Evidence of meeting #13 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 communities.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Director General, Social Policy and Programs Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Thank you for your questions.
The funding from my department goes to prevention and protection, if I may describe them like that.
We are currently investing $7 million of the $29 million per year
in the prevention projects.
So these are projects across the country that help aboriginal women, children, and families. They help these people learn life skills and parenting skills. There are some projects that work with youth gangs.
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
Would you be so kind to provide us, if possible, with a list of those projects, (please)?
Director General, Social Policy and Programs Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
I have the list here, and I could share it with you. I will do that.
Director General, Social Policy and Programs Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
The other funds go to the shelters. Approximately $22.6 million goes to support the running of the shelters. It pays the salaries of the workers, the case workers, the directors of the shelters, etc.
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
They do not know that they receive that money, Ms. Quinn. They receive only $190,000 per year. We do not know where the rest of that money goes, but we know that it does not go to the shelters. The shelters receive only $190,000 per year for their basic operations, that is all.
Director General, Social Policy and Programs Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
The funding from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada goes to 41 centres. But in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories,
the funding is largely covered in the territorial formula financing. This is the financing envelope that isn't with our department. It goes out to the territories, and the territorial governments in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut work to support shelters in those territories.
We have funding for prevention projects for those two places, but we do not have funding available for the centres themselves.
Bloc
Nicole Demers Bloc Laval, QC
In that case, where does the funding come from? The territories, specifically Nunavut in this case, have no taxation power. So, Nunavut gets all its money from the federal government. If it does not receive money from you for the shelters, where does the money come from?
Line Paré Director General, External Relations and Gender Issues Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
Nunavut and the Northwest Territories receive funding from the federal government through the financing formula. It is up to the territories to decide what the priorities are for investment. Indian and Northern Affairs Canada does not fund shelters in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. The Government of Canada transfers money to the two territories through the federal financing formula.
Bloc
Director General, External Relations and Gender Issues Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
That is right. They are funded by...
Director General, External Relations and Gender Issues Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
or Nunavut.
Acting General Counsel, Criminal Law Policy Section, Department of Justice
You asked me two questions. First, the government's announcement in the 2010 budget referred to a $10-million investment.
The Minister of Justice will be announcing the details of that budget allocation in the coming months. As the budget indicated, it will be looking at expending this amount of money over two years to address the issue of missing and murdered aboriginal women, and in particular to take concrete actions to ensure that law enforcement and the justice system meet the needs of aboriginal women and their families.
The second question was about the work of the federal and provincial governments. I was talking about work...
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Cathy McLeod
Excuse me, I think we'll have to leave the second question until the next round. We're already over time.
We are now going to Ms. Boucher.
Conservative
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Good afternoon, everyone.
Today's discussion is very interesting. I also have many questions and I am not sure where to start.
Many people appeared before the committee and we worked very hard here to understand the violence against Aboriginal women. As we discussed last week, I am white and I have no experience of this. We often fail to grasp the situation or we have a bad image about the reserves in the Northwest Territories and the violence against Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis women.
Ms. Demers asked whether you talked to each other. Is there good co-operation between the various parties? Are Aboriginal women informed when programs are implemented? Do they know they have access to those funds?
As a woman in Quebec—and as a woman, period—I ask myself the following question: how can we help you to change the image we have of the violence against Aboriginal women? Often, far too often, Aboriginal women are portrayed as always going through crisis. Violence is also part of education. How can the government help you to move towards positive solutions to combat the violence against Aboriginal women?
Director General, External Relations and Gender Issues Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
I will try to answer for all my colleagues.
Co-operation does in fact exist. It is not the first time that we have seen each other, those of us here at this table. We know each other and talk to each other. Of course, under each of our departments' mandates, we work on implementing initiatives and we try to work with our partners.
Violence against Aboriginal women is a complex issue. A great number of factors come into play or cause violence against Aboriginal women. Finding the required solution is just as complex. There are stakeholders at the federal level, but also at the provincial and territorial levels, and even at the community level. With this co-ordinated approach, we will be able to achieve results.
Let us look now at the question of involving Aboriginal women's associations in our initiatives. When we are working on implementing initiatives and programs, each of us has a way of involving these associations. We also have the possibility of funding Aboriginal women's organizations, such as the Native Women's Association of Canada and the Pauktuutit Inuit Women's Association, which represents Inuit women. In Quebec, the Quebec Native Women's Association receives funding for projects that it presents to the federal or provincial government in order to implement initiatives to help meet the specific needs of these groups.
Conservative
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
If I understood correctly, when the government gives money, it does so horizontally. Then you give that money to the provinces and territories, after which it is up to them to decide where the money goes, whether to shelters or other things. That is what I am sort of understanding.
Director General, External Relations and Gender Issues Branch, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development
For the shelters in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories, it is the territorial government that makes the decisions.
As to the reserve programs of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, the funding will go to the communities through contribution agreements, based on each program. For the initiative to support the Native Women's Association of Canada, for example, the money comes from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
I am not sure if Daniel is able to talk about the allocation mechanism for the funding from the National Crime Prevention Centre.
Acting Executive Director, National Crime Prevention Centre, Department of Public Safety
We are basically funding community organizations going out into the field. It may happen that we fund provincial and territorial governments, but it is quite rare. It really is about community organizations, in this instance, associations that are working directly in the Aboriginal community.
The original question, the difficult question of the horizontality of work between the various departments, is an excellent question, a nagging question, and it applies to all areas. But we have noticed some progress. I am referring particularly to the work that is currently being done in the community of Pangnirtung, Nunavut. We can seethe willingness of seven or eight departments to work on site, using a holistic, overall approach, and to work in a coordinated fashion in the field so that all the funding from the various partners goes through the same vehicle, the Inuit Relations Secretariat of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
That is one example of one initiative. It is just one example; we agree that it does not solve the problem. But we are moving in the right direction, towards a better integration and coordination of federal activities.
Conservative
Conservative
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
My question is for the police officer.
Since you are out in the field, what is it that you do to try and combat violence against Aboriginal women?
Assistant Commissioner, Contract and Aboriginal Policing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
I will answer in my mother tongue.
Obviously, we respond to the community's needs when things go bad, so we have to have a fulsome response to the crisis when violence occurs. That requires educating our officers and doing these legalistic, evidence-gathering things that we do day in and day out.
Beyond that, in the areas of prevention and education, we find ourselves challenged to educate our officers, which we do from start to end through Depot and ongoing training initiatives, to cultural sensitivity matters, to building teams, and to being part of the team that you just heard being described.
And I'm being shut down, so there's lots more to talk about.
Conservative
The Vice-Chair Conservative Cathy McLeod
I'm sorry, Mr. Paulson. They're asking very complicated questions with 30 seconds left in their time.
Ms. Mathyssen.