Status of Women Committee on Feb. 14th, 2007

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you for your presentation. I'm sorry, but time is up. Did you want to say a sentence or so?

[Gail Watson]

I have one.

The loss of the Winnipeg regional office will certainly negatively affect all women's groups in Manitoba who work with diverse and low-income women.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you very much.

Now I'd like to call on Joni Simpson, who is the director of the Canadian Women's Community Economic Development Council. You have five minutes.

[Joni Simpson, Director, Canadian Women's Community Economic Development Council]

Thank you.

Good afternoon. I would like to begin by thanking you for inviting me to appear today. My name is Joni Simpson and I represent the Canadian Women's Community Economic Development Council.

Community economic development that focuses on women is a way of including women in decision-making and local economic development in order to reduce poverty and improve the living conditions of women, their families, and their community.

We are deeply concerned about the budget cuts affecting Status of Women Canada's programs and administration. These budget cuts will have a direct impact on the survival of many organizations with which we are affiliated. We ourselves have received funding from Status of Women Canada, which allowed us to work together across Canada to improve living conditions for women.

If women-centered organizations such as ours exist, it is because equality between men and women has not yet been achieved. That has been proven through studies and statistics collected by such organizations as the OCDE and the United Nations. If the government continues to deny that fact, the status of women and poverty within our society will continue to worsen, and the hard work carried out by thousands of women and men for years will be lost, as well as past investments made by Status of Women Canada.

Why do women only earn 71 cents for every dollar earned by men? And this, despite the fact that they have a higher level of education, have the ability and are skilled. The fact is, though, that they rarely rise to decision-making levels, especially if they are members of a visible minority. The face of poverty in the world and here in Canada is female. We have only to look at the growth in poverty, whether it be among senior women, aboriginal women, single mothers, immigrant women or visible minority women.

By cutting budgets for women's programs, the government is sending a message that women are not a priority. Why is it important to invest in women's programming? Because we know that when women improve their own living conditions, conditions for their families and children improve. Investing in women is a sustainable, cost-effective investment, because the benefits are significant for society as a whole.

Status of Women Canada is the only federal agency that focuses on critical economic, social, and cultural issues limiting women's equal participation in Canadian society. An examination of women's daily lives shows continuing disparities between the experiences of women and men in terms of access to affordable housing, employment, and security as seniors. Addressing these gaps has been crucial in the work of Status of Women Canada and the women's organizations it supports.

The women's program’s research role is a complement to its grants programs, and research is an essential support to ensuring sustainable development practices. Past research funded by the women's program has translated the experience in individual communities into meaningful policies in support of equality between women and men over the long term. The reduction of funding for this element of Status of Women Canada undercuts its ability to maintain its mandate to assist the Government of Canada in meeting its responsibility to women as equal citizens and adequately responding to women’s needs.

The Status of Women's website has an extensive collection of research that helps us to understand why women have not achieved equality in our society. How then can we send a message that equality is achieved and that women's programs are not a priority?

The full participation of women and men in their society is good for all Canadians. Status of Women Canada has made a practical difference to women nationally, provincially, and locally for 30 years. The federal government’s financial investment is far outweighed by the socio-economic returns to the community, by the increased participation of women in every aspect of society. Yet, although there have been positive gains, women and men have not yet achieved full equality in Canada.

I'll carry on later.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you, Ms. Simpson.

Of course, you know that during the time that questions are directed to you, you can continue to put your points in.

I want to thank all three of you for doing this.

Now we're going to go to round one of panel number two. Our first question comes from Mr. Bagnell. You have five minutes.

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Thank you all for coming. They were excellent presentations and very helpful.

Ms. Hrenchuk, I noticed you didn't finish your presentation. I'd like to share my time and let you finish it.

[Charlotte Hrenchuk]

Thank you very much, Mr. Bagnell.

With the new funding guidelines, we are no longer able to access funding to work for systemic changes, to speak out for those who cannot, such as all the homeless women who I personally interviewed, and to raise issues and bring together coalitions to inform politicians about the issues and implications of policies and regulations on women's lives. These changes place Yukon women's organizations in competition over funding, taking time away from valuable work in the search for funding.

What Yukon women are hearing is that the federal government does not want to fund advocacy because they don't want to hear about the inequities in women's lives. Funding resources are extremely scarce in the Yukon. Yukon women's organizations are not operating on a level playing field with those in the south. There are few corporations that are alternate sources of funding. Without a charitable number we are ineligible for funding from charitable foundations, and corporations want a tax receipt.

We do not have access to alternate sources of funding. Homeless women place their trust in our ability to help them by working towards systemic change. Without funding from Status of Women Canada, it looks like that trust will be betrayed.

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Could you briefly outline your six recommendations?

[Charlotte Hrenchuk]

The first recommendation is to return the word “equality” to the Status of Women Canada's mandate.

The second is to establish a northern Status of Women Canada office in one of the three territories. This would be a more effective and efficient use of tax dollars. It is not effective to attempt to serve a huge geographic area from one southern office that will be stretched beyond capacity.

The third is to re-establish funding for the independent research fund program.

The fourth is to restore funding to the women's program for advocacy activities.

The fifth is to allow non-profit advocacy organizations to obtain a charitable number.

The sixth is to restrict women's program funding to not-for-profit groups. It's just mind-boggling to me how a small organization like mine or Brenda Murphy's can compete with for-profit organizations that have their own economic resources, whereas we have volunteers and that's about it.

[Larry Bagnell, Liberal, Yukon, YT]

Could you speak for a minute, not just for the Yukon, but for the entire three territories, for the northern half of Canada that doesn't have an office, and explain why you need an office there, why you can't be served from the south, why it's different?

[Charlotte Hrenchuk]

For all of the reasons I outlined earlier in my presentation, the reality of our lives is very different. We have an enormous geographic area with very small communities. Each of the three territories serves different language groups with different cultural realities as well. It's been difficult enough to be served from the Vancouver office, but to have the whole top half of Canada served probably from two offices is mind-boggling. I don't know how we're going to get any service. I don't even know how they're going to review our project proposals.

As for my colleagues in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, their situations are even more dire than the situation in the Yukon. The Yukon stands relatively well, especially compared to Nunavut. Women's lives there are not equal. They will not be equal for a long time, and they need all the resources, both physical and financial, that can possibly be offered.

The housing situation is just appalling in all three territories. People in the south just don't realize the history and the legacy, particularly of residential schools and colonization, on all of the people across the north. When people don't realize that history, they don't have the same kind of understanding of the problems we have, particularly of women's social issues. Aboriginal women stand on the bottom rung of the ladder. Efforts to help them have to be redoubled. If there was an office in the north that understood our realities and could help diverse women's groups across the north in a more personal way, which is what people need, especially with low literacy levels, that would really help.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you so much, Ms. Hrenchuk.

Madame Demers.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I want to thank you for being here today.

We know that, in addition to cutting the Women's Program budget, cutting budgets related to the Status of Women, and changing the ground rules, the government has also eliminated the Court Challenges Program. As well, the government has cut funding for the National Volunteerism Initiative and the Summer Career Placements program.

As members of the Bloc Québécois, we are saying that most of these initiatives are within the jurisdiction of the provinces, and yet, we know that government interference in areas of provincial jurisdiction has caused community organizations to develop certain habits, so that they now require Ottawa's assistance in order to make ends meet.

Will these budget cuts have a significant impact on you, and if so, how? Would you say that women are the primary victims?

Ms. Hrenchuk, I would like you to talk specifically about the Yukon and the abolition of the Court Challenges Program. Many aboriginal women who benefited from this program will no longer be able to do so. How are they reacting to this? Do you believe the government made a mistake when it decided to make these cuts? If you do, do you think there are enough women out there to convince it to change its position, and how exactly can we do that, if there are actually enough of us to make that happen?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Ms. Hrenchuk.

[Charlotte Hrenchuk]

In reference to the court challenges program, we need that court challenges program, particularly in the north, because we are so marginalized. Marginalized women have no other way of gaining access to the courts.

In the Yukon we have one neighbourhood law centre that will do civil challenges, but its funding is about to be cut as well. So there are no other avenues for marginalized women, whether aboriginal or immigrant, of which there's a rising number in the north.

There's no way for poor women to access the courts. They can't afford lawyers. For change to be made and for inequalities to be rectified, women need access to the courts. It's going to have a huge impact.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Ms. Watson.

[Gail Watson]

The court challenges program has been an essential one for all diverse groups of women and low-income people, and as has already been commented, without access to that kind of legal intervention, the systemic changes that are necessary are not going to take place.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Excuse me, Ms. Watson. I would like to hear your views on what we can do to encourage the government to change its decision.

Ms. Hrenchuk answered the first part of the question, but, as members of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, we need you to help us to get the government to change its mind.

What can we do? How can you help us and how can we help you?

[Gail Watson]

Well, I know many women's groups have rallied in order to show their displeasure. There have been many briefs written. I guess at this point it's time for those who make the policies to have the opportunity to perhaps reconsider. Sometimes the right thing to do is to reconsider.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Madame Simpson.

[Joni Simpson]

First of all, it would be very helpful if there were more women in Parliament or in government. I am very impressed by the number of women who are here today. I am looking over there to see how things worked previously, but one certainly cannot say that we have achieved equality in Parliament. If women had a greater voice there, I would agree that it would be tremendously helpful, but that will not happen overnight.

We have to work together. Women's groups are active on the ground, working with women. We are ready. We left home to come here, missing a day of work today, in order to appear before the Committee because we believe in this, although we cannot do it on our own.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

You have about 30 more seconds if you want to add something.

[Joni Simpson]

I would just like to add that we're not talking about programs aimed at people who have financial means. We deal with the most marginalized people. When programs are abolished, the most marginalized among us become even more isolated and have even less of a voice. All of these programs are very important.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joy Smith]

Thank you so much.

We'll go to Ms. Grewal.

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you to all for your time and presentations.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Status of Women office is in Vancouver, far from Yukon. So is an officer sitting in an office in Vancouver really any more in touch with the plight of Yukon women than an officer in Edmonton or even Ottawa?

Could you also please specify what kinds of services the regional office provides you with?