Status of Women Committee on Dec. 14th, 2010

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

Thank you.

The other thing we have heard over and over again was the lack of decent housing and the fact that there are often several families lodged in one home. That undermines any positive work in regard to mental health. And of course it feeds into the violence and the sense of loss, because housing is inadequate and families can't sort themselves out.

Is there any discussion about housing and some really practical things in terms of clean water and proper sanitation? I ask because all of those things feed into the desperation that we have heard over and over again.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Cathy McLeod]

We'll need to wait for the next round for you to respond to that particular question. Thanks.

We're on to round two, starting with Ms. Neville, for five minutes.

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

Thank you.

I'd like to know the answer to Ms. Mathyssen's question as well, so I'll put that on the table.

Coming back to a remark that one of you made about a national youth strategy, what I'm hearing from you is that there is not a national strategy to address the whole issue of violence against women. There are programs, there are responses, and there are initiatives going on, but there is no coordinated, planned national strategy. I'd like some comment from you on that.

I'm not sure which of you referenced the programs being done with NWAC.

And if there's time, I'd like to go back to the original question I asked about whether you had any information about the non-renewal of funds for the Aboriginal Healing Foundation.

[Kathy Langlois]

Thank you very much for the questions.

Would you like me to take a stab at Ms. Mathyssen's question?

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

Sure, but quickly.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Kathy Langlois]

Okay, quickly, there is no doubt that the determinants of health have a very important impact on health. That's very clear. There have been studies on that, and certainly Health Canada is very seized with the fact that we don't control the determinants of health. They're outside of our control; they're controlled basically by everything else.

So we have worked very hard to begin a relationship with the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and to enrich that relationship in terms of how we can work more closely together to see what things we can do, particularly where housing and some of our environmental work are concerned. Certainly we worked very closely on a water strategy. These are things that have confounded many countries, and on which we continue to work closely.

We anticipate that some of the solutions, as we begin to focus more closely on them with INAC, will be around community development and giving communities their own power back and then having them take their power to make things better for themselves. So we are working very closely on some community development initiatives.

Maybe I'll just leave it at that, so I can get to the other question. I think you wanted to know about programs for young women. There was one before that, though. What was—

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

You mentioned that there are programs with NWAC, but I also want to talk about a national--

[Kathy Langlois]

Yes--about violence against women. I would be misleading this committee if I left you with the impression that there's no strategy on family violence. The Government of Canada, through the Public Health Agency, has a fairly robust strategy on family violence. However, that is not a file I am intimately familiar with.

You would probably want my colleague at the Public Health Agency to speak to the committee about the work they're doing on family violence. I know it encompasses my colleague's colleague at Indian Affairs who is responsible for family violence. So there is a clear strategy, and work is being done there on an interdepartmental basis.

On programs for young women, I referred to the fact that in our national aboriginal youth suicide prevention strategy we are working closely with the Native Women's Association of Canada on one project related to Daughter Spirit. I don't know if we have the detailed information with us today on that project, but we can certainly provide it to you.

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

That would be helpful. Thank you.

[Kathy Langlois]

The last question was on evaluation of the results of the Healing Foundation.

[Aideen Nabigon]

It was with regard to the renewal.

The amount negotiated by the parties was $125 million. That amount was paid, and the Government of Canada continues to meet its obligations through the resolution health support program.

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

Thank you.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Cathy McLeod]

We will go now to Ms. Brown, please.

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you very much for the presentations. They have been very informative. With some of the investigation we've done in the past, they help us to tie some of the loose ends together.

The Healing Foundation was established in 1997. Is that correct?

[Aideen Nabigon]

It was in 1998.

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

So there was a sunset clause put in place. Do you have any idea why?

[Aideen Nabigon]

The Healing Foundation was originally created as a result of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples report, Gathering Strength, and Canada's response to that. It provided $350 million to the Aboriginal Healing Foundation. Then another $40 million was provided; I forget exactly when. Finally, through the settlement agreement, $125 million was provided.

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

But a sunset clause was put in place.

[Aideen Nabigon]

It was originally intended to be a 10-year foundation, and it was extended as a result of the settlement agreement negotiations.

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

What kind of money was put in place originally, and how does that compare to the dollars that are there now? Comprehensive, I think is what I'm looking for.

Rather than having money stuck in silos that can't be accessed through other areas, I think I'm hearing you say--and correct me if I'm wrong--that government is taking a whole-of-government approach. This doesn't just fall under Indian Affairs anymore, and we have to look at the broader spectrum of how government can be involved. It isn't only Indian Affairs, but we have Health involved.

Is there a component there where education is becoming a part of all of this, obviously outside of the residential schools? I understand that education falls under the jurisdiction of the provinces, but are we engaging the provinces in this component as well so that all of the actors are involved?

Before I let you answer, I had the great opportunity a year ago to spend a week at CFB Wainwright. I was part of the program they provide for parliamentarians to join a branch of the military for a week. While I was in Wainwright I was asked to participate--as were my other colleagues--in the graduation ceremony for a program being put on by the military called Bold Eagle. It was directed specifically at aboriginal youth. The young people I spoke to who were graduating were exceedingly pleased with what they had learned. There was tremendous enthusiasm for what they had accomplished in the six weeks.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Cathy McLeod]

You're leaving only a minute for your answer.

[Lois Brown, Conservative, Newmarket—Aurora, ON]

I'm sorry.

If you could talk about education and that component.... It was just a great program, and young people with great futures saw the education component as very positive. I wonder if you could talk about that.

[Aideen Nabigon]

Sure, I'd be happy to, and thanks for raising that question.

I fully agree that education is extremely important. I mentioned Minister Strahl at the national event had announced his intention to repeal the Indian Act. The intent was that this would lay the foundation for broader reform of education within aboriginal communities, but it would also be a very important part of the common experience payment, which I didn't mention was the next big initiative we'll be facing, and that's with regard to the remainder of the $1.9 billion trust fund under the common experience payment. The requirement for that under the settlement agreement is that any money left in the trust after everybody has had a chance to apply will be provided to people who applied and received the common experience payment--so people who were eligible--in $3,000 credits for education purposes. We'll be doing that with the AFN, the Assembly of First Nations, and with Inuit representatives. Then if any is left after that's taken place, after the $3,000 has been provided to any of the 76,000 or more survivors who have applied for it, it will go to two education trusts, one for the first nations and another one for Inuit, also to be spent for education. Those are education trusts, and they'll be able to spend them on whatever kinds of education they wish.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Cathy McLeod]

Thank you.

Monsieur Desnoyers.