Status of Women Committee on April 29th, 2008

[Clare Beckton]

Absolutely, we are working with and have regular meetings with federal, provincial, and territorial officials, and then annually there's a meeting of the ministers. We are working on some initiatives together.

We also work very closely with civil society. I have regular meetings with and have met with many groups across the country over this past year to hear their concerns and to talk about how we can work together on specific issues.

On the international front, we've been working very hard to be more strategic in our approach to international interventions. We've shared learning and knowledge with other countries, plus we work with CIDA to assist other countries, particularly in the development of gender architecture and of training around gender-based analysis. In New York, for example, I had a number of bilateral meetings with other countries, including at a lunch where we met with seven or eight other countries to share ideas on successes we're having and on what works and what doesn't. Plus we receive about 17 to 18 delegations a year from other countries, with whom we share what's working and what we've learned in the process.

So very much so, we're big on partnerships.

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

In terms of tracking these results, what key performance information will you use to ensure that there are in fact the kinds of results you're hoping for or expecting?

[Clare Beckton]

I think you had Suzanne Cooper here last week or the week before explaining to you the detailed work on the indicators. We are looking at indicators such as health. For example, how are women being treated, how are men being treated, and how are we progressing with respect to health indicators? Employment is another area, as is, obviously, democratic participation. These are some of the areas.

We have a working group that is working to refine these, and we hope by the end of this year to have the fully developed framework in place. That will be used to consult externally as well with many groups to ensure that we have the right framework.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you. Your seven minutes plus are up.

Ms. Neville, we go to the second round, and you have five minutes.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Minister, thank you, again, for being here today.

I have a number of comments and then a number of questions. I'm going to try to get them all out and then allow you to respond.

I'm having some concerns about the re-profiling of the dollars. To me, it's inflating the budget, and I would welcome some comments on that.

I also want to indicate that I very strongly object to the fact that there is no political representation at international meetings. My experience as a member of Parliament is that there has always been political representation at international meetings. I realize that we have highly qualified bureaucrats, but I think it's important that there be political representation as well.

You talk in your presentation about the importance of economic growth and opportunities for women, and part of your action plan will focus on that. I just want to indicate that I've recently been doing a tour of the child care centres in my riding. I'm hearing about the waiting lists, but I'm also hearing a significant number of stories, albeit anecdotally, of women who are leaving the workforce because they don't have adequate child care for their children, or they have been putting their children in unsafe child care and have been anxious. So they are now leaving the workforce or leaving their studies. I'm concerned about how you reconcile that.

I'm interested in getting a list of all the organizations that have received funding. I'd like to know the difference between profit and non-profit organizations. Many of us are going through our Canada student grants programs right now and are finding an inordinate number of faith-based requests for funding. I'm interested in knowing the number of faith-based organizations that have been receiving funding from you and the nature of their activities and projects. I'm interested in knowing as well what funding is one-time only funding and what funding among these organizations is long-term funding.

I'm interested in knowing about the Sisters in Spirit. It is winding down. The way you described it in your remarks is not how I understand it to be. I'm interested in knowing what the long-term proposals are for the Sisters in Spirit program. I'll stop there, but I have a lot more questions.

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

I will try to address each of the points which were raised.

As far as day care spaces are concerned, our government chose to give parents a universal benefit for each child under the age of six to help parents choose the type of care best suited to them. Our objective is to help women, regardless of the situation they are in. This is the initiative which the government chose to implement to help working women or those choosing to go back to school. In short, irrespective of their situation, we want women to be able to choose the type of care best suited to their children.

[Anita Neville, Liberal, Winnipeg South Centre, MB]

But, Minister, there is no choice if they have no choice. If they have no option to put their child in day care, they have no choice.

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

Don't forget, Madam, that the government chose to transfer funding to the provinces. The provinces are free to create day care spaces if they wish to do so. Women living in different parts of the country have different needs, and we wanted to help them all.

Ms. Beckton has taken down the question with regard to the list of organizations which have received funding. We will send you the list of those groups, whether they have received long-term funding or funding for only one year, depending on the projects they wished to create. Of course, we will also send you a list of those projects.

You alluded to religious groups. Religion is not part of the criteria. The quality of a project takes priority over the status of a particular group.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you.

Ms. Davidson, for five minutes.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Madam Minister, thank you very much for appearing before us again. Certainly, I thought your remarks were excellent, and your presentation, and I think it outlined very emphatically that the department has been extremely busy over the last year. I think we're moving forward.

I have a couple of things I want to go back to that have been touched on already. The first one is that with the reorganization, the research fund was cut. When we're studying the GBA analysis, part of that is that Status of Women will be doing that analysis of GBA and helping the other departments as they go through this process, both in the short and long term, is my understanding.

Are there going to be enough resources left at Status of Women Canada to conduct the research on the status of this GBA, and how is that progressing so far?

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

Thank you for your question, Madam.

The objective includes three components. First, training, which is coming along well because there are more information sessions. We are also working on the organizational structure and we are looking at accountability.

Three organizations in particular have been chosen to help move the process along, namely the Department of Finance, Treasury Board and the Privy Council Office. The great news is that to receive funding approval from Treasury Board, the departments must have conducted a gender-based analysis. That has already been confirmed to you. So it is an excellent way to make all departments aware of the work which is being carried out in that area.

Perhaps Ms. Beckton would like to add something.

[Clare Beckton]

I would simply say that the work with central agencies is focused also on accountability. Using the accountability mechanisms, we are working with them on how to ensure that through the management accountability frameworks and the program activity architectures, we can determine if gender has been considered in their work. So we've made considerable progress over the past years.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Thank you.

Then maybe as a follow-up to that question, hopefully we're looking at the long term, because this is something that has been considered for years and years and has never got there yet. We're hoping that this time we can move this forward and put something in place, so that it is a permanent long-term initiative that will continue to happen, that there will be sustainability with it.

Do you feel that in the long term there will be the resources there, or is this something that as the initiative spreads across every department, the empowerment with the other departments will help look after that manpower?

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

Yes, absolutely. With each success, we'll continue to consolidate the gains we've made. This could be one of the concepts included in the action plan. However, I don't want to reveal what the action plan will look like until we've consulted the various groups. That wouldn't be very respectful to them.

In any event, as soon as we're able to decide on a way of doing things that gives us the results we want and puts us on the right track, obviously we'll stick with that approach.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Ms. Davidson, do you have a very short one?

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

Yes, I do.

How do you measure the impact made through the women's program in different regions? Different regions have different expectations and different needs. How do you do that?

[Clare Beckton]

We have our regional offices. They are responsible for all the different regions in Canada. But every certain number of years we also do a summative evaluation that enables us to see which impacts are successful. Also, our regions listen to what the groups are saying, and we try to adapt how we deliver the service to the needs of the various regions.

[Patricia Davidson, Conservative, Sarnia—Lambton, ON]

So it remains a work in progress?

[Clare Beckton]

Absolutely. It's a continual feedback. We are always trying to ensure that we provide the most effective service.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you.

Ms. Demers, you have five minutes.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Good morning, Minister, Ms. Beckton and Ms. Waugh. Thank you very much for being here today.

To begin with, I'd like to thank you on behalf of the women's groups which have received money. I've very happy about this. I still have a number of concerns, however. As you know, it doesn't take much to worry me about the plight of the women that I represent.

I was disappointed to not be able to participate in the Commission on the Status of Women, an event we usually attend every year. The budget is always, or almost always, tabled at the same time of the year. Nevertheless, we usually find a way of attending these events because it's very important to be able to debate the problems that we all face with people from other horizons. It's a pity that we were not able to be involved this year and I hope that we can correct that next time.

I'll go straight ahead and ask my questions and you'll then have an opportunity to respond.

Minister, an action plan was developed in Beijing in 1995 which was supported by women worldwide. Did you decide to develop another action plan because that action plan was unsatisfactory?

You said that the Treasury Board has to ensure that departments have conducted a gender-based analysis before they make known their intended projects. So, the departments have to carry out a gender-based analysis. However, they are not obligated to take it into account. So, they carry out the analysis, but do not bear it in mind. So, what is the use of carrying out such an analysis?

Do you intend to develop a genuine pay equity policy? As you said, investing in women means investing in Canada. It is a pity that most women who are entitled to pay equity throughout Canada do not benefit from it. They should be able to enjoy the same benefits as all other women.

My final question is about women living in aboriginal communities. Aboriginal groups have written to us on several occasions advising us of the grant applications they have made. The department had said it was offering grants to deal with issues such as violence against women, homelessness, and family problems. And yet, several groups have not received any grants. They have been told to reapply, but since there is no longer an Office for the Status of Women, and since there are only a few people in a position to help them, they always face delays.

Since I have a lot of questions to ask you and since you are not with us for very long, I will stop there. Otherwise, I fear that you won't have enough time to answer me.

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

Thank you, Madam. Please remind me of your questions as we go on, because you had several questions in your list.

Regarding aboriginal women, I cannot give any specific titles from memory. In fact, a large number of projects was announced. Yes, specific projects for aboriginal women were announced. Ms. Beckton noted what happened with the rejected projects. Nevertheless, this clientele got a great deal of help when we added funds to the Status of Women Canada Program.

As for the other plans that are already being implemented—I presume, Ms. Demers, that you agree with me—we will use them as guides. Why are we announcing an action plan? We are talking about the advancement of women and we think that the other guidelines that were set up were adopted in view of some very valid objectives that we want to pursue. We think that we must also look to the future, use these guidelines and adjust to existing situations. For instance, I do not pretend that the status of women today is the same as it was 10 years ago. I think that it is good for women that we are taking the situation into account as a whole and that we know where we want to go. This process will always need further improvements. I would not want to say that the work has already been done, that it has been put on paper and that there is nothing further to do.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Can we go on to the other questions?

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

The other question was about the participation of women... Listen, I am carefully noting—

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

My question was about pay equity.