Status of Women Committee on May 3rd, 2010

[Jill Wilkinson Sheffield]

I'd like to answer, because I have two specific examples. One is Indonesia. In Indonesia in the early 1990s or late 1980s, the imams, on one Saturday morning a month, would give their sermon to the group assembled there. They would talk about the importance of educating girls and women one month; the next month they would talk about family planning, saying that it's important to space children for healthier children and healthier mothers; they would talk about women in the work place. They were working at changing cultural norms and expectations about girls.

In Bangladesh there's a tool that we all know and have in our handbags called a mobile phone. The mobile phone in Bangladesh is making a huge difference. Starting in July, there's going to be a program in Bangladesh and seven other countries. It's now in the United States. It's called “text for babies”. Every week you get one text message that tells you, if you're pregnant, a fact that you need to know about pregnancy. Once your baby is born, your “text for babies” is in fact about your baby and about the mother: when to go for a visit; when to go for an inoculation; be sure to drink lots of water; be sure to wash your hands, and why.

This mobile phone technology is going to be one of the best friends of women and girls and health on the planet, really soon. It's going to speed those cultural changes, because the phones are everywhere.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I'm sorry, that's it, Ms. Brown.

We've finished our round. We do not have time for another round, because as you know, we should be doing some business at five o'clock and we're past that.

I want to thank the witnesses and allow them one minute to round up anything they felt they needed to say that they didn't say, a question they thought needed to be answered—and I'm holding you to one minute, guys—and any recommendation they want to put at the very top of the page for this committee.

I will begin with Ms. Hatcher Roberts.

[Janet Hatcher Roberts]

I think what hasn't been said is that when talking about what needs to be done, Canada has been historically known for its role in supporting gender equality and empowering women in low income countries. Around the world, CIDA has been known for that work for 20 to 30 years. Some of the good work that's been done has been done because of that CIDA funding. We need to make sure that this funding is maintained amongst women's groups to ensure that the empowerment of women continues, which then enhances the whole picture.

My final point would be that I believe the strengthening of the whole health system is the way to go and that we have success stories that we can count on.

That's really it: strengthening the health system in a comprehensive fashion—and when you get the PowerPoint, you can see what we're talking about—is the way to go.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Dr. Shaw.

[Dr. Dorothy Shaw]

Thank you.

I circulated ahead of time the consensus document from the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, and the “Call to Action”, both of which essentially have the partnership's broad-based position on what needs to be done, how much it's going to cost, and how we can accomplish it.

This should be, I hope, very useful to the committee; it represents the input of the world's expertise.

I'll leave it at that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

Finally, Ms. Wilkinson Sheffield...?

[Jill Wilkinson Sheffield]

Thank you very much.

Something I feel we didn't talk about enough today was young people, especially young girls. They're half of our planetary population now, and we need to really pay attention and work with them.

Did you know that pregnancy complications are the leading cause of mortality of young women around the world? This is really staggering. So I think my final word is invest in women, because it really pays.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you very much, again, for taking the time. You've answered a lot of questions.

Before we go, I just want to remind Ms. Janet Hatcher Roberts about the data she had discussed. Could you please give it to the clerk or to the analyst?

Dr. Shaw, you talked about some agricultural data that your partner in crime has. So perhaps you could also make sure that gets to either the clerk or the analyst.

Ms. Wilkinson Sheffield, you have a copy of the Guttmacher analysis. Perhaps you could give it to Ms. Cool and we will make sure it is distributed.

In terms of a budget—

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, St. Paul's, ON]

Dr. Shaw said that she had—

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I think it's in this document. She's already distributed it in both languages.

So thank you again.

We now have to move in camera, so I would....

Oh, you want to stay public? All right.

We're going to begin. We don't have very much time. We have as the first item on our business agenda a public item, Ms. Demers' motion. I will read the motion to the committee.

Ms. Demers' motion, which was distributed on April 30, reads:

That the Committee ask the Minister of Justice to appear before the Committee between now and June to explain what he intends to do with the $10 million that was transferred to his department to deal with the high number of Aboriginal women who have gone missing or been murdered.

Now we're going to open the discussion of this motion. We will ask Ms. Demers to begin, since it's her motion.

[Nicole Demers, Bloc, Laval, QC]

Madam Chair, this is just to follow up on Ms. Morency's appearance last week from the Department of Justice. We learned from her that the minister had already had the intention to do something with that money and that he would present us with a plan. I would have been interested in hearing what he wanted to do with that money. It is $10 million—that is a lot of money. That money was set aside for missing or murdered Aboriginal women.

That is the reason for my motion. It is not complicated. I am not asking him to stay for three hours. I just want him to appear before the committee to simply tell us what he plans to do with that money.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Ms. McLeod, in discussion of the motion.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I understand—and perhaps the clerk can check this out—that the aboriginal committee is studying this specific issue. If that's true, I understand the tradition is not to overlap. I believe Madame Neville is on that committee.

Is that accurate?

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

Yes, I am.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

I think the question is whether the committee is studying the utilization of the $10 million that has been transferred to the Minister of Justice.

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

Not that I'm aware of, but that doesn't mean anything.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

All right.

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

I'm not aware of that, Ms. McLeod, that the aboriginal committee is looking at it.

[Cathy McLeod, Conservative, Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, BC]

Sorry, I was confusing it with the next motion. So I'll withdraw that for this motion.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

Thank you.

Ms. Neville, do you want to speak to the motion?

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

Briefly, Madam Chair, I have no problem supporting it. My only concern is about timetabling. How are we going to fit everything in, given that we may have one leg here and one leg somewhere else in the country? That's the challenge of it. So I don't know....

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

All right. Thank you.

Now we'll go to Madame Deschamps.

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

I just wanted to add one thing to Ms. McLeod's questions.

Last week, I attended the meeting of the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development where we talked about the money from the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. I think it is quite appropriate for the Minister of Health to come here and explain all that.

[The Chair, Liberal, Hedy Fry]

That's not a motion, Madame Deschamps.

We're dealing with the one on the Minister of Justice at the moment.

[Johanne Deschamps, Bloc, Laurentides—Labelle, QC]

My apologies, it must be because it is not warm enough in here. That is why we cannot follow you very well.