Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on April 15th, 2021

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

I'm afraid we have to leave it right there. I appreciate it, but my time is up.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thanks, Mr. Viersen.

Ms. Zann, you have six minutes.

[Lenore Zann, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Thank you so much. Wela'lin. Like Ms. Whitman, I come to you today from the unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq in Nova Scotia.

First of all, I want to say thank you to all of you for your tireless efforts on behalf of indigenous women and girls, making sure they have a voice in these important matters.

In addition to the specific Truth and Reconciliation Commission's calls to action 43 and 44, which call on governments to fully adopt and implement the declaration and develop an action plan to achieve its goals, the declaration is referenced throughout the calls to action. It's also referenced in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

I'll start with Ms. Whitman, but I'd like to hear from each of you regarding this final report. Can you expand on why you think the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the national inquiry both emphasized the declaration as such a key part of reconciliation? Can you perhaps offer some views on why this international document is so essential to advancing reconciliation here in Canada from coast to coast to coast?

Ms. Whitman.

[Lorraine Whitman]

Thank you. I appreciate the question.

First of all, I'd like to go back. What has taken place with the TRC, as well as the national inquiry is so important. When we look at UNDRIP and human rights and the violence that has occurred with our women, our girls and our gender-diverse, these calls to action are there, and in the process that we're going through, we need to be able to consult the grassroots people. These are the people we're working for.

As a leader with NWAC, we haven't had the time or even the respect to be able to meet and consult with the people who truly count. These are the people who gave their testimonies, their stories of their heartache of their loved ones being taken away by another person or not even knowing where they are at this time. Both of them work together because of all the calls with the TRC as well as the national inquiry. The findings stated at the very end that it is a genocide, and the genocide is part of this UN declaration. That's why the women need to be consulted and be able to be at the table with our men leaders.

We have a different lens on what's happening. We speak to our women, our girls and our gender-diverse, and we need to be there with the men so that we can have a healthy community and so the women aren't marginalized as they are today, because it goes back to the history, the economics, the whole bit. It's very important that we look at all these rights and if it's going to be true consulting, then there should be proper consultation.

[Lenore Zann, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Thank you.

Ms. Whitman, I'm so sorry, but I need to hear from the others as well, and I have another question, if that's okay.

[Lorraine Whitman]

Okay. Thank you.

[Lenore Zann, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Ms. Omeniho.

[Melanie Omeniho]

Thank you for the opportunity.

We believe that UNDRIP provides the issues and a lens on human rights that haven't been addressed. The TRC and the missing and murdered report clearly identify that there are many significant issues that really haven't been addressed that are required for us to move forward in trying to create reconciliation and equality in this country. We see evidence of that in all the work we're doing, including racism in the health care system and the issues that we are trying to engage on with the police services, trying to change the lens on how those kinds of things are happening.

Bill C-15 is just a cornerstone piece of legislation. It will help build the foundation for a better future and more reconciliation.

[Lenore Zann, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Thank you.

I'm sorry, but Ms. Sharpe....

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Ms. Symes will take the call on her behalf because of the technical issue.

[Beth Symes, Legal Counsel, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada]

I'll try not to repeat what Mr. Bond or Ms. Omeniho has said.

For Pauktuutit, the UNDRIP bill is hopefully a dramatic change in the relationship between Canada and Inuit women, indigenous people. It provides a new pathway forward in terms of that relationship.

I listened to you last Tuesday and read the transcripts of previous witnesses. You focused very much on natural resources and free, prior and informed consent, but I ask you to take a different lens—the lens of women—and in sections 21 and 24, the UNDRIP act promises a commitment to an improvement in the economic and social conditions: education, housing, health, employment and social security.

A young Inuk girl right now will live 10 years less than my daughters. That's not acceptable. It's not acceptable. There is a way to do things differently. Please focus as much on the social, economic and human conditions, because they're just so important.

[Lenore Zann, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Thank you so much.

Was that my time?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thanks, Ms. Zann. That was your time. I'm sure that Ms. Gill and Ms. Gazan will build on that.

Ms. Gill, you have the floor.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank all the witnesses: Ms. Omeniho, Ms. Whitman, Ms. Symes, Ms. Sharpe and Mr. Bond.

I'm very pleased today that we're shedding this additional light on Bill C-15. Of course, everyone spoke about GBA+, meaning gender-based and inter-sectoral analysis. This issue came up in your presentations along with the issue of consultations.

I have a two-part question for you. We still don't have much time. However, if possible, I would like to hear all of you speak about GBA+. Hypothetically, what do you think we could find on this topic, in the bill? How would this improve the bill? Also, how would you like to be consulted and really be part of the consultation?

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Ms. Whitman, do you want to start?

[Lorraine Whitman]

Certainly, thank you.

First of all, I'd like to be respectfully consulted in that we would be contacted at our national office so that we would be able to have clarifications on different questions, so that we would be able to meet with our grassroots, our PTMAs. Those are the provincial and territorial members who sit on our national board. Then we would be able to go from there to meet with the grassroots to have their input, because it's their input that's so important and to hear their words as well, because it deals with them. That's the process we would be going to.

Wela'lin and thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Is there anything further, Ms. Symes and Ms. Omeniho?

[Melanie Omeniho]

I can go.

Actually, why it's important for there to be a gender-based analysis used when we're working with Bill C-15 is that in the onset of the development of the UNDRIP within the United Nations, at that time, there was never a lot of work or process in looking at things from a gendered perspective. I think that in the development and the work, especially in the process of the implementation of Bill C-15, we can do a better job of ensuring that there is a lens for all the intersections that make up the indigenous community.

As far as consultation is concerned, the biggest thing I want to say about consultation is that very often as indigenous women we're an afterthought in being engaged. We're brought in at the 11th hour and only given a very marginal opportunity to have proper engagement. In equal and fair process, everybody would have the same opportunity and be given the same capacity to be able to engage fully on any conversations or discussions on all matters going forward.

[Beth Symes]

Mr. Chair, if I could add, let me give you a legal foundation for what Ms. Omeniho and Ms. Whitman have said.

Article 44 of the charter says that the rights and freedoms in the declaration are guaranteed equally to, and I'll say, Inuit women as well as Inuit men. That's where we must begin. How can you guarantee those rights without hearing from them?

We say that Inuit women must be there at the beginning as the action plan is being developed and they have to be there at all tables because, otherwise, no GBA analysis will be done and the rights of indigenous women will not be protected.

Thank you.

[Marilène Gill, Bloc, Manicouagan, QC]

I have a more general question.

You spoke about the history of Métis women, first nations women and Inuit women, and the history of colonization, which was terrible for women in particular, and in different ways. There's no way to fix what happened. However, how can Bill C-15 contribute to reconciliation, by also including women? Would you like to point out anything specific for women?

My question is for everyone. I'll leave it up to you to respond.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Ms. Whitman, why don't you go ahead for one minute?

[Lorraine Whitman]

Thank you.

First of all, when we look at Bill C-15, it's like any piece of legislation; it's not perfect. In this case, however, perfection is not simple. The enemy of the good, I guess you could say, is demanding perfection of Bill C-15, as this operates directly against the rights and the interests of the indigenous women and girls who have every right to be as free from violence and discrimination as you or any other woman would love to be.

That's why we're saying that we need to be there. We don't want women to be just a token or an afterthought, which has happened.

I feel if the respect is truly there, I can certainly appreciate that we would be able to go much further than we are going and move forward in such a way that our women, our girls and our gender-diverse people will be appreciated and respected, because we are a large marginalized group of women who are dealing with the violence.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thanks very much.

Thanks, Ms. Gill.

Ms. Gazan.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Thank you so much, Mr. Chair.

Many of you have spoken about the marginalization of women and of diverse-gendered voices. Even in Bill C-15 that's certainly what I have heard. I would agree that there has been a clear lack of representation of indigenous women's voices during the consultation on Bill C-15.

My first question is for Madam Omeniho.

How do you think this can be improved moving forward?