Evidence of meeting #54 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 community.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:40 p.m.
Special Advisor on Aboriginal Women's Issues, Aboriginal Issues Committee of Cabinet, Government of Manitoba
There are three recommendations I would give this standing committee. First, we as Canadians should affirm that the solution to violence against aboriginal women and girls comes from and fundamentally drives itself from the community. As a collective, we affirm that concept and put those things in place to consult with the community, give ownership to the community, and engage the community.
Second, we should take the courageous step and reallocate some of the dollars in the system to support families, women and children, education, housing, and all of the things we spoke about today that are the central components we need to eradicate violence against aboriginal women and girls.
Third, on the collective approach to this issue, I recommend that the Government of Canada also take a courageous step and develop a national strategy specifically with respect to missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls, and engage provinces, communities, first nations leadership, and all of that.
Those are my three. Meegwetch.
12:40 p.m.
Liberal
12:40 p.m.
Representative, Project Coordinator, Yukon Sisters in Spirit, Yukon Aboriginal Women's Council
I agree with Chief Whiteduck that there need to be more opportunities for communities to develop their own tools and practices.
I also think that continued funding for the Native Women's Association and their Sisters in Spirit project is necessary, considering that they've researched and discovered over 800 missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada, and have only documented six from the Yukon when my research has come up with 29. It's proof that it needs to be continued and taken seriously.
Through this project, prevention can occur, because as we are learning these women's stories, we can prevent other women from being introduced to violence or going missing.
12:40 p.m.
Member, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg
Thank you.
I would like to recommend that there be programs in our community for healing--places for survivors and families to come together to find their strength and their voices. There should be resources to ensure that communities have help through mental health services to serve the ongoing needs of individuals throughout their life cycles, and have a place to honour those who are no longer with us.
I would also like to invite everybody to our rally on Parliament Hill on justice for the families. We will be there on February 14, which is Valentine's Day, to honour our missing and murdered women. I invite you all to join us.
Meegwetch.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Thank you very much.
I want to thank our witnesses for coming today. We have been across the country, and we have heard so many things that you have echoed here. You have presented us with some new information that we didn't have, and especially, Kim, your presentation on the incarceration of aboriginal women was extremely moving and extraordinarily tragic and outrageous from my perspective. I did not even know the statistics that you gave us, and it's very sad.
In closing, normally I ask a question, but I think you've covered many of the things, so my asking a question might be redundant. I just wanted to make an observation.
I don't know how many of you know that not too long ago a hundred dogs were culled quite brutally in my province of British Columbia. I was outraged by it, because I think we as Liberals had an animal cruelty bill, which never really got to the fore, that could have addressed our treatment of the vulnerable animals in our society who can't speak for themselves.
However, I wanted to say that while I found that culling a very reprehensible thing, within four days the province of British Columbia asked for an inquiry into the culling of the dogs. For 20 years women have been missing and murdered in that province, and not a single inquiry was called until recently.
We have to ask ourselves—and you pointed that out to us—how as human beings and as Canadians we place priorities, how as human beings and as Canadians we value humans in our society. Aboriginal women, I suppose, can ask that question very validly.
Thank you very much for coming. We will now move on to business. It is not in camera, so the witnesses can take their time to leave.
What we are doing right now is electing a new vice-chair. As you well know, Ms. McLeod is no longer a member of the committee, so we need to elect a new vice-chair. The committee decided last Thursday that we would do it today.
I would entertain a nomination. I'm going to move out of the chair so that the clerk can conduct this and I can have a vote. That's how it's done. The clerk will conduct it.
Go ahead.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
Excuse me; we have a vote that's about to take place. I would ask members to please return to their seats.
Thank you.
12:45 p.m.
The Clerk
... the first vice-chair must be a government member.
I am now prepared to receive motions for first vice-chair.
Go ahead, Madame Boucher.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
I nominate Ms. Tilly O'Neill-Gordon as first vice-chair.
12:45 p.m.
The Clerk
Ms. Boucher moves that Ms. Tilly O'Neill-Gordon be elected first vice-chair of the committee.
Are there any further motions?
Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the motion?
12:45 p.m.
Some hon. members
Agreed.
12:45 p.m.
The Clerk
I declare the motion carried and Ms. Tilly O'Neill-Gordon is duly elected first vice-chair of the committee.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I want to congratulate Ms. O'Neill-Gordon on assuming the role of vice-chair.
Now, there are a couple of things that I need to bring the committee up to scratch on. Since this is really committee business, maybe I can give us about a half a minute so that we can move in camera.
I would like to ask everyone in the room who is not a member of the committee and not authorized to be here for in camera meetings to please leave.
Thank you.
We'll suspend for a minute while we go in camera.
[Proceedings continue in camera]