Special Committee on Indigenous Women Committee on May 30th, 2013

[Claudette Dumont-Smith]

I'll let Irene, who is the director of that program, respond to that.

[Irene Goodwin]

There was a lot of good work. Of course, we have a number of reports that were generated from the Sisters In Spirit project. A lot of analysis was done. We were able to break down the various differences with respect to the provinces. Some western provinces, for example, have a higher rate of missing or murdered. As our president indicated, this could be due to racism. In another area, let's say in the eastern area, where the statistics aren't as high, it may have been due to reporting issues. There is no quick and fast answer.

However, the Sisters In Spirit project did in fact generate a lot of material that was not known before. If there was any good and positive outcome, it was the generation of this information that actually brought to the platform and the awareness of many people the issue of the extreme violence that aboriginal women and girls are experiencing, and the numbers of missing and murdered, which hadn't been recorded prior. If there was any value—and I know you might be saying, “Well, what is $5 million?”—this information itself is the true value. No dollar value can be placed on these lives.

Certainly the Sisters In Spirit project did generate a number of resource materials. We communicated with a great number of families. We travelled right across Canada to talk about the various issues. I would advise the committee to look at the various fact sheets that we generated by region to see what the differences are. We do know that, for example, about 87% of the aboriginal women and girls who did go missing were mothers. Certainly this research pointed to the fact that there is a continuing need to examine what's actually taking place there. If we're talking about root causes and addressing the potential impacts in the future, we really need this information. This is a valuable project in terms of the research it generated which didn't exist previously.

When we're looking at what's going on moving forward, we need to continue this type of research. As our executive director stated, the last two projects, Evidence to Action I and Evidence to Action II, don't continue this type of research, but that doesn't mean the issues haven't continued. In fact, more questions have resulted. Just looking at the children, for example, what are the needs of the men who now find themselves to be single fathers? That's a different type of needs assessment which needs to take place.

We also need to know what happens to the children of these mothers who have gone missing. Have they been placed into the child welfare system, and is this creating a roundabout cycle? How many of them, in turn, become victims of this type of violent crime? We do know from some of our very basic research, which we weren't able to publish, there is a cycle in which a mother would go missing, and then the daughter would go missing years later. In some particular family lines, several individuals have gone missing.

There's certainly a need for continuing research. If there's anything we could put forward here, it would be to encourage governments to take a better look at what the missing pieces are. The Sisters In Spirit project identified a lot of factors that come into play, but there are too many to mention here. I know that Michèle started on them. Poverty is a big one, as is homelessness. There is also the lack of education, and the lack of employment opportunities. Sometimes it has to do with the geographic location.

We also have issues regarding educational policy, for example. If a young person in a remote area has to go into a neighbouring non-aboriginal community, that young person may not have the necessary skills to go into that community and survive in that environment. We do know that a lot of our girls as well went missing when they moved from remote communities to an urban environment, either for education or for employment.

A lot of these facts and this kind of data were not known prior to Sisters In Spirit.

There was a lot of anecdotal evidence, but no peer statistics that actually said, “Look, this is what's happening out there”. There's certainly value in the Sisters in Spirit project that generated that type of research. We have moved forward with trying to action that research with the Evidence to Action projects and generate those kinds of tools and resources that can begin to address the kind of situation we're facing.

Certainly the work really points to the need for continuing research and continuing analysis as to what's going on. I think we've only uncovered the tip of the iceberg in terms of this particular work with that project.

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Thank you.

[Claudette Dumont-Smith]

Could I comment?

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Sure.

[Claudette Dumont-Smith]

I think even with NWAC and what happened with Sisters in Spirit, the focus was on missing and murdered aboriginal women, and that was warranted because of the sheer numbers. The Native Women's Association has changed our department name. We now call it violence prevention and safety. Because we got the funds for Sisters in Spirit, we focused on the missing and murdered, which is the extreme of violence. Now we have to bring it back to look at the high rates of violence in the communities and in the home. I think that's what the committee wants to look at too. Your goal is the root causes of violence. Are you looking at it from that aspect, or is it at the other end of the spectrum?

It's important that we bring it back to the preventative part as well. In the aboriginal community, it's the normalization of violence. There's not enough prevention. NWAC, as I said, was so focused on that. We were mandated to look at the missing and murdered, so we sort of left that by the wayside. We want to now look at that, as well as the missing and murdered. The two are related, but you're addressing one very extreme and one where you could start to look at the preventative aspect.

When we look at the root causes of violence in communities or in the home, it's poverty. Look at divorce rates. One of the main reasons couples get divorced is financial. You can imagine that when you live in poverty day in and day out, it generates a lot of negativity.

Young people now are exposed to violence in the media, but they're also exposed to lifestyle, the life that everybody lives that they don't live. They live in a shack. They might have running water. They don't even have a bedroom. They're exposed through television to a life where everybody has a car. Do you know what I mean? All this generates feelings of frustration because they have no money to do things and no places to go.

The committee has to look at that. The two are related, but they're different.

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Thank you.

Over to you, Madam Bennett.

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

Thank you very much.

To the witnesses, thank you for coming. Thank you as always for your almost therapeutic approach to this huge topic, where you bring hope and concrete suggestions. We thank you for that. We thank you for all the work you've done.

We want to make sure that you give us some homework for the summer, the things you think we need to have read by the time we come back in the fall. I hope at that time you will give us a test regarding all of the recommendations in your fact sheets.

The workbook that was produced from the wonderful conference you held in April in Edmonton was extraordinary. We were very blessed that the Library of Parliament took it upon themselves to send our analysts. So thank you for being there. I hope that all who couldn't be there might be provided with a copy of the workbook, which I think really sets the tone for the work we need to do together.

I also thank you for remembering the women and girls that have been lost, and the families who now have this big hole.

My questions will be mainly about how we can work together, in terms of making sure we're always focused on the human face, as you said; how, as we do our work, we can continue to keep up to date on the women lost on a weekly basis; keeping a focus on the families; and the need for a special event. I don't know what your advice would be around the October 4 vigil—whether there would be a way to receive them as they come to the Hill. If you have some advice about that and about travel—in the motion the committee is prepared to travel and if you had advice for the committee as to whether that should be the Highway of Tears, or whether you feel the testimony in the previous studies has been done—we hope for your wise counsel.

As well, we are going to need to work together in terms of how the witness list is drawn up. As you say, it's not only about adding people to the witness list but how it's organized in our work. I would welcome your expertise as to who would be the better witnesses for each of the three areas and what would constitute a better panel. I am having a bit of trouble with the format of three witnesses for one hour each. Look at how the time has flown this evening. We have just the three of you and almost two hours has gone by already.

I would hope that you would work with the chair and the clerk and the analysts to give us your very best recommendations. We have put in our witness list but perhaps you could help organize this for us. I think that if they're helter-skelter all over the place, we're not going to get the stories and the narrative in a way that is in keeping with the work you've already done.

I also think that in your Evidence to Action...I would like us at some point to deal with the role of government, what works, what doesn't work, what costs money, what costs too much money, what costs nothing at all. In a national action plan, how would you get this interface between all the work that's been done on the ground and what government needs to be doing? We are always thinking about the recommendations that would come from here.

One other area that we heard a bit about was the Oskayak youth conference. Madam Goodwin was talking about young women and girls fleeing foster care and that's probably not been well done in Parliament. There's the huge effect of what happens if someone has to flee abusive or violent situations and that begets the cycle....

Other than with three appearances at the committee, do you have any thoughts on how you think we could work together between those appearances?

[Michèle Audette]

I will also let Irene speak.

I think it is important that the committee chair and I dialogue as often as possible about this. I am game for exchange and dialogue. Perhaps I will have to disagree with her, and it is healthy and normal to disagree, but I want to feel that I am a stakeholder in the process where we are addressing issues of human dignity and human lives.

It is currently easier for us to meet with other ministers on other issues. In fact, I meet with two ministers every two weeks to discuss very specific topics with them.

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

The other piece around the families, how do we as a committee get out to the families to let them know that we want to hear from them, even from the ones who've never been able....

What kind of communication strategy would you have for us to be able to find and hear from families?

[Michèle Audette]

Ms. Bennett, I must first tell you that we don't have the financial or human resources capacity to meet with all the families. It would be pretentious of us to tell you it's what the families want. So it is important to be cautious.

However, we do have a network of families who are willing to testify. It is up to you to invite them, since it is your initiative. It's a federal government initiative that is welcomed by some groups, including the Native Women's Association of Canada. It's up to you to invite those families, and we can support you in that exercise.

It would be interesting to invite them for October 4, 2013. That's a very good idea, because a lot of families will be here on Parliament Hill and in other areas, as you mentioned. However, the request must come from your committee. We would be pleased to help you with that. As long as I am president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, I cannot claim to speak on behalf of the families, but I will support you if you send them an invitation. You should send them an invitation. You will see that these people are remarkable.

[The Chair, Conservative, Stella Ambler]

Thank you very much.

Over to you, Ms. Truppe.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here as well.

Irene, you talked about the Sisters in Spirit initiative. It certainly sounds like that $5 million was money well spent.

You mentioned something and I wasn't sure if I heard right or not. I think you said that you found many of them went missing after they moved from a rural to an urban area. Did you say that?

[Irene Goodwin]

Yes.

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

I was surprised at that. I would have thought it would be the other way, or that it would help them to move into an urban area.

Claudette, you mentioned that you don't support trafficking and prostitution. I want to let you know that we certainly don't support that either. In fact, you might already know this, but our government passed Bill C-310, an anti-trafficking bill. It was an amendment to the Criminal Code to provide for stiffer sentences for extraterritorial offences. We have a very hard-working colleague on our side of the House who is always advocating against trafficking. I'm glad to hear that as well.

I'm not sure who mentioned that there was a lot of work done and a lot of reports, and you found out a lot of information on the missing aboriginal girls. Since 2006, the government has provided $205 million for the family violence program, so I'm assuming it didn't come from there.

Was that funding from Evidence to Action I and II or was that funding from somewhere else?

[Claudette Dumont-Smith]

Could you repeat that last part—the $25 million, you said?

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

No, I was saying that I know there was $205 million that was with the family violence prevention program, I think since 2006. I'm assuming that's probably not it.

When you talked about all the work you were doing and the studies and everything, would that funding have come from the Evidence to Action I and II or was it from something else?

[Claudette Dumont-Smith]

No, all the money we have received to address violence, to my knowledge, and I have knowledge of what goes on at NWAC, has been from Status of Women Canada funding, through Evidence to Action I and II, and Sisters in Spirit prior to that.

We did apply for funding from Justice Canada and Public Safety Canada, but we were denied.

That's where we are. We continue to submit proposals, but those are the facts. That's where we got money in the past, since 2005, I believe.

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

Great. So Status of Women is giving you some for the different initiatives. It looks like you have done really well with what you've had.

The almost $2 million for Evidence to Action II, which was to strengthen the ability of communities, governments, educators, including the Canadian Police College, post-secondary institutions, as well as elementary and high schools.... It was to address the root causes of violence against aboriginal women and girls.

Did you undertake any types of activities and training to share this information with aboriginal women and girls? How did you get it out to them?

[Claudette Dumont-Smith]

I'm going to ask Irene to speak to that. We did a lot of work in that area. She just finished another interim report, so she'll give you the answers.

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

Great. Thank you. It's her baby.

[Irene Goodwin]

One of the big pieces that came out is the community resource guide. Within this resource guide is a number of tool kits. I think there are 10 tool kits in it. There is a number of mechanisms in there. There's also a particular piece that addresses the root causes.

Most certainly this type of tool and resource is being utilized by a wide variety of people. We were surprised, when we did our reporting and looked at the number of people who are accessing it, by the broad range. We have the RCMP in one area utilizing this particular tool and resource to train their cadets, and we also have educators—secondary and public school teachers—who are using this particular resource for informing their student populations, and in particular native studies. We also have victims services looking at this tool. They all use it differently. It's a very, very big resource with a lot of supplemental pieces.

We constantly are asked for additional pieces to augment that. For example, policing agencies want an accompanying training manual, or teachers want question and answer sheets to quiz their students. These are the kinds of secondary pieces that we don't have covered within Evidence to Action I or II, but certainly looking forward we can identify how we can move these particular tools and resources forward.

Part of Evidence to Action II, and this may answer some of the questions that were raised earlier, is that we do convene families yearly. We have an annual family gathering. This might be a mechanism the committee might want to resource to be able to meet families.

We, of course, do the annual October 4 vigils. Again, we're just starting supplementary planning on that process and are trying to figure out what that day will look like. We're still in the early stages. We would welcome conversations with this committee to see how you can get involved in that process as well.

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

It's like a teaching tool for various organizations to teach the girls and women.

[Irene Goodwin]

Essentially the ETA project provides moving the research component that was derived from the Sisters in Spirit project into action, hence the title of the project, Evidence to Action. All of our work and materials is to get those particular research pieces out to various segments of the Canadian population. I think we're doing a fabulous job. We've certainly had a lot of increase in demand. In fact, the demand for products has exceeded our printing and translation—

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

That's great.