to concentrate on some of the things the federal government already does. I'm looking specifically at Farm Credit Canada and the suite of business risk management programs. I think a common theme we've heard throughout the testimony at this committee is that farmers face a lot of uncertainty. A lot of this uncertainty comes in the financial arena, with commodity prices going up and down.
You have a lot of expertise in the farming community, and you certainly hear a lot of feedback. From your perspective, do you think that what Farm Credit Canada currently does, and the suite of business risk management programs.... Are there any areas where there's room for improvement, specifically in the context of addressing the mental health of farmers?
Program Manager, Manitoba Farm, Rural & Northern Support Services
What we can speak to most directly is direct service for mental health for farmers. All the programs that assist producers when it comes to their financial world are very important. That is one of the primary issues that we hear on the line. It often has a financial seed that impacts the rest of their lives: their family life, their health and their well-being. Anything that can assist producers in weathering those financial storms and the ups and downs they go through is really important.
We're really not on the production side of things. We're on the human side of the equation when it comes to supporting producers, so we've come here today to talk about the fact that programs like ours work. We know we are reaching farmers where they're at. The fact that we have trained farm counsellors is really important to our callers and our chatters. We wish we could do more in terms of our hours of operation and offering texting support and in-person support if that were possible. Those are some gaps we've identified.
I'm not sure if I'm answering your question properly in terms of the role of FCC. All those lending institutions are important to our producers. Anything that can reduce their financial stress is important.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
Mr. MacGregor, our connection is back and we need to let our witnesses have their last minute. Then you can finish your time.
Can you hear me now, Mr. Tremblay and Mr. Roy?
Researcher Professor, Masculinities and Society Network, Université Laval
Yes.
Liberal
Associate Professor, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Masculinities and Society Network, Université Laval
Our recommendations are global and interrelated: valuing agriculture; promoting mental health, especially in terms of social determinants; promoting gender-specific help; raising awareness among medical doctors, farm support workers and gatekeepers on the need for early identification; and adapting psycho-social services.
Researcher Professor, Masculinities and Society Network, Université Laval
We find those elements to be especially important. The services implemented are very worthwhile, but they're often only provided on a temporary basis. So we are struggling to maintain them, even though they are very promising.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Pat Finnigan
We will resume questions and answers.
We have three minutes, then one and one.
NDP
Alistair MacGregor NDP Cowichan—Malahat—Langford, BC
Professor Tremblay and Professor Roy, my question is for you.
You have conducted some fascinating research. In terms of the studies of masculinity and the stoicism that exists in the farming community, we've also had success in other professions—notably the Canadian Armed Forces and our first responders—where there used to be a culture of stoicism and manning up, just sucking it up and doing your job without talking about it.
Is there anything we have learned from the success in those professions that can be applicable to the farming community, so we are not reinventing the wheel?
Associate Professor, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Masculinities and Society Network, Université Laval
I have worked with the Canadian Armed Forces in the past, and I have noticed similarities between farmers and soldiers. Both groups are trained to face adversity, in whatever form it may take. However, when they go through a relationship break-up, for example, those people are completely caught off guard.
So it seems essential to strengthen their human side and recognize that humanity even though they are farmers and they work hard. They're human, and they are men first, and farmers or soldiers second. So it seems to be of vital importance to normalize asking for help and to put forward identity models and important stories.
Do you want to add anything, Professor Tremblay?
Researcher Professor, Masculinities and Society Network, Université Laval
The Canadian Armed Forces had the case of General Dallaire. That was a good example of difficult situations men can go through.
It is important to reach out to people and provide prevention programs. People may go through a separation. In Canada and in Quebec, that happens to half of all couples. What should be done in that kind of a situation? People should not wait until they are in significant distress.
Men need to be given tools and told that they must acquire psycho-social knowledge, just as they must now have knowledge in mechanics or in computers. That is part of the suite of knowledge they must have. Mental health is something that is often put aside. If things were normalized by saying to men that knowledge in mental health is part of normal knowledge they should have, it would be easier for them to embrace that and integrate it into their practices.
Associate Professor, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Masculinities and Society Network, Université Laval
They must tell themselves that they are even stronger with help than alone. What is better, persistently trying to overcome your difficulties alone or seeking out the right resources, coming out of it quickly and regaining better control of your life faster?
Researcher Professor, Masculinities and Society Network, Université Laval
The Quebec experience shows that dispelling the stereotype can also help a great deal.
