Status of Women Committee on Dec. 6th, 2006

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much, Ms. Lewis.

We have time for one more questioner for this panel.

Ms. Guergis.

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Thanks very much, all of you, for being here today.

I made some comments as I've been listening to you, so I'll just go through my notes here. Many times I have actually spoken on the changes that we're making with respect to the funding and it's always been my understanding that the money would be redirected. I'm not sure how there could be a miscommunication out there, except for a lot of rhetoric and politics at play here. Unfortunately, you didn't get that message, but the message has always been there, and it will be redirected. My colleague spoke a bit about where that money will go.

When you're talking about the $10.8 million that will continue to be maintained in the spending and in the programs, that $5 million we found in savings is almost 50% of the $10.8 million that you're going to see that goes back out into the community. I'm hearing such doom and gloom here as I'm listening to all of you. I'm hearing these questions come to you that, “What do you think is going to happen?” Or, “What is going to happen?” And I don't have a crystal ball. I've got to tell you I'm a bit disturbed that you just all of a sudden have just decided to write off any plan that we may have in place, to write off any of the women who are in this caucus and think that we're not going to stand up for women and that our plan isn't going to produce some results. Why are you so determined to completely write off any change?

What's wrong with the Internet? Everybody is using it now. Why can't we have an application? Why can't they go to libraries in the small communities and use the Internet? They still have access to the other offices to give them services and take them through that. That's very forward thinking. If you want to talk about grassroots, you have to be able to reach out to those smaller organizations, to others who want to apply for this money at the same time. So I would like you to comment on that and see if you can try to be a bit more positive about where you think we, as Conservative women, may be going.

Thanks for that, very much. But you know something? We also were elected to take a look at spending. We weren't elected to continue with all of the Liberal programs the way they were. That's not what we were asked to do. We were told very clearly, “Take a look at the spending and if you can do it better, please do it better.” And for anyone to expect to believe that every Liberal program and every program that was in place was actually delivering on exactly what it was intended to do is just not realistic. And Canadians know that's not realistic.

Now to give you a bit about me, before you decide that I have no clue about what I'm talking about, I was a volunteer at rape crisis and trained in crisis intervention. I did seven and a half years and this was about thirteen years ago. And I can tell you that nothing's changed. I don't see any substantial changes, in speaking with even the volunteers who continue to do some of the work that I did with them back them. We haven't seen real hard-core change on the front line in terms of who's been violated and what we're doing to solve that problem. We have some great ideas and we are going to move forward with them. And I do hope that we would have your support when we do that because I think it would be very important to do that.

Please don't just write us off and think that anything we're suggesting here is not valuable or not with the greatest intentions, because it absolutely is.

[Andrée Côté]

Just for the record, women's organizations have been fighting tooth and nail for women's equality over the last 25 years and more, and we're certainly going to continue doing that.

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

And so will we, here.

[Andrée Côté]

What we see are measures being taken in the face of such huge surpluses that this government has rarely seen--cutting and change. It's not so much the funding cuts. It's the changing of the mandate and changing of the mission of the women's program that we are all pointing out--

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

The mandate of the Status of Women Canada has not changed.

[Andrée Côté]

There is a huge equality deficit--

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Ms. Guergis--

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

This is my time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Allow the witness to answer, please.

[Andrée Côté]

There's an equality deficit in this country, and what has been done is a dismantling of the accountability mechanisms within government to ensure that the state does take its constitutional and international human rights obligations seriously. Allowing for-profit organizations or religious organizations to deliver services in communities is a way of ensuring that there is no accountability--

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Point of order, Madam Chair.

[Andrée Côté]

--and that there is no way of guaranteeing that this will in fact benefit women.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Ms. Côté, could I interrupt for one moment please?

A point of order has been raised by Ms. Guergis.

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Thank you.

I do want to clarify here that since 1976 the official legal mandate of Status of Women Canada has been “To coordinate policy with respect to the status of women and administer related programs”. That didn't change. We didn't change that. That is the official legal mandate.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you.

We have very limited time. There's a minute left for anyone who wanted to complete a response to Ms. Guergis.

[Sherry Lewis]

I just want to put forward that at this time of the year it would be nice to be hopeful that things are going to come the way you're planning.

I think you're hearing, as well, that your communications strategy on what your plans are is not effective, because at the forefront of what we're doing, we're the people who come forward with all the voices of grassroots women, and we haven't heard, as a member on this side said, about the redirection of funds.

Had we known, when the cuts were going to occur, that “Here is the enhancement”, we would have had a more balanced approach to this. But because we were just hit with cuts, now it's “What are you going to do?”

If it had come in equally, with “here are enhancements”—or “here are enhancements” first, and then, “Now here's what we're going to take away”.... It was just the way in which it was delivered.

We certainly have high hopes that you're going to put forward excellent plans that are going to make those improvements. What you're hearing is our experience with the lack of trust, in that what you're taking away was truly going to be beneficial.

We certainly have high hopes that we're going to see an excellent plan come forward from your membership, and that we will be able to truly benefit and continue with the work we have.

You're just hearing a lot of nervousness here. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you all very much. We have to—

Is there a point of order?

[Belinda Stronach, Liberal, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Madam Chair, on a point of order, we were referring to the women's program—to the change in the mandate of the women's program, not to the department of the Status of Women. The words, “equality”, and “political and legal aspects” have been removed from the mandate of the women's program.

[Helena Guergis, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Of which none of the funding has changed.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Could we please have some order?

I want to thank the presenters very much. It's been very informative. Thank you very much.

We are going to suspend for five minutes for the other panel members to come forward.

To my colleagues, there are some sandwiches here for you.

I will suspend for five minutes. Thank you very much for coming.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

I will resume our meeting so that we can continue on.

We have with us in this panel from the Fédération des femmes du Québec, Charlotte Thibault. From the Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women--Newfoundland and Labrador, we have Leslie MacLeod, the president. From the United Nations Platform for Action Committee Manitoba, we have Jennifer deGroot, the project coordinator. From the Disabled Women's Network of Canada, we have Monika Chappell. Monika is not here at the moment, but hopefully she will join us shortly. From the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women, we have Lise Martin.

Thank you very much for coming.

I would ask Ms. Thibault to lead off.

[Charlotte Thibault, Member, Fédération des femmes du Québec]

My name is Charlotte Thibault and I have been a member of the Fédération des femmes du Québec since 1979.

I have been interested in the work of Status of Women Canada and the Women's Program since 1982. Seventeen years ago today, 14 young women who were students at the École polytechnique in Montreal were killed by a man who had a grudge against feminists. They were the symbol of our fight for equality. They were young, intelligent and wanted to work in a field that was reserved for men. Seventeen years ago, a friend of mine lost her daughter; at the time I was the Director General of the Fédération des femmes du Québec. Seventeen years ago seems like an eternity, like a mere moment. I'm sure that you understand why, on this highly symbolic day, the Chair of the Fédération des femmes du Québec could not leave Montreal.

The FFQ is an autonomous feminist organization that works in solidarity and alliance with other groups to change the gender relations in all human activities, so as to encourage the full autonomous development of women and the true recognition of what they contribute to society.

Founded in 1976 by Thérèse Casgrain, the FFQ represents 156 associate members and almost 800 individual members from all regions of Quebec. The main objectives of the FFQ are to promote and defend the rights and interests of women and to combat all forms of violence, discrimination, marginalization or exclusion of women.

The FFQ is a clearing house that represents the pluralism of Quebec society and the diversity of the women's movement, particularly women living in poverty or women who are the victims of discrimination based primarily on their colour, their ethnic origin, their sexual orientation, their disability, their age, their religion, or their lifestyle.

The FFQ has made a series of findings related to the cutbacks at Status of Women Canada and to the changes in the criteria of the Women's Program.

First, we feel that it is unacceptable to remove the equality objective from the department's mandate; it is contrary to the spirit of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as the various treaties and conventions signed by Canada, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Cutting the budget for Status of Women Canada means destroying an essential mechanism for the equality of Canadian women. The cuts that were announced affect mainly positions held by women, among them, at least ten visible minority women. Many of them will not be able to find another job because they have no tenure. Besides the 61 positions that have been cut, many others will be downgraded, which means that other employees will be leaving. In Quebec, the Quebec City office will be closing.

The already infrequent consultations with women's groups will become almost non existent. The lack of funding for independent research will affect the consideration of public policy. The change in the funding criteria to prohibit advocacy or lobbying activities will have an effect on the work of the FFQ. On average, 22 % of the FFQ's budget is funded by the Women's Program.

The situation is even more dramatic for some of our member associations. We fear that some organizations will have to close in the coming year. The situation is even more serious in the rest of Canada because the provincial and territorial governments, unlike Quebec, do not fund advocacy groups.

In closing, the FFQ has a number of questions. How does Status of Women Canada intend to use the comparative gender analysis to ensure a liaison and effect change within the other federal departments? There was to be a five-year action plan in 2006 to identify the government's status of women priorities. Where is the plan and ??? identify the government's status of women priorities? Where is the plan and what are the priorities? How will Status of Women Canada act as the leader and coordinator with provincial and territorial governments? What does Status of Women Canada intend to do to maintain its leadership and promote women's equality at the UN, within the Commonwealth, at the Francophonie and the Organization of American States?

We believe that, with these cuts, the minister is jeopardizing her department while undermining the equality of all Canadian women. We hope that the government will change its mind.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Judy Sgro]

Thank you very much, Ms. Thibault.

Next will be Leslie MacLeod.

[Leslie MacLeod, President, Provincial Advisory Council on the Status of Women - Newfoundland and Labrador]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm at a bit of a disadvantage because I wear hearing aids and the loop system is not working. I'm going to be in and out and I'll do my best to hear you all.

I am here from Newfoundland and Labrador. I come here with the women in the province with me in spirit. They had a message for me to bring, and that is that women are not equal simply because somebody says this is so. We know that women are not equal. We have not achieved equality yet.

My apologies to the translators; these are speaking notes and I'm not sticking exactly to the script.

The snapshot I want to bring to you is the work that's been done by the very vibrant grassroots women's community in Newfoundland and Labrador on a number of issues, specifically with funding from Status of Women Canada through the women's program. I won't repeat that each time. Each project that I mention in fact has been in collaboration with Status of Women Canada, with the program officer, with the use of women's program funding.

On violence and justice, in 2003 in Newfoundland and Labrador the police reported that females are victims in the majority of murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder reports in our province. Women comprised 82% of sexual assault victims, 75% of other sex crime victims, and 70% of reported harassment victims.

There was a woman in our province named Nellie Nippard, who was brutally attacked by her husband, who, without question, meant to kill her. She survived the attempted murder and went on to speak to other women to bring forward her story. She began working with women who were involved in the Gander Status of Women Centre as well as some other groups. Together they set out to change the policies of parole board hearings, because as she survived, as her attacker was put in jail, inevitably the parole hearings were coming up.

Victims had no voice in parole hearings. Thanks to Nellie, who nearly died, and her determination, persistence, and collaboration with other women, and funding from Status of Women Canada, those rules were changed. That is systemic advocacy. That happens because a woman is hurt, other women are hurt, women understand the issue, and we join forces together to create change for everyone.

The Gander Status of Women went on to do much more work in the areas of women's access to civil legal aid, custody and access issues, and other justice issues. The catalyst was a horrifying event.

On women's poverty, approximately 44% of single parents in Newfoundland and Labrador, almost exclusively women, fall below the low income cut-off. The Bay St. George Status of Women Council researched, advocated, and collaborated with a number of partners to work within the province to eliminate the barriers faced by women who had been supported to get access to education and training but were not being supported to actually find a job. This is advocacy. This is one woman being supported to education, but not being able to get a job. It takes a group of women, working together with other partners, to change the policies that get in the way.

In 2003, 45.9% of single senior women in Newfoundland and Labrador were living in poverty. They still are. The Central Status of Women Council in Grand Falls-Windsor is in the midst of a project that is identifying the impact of public policies and programs on rural women in the province over 50. They are gathering the full intersectionality of women's experiences and will be advocating for change based on that information.

On housing, many women in our province and across the country live in inadequate, unaffordable housing. Single women, women who have disabilities, many families, and mature women are all vulnerable to the risk of homelessness. It's a sad fact in our country. The St. John's Status of Women Council has existed for 30 years. It has put a huge effort into researching women's housing issues, developing recommendations, and advocating for change. Some of the pieces they have been advocating for have been put into effect. Policies have changed in our province. They are making a difference.

They are currently developing long-term housing, hoping to develop a shelter and programming for women who are at risk of homelessness, particularly the single over-thirties, perhaps experiencing mental illness, the women who are on the streets. Again, Status of Women Canada, women's programming.

Advancing women's employment: Women make up 70% of the minimum-wage earners in Newfoundland and Labrador—70%. In 2003 Newfoundland women had the lowest earned income in Canada, averaging $19,000 per year, which is 64% of the men's average income that year.

The Women in Resource Development Committee is opening up opportunities for women in the natural resource sector, in which Newfoundland and Labrador is very rich, while we are still very poor. This committee is bringing down barriers in the workplace, company by company. They are opening up avenues for women, they are helping women get the exploration, get the training, get moving forward in a very lucrative employment market. Their work is deeply rooted in gender analysis and equity principles. Research funded by Status of Women Canada has been essential and critical to form the basis of their work.

Multicultural women.... A recent study conducted in Newfoundland and Labrador revealed that finding appropriate employment is the key barrier to immigrant women from all levels of education, with all kinds of previous experiences in our province. The Multicultural Women's Organization of Newfoundland and Labrador, working closely together with the Status of Women Canada program officer in our province, has been bringing women together, working to advance their equality, increasing their knowledge of their rights and freedoms and responsibilities within our country, and also connecting them to community.

We know that women with disabilities have significant barriers. In Newfoundland and Labrador, 40% of women who have disabilities are unemployed. I need say nothing else.

Aboriginal women.... We have heard the experience from NWAC at the earlier presentation. In our province, aboriginal women from across the province and all cultural groups have come together for two provincially orchestrated, funded, supported conferences this year—in March and only two weeks ago—in Newfoundland and Labrador. Aboriginal women in our province are beginning to find true voices and are beginning to be heard at the right places, but there is so much work that needs to be done.

Concluding remarks: This work, which is a snapshot only of the essential equality work to move us forward, has been done through social development, delivery of wisdom, experience and knowledge, working with women who are real women with real experiences, and organizations that are prepared to do the advocacy work. The federal government must accept its role and responsibility. The cuts and changes must be reversed.

Thank you, Madam Chair.