Do I have any time left?
Evidence of meeting #82 for Official Languages in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was alberta.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #82 for Official Languages in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was alberta.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:20 a.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Do I have any time left?
11:20 a.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Where did you get your numbers, Mr. Salter?
11:20 a.m.
Executive Director, Provincial Employment Roundtable
They're from the census.
11:20 a.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
All the figures you mentioned in your opening statement come from Statistics Canada's last census.
11:20 a.m.
Executive Director, Provincial Employment Roundtable
That is correct. We also did some in‑house analysis. The information is available on our website and is included in the brief we will be submitting.
11:20 a.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Your numbers surprised me. Obviously, I assume you are referring specifically to anglophones in Quebec.
11:20 a.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
I will leave it there, but I have to tell you I find those numbers quite surprising.
11:20 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Thank you, Mr. Généreux.
There will be an opportunity to follow up.
The next questioner is Ms. Kayabaga, from the Liberal Party.
Go ahead, Ms. Kayabaga. You have six minutes.
11:20 a.m.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning.
Welcome to the witnesses.
Ms. Enayeh, you said that francophone women face immigration challenges.
Could you elaborate on that?
What do you recommend to address those challenges?
11:20 a.m.
President, Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne
The AFFC did a study on the specific needs of francophone immigrant women, and we learned that they face tremendous challenges because of intersecting identity factors.
Women who immigrate here shoulder many burdens that women who are already settled may not, including intersecting identity factors and challenges specific to the immigration process. All of those needs are outlined in the AFFC's study.
It is our hope that the reality of francophone immigrant women will be viewed differently because they have very different needs.
11:20 a.m.
Executive Director, Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne
May I add something?
11:20 a.m.
Executive Director, Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne
On a concrete level, they need access to mental health services, among other things.
Oftentimes, immigrant women are under pressure to not only immigrate successfully as fully contributing women, but also look after their families.
Therefore, we could certainly provide a number of suggestions if there is time.
11:20 a.m.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
Ms. Enayeh, you said you wanted the government to automatically allocate core funding to francophone women's organizations.
Can you talk a bit more about that?
As you know, in Canada, the provinces are fairly independent. That money would have to go to the provinces.
How could we make sure the needs you talked about are addressed?
11:20 a.m.
President, Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne
I'll give you a real-life example.
British Columbia, a province with no policy on French-language services, has only one organization that supports francophone women experiencing violence.
It is closing its doors in March for lack of funding. Precisely because the province is under no obligation to provide services in French, the organization does not receive any core funding.
Francophone women in British Columbia will no longer have any service in their language.
11:25 a.m.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
You said that much of the work you do is aimed at eliminating gender-based violence.
This weekend, we were able to keep the measure to provide funding for that purpose, even though the Conservatives voted against it during the 30‑hour voting marathon.
Can you talk a bit more about why you need that funding to help francophone women in Canada?
11:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne
Certainly.
If I may, I'd like to tell you about something that happened to our organization.
During the pandemic, on top of everything else, the AFFC was the victim of an attack. We received a suspicious package. It had a message saying—I apologize for this language—that a woman's place was in the kitchen, that immigrant women do not belong in Canada and that if we didn't listen, we would get a beating.
That is actually what the message in the package that was sent to us said. It was a real shock. I still get goosebumps when I tell the story. That is what happened. As an organization, we were attacked.
Imagine being a francophone woman living in a rural or urban community of a province or territory where there is no service.
We need services. We need prevention. We need to change society's mindset. We need a society that is fair, just and safe for everyone.
We need shelters, but above all, we need to raise awareness and educate people in order to prevent violence. Those are things we have to keep an eye on.
We need a real investment that reflects francophone women and their needs.
As I said, having access to services in French is a luxury in some regions, but it shouldn't be.
11:25 a.m.
Liberal
Arielle Kayabaga Liberal London West, ON
You brought up mental health. The Conservatives also voted against that support during the 30‑hour voting marathon we had this weekend. Luckily, we were able to keep that support.
Can you tell us how you would like to access that mental health funding?
11:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne
We absolutely need French-language services for mental health prevention and support. Mental health tends to be thought of only when a person is in crisis. Women carry a huge mental load, worrying about a million things at once. I may be here speaking with you, but I'm also a caregiver, so I have to go back home, look after my mother and pick up her medication. I have to think about my spouse and my family. I have to do my job. I'll be honest with you. Those are all things my spouse doesn't necessarily think about. That is the daily reality for a woman.
On top of that, when you don't have any services, when you don't have a place to call, when you can't afford to pay for services or when they are not available in your region, it's challenging. It's important to keep in mind that an entire population is struggling with mental health issues, especially after the pandemic. We are in dire need of French-language services by and for francophones.
I cannot stress that enough.
11:25 a.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Thank you, Ms. Boutiyeb.
Our next questioner is the second vice-chair of the committee.
Go ahead, Mr. Beaulieu. You have six minutes.
11:25 a.m.
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to our witnesses. My first questions are for the Provincial Employment Roundtable representatives.
Generally speaking, where do you get your funding?
11:25 a.m.
Executive Director, Provincial Employment Roundtable
Generally, our funding comes from the Province of Quebec. This last fiscal year, I would say that about 94% of our funding came from Quebec. We also received a small amount of funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage.