Special Committee on Indigenous Women Committee on May 23rd, 2013

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

I'm sure our analysts have probably spent some time on that.

Next, if I'm going to look at the comprehensiveness of your program and department, maybe you can help me as it relates to the issue that we are looking at. I know you have broader issues that you're looking at.

Status of Women Canada supported Sisters In Spirit in terms of the research project. Then they supported research in Evidence to Action, and then there's been a variety of grant-specific programs.

Is that reflecting the comprehensiveness of what your department is doing in terms of this issue?

[Linda Savoie]

That would reflect what the women's program is doing in terms of financial investment in communities and on such specific projects as Sisters In Spirit and Evidence to Action.

However, there is a whole other dimension to our work, which is to influence other government programs and policies that have other funds to invest on this issue. That's through our gender-based analysis responsibility.

We do use a number of other levers that are probably much more powerful than the actual funds we're investing. They are there to influence the way in which the entire federal family addresses their issue in terms of considering the issues of girls and women in their diversity, and therefore including aboriginal women and girls.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

I see in here this $9 million in 2011 project funding. Two are organizations that I know fairly well. One is in Kamloops, our White Buffalo...and there's the economic security and prosperity. I worked as a nurse in Mount Currie—that's many years ago now—and I see some programs there.

I see this myriad again of grant initiatives. Can you tell me how they—

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Could I have a very quick wrap-up to your question, please? Then I will need a very, very quick answer.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Okay.

Are any of the projects complete, and have they been evaluated?

[Linda Savoie]

Most of our projects are multi-year, so the majority of the projects you would have on your list are not complete. Once they are complete, whether it's two years or three years, we do some evaluations. Each project has a close-out assessment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Saganash, for five minutes.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

Is it five minutes or seven? It's five. Okay.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I would like to come back to what my colleague was saying earlier.

The 2013-2014 Status of Women Canada Report on Plans and Priorities states that: “In its policy function, SWC plays the role of a knowledge broker and facilitator, offering advice and support, conducting policy analyses, providing input and making strategic interventions at both domestic and international levels”. This is important.

My colleague referred to the recommendations of the second Universal Periodic Review Canada was the subject of quite recently, which again raised the issue of a national plan to fight violence against aboriginal women. Indeed, this had already been raised in 2009. I think that at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995, this matter had already been broached and recommendations had been made.

I think it is important to recognize the international contribution to this topic. The importance of this topic is acknowledged all over the world. This issue has also been discussed for a long time in our country.

I know that you referred to horizontal cooperation earlier, that is to say the cooperation that must exist among the various departments. I am going to repeat the question that was asked earlier. I would like to know who takes the lead during these discussions and collaborations. I am not trying to pin the blame on any department, but I would like to understand why this file is not moving forward, despite its importance and despite the fact that the issue remains just as urgent as ever, even as we speak.

[Sébastien Goupil]

As for who leads discussions and collaborative efforts within the federal government, I would answer that the responsibility is really shared, in light of the diversity of mandates. For instance, we asked the Department of Justice to take the initiative in developing a strategy for the $25-million investment over 5 years concerning the women who have been murdered or have disappeared. For its part, the Public Health Agency of Canada coordinates the government's efforts to eliminate family violence. Of course, one aspect of that violence is that it involves women and children.

As you mentioned, and I think it is important, Status of Women Canada plays an important role as a knowledge broker. For our part, we have taken the initiative in that it is through our efforts that the necessary contributions were brought together to allow the various federal departments, through our publications, to better understand the reality of women in general, but also the reality aboriginal women face.

The following example concerns a very timely, emerging topic, not only throughout Canada, but internationally as well. Increasingly, the involvement of men and boys is being discussed. When it is promoted, it is considered to be a fundamental aspect, especially in aboriginal communities. We favour a holistic approach to preventing violence. At Status of Women Canada, we took the initiative to enable our colleagues to better understand the issues. In the context of the White Ribbon Campaign, we prepared a background document which described the problem, explained it, and allowed the departments to determine where they could intervene.

[Romeo Saganash, NDP, Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou, QC]

With your permission, I am going to rephrase my question more clearly.

Given your role and your mandate as a government organization, can you tell us whether, yes or no, a national action plan is currently being prepared on this very serious issue?

[Sébastien Goupil]

Not to our knowledge.

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Thank you.

We go over to Mr. Goguen for five minutes.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the witnesses for being with us.

I have a brief question: is it necessary for a project to be described as a national plan in order to have 15 partners work together to try to end the problem?

[Linda Savoie]

The short answer is no. There are indeed a whole host of investments at this time. Although no strategy has been described as a national plan as such, there are certainly efforts being made by all of the departments who have a responsibility in this regard. They share information to try to make everything that is being done in the area complementary.

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

Unless I am mistaken, since 2011, $9 million has been allocated to the issue of violence against aboriginal women. This has been described as a horizontal cooperation among 15 departments, including Health Canada, which is the lead department. Obviously, we are talking here about an enormous cooperative effort.

Do any projects which work particularly well come to mind? If that is the case, to what do you attribute their success?

[Linda Savoie]

There have been some excellent collaborations, among the communities as well as among federal departments. Our cooperative efforts work particularly well when the issue has been brought to the fore by the community. In Quebec, for instance, there was a case where there were no services, or very few, available for child sexual assault victims in aboriginal communities, to allow them to receive support in their healing process. Sometimes, the legal system was involved. However, in cooperation with the justice department and certain local stakeholders, at the request of local aboriginal communities of course, we are now funding a project to train people in aboriginal communities so that they can provide this support. That is one example.

The fact that the needs were first of all identified by the community is one of the most important factors in the success of such projects. The communities are in the best position to tell us what the relevant needs are, at this point in their process.

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

In short, the 15 departments are continuing to cooperate to work on the elimination of this problem. They do not work separately, in isolation.

Are there any measures aimed at improving cooperation that you can tell us about?

[Linda Savoie]

I would say that at this time, it is probably difficult for the communities to know where to turn. It is very important that within the federal family, the agencies and departments provide clear information concerning what is going on and who can do what. Even if we are making great strides, there is certainly room for improvement in coordination and complementarity.

Moreover, our commitments to the communities must take into account their location, and their need to partner with us for a number of years, in certain cases. These are important factors in success. A program such as ours, which involves supportive care and attention that can last up to three years, contributes to the creation of more sustainable situations in the community. This certainly lays the groundwork for potential solutions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Thank you, Mr. Goguen.

We will go to Ms. Freeman for five minutes.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Thank you, Madam.

I'd like to start by asking about the women's program and the actual percentage of overall funding from Status of Women Canada in the women's program that goes to address violence against aboriginal women and girls. How is it decided where this money goes?

[Linda Savoie]

Our mandate is broad, as you know, and we have to address the issues that surface under all three of our pillars. Each year we establish calls for proposals, and that's where the bulk of the money tends to be spent. Of last year's calls, we invested the vast majority of our funds in projects that either addressed violence or in projects that were specifically targeting girls.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

With respect to “Working Together: Engaging Communities to End Violence Against Women and Girls”, could you tell us what percentage was attributed to ending violence for aboriginal women and girls, whether on or off reserve?

[Linda Savoie]

That's the call that was closed in the fall, and under that call we had 3 of the 27 successful projects for aboriginal communities. In the same year, our girls call had 8 of the 35 projects that targeted aboriginal communities, so, yes, I do have statistics. The rural call, for instance, the results of which were announced a year ago, had 12 of the 55 projects that were with aboriginal communities.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Would it be possible to get that information to the clerk so that all members of the committee can have it?

[Linda Savoie]

Certainly.