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

[Lynn Barr-Telford]

In terms of integration and partnerships, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics at Statistics Canada is an operational arm of what is known as the national justice statistics initiative. This is a federal, provincial, and territorial partnership in which all the partners are at the table to discuss data needs, to discuss operational plans, to determine priorities, and to discuss data gaps and how we might, in a partnership, endeavour to fill some of those data gaps.

We also sit at multiple tables, including a table with police services. We call it POLIS, our police information statistics groups. We sit with heads of Corrections in another group, in which we discuss data needs.

So there are multiple mechanisms that we have in place that help us to govern and to make decisions on priorities for data.

[Robert Goguen, Conservative, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Do I have any time left?

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

A little bit, a minute.

[Robert Goguen, Conservative, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Okay.

I noted that Statistics Canada does not collect information on missing or disappeared persons. Fair enough, but obviously this is a truly serious issue. I'm wondering if we do have any kind of hard data on exactly how many aboriginal women are missing.

I note that the Native Women's Association estimates there are approximately 600 aboriginal women who have gone missing or have been murdered. Do any of your departments have any kind of a ballpark, anything firm to confirm this data?

[Lynn Barr-Telford]

As you very correctly observed, we do not gather information on missing persons. The information that we do gather, particularly in terms of our homicide surveys on homicides that have been confirmed and reported to us, is through police services.

We haven't actually looked at that data source or explored the possibilities with that data source, to be quite honest. I'm not in a position to provide you with any information around the numbers you're requesting.

[Robert Goguen, Conservative, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

I guess it begs one further question, and that is, why?

[Lynn Barr-Telford]

It's an area that we haven't talked about with our multiple various partners in terms of how we might even look towards assessing feasibility of this information. It's an area that exists in a different program, where they are collecting information. It's certainly something that has not yet come to our table for dialogue in terms of various areas to move forward.

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Thank you very much.

To Ms. Crowder for five minutes.

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

Doesn't he get at least one more “why”?

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Thank you.

I have a question for Ms. Barr-Telford. Our very capable analyst provided some background for us, and apparently your department does a general social survey, the GSS.

I have a paper here called “Whitewashing Criminal Justice in Canada: Preventing Research through Data Suppression”. It was in the Canadian Journal of Law and Society in 2011. They indicate that as of the year 1999, the GSS started incorporating analysis of victimization by race or ethnicity. However, these variables are not available in the public-use versions of the data that are routinely available for university researchers.

They've indicated that this one is a tool for practical longitude analysis of victimization. Can you comment on that? Is information available to university researchers that would be useful for this committee to look at?

[Lynn Barr-Telford]

I'm not familiar with the specifics around that particular paper, so I can't comment on it directly.

In terms of access to information at Statistics Canada, it depends on where that information can be disseminated, so in circumstances, for example, where the quality is appropriate and where there is no divulgence of confidential information.

There are multiple mechanisms through which data can be obtained. We have a network of research data centres across the country that researchers can access information from. We have custom tabulation services. As you may know, the information on our website has recently been made free of charge, so our whole large database at StatsCan can now be accessed free of charge in many cases. There is a lot of information there.

There are multiple mechanisms at play at Statistics Canada, whereby data users can clearly access information from us.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

To take this to the next step, then, am I to assume that we would have to find out which universities were using that data in order to look at the longitudinal victimization?

[Lynn Barr-Telford]

I'm not familiar with the paper, as I said. The general social survey is not a longitudinal survey; it's a cross-sectional survey that we conduct every five years. The theme that we collect on changes over time.

Information on the victimization cycle, for example, is collected on a different cycle. This particular survey we collect every five years. So the last time we collected it we would have historical information available, but it's not a longitudinal survey that follows the same respondents over time.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

I think they were indicating that the universities could use it for a longitudinal analysis, because information had been collected since 1999. That's what I'm presuming they were saying, because they would have the historical data.

[Lynn Barr-Telford]

It's not by design a longitudinal survey. For longitudinal surveys you follow the same respondents over time on multiple occasions. This is a cross-sectional survey, so we're not following the same individuals over time.

I'm not familiar with the specificities around the types of analyses they may or may not have been referring to.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Do I still have time?

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Yes, you have one and a half minutes.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Great.

I want to come back to the Department of Aboriginal Affairs. In your remarks you were indicating the work that's being undertaken with regard to child welfare and child protection services. It's probably not a surprise that I'm going to ask this question. I wonder if you could comment on why the department has continued to pursue the case at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal on the underfunding of child and family services, child welfare services, particularly since, given the increases that have happened over the last number of years, there is a tacit acknowledgement that there was underfunding for the services.

I wonder if you could comment on why that case continues to be pursued at the Human Rights Tribunal.

[Françoise Ducros]

I actually can't comment on the case. I can certainly say that the government believes we are funding child and family services and that there's more funding to do. We're using the enhanced prevention approach, and we're continuing to roll that out.

I can't really comment on the case.

Sheilagh is the expert on this particular issue.

[Sheilagh Murphy]

Since that case was launched in 2007, there's been significant augmentation of resources for the child and family services program. We're now at $630 million a year, which is a significant increase, even from 2007. There's an additional $100 million a year going into child and family services over what there was when the case was launched in 2007.

[Jean Crowder, NDP, Nanaimo—Cowichan, BC]

Have you done a comparability to—

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Thank you.

To end the round, we'll have five minutes with Ms. Truppe.

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you for your briefings. I found them very informative. The stats are very alarming. Clearly there's still more to be done.

Our government is very committed to helping women and girls. The Minister for Status of Women has done a great job in trying to bring more awareness to ending violence against women and girls. I know she's funded over 600 projects.

I just want to ask you something, Françoise. I think one of the members opposite asked a question, and you were talking about best practices. You said Status of Women Canada has some of the best practices. I was just wondering if you could elaborate on what you meant by that.

[Françoise Ducros]

No. What I said was that Status of Women Canada has amalgamated some of the best practices internationally, which they have gathered. They've put together a compendium on that.

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

Thank you.

In your comments, you mentioned that since 2006 the Government of Canada has invested approximately $205.8 million in the family violence prevention program. How does that help women and children?