I have to say that I'm quite concerned with what I'm hearing. I believe the testimony is well-meaning, but the description that we've been asked to imagine is that of a homeless person who is poor, with no established relationship with a medical professional, a very vulnerable woman who's coming into a hospital at the most vulnerable point in their existence: at the point of delivery. An extremely profound question is put to her at a moment where she's either pre-labour or in labour, asking her whether or not she will consent to being sterilized. I'm hearing the suggestion that this is a question of maybe a communication issue.
This situation should never arise, and I'll tell you what: If that woman were a middle-class white woman, there is no way a doctor would even put the question to her the first time while she's going into labour. There is obviously a stereotyping, racist....
I don't think there's a cultural problem here; there's no cultural issue on the side of the women. What I'm hearing is a systemic racist, post-colonial, paternalistic, sexist, classist approach in Canada's health care system as a G7 country.
I'm also going to tell you that I'm hearing a very weak and tepid response from the federal government, which has known about this for four years now. We don't know how widespread this is. We don't know what provinces it's occurring in. We don't know who it's really been affecting; we don't know who they are. There's been no attempt to reach out to the women. That's what I'm hearing.
I'm not blaming any of the officials here, by the way—I know you're here to give answers—but I have to tell you that I'm extremely concerned by what I'm hearing: a very, very weak response to something that has been internationally called torture. I can't think of a worse violation of human rights than to take away someone's reproductive choice—the choice to have a child or not—at a time when someone's in labour.
By the way, that decision should never be made at that point in time—ever. The question should never even be put. It's not a question of whether or not the person is misunderstanding the consent. I want to know the health care professional who has the gall to put that question to a woman, based on some stereotypical assumptions, at that point in time with no established relationship. That's where the problem is. It's not with anybody's culture, language or ability to understand.
I'm going to move a motion right now:
That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Committee invite representatives from Maurice Law Barristers and Solicitors, the DisAbled Women's Network of Canada, the Native Women's Association of Canada, Amnesty International, the BC First Nations Health Authority, and the Minister of Justice, to appear before the Committee at the earliest opportunity to provide evidence with respect to the forced sterilization of women in Canada.
Colleagues, I think we're all on the same page on this. I think we all are horrified by what we've heard. I thank my colleagues for supporting my motion to have you come here today, but I think we can all understand that we don't have the right people in the room here who are placed to give us the information that we need. I would ask that all of my colleagues support this motion so that we can get to the bottom of it.
I'm going to add that we have obligations, internationally, to investigate, to put a stop to this. We've heard very honest evidence, so we don't even know if it's going on today—it could well be. We, as parliamentarians, have been apprised with knowledge that assaults are being made on the most vulnerable Canadians, whom I think we have the greatest duty to protect, assaults that constitute torture. We have a duty to investigate, to prevent this, to ensure that restitution and support are provided, and to hold those responsible accountable. I'm hearing that the witnesses before us are unable to provide any of that information, so I would ask that my colleagues support this motion.