Evidence of meeting #10 for Status of Women in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was rcmp.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Supt Louise Lafrance
I can look that up and tell you; my brain refuses to remember numbers now.
Liberal
Michelle Simson Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
Actually, the organizational structure is quite good on the website.
Liberal
Michelle Simson Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
Okay. So 811 corporals.
I understood, though, that the problem was that women were very reluctant to go up the chain of command to report harassment. There's been a real push on for a police association to be formed for the RCMP so that there's some sort of blanket coverage, so that you're not relying on one man or one corporal, so that you do have some comfort level.
Would that be an enhancement, do you think, to attracting more women?
Supt Louise Lafrance
Well, we do have a harassment coordinator, as well, to whom a person can go if they don't feel comfortable--
Liberal
Michelle Simson Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
But the association is something that I know the force has been looking at, particularly the females.
Do you think this would be an enhancement, though, when you're recruiting, so that they wouldn't feel they had just one person to go to?
Supt Louise Lafrance
If they feel that they can voice their concerns without being harassed?
Supt Louise Lafrance
Well, definitely, any tool or any system in place would increase the confidence of women. But I can tell you that it is not an issue at the present time. People do report it.
Liberal
Michelle Simson Liberal Scarborough Southwest, ON
So you say that they are being reported, and....
Actually, I don't have any more questions. I just wanted to ask about the association.
Thank you.
Conservative
Alice Wong Conservative Richmond, BC
Thank you very much, ladies, for coming to this committee.
I have only five minutes, so I will focus on something that I noted when I visited a group of women professionals from overseas, mainly from mainland China. One of the challenges they told me about was that they were engineers in China, but when they came over to Canada it was difficult for them to get their credentials recognized. With our changing demographics, we will be seeing more and more newcomers with well-trained backgrounds, and yet, because of language barriers and different regulating bodies, they will not be able to go into their own professions.
I'd like to ask especially the engineers about that, because I think your association might be doing something along that line. Am I right to assume that?
Chief Operating Officer, Engineers Canada
Oh, yes, we've done a tremendous amount. We've had huge support from the federal government, from HRSDC. We started a big project in 2002, “From Consideration to Integration”. What we've been able to achieve with our regulators, our constituent associations, has been a much more streamlined assessment process so that people get responses very quickly on where they may need to enhance some of their qualifications.
Currently almost 30% of professional engineers in Canada are trained offshore. It's quite a significant number. There's no difference between the men and the women who come from offshore. It's actually kind of nice to see how many women are trained in other countries as engineers who do come to Canada and seek licensure.
The one thing you did mention was the language issue. It is a requirement to be able to communicate in English or French in Canada to be in any of the regulated professions. Certainly communication skills in English or French are key, absolutely.
Conservative
Alice Wong Conservative Richmond, BC
That applies to other professions as well.
Hygienists, for example.... I know some of the overseas-trained dentists end up going into the hygiene profession. Again, it's their regulating body helping overseas-trained related professionals go into that industry, women, poor men, you know.
President-Elect, Canadian Dental Hygienists Association
I believe so, but I can't comment on that. I don't have the information on that.
Conservative
Alice Wong Conservative Richmond, BC
Would you think it would be nice to have more women, regardless of their ethnic background, go into your profession?
President-Elect, Canadian Dental Hygienists Association
Most definitely. A large number of dental hygienists are graduating in Ontario now, so there's movement throughout the provinces. In terms of regulations, you have to work for the regulatory bodies. It has more to do with the scope of practice in our profession. There's obviously the language and other barriers, but it's more the scope of practice and what you can do in the different provinces to know whether or not you can practise in those provinces.
I know a number of foreign-trained dentists enter through Newfoundland and Labrador and work as dental hygienists first to get their licence to practise dentistry.
Conservative
Alice Wong Conservative Richmond, BC
So that is a stepping stone.
I know there have been efforts in recruiting more men and women with ethnic backgrounds into the RCMP, again because of the demographics. Do you notice any women going into the RCMP from an ethnic background?
Supt Louise Lafrance
We do. I don't have those numbers here, but we do have many women who have ethnic backgrounds.
Conservative
Alice Wong Conservative Richmond, BC
I understand that very often we are seen portraying women as the victims, or as the underdog, or as people who suffer, but with such a nice bunch of successful women in front of us, do you think the media would also need to work on the perception of women in these so-called non-traditional professions? There are so many benefits to bring into the professions, a positive image of encouraging women. Otherwise, if you always talk about harassment and lack of this, lack of that, that discourages women.
Chief Operating Officer, Engineers Canada
Absolutely. The more media that's focused on people like Julie Payette, for example, as a successful engineer encourages girls and women to go into the professions. Any positive image is always good.
