Status of Women Committee on Feb. 5th, 2008

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Ms. Demers, you talked about funding for Aboriginal shelters. We are very proud of that and we have already increased funding under the different programs. Since 2002, funding available under programs delivered by Status of Women Canada was about $10.2 million. However, this year, it will be $19 million, or even a little more than that. There is no doubt that organizations will now be receiving additional funding.

Among the many projects that are proposed, we will have to determine which ones stand out from the rest. Of course, we need to receive project proposals in order to help Aboriginal women. Some time ago, a $56-million initiative over five years was launched with a view to assisting Aboriginal women.

In answer to your question regarding the Afghan parliamentarian, I can tell you that, as Minister of International Cooperation at the time, and as Minister currently responsible for the Status of Women, human rights and gender equality remain an important objective. It is my hope that all across the globe, in every country and on every continent, women will continue to advance that goal.

I'm sorry, but I don't remember what your last question was.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Was she the Minister responsible for the Status of Women?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

No. She was not the Minister responsible for the Status of Women.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

There was only one woman in Parliament. So, I wondered about that.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I will have to check that, because I don't recall how many women parliamentarians there were. However, I know that the Afghan minister who was a woman was not the one expelled from Parliament.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Did you pressure the government to have her reinstated?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

If there had been a need to pressure the government, that would have to have been done by the Department of Foreign Affairs. As you know, involving oneself in the internal politics of another country is always a delicate matter.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Merci beaucoup.

Ms. Mathyssen for five minutes.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you, Minister.

I have a question, and I'd also like you to answer my question in regard to why the previous minister did not take the advice of the bureaucracy in regard to the program change. Also, in regard to your statements about the mandate change, we've looked at the website and, yes, you've changed the front page, but there are no changes in funding, and this concerns me.

You've talked to this committee about all these positive changes you've made, but I hearken back to last June. I went to Kampala with the Minister of State to the eighth Commonwealth women's summit. The booklet that was presented to members of the Commonwealth showed the old mandate. It indicated that Canada, that SWC, was still funding advocacy, research, lobbying, and it had been months and months and months since that change was made. I fear, Minister, that SWC and the Government of Canada and the Minister of State were misleading the members of the Commonwealth. I fear that in this semantic prescription of the mandate in regard to Status of Women now, you're misrepresenting the reality.

I'd like you to comment on the failure to follow the advice of the bureaucrats in regard to not changing the mandate, the fact that the funding hasn't changed, and that in the Commonwealth meeting misinformation was presented to members of the Commonwealth.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Thank you for your question.

I will let Ms. Beckton answer your question with respect to the booklet and the events of June 2007 that you just referred to, because I am unaware of what may have happened at that time.

There is no doubt that our government announced additional funding in the last 2007 budget, with a view to meeting specific goals and achieving concrete results for women. Thanks to that funding, we have achieved the highest level of funding ever allocated for Status of Women Canada's programming. Those funds will certainly make it possible to fund a larger number of groups and achieve our goals more quickly—something that we all hope for.

I would remind you, once again, that the mandate of Status of Women Canada's Women's Program has been updated. The word “equality” is certainly part of that mandate, which is to advance the equality of women across Canada through the improvement of their economic and social conditions and their participation in democratic life.

Ms. Beckton, would you like to address the question regarding the Commonwealth?

[Clare Beckton]

Thank you.

Madam Mathyssen, I'm not aware of what you're raising, so I will go back and look at the material we've prepared to ensure it was the right material. If it wasn't, then I will want to know why that was the case.

So I'll go back and check on that and get back to you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you, Ms. Mathyssen.

Mr. Stanton for three minutes.

I'm very mindful that the minister was a little delayed, but we'll have three minutes and three minutes, and then we will have to wrap up. Thank you.

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I just wanted to expand again on the updated wording in the mandate. We've heard on occasion that words are important and that they can be aspirational, that they can give hope to those who are looking at our programs for guidance and direction.

I wonder if you could expand on just what this wording change will really mean for the guidance and direction of the women's program.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I will not reread it, because it seems your colleagues are reading it on the website as we speak.

Our government supports projects that will make a difference for the women of Canada. We have taken the necessary steps to meet the major challenges, which are economic insecurity, a lack of training and violence against women. Projects funded under the Women's Program and increased budgets allocated to that end will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of women and girls in Canada. I think we have every reason to be very proud of that.

I would just like to point out that the word “equality” and the concept behind it have always been clearly available on Status of Women Canada's website. That being the case, I made the decision to update the mandate, in order to express and enhance that concept, which is very important to me.

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you, Mr. Stanton.

Ms. Barnes.

[Sue Barnes, Liberal, London West, ON]

Thank you very much.

I do need clarity here, and I think Canadian women's groups need clarity.

First of all, will advocacy groups striving for equality be funded under the funding programs now? It's equality that we're talking about in the funding guidelines—and, I'm sorry, Minister, there is nothing about that in your women's programs and the funding guidelines. There is a lot of talk in aspirational ways, and you have revised the front sections but not the funding guidelines.

Will advocacy for equality now be funded? Have you changed that?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to make the following clarification.

We do not provide funding to groups on the basis of what they are, but rather, on the basis of the types of projects that they propose. In the past, some groups presented projects for which they received funding. I am thinking, in particular, of the specific group you referred to, which did not submit a proposal this year. The projects, along with concrete results and an analysis grid presented by the groups, whatever they may be, will certainly be analyzed. Our goal is to secure concrete results for women and girls in Canada.

[Sue Barnes, Liberal, London West, ON]

Minister, you have just confirmed that advocacy for equality is not permissible under your funding guidelines. That's why groups closed; that's why the research can't be done. And yes, we have service to Canadians—every government department should do service to Canadians—but that's not the mandate of the funding of the women's programs that all of the groups in this country need.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Minister, this brings us to the close of the meeting. What I'd like to do is just wrap up. Generally the chair does not take advantage of this, but I have been listening to you, and there are two things that are of grave concern to me. That grave concern is that you've been talking about economic security for women. We had rural women come before us who were accessing the regional offices to help their economic enhancement. We are a little concerned that with the closing of those offices, it is the rural women, the very vulnerable women, whom you're not helping.

Could you give us an idea, in your closing remarks, what you're going to do with the twelve regional offices that you have closed? This is now debilitating women's economic enhancement.

Second, you have been stating—and I read your paper very carefully—that the government has increased the budget by 40% over 2006. In 2007, you increased the budget by 40%, but in 2006 you cut the operational budget by 100%. So if you increased it by 40%, you still have a shortfall of 60% of the budget for the operating office.

If you're not able to answer that question because it is operational, perhaps you can send us some information back on that specific issue, because wordsmithing will not help me. The mindset is that if you cut 100%, yes, year over year you've increased by 40%, but really that doesn't help economic enhancement.

So if you could wrap up your remarks, I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I am going to turn it over to Ms. Beckton to answer your second question, because she has some information for you.

[Clare Beckton]

Concerning the budget, there was a $5 million cut from Status of Women, which went primarily to the reduction of regional offices, the research fund, and some specific areas of administration.

The new money that was added was $10 million, focused on the women's program, and there were administrative dollars included in that for the administration of the women's program and the supporting services that are needed to do it. So it was not a 100% cut.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

It's okay. From an accounting perspective, yes, it was: you cut $5 million; you give me back my $5 million and another $5 million to continue the program.

But that's okay. I would just like the minister to respond.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I want to come back to the services provided to women's groups. Over the course of the last year, we have spoken to several hundred women's groups in every region of the country, either by phone or at briefings, to help them apply for funding for their projects. Of course, the result of that process has been more proposals in the second round. The simple fact that more funding is now available to carry out the projects proposed by women's groups all across the country has also helped to achieve that result.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you very much on behalf of the committee—