Justice Committee on Feb. 2nd, 2021

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Thank you. That was very helpful.

My next question is for the Department of Justice.

How have you adjusted or changed your strategy to gather information and address the rise of domestic abuse cases as a result of the pandemic, knowing that only 5% of these are reported? How have we been able to get the data so that we can make informed decisions and stem this problem?

[Nathalie Levman]

My colleague may want to speak from a family... [Inaudible--Editor].

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Go ahead, Ms. Farid.

[Claire Farid]

I was just going to say that our colleagues from the research and statistics division at Justice Canada would be well placed to provide some of that information.

One project that we're undertaking at the Department of Justice with respect to the pandemic and the civil court system is to work with Statistics Canada to get some baseline data. Statistics Canada will be publishing that data in the form of a Juristat so that we'll be able to do some comparison pre-pandemic and post-pandemic of the justice system, which will help inform policy work in this area.

[Randeep Sarai, Liberal, Surrey Centre, BC]

Thank you.

Ms. Smylie, really quickly, is there anything you're doing to address the lack of data in this field? Is there anything we can do to get more data?

[Lisa Smylie]

As I said, to date we've invested over $24 million in researching data. We're developing three new national surveys to fill data gaps with respect to this issue. In particular, we have put out a survey on gender-based violence.

Right now we're analyzing data specifically with respect to intimate partner violence to get a better picture of intimate partner violence. We're gathering data on specific populations also, on students as well as on violence in the workplace.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Thank you very much for that.

Mr. Moore, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for appearing today.

So much has changed over the last year, of course, with COVID. I'd like to know, in your federal-provincial discussions or discussions with stakeholders.... In the course of our study I know we're going to be hearing from some witnesses who operate women's shelters. I represent a rural riding, and access to services there can be different from access in an urban centre.

I have two questions to whoever feels best placed to answer them. One concerns the impact of COVID on the services for stakeholders that you're dealing with. The second is whether there are special rural considerations that we should be considering as members of Parliament.

[Lisa Smylie]

With respect to women living in rural areas, according to 2018 police-reported data, women in rural areas experienced the highest overall rates of intimate partner violence in the country. I think that is significant to note for this study.

Given that fact, it's important to ensure that women living in rural areas particularly have access to supports and services in their area.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Thank you.

Do you have a general comment on the other part of my question, on the degree to which services are open and available? I know we're going to be hearing from some specific women's shelters, for example. Some people are surprised to hear that some services are still open and available. Others are, rather as we are today, “hybrid open” and available, doing things differently.

Do you have any input in that regard?

[Lisa Smylie]

As I mentioned, since the start of the pandemic, $100 million has been distributed to over 1,000 shelters, sexual assault centres and organizations providing services to women and children experiencing violence.

This has allowed the organizations to keep their doors open to continue providing these critical services. In particular, it has allowed them hire more staff to tailor some of their services to the pandemic context. They tailor some of their services to online in order to increase access, knowing that people cannot necessarily come in to the organization.

These organizations remain open, and the funding has allowed them to do that and to ensure that they have staff capacity to support, as I said, over 700,000 women and children during this pandemic.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Thank you.

Madam Chair, how much time do I have left?

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

You have a minute and 10 seconds.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

This is just a quick one for Nathalie Levman. It might not be quick.

We're talking about coercive control. That's part of the discussion we're having today, based on a motion from my colleague. There seems to be some uncertainty, at least on my part, based on some of the questions from some of the other members.

Is there a place we can go to get an exhaustive list of what will be captured by these things that fall short of what's currently in the Criminal Code? What's in the Criminal Code is already criminal, so we're talking about something different from that. I've heard some different examples, but where would be the most exhaustive list we could get of what would be seen as coercive control or things in a pattern of behaviour?

[Nathalie Levman]

I do think that probably one of your best sources is the U.K.'s statutory guidance framework for their prosecutors. I will send you that. A few pages in, it has a box with a full list of all of the behaviours they expect law enforcement to be looking for in this type of case. I think that might help.

[Rob Moore, Conservative, Fundy Royal, NB]

Yes, that would be helpful.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Iqra Khalid]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Kelloway, I have you up next for five minutes. Go ahead, sir.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Thank you, Madam Chair, and hello, colleagues.

To the witnesses today, thank you for this conversation. It's a very important one on so many different levels.

My questions will be directed to Ms. Smylie.

The pandemic has been challenging for Canadians from coast to coast to coast. That would probably be the understatement of the year.

Isolation measures, such as remote learning, physical distancing, self-isolating and quarantining can put some children at risk of physical, emotional, sexual and domestic abuse and neglect. I'm wondering, based on your research and understanding, what could be done to identify and respond more effectively to children who are victims of abuse and neglect in their homes during this pandemic.

[Lisa Smylie]

I don't have these exact statistics in front of me, so I'm going to have to follow up with you on this, but they are astounding. I will follow up on the increase in reports of child exploitation during the pandemic.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Thank you.

[Lisa Smylie]

I do know that Public Safety Canada and others in the safety portfolio are working on this issue of child exploitation, in terms of making sure that there are services available and making sure we can leverage technology to recognize victims.

Again, I don't have the specifics in what we're doing. I have to get back to the committee on that. However, these are some of the things under the federal strategy for gender-based violence that are in place to address child exploitation.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Thank you for that answer. We look forward to receiving that information.

I'd like to go a little deeper in some respects. If there were one area, Ms. Smylie, in which you feel this government could further support women, women's shelters and organizations that support women who are victims of domestic abuse, what would be that area—or areas—and why?

[Lisa Smylie]

What the pandemic has shown us is the critical services and support that community organizations provide to women every day. Making sure that we're providing funding to support the gender-based violence sector is one of the most important things we can do to support survivors, to prevent and end gender-based violence.

[Mike Kelloway, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

I'd like to continue with Ms. Smylie.

I think this was brought up by a previous MP, but I want to go back to it, in regard to women's organizations or shelters, or both. What changes have they made to adapt to the pandemic and the pandemic context?

[Lisa Smylie]

A perfect example of how some organizations have adapted their services or have leveraged to the best of their ability in the pandemic context is the Canadian Women's Foundation hand signal when they're isolated, not able to access or call for support or to access organizations. The Canadian Women's Foundation did a campaign to put out a hand signal to increase awareness and to ensure that when people see the hand signal—putting your palm to the camera, tucking in your thumb and closing your fist—they know it means, on a Zoom call like this, that someone is in trouble and needs help. That's one really great example.

Another one is that organizations are developing apps. There's the Arc app. Those who are experiencing gender-based violence can download the app and privately, securely and safely record the behaviours they're experiencing. They can upload photos or they can take video and can provide an evidence base for the abuse they're experiencing.