Evidence of meeting #38 for Indigenous and Northern Affairs in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was indigenous.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Director General, Law Enforcement and Border Strategies, Department of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Sure, certainly.
I wonder if my partners who manage specific programs may be able to give you your answer. We do provide money and we support grassroots organizations, but from a public safety perspective, it's about allowing those organizations to be able to manage their programs. I wonder if perhaps my colleagues would be best to answer that question.
Director General, Child and Family Services Program, Department of Indigenous Services
I'm hoping that from a program perspective, this will help.
As I indicated earlier, I work in the area of first nations child and family services programming. Over the past years and most recently, as I've indicated, there have been significant investments made into our programs to allow for the extension of supports, as I stated earlier, for children aging out of care and maintaining those supports for an additional two years to help them find their way or get on the right path to avoid falling into those pitfalls that you've mentioned.
As well, we've also looked at our program, and we have acknowledged, as you have indicated, the effects of colonization, historical trauma and cultural dislocation—
NDP
Rachel Blaney NDP North Island—Powell River, BC
Okay, fair enough; I think that's good. It's not really answering the question, so I'm just going to move on.
In the same report, the Native Women's Association also talked about identifying and assisting indigenous victims and survivors of human trafficking and exploitation and how that effort has been greatly hindered by a lack of disaggregated and cross-jurisdictional data.
We hear this again and again. In every report that we do, data continues to be the big challenge. I'm wondering if there's been any work done on that and if the importance of indigenous ownership of the data collected in relation to the indigenous experience has been recognized. I also wonder how the fact of cross-jurisdictional data can be addressed. This continues to be an issue.
I only have one minute left, so I would really appreciate it if whoever can answer that best would please step up. We don't have a lot of time.
Senior Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Policy Sector, Department of Justice
I'm wondering if you would like to hear from Statistics Canada on these issues. There is data out there and a lot of it has been spearheaded by indigenous groups, but I think this is really a question for Statistics Canada. I note that they're not here.
NDP
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bob Bratina
Thanks, Ms. Blaney.
Members of the committee, Ms. Butt, the director general of Women and Gender Equality Canada, has been able to join us.
We have an absolute hard stop of 1:15, so I will allow the clerk to ensure Ms. Butt is technically attached to our committee and I'll allow her to make a brief statement.
Mr. Clerk, can you deal with that?
The Clerk of the Committee Mr. Naaman Sugrue
Yes, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Butt, I'll ask you to introduce yourself and tell us where you are calling from. If interpretation agrees they can hear you adequately, we'll proceed with your opening statement. Please go ahead.
Alia Butt Director General, Policy and External Relations Directorate, Department for Women and Gender Equality
Hello, this is Alia Butt, director general of policy and external relations, Women and Gender Equality Canada.
Can you hear me all right? My deepest apologies. It seems that our systems weren't compatible with the INAN committee's Zoom, but I think we've sorted it out now.
Would you like me to go ahead with my remarks?
Liberal
Director General, Policy and External Relations Directorate, Department for Women and Gender Equality
Good afternoon.
I'd like to acknowledge at the outset that I am participating in this call from Ottawa and that I am on the unceded traditional territory of the Anishinabe Nation.
Thank you for welcoming me here today so that I can share a few observations for your study on sex trafficking of indigenous peoples.
We know that indigenous women and girls, women who are newcomers to Canada, Black and racialized women and those living in poverty are at particular risk of being trafficked.
In fact, according to Statistics Canada, in 2019, 95% of victims of human trafficking identified by police in Canada were women and girls.
Human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation is a form of gender-based violence. WAGE is leading the government's efforts to develop a national action plan to end gender-based violence. Budget 2021 committed an investment of $601.3 million over five years to advance this national action plan, which will be achieved in collaboration with indigenous partners, provincial and territorial governments and civil society. WAGE will receive $415 million of this investment, including $105 million over five years to enhance the gender-based violence program, which includes efforts to stop human trafficking.
WAGE has been working closely with Public Safety Canada to support the national strategy to combat human trafficking. Last year, WAGE launched a call for proposals to support organizations on the front lines to develop and implement promising practices to enhance supports for at-risk populations of victims and survivors of human trafficking.
We approved 43 projects to receive $14 million in funding. Some of the projects we funded include one by the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association, which is working to develop and implement the Nova Scotia indigenous human trafficking prevention strategy that will advance knowledge and enhance empowerment supports for at-risk populations and survivors of human trafficking in Nova Scotia. Also, there is the Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association, which is working to develop and implement an indigenous, youth-led, culturally relevant prevention training and education program that will advance knowledge and awareness and empower at-risk indigenous youth and indigenous survivors of human trafficking in Alberta.
We are also striving to ensure that organizations that provide critical services to victims and survivors of gender-based violence are supported through the pandemic. For example, last year, as part of the government's COVID-19 economic response plan, we at WAGE provided $90 million in funding to women's shelters, sexual assault centres, women's organizations and other organizations, providing supports to over 800,000 women and children experiencing gender-based violence across the country.
We also work closely with Indigenous Services Canada to ensure there are supports to indigenous women and children experiencing gender-based violence. As part of the budget 2021 investments that I just mentioned, $200 million will continue to support this critical sector. Another $55 million has been specifically earmarked to bolster the capacity of indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
Through all of our program and policy work at WAGE, we continue toward advancing gender equality by removing systemic barriers, preventing and addressing gender-based violence, enhancing women's economic security and increasing women's representation in leadership roles.
Thank you. Again, my apologies for the issues at the onset of the meeting.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Bob Bratina
No problem, and thank you.
Members, obviously we have to leave now, but the clerk has advised me that he will accept further questions to submit to all of our witnesses today, if you have them. Please feel free to submit further questions.
Witnesses, thank you all so much. We all have busy times, but this is such an important topic. We want to thank you for your participation today.
With that, the meeting is adjourned.