Special Committee on Indigenous Women Committee on May 2nd, 2013

[Lynn Barr-Telford]

They're not a part of what I am talking about, in terms of where we receive our data.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

But they're gone, anyway, right?

[Lynn Barr-Telford]

We receive our data from police services or from Canadians who self-report on their experiences with victimization.

There certainly are opportunities, perhaps, to explore the feasibility of looking across other data sources to see if there are opportunities to fill some of these gaps in other data sources that we have not necessarily explored.

There are opportunities to look at the general social survey, ensuring that the resources are there to look at whether or not there are needed enhancements and those kinds of areas.

Rebecca can talk about some of the work with respect to police services that have been undertaken, which we've dialogued on, in terms of data gaps.

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Thank you very much.

Now, I would suggest—

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Rebecca was just going to finish that, I think.

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

I'm sorry, you're out of time.

I will say that it is now five minutes to eight. We could continue with one more round, or I would also entertain a motion to adjourn.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Would you entertain a motion to let Rebecca answer the question?

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Yes, Ms. Glover, you have a question?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

I would like to continue, if it's okay.

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Okay. It's the government's turn, so for five minutes, Ms. Glover.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Mr. Tupper, joint task forces have not been addressed, and I know our government has spent some funds providing the opportunity for the RCMP to work with local police agencies. I know in Winnipeg, for example, there is a joint task force, and there are joint task forces working on the missing and murdered aboriginal cases themselves.

Can you tell us a little about the joint task forces and what they're doing?

[Shawn Tupper]

I can't tell you a whole lot, in the sense that it would be an RCMP responsibility.

It does pick up a little on the different lenses the committee might want to consider, in terms of how you look at the issues. It isn't just about the family violence initiative. It is about how policing services work together. I mentioned earlier the economics of policing, how we can look at better policing models that allow us to better gather the data and do the kind of reporting that gets us some of the answers to the questions you're trying to confront.

Certainly the joint task forces are a really effective means, and have proven to be an effective means, for us to share our services, which allow us to do more complete investigations. They allow us to share our intelligence better, and we get better results as a result.

Clearly the federal government is able to support the responsibility of provincial and territorial governments to police in their jurisdictions, so those task forces become important as a signal from the federal government of its priorities and how it invests in its partnership with provincial and territorial authorities.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

I appreciate that, because I know they do some tremendous work, and they really do take this to heart, trying to help find some closure for these families and to find these girls.

We also haven't mentioned yet, and Madame Lavoie could probably answer this the best.... I was very proud to take part in a funding announcement for Eagle Women Lodge out of the Native Women's Transition Centre in Winnipeg. I'm reading from their website. Their goals are “to begin to heal the vicious cycle of inter-generational family dysfunction experienced by many Manitoban Aboriginal families”. Those are their words.

Of course, these are women who are transitioning from prison, and that's why I think Madame Lavoie could answer. The federal government does provide many programs. Many of these women unfortunately were kicked off reserve; they had no rights, they became exploited in the sex trade, and they then got involved in drugs and alcohol and unfortunately committed crimes that led them to jail.

The federal government has put forward an awful lot of programs that I'm very proud of. My mother worked in the jail for kids in Manitoba for her career. She worked with aboriginal kids her entire life. She lives in an aboriginal community and works in an aboriginal resource centre.

I want you to tell us a little about some of the programs the federal government has put forward to help those women, who unfortunately have fallen through the cracks, to transition back to a life that helps them.

[Kimberly Lavoie]

You're talking specifically about aboriginal women. One of the best practices is the aboriginal healing lodges.

Okimaw Ohci in Saskatchewan is a healing lodge designated specifically for aboriginal women who have had horrible experiences and who really want to follow a healing path and reconnect with their culture and go back to the community in a good way. In addition, there is a section 81 agreement in Edmonton with Buffalo Sage Healing Centre. There are 16 beds in that facility, which was opened last year.

Those two facilities certainly play a huge role in allowing aboriginal women to be able to reconnect and to get the programming they need from elders and spiritual advisers, from people who understand their experience coming from reserve and moving to urban centres, and this has allowed them to transition back quite well.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

That's very good. Thank you for mentioning those facilities. I've been to the facility in Saskatchewan. It was absolutely amazing. Again, the stories that came out of the women I met there...very much the women who were kicked off reserve, who have no rights, who can't take care of their children because their children are taken away from them.

I'm sorry to harp on this, but Bill S-2, the matrimonial rights bill for aboriginal women on reserve, is an absolute godsend, and I hope to God that we prevent more women from falling into that cycle and perhaps falling victim to the next perpetrator and becoming the next missing or murdered aboriginal woman. I wanted to make sure we got that on the record.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Thank you, Ms. Glover. And thank you to all our witnesses for being here. It was very illuminating testimony.

That brings to an end meeting 4 of this committee. Thank you all. Good night.