Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you for the opportunity to address the committee today on this very important issue of freedom of expression, which is something that all Canadians hold as part of their individual rights.
My name is Mitzie Hunter. I am president and CEO of the Canadian Women's Foundation. I thank you for the opportunity and the invitation to appear before this committee. I join you today from Toronto, on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee, the Wendat and the many other nations that have stewarded this land.
The Canadian Women's Foundation has been a national leader in advancing gender justice and equality for over 30 years. As a public foundation supported by donations, we've contributed more than $262 million to support over 3,300 life-transforming programs across Canada addressing gender-based violence. It's key and fundamental to the work that we have been doing for decades. The opportunity to talk about freedom of expression now, but also as we project into the future, is vital.
While the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects freedom of expression, it has long been recognized that this is not an unlimited right. The Canadian Women's Foundation has become increasingly engaged in work to prevent digital harm, because we know that it is often gendered. Hateful and harmful speech in public spaces, media or online often targets women, trans people and non-binary people.
Online hate not only silences people online but discourages dialogue on gender-based violence more broadly. Impacts can be devastating. Survivors face psychological, physical and economic harm. The resulting lack of safety leads many to self-censor or to leave digital spaces, making it a threat to their freedom of speech, democratic engagement and, I would also add, economic opportunities. With research suggesting that one in five women experiences online harassment and that there is a much higher risk for people from marginalized communities, this must be addressed.
Our challenging digital harms initiative is examining online harassment against women and gender-diverse people. Preliminary research results confirm disproportionate impacts of digital harm on women and gender-diverse people with intersecting identities. They reveal that 71% of women and gender-diverse people in Canada think of social media as a public space, similar to the definition of “public place” in section 319 of the Criminal Code. Indigenous, racialized, trans and non-binary communities and people with disabilities experience more negative effects from online violence than do people who are not from those communities.
People most often name the police, lawmakers, policy-makers and the government as those with the most responsibility to stop online violence against women, girls and gender-diverse people. Yet, among those who experience online violence, 55% say that police were ineffective, 53% say that government services were ineffective, and 61% say that lawyers were effective. Canadians expect violence on social media to be handled like violence in other public spaces, and their expectations of police and law enforcement are clearly not being met.
I want to draw attention to Bill C-63, the online harms bill, because it signals that online harms are finally being taken seriously. We recognize legitimate fears of curtailed online freedoms, risk for marginalized communities as police targets, and censoring of diverse voices online. Community consultation with indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities is needed, as is disaggregated data that highlights intersectional experiences, because not all groups experience things the same. Bill C-63 also seeks to address the lack of a consistent definition of hate speech, which currently complicates efforts to craft effective policies to address online harm.