Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee on June 17th, 2021

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Thank you for your testimony, all of you.

Part of this committee's work is to make recommendations to our government on how we fix the problem. What supports are there right now for women who are trying to transition away from human trafficking or sexual exploitation? How are we helping to transition and support indigenous women? What are the programs that are working out there? Do you have any recommendations that you'd like to share with this committee on what we can do? What are the big priorities?

[Coralee McGuire-Cyrette]

I can jump in there, if that's okay.

We do have one of the first pilots. Ours is called the Courage for Change program. We started it locally here in Thunder Bay. We just did an expansion provincially in order to ensure that we have those on-the-ground supports for survivors of human trafficking.

That's critical in what's missing. Our program is unique because it was developed by survivors in our engagement report. They let us know that they need on-the-ground support. We have so many education and awareness campaigns on this issue. We need to be able to do concrete action. Our specialized trauma-informed care has been critical in seeing over 200 exits safely. Now, as we've expanded across the province, we're going to be able to have on-the-ground support to safely help to transition women across the province. We know that violence doesn't know boundaries; it doesn't know jurisdictions.

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Would anyone else like to chime in?

[Cherry Smiley]

I was watching on Tuesday, and I know there is a lot of really good work being done in Manitoba—provincially there—with different exiting programs. There is a patchwork of programs here and there across the country, but we need a broader approach and a more holistic approach.

One thing that I think is a huge problem is that so much of the funding is project-based. The amount of time that it takes for a woman or a girl to recover can be a lifetime. It's not that she enters into a program and after a year she's good, she's done and away she goes. Maybe that's the case, but maybe that's not the case. We're putting these very, almost bureaucratic, in some ways, timelines on women's healing. That is something that I think we need to really look at.

As Cora was saying, these on-the-ground supports, the basic crisis supports, need to happen. Once you move through that, there is housing, which is so important, to have a stable base to work from. There's employment training and education. I know there was a mention on Tuesday about internships for women who have been sexually exploited.

All of these types of things need to happen, with the recognition of the ongoing emotional impact of being in that circumstance. That might show up six months later. It might show up 10 years later. There are women I know who, 10 years out, killed themselves because of that trauma. It doesn't just disappear. Investing in women and investing in indigenous women and girls, I can't think of a better thing to do, really.

[Jaime Battiste, Liberal, Sydney—Victoria, NS]

Ms. Skye, would you like to chime in?

[Courtney Skye]

I think it's important, if we're talking specifically about providing services for young people, that they not flow through child welfare agencies.

For the committee's information, in Ontario, Peel child and family services is a centre of excellence on responding to human trafficking. At the same time, Peel Regional Police indicated, in the first year after Ontario passed human trafficking legislation, 100% of the young people who had been trafficked were clients of the Peel child and family services. There is a huge disconnection between child welfare, their inability to really support children, and then asking them to service the people who have not been able to access [Technical difficulty—Editor] services.

I think there are community-based organizations outside of the child welfare sector that could be better positioned and have more credibility in the community to deliver services to young people.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thank you very much.

Members of the committee and witnesses, Ms. Stark deeply regrets the technical issues surrounding her inability to connect. Apparently it was the kind of thing where they didn't check before digging, so her Internet service is not available. She was really hoping to joining us today.

As chair, if I may, because we won't have time for another full round of questions, could I ask each of you, in a couple of minutes each, as we approach one o'clock, to tell us what you would like to see?

You've brought forward your testimony. You've not only informed us; you've enriched us. I think all of us on the committee are really touched by the work, the effort, the intensity that goes into these dense and complex and personal problems, and that people are willing to work on them, such as you are. Hopefully we can meet some sort of expectation in the report that we'll put together with our staff and our analysts

I'll ask Ms. McGuire-Cyrette, Ms. Skye and Ms. Smiley, each of you, to just wrap up for us, based on your testimony, what you would like to see from us.

Ms. McGuire-Cyrette, would you like to go first?

[Coralee McGuire-Cyrette]

Thank you. Yes.

We definitely need to look at investment in indigenous women specifically and in indigenous women's safety. That's really clear and concrete for what's needed: not only safety but also healing. Those approaches are what work, because even when Courtney spoke to you on how violence against non-indigenous women has decreased, there is a direct correlation to the investment that was made in non-indigenous women and their safety and healing.

We are asking for the same thing. We really need to have action, and it needs to come from the community up in order for us to address this together. We have provided some key recommendations that can be included in your report and will begin to be the first step in tackling this issue.

I want to thank everyone for agreeing to listen to us here today. We're happy to help and to have further conversations. We would recommend that you read the reports we've written to help you with more understanding of what we've learned here in Ontario.

Meegwetch.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thanks so much.

Courtney Skye, could we have your final remarks?

[Courtney Skye]

Yes. Thank you for that, and thank you to the committee for setting up this session and inviting me here today.

I think it's very important that.... I know there was a commitment to enrich the national action plan that was put forward a few weeks ago by the federal government in responding to the inquiry. I think that should be a high priority. There were huge gaps within the national action plan about whether or not it was actually setting down a baseline of measurement for us to actually know if we're having an impact with any of the programs and services that are being developed for indigenous women, including those for sexual exploitation or trafficked women.

I think there needs to be a lens and a stronger vision to that work that was put forward, because it simply doesn't go far enough, and it doesn't address any of the failures of Canada to fully participate in international human rights mechanisms. I think there is a lot of potential and there is a lot of work that could be done there, but I also think that what's important to remember is that indigenous women [Technical difficulty—Editor] advancements being made for the better of our communities and for our future generations.

Thank you. Have a good day.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thank you.

Ms. Smiley.

[Cherry Smiley]

Thanks for inviting me and for doing this study.

I think I would echo what Cora said about making investments in indigenous women and indigenous women's organizations. Having the space to heal, to learn from each other, to talk to each other and to do that on our own terms is incredibly important.

I also think what's important is that we have that space for healing but that we also have that space for politics: to be political, to be part of these discussions and to be able to do that amongst ourselves in terms of quickly organizing indigenous women so that we can advocate, not just for ourselves but for each other. I'm sure that has been the experience of the other witnesses here. For the women who we come across and work with, so often that's what they want to do: They want to help other women.

We need to be having these spaces for healing—it's very important—but we also need to be having political spaces for indigenous women to have debates and disagreements amongst ourselves and to be able to do that on our own terms. It is really important that we have women-only space, that we have indigenous women-only space, where we can begin and continue to build a political analysis from the commonalities and differences in our experiences. Those spaces are being eroded all over the place, and I think that if we have those places, it goes beyond just social services, which are needed, of course, but we need more than that. We need the ability to imagine a better world for ourselves and for our sisters and then to be able to act on that vision.

It really does, I think, pay out for the whole Canada. If we're given those opportunities, we will take them.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thank you so much. All of you have made such an impression on us. I know we'll go over our notes, and our analysts will provide us with things to read, but your interventions really reached deeply inside us. We won't be forgetting this in the next day or two, I can assure you of that. Thank you so much for a remarkable couple of hours.

Mr. Viersen, you have your hand up.

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

Yes, I just want to ensure we are still having the meeting next week on Tuesday. There was some discussion about not having it. I hope that's not the case. I hope we are still having the meeting on Tuesday.

The other question is for the clerk. Are we able to table the report? I know there are two days—one in July and one in August—where things can happen. Are we able to table the report on one of those days?

[The Clerk]

If you are referring to “back door” or summer tabling, I believe it's possible. I'll confirm with you via email.

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

Okay.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

I will see you Tuesday.

Mr. Viersen, perhaps you'd like to move to adjourn.

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

I move that we do adjourn, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Is everyone in favour?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bob Bratina]

Thank you, everyone. The meeting is adjourned.