Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to thank you for the opportunity to appear before the committee. I have been Égale Action's director of gender equity for a year now.
I'd like to start by mentioning that Égale Action has been around for more 20 years. We work to ensure equity and equality for women and girls within Quebec's sport system and to help them develop their full potential.
When it comes to safe sport in Canada, the first thing I would say is that victim protection must continue to be the priority, and rightfully so. That means maintaining and strengthening mechanisms such as support hotlines and the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada. Also needed are better tools to prevent abuse and violence of any kind in sport, at all levels and in all forms of participation.
The second thing I would say is that sport organizations have to put measures in place. That's what we, at Égale Action, focus on. I have no doubt that all of us would welcome a decreased demand for telephone hotlines. That means doing the groundwork to change the unsafe culture. That work involves raising awareness, examining the individual sport communities by building organizational profiles, and introducing strategies that will lead to meaningful actions and the desired results.
The organization officials who reach out to us have good intentions but sometimes lack resources. They need guidance and jointly developed solutions. That's why organizations like Quebec's Égale Action are needed. They are neutral parties that provide support and guidance to sport federations and organizations.
Now I'd like to share some helpful measures. Much of the support we provide is in the form of mentorship. That includes not just support for issues analysis and strategy and plan deployment, but also the delivery of training workshops to foster greater awareness of the corporate culture and biases.
Of course, it's not all about a single member of an organization and their desire to take action. One of the barriers we run into involves an organization's capacity and resources, not to mention the time it invests in bringing about change. Keep in mind it still has to focus on day-to-day concerns and responsibilities.
We also believe that it's important to continue supporting and empowering women to increase their presence in sport organizations. In Quebec, women make up 33% of board members. Hopefully, that is thanks to the efforts made in recent years, and we want to see that progress continue. However, women account for a mere 19% of coaches in Quebec. Coaches are, after all, the people in a position of immediate authority in athletes' lives. Despite the introduction of programs to support coaches, the proportion of women coaches has not changed.
The services we provide to support and assist women are aimed at increasing the presence of women in sport, of course, but above all, at making sure their voices are heard. Establishing communities of practice is one way we hope to help women move past the doubt and gain the confidence they need to join organizations and assert their place in the sport system.
Finally, a range of policies are necessary to bring about lasting change. Putting an assessment mechanism in place is imperative in order to measure the actions and progress that will lead to culture change. It will then be possible to build a framework and parameters for organizations, and to steer them in a different direction as needed. This will ensure that they are accountable to their members and political institutions, and provide an accurate picture of their progress.
In Quebec, a recently created research lab is now part of the support ecosystem, Lab PROFEMS, and we are fortunate to have the director with us today.
Thank you.