Evidence of meeting #40 for Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was disability.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, World Vision Canada
We value the dialogue and the opportunity to learn from others in this space.
Whenever I talk to any of my team who are making a speech or something, I always say they need to include the “What?”, the “So what?” and the “Now what?” The “What?” is really a better understanding of what the situation is, to help understand the implications for our work. The “So what?” is the analysis then to say, “What are the things we need to think about doing?” The “Now what?” is really driving us toward the next steps for action.
One thing in particular—and maybe Tiyahna can speak to it—is the Global Refugee Forum and the conversations around disability and inclusion in that space, which will be happening very soon.
12:45 p.m.
Policy Advisor, World Vision Canada
Yes, absolutely.
Personally speaking, this motion is quite timely. I have a child at home right now who is currently out of school due to disability since we cannot find structures and resources to support her learning needs. What does that look like in the context of there already being so many barriers to accessing education?
The Global Refugee Forum, which will take place in a couple of weeks, offers an opportunity for Canada to ensure that disability inclusion is central to how we're doing this work and how we're investing in education and committing to education. Our immediate steps include ensuring that it remains central to and part of the core of those discussions.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
Thank you.
I invite Mr. Brunelle‑Duceppe to take the floor for four minutes.
12:45 p.m.
Bloc
Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe Bloc Lac-Saint-Jean, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'm going to echo what Ms. Vandenbeld said earlier.
This isn't a monolithic block, but I'd like to add one point.
Ms. Evans and Mr. Hasan, you talked about introducing various projects in the regions.
When you deploy your projects, you have to adapt to the region's way of life and its cultural particularities. I imagine you don't roll out a project in the same way in Sri Lanka as you do in Mali, for example.
Consequently, when projects are funded, how flexible do the funding criteria have to be?
Mr. Hasan and Mr. Messenger, as well as Ms. Evans, would you care to comment on the subject?
12:45 p.m.
Chief Programs Officer, CARE Canada
Absolutely.
I think you just said the most important thing here, which is that the context will make it very different. For example, if you're working in Mali, the context is different from that in Cameroon. Your work in northern Cameroon is very different from your work in southern Cameroon. I think it's a very important variable. Where we are living or where we are staying is one intersectional variable, and all of these other elements go along with it.
I'll just give a very quick example. I lived in a village called Kita in Mali, and I had an opportunity to really see the difference even from one village to another, despite the fact that they're in the same district. The intersectional identity and the background and upbringing, I think, basically define what kind of programming you need to do.
I think that bringing all of this disability narrative and all the intersectionality is very critical to understanding that your programming will be different, your cost structure will be different and your approach will be different.
I totally agree with you on that.
12:45 p.m.
Director, Global Partnerships, Right To Play International
Thank you for your question.
I'll just explain in English to be very clear.
I think we've spoken very well to the different contexts and the ways in which those intersect, but even within the same context, especially the fragile contexts that we've discussed at length today, what we see is constant evolution. What worked one day can rapidly not be functioning the next. What we need in order to be effective in this space is flexible and responsive funding that enables us to pivot and to be agile to the ever-evolving needs of the situation and the children we're trying to serve.
12:45 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, World Vision Canada
I'll build on what my colleague just said, because I think it's really critical.
For many years, that is exactly what we have done in our long-term development community-based work. Instead of making a decision at the top with respect to what is needed to make a difference in the context of communities in need, we have listened to their needs and identified their strengths and opportunities. That has always been fundamental to the work we do. When we then step into some of the grant space, particularly in fragile contexts, that flexibility and that responsiveness are even more critical to our being able to meet the needs and understand those.
We see it right now in northern Ethiopia with the funding we have from the Government of Canada. As my colleague Mr. Glenwright said, post-conflict the needs are far more significant, and the situation requires flexibility and perhaps an ability to respond to immediate crisis and to pivot the efforts, the areas of focus and where the funding goes. Having a system to do that is really key.
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
12:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
Excuse me. Due to the shortened time, I would like to invite Ms. Moorcroft to take the floor—but quickly, please.
12:50 p.m.
Sarah Moorcroft Senior Education Advisor, Save the Children Canada
Thank you very much.
One of the key things when we're talking about funding and the areas of focus.... What we haven't spoken about here today are the learning outcomes and the learning needs, and really putting them at the forefront when we're thinking about what sort of funding...what that looks like and how to respond to it in different contexts. I think there's a lot.
We talked about the value of early education and primary education. We know that getting children ready for school, as well as getting children with disabilities engaged in school, is so valuable. There's a lot that can be said, if we are looking at funding and targeted funding, about how we need to have learning needs at the very forefront of all our inclusive education priorities, funding and flexible models.
12:50 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
Thank you.
I now invite Mr. Boulerice to take the floor for four minutes.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I noticed that a few remote witnesses already had their hands up to take the floor. I would like to give them a chance to speak.
I would particularly like to hear what Mr. Simms has to say. He seems to want to contribute to the discussion.
12:50 p.m.
Senior Education Advisor, Plan International Canada Inc.
Thank you very much.
To answer the previous question around how you adapt, develop and respond in so many different circumstances, part of it is working with organizations of people with disabilities, OPDs, and this was mentioned previously. Those kinds of organizations are central to making sure that the responses we bring in—what we know works in one context and around international best practice—are then adapted and developed for the specifics and the nuances of what works there.
Most particularly, because OPDs are often community-based, they have that bridge for the way these things operate, the communities we're trying to support and the social environment that surrounds the school. It's about engaging with organizations of people with disabilities and making sure that they're funded properly and that the partner funding, anything that comes through an organization like Plan International, is able to fully support their needs. That's central to making sure that we can adapt and respond to all the nuances and variations in the reality for disability.
12:50 p.m.
Director, Inclusive Education, Humanity and Inclusion Canada
Yes. I will be really succinct. I know we're tight for time.
I'll add that I completely agree with what Peter said, but I also think it's about meeting the countries where they are, and meeting the ministry of education. If they have something in place, work with it. Don't try to bring in something new and add it because you've done it in another country.
In Nepal, they have resource classes. They've had them there for 20-odd years. Work with them and make them more inclusive. Don't try to introduce something else that's worked in India. Sometimes that happens. Work with the education sector's planned system and the education planning system that's there. Making sure that it's inclusive is paramount, rather than having separate programs that don't have anything to do with the ESP.
Thanks.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Thank you.
My question is for the representatives of Plan International Canada.
How can education designed to include persons with disabilities help prevent violence against and the abuse of children with disabilities?
How can this form of inclusive education play a preventive role for those children?
12:50 p.m.
Senior Education Advisor, Plan International Canada Inc.
It's very important, because children with disabilities are disproportionately affected by violence. Again, that's true specifically for girls with certain types of violence as well. This is where you have to view child protection as a key component of any education system—of any inclusive education system, particularly. That means you have to have a bridge to protection systems and to health systems. Health systems might be the ones, for example, that are able to respond. Protection systems, for example through social workers and social systems, will then refer any cases of violence and follow up.
Again, at the community level, community-based child protection mechanisms are a central component of the multiple facets of an inclusive education system. We often narrow it down to the image of a classroom, students in the classroom and the teachers, but in order for that child to be there and to be able to exist properly in that place—and to their full extent—there are a lot of components that need to work with that.
The child protection system and the education system need to be hand in hand so that violence prevention is central.
12:55 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
Thank you, Mr. Simms.
Thank you, Mr. Boulerice.
I also want to thank our guests for their testimony and for taking part in our study on international disability-inclusive education.
We appreciate your taking the time to meet with us and to contribute your expertise on these important matters. Please contact the clerk if you have any additional information you wish to forward to the subcommittee.
Colleagues, before we finish, I have two items that I would like to discuss with you.
Thank you very much to all the witnesses. It's been a great pleasure seeing you today. You are free to go.
1 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Fayçal El-Khoury
I call the meeting back to order.
We are going to deal only with the budget, please.
The clerk circulated a draft budget for the study on disability-inclusive education last Friday. If there are no questions or concerns about this budget, we can adopt it now. Otherwise, I can schedule some time in camera to discuss it.
Is it the pleasure of the subcommittee to adopt the draft budget unanimously?
1 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
1 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Might I also suggest that if everybody agrees by email on the draft, we can just issue it without having to come back to the meeting next week?
1 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
