Evidence of meeting #7 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 clément.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Coordinator, Head of Agency, Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women Canada
It is definitely an important issue for Status of Women Canada. Since there is a greater representation of women in Canada's population, there are few issues that Status of Women Canada would not consider important.
What I am saying is that Status of Women Canada's role is the same on this front as on a number of others. We will no doubt be there to ensure that our colleagues in other departments use the tools available to them to take inequities into account when making recommendations.
Bloc
Luc Desnoyers Bloc Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Earlier, you said that you had met with labour groups. You mentioned a dozen or so. What did they say to you?
Coordinator, Head of Agency, Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women Canada
They talked mostly about their relationship with Status of Women Canada in previous years. The discussion was very positive. It was in relation to the meeting in New York, and we met in a cafeteria. The conditions that year were not the best because of renovations.
Coordinator, Head of Agency, Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women Canada
No.
We agreed that we would meet soon to discuss things of a slightly more serious nature. The purpose of the meeting was to get to know one another. Everyone introduced themselves and talked about their role and their experience with Status of Women Canada in recent years.
Bloc
Luc Desnoyers Bloc Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Do you plan to do the same with other types of organizations, ones that advocate for women in the community with respect to access to employment, daycare, access to non-traditional jobs, violence against women, training and so forth?
Coordinator, Head of Agency, Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women Canada
Yes, absolutely.
Bloc
Luc Desnoyers Bloc Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
You did not mention it. That is why I was wondering.
Lastly, how do you plan to do that?
Coordinator, Head of Agency, Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women Canada
In our work...
Liberal
Coordinator, Head of Agency, Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women Canada
Yes, absolutely.
In our work, we, and especially me, are often in the public arena, taking part in meetings and forums. I intend to be very active throughout the country.
So I will certainly have the chance to meet with these groups. My door is not closed to anyone. On the contrary, I want to learn from every stakeholder.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to come back to your presentation. You said you want to be sure that SWC is effective in achieving the objectives for the grants and contributions under the Women's Community Fund and the partnership fund. As you know, there has been some issue with the changes that have been made in how funding is provided and what it is dedicated to. We've certainly heard from women's organizations and groups in that regard. I have to be frank that I have some real concerns about that shift.
What is your understanding of the objectives of the Women's Community Fund and the Women's Partnership Fund? Do you foresee any changes to these objectives? I'm thinking of changes connected to the kinds of discussions you've had with NGOs and women's advocates. I'm sure they've made their cases, or will make their cases. Is there a possibility that we'll see a shift?
Coordinator, Head of Agency, Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women Canada
In terms of the objectives of the program, it's definitely about helping women directly. It's about working with communities to address the barriers and the obstacles that are keeping women from achieving economic security, about helping women get out of situations that are violent or that may present a situation of violence. And it's about trying to increase the level of women in leadership and democratic positions in all facets of society.
No, at this point I have no intention of revisiting the objective. I certainly did not receive a mandate to do that, and I wouldn't have any reason to want to do that at this point. I've seen a lot of the projects that have come in. There are many, many community organizations that have interesting and fascinating ideas and innovative ways of trying to remove those barriers and obstacles. In particular, we can share that learning and the good experiences and the good practices with other organizations across the country. I think there's still a lot we can achieve and learn from the approach that we're using now.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
One of the issues that we've heard back from women's organizations is that these projects, as worthwhile as they are, are very short term. They're funded for a year, or perhaps a bit longer, but just about the time that the project seems to be showing some positives, the funding ends. Organizations have to go back to the drawing board and come back with something else or resubmit. They find it very stressful and time-consuming, because they're in the business of helping women and are not particularly adept at constantly having to generate proposals. Is that something you'd be willing to take a look at in terms of the problems of short-term projects?
Coordinator, Head of Agency, Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women Canada
Well, I'm very pleased to say that the program that I've just taken on has a 36-month horizon for projects. It's one of the few terms and conditions in the government that is allowing us to do multi-year projects. Unless the group has specifically identified one year as being the period within which it wants to undertake a project, there would be no reason for us to be limiting it to that period. We have quite a number of projects that are two and three years in length.
To go beyond three years would be outside of the transfer payment policy that is now in place with the Government of Canada. We're hoping that the blue ribbon panel recommendations may provide even more flexibility on that to make them even longer, but certainly within our program, groups can receive funding over a three-year period.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
All right. Very quickly, with the action plan, we've heard about the three pillars, and it seems that it was full-blown when you arrived. It sort of emerged from the head of Zeus fully alive when you arrived. I wonder if you could put some flesh on those pillars in terms of what we can expect--any ideas.
Coordinator, Head of Agency, Office of the Coordinator, Status of Women Canada
Of what's not already out there, you mean?
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Yes, it seems very bare bones. Identifying three things you want to do doesn't say how you're going to get there.
I know, I probably have no time left for the answer.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Hedy Fry
I would suggest that you have no time for that answer because it's now 18 minutes over the 5 minutes. Perhaps Ms. Clément might find a way to sort of work that into some other opportunity she has to speak.
Ms. Brown.
Conservative
Lois Brown Conservative Newmarket—Aurora, ON
Perhaps we can wrap that into the question that I have for you, Madam Clément.
I come from a business background. I work with business plans. So often when a business plan is presented it gets so complex that people lose sight of what the business plan is really all about. The message has always been to keep it simple. For many of the business organizations with which I have worked, that's always what they stress: keep your plan simple and focused.
What we've seen here is a business plan that's come out of Status of Women. We've got the three pillars, such as economic security, but a program underneath that would be Women Building Futures. Under Ending Violence Against Women, we see $10 million being contributed. So these programs are in place.
What I heard from you earlier--and I think you used this statement--is networking across departments. First of all, what we see is a fundamental overarching direction from the government in all areas where it wants to move forward. We're going to have to work with health, women's issues in health, women's issues in labour, women's issues in Indian and northern affairs. People look on them as silos, but this philosophy has to go forward in each one of those areas. So my question to you is, do you believe that your past experience in working intergovernmentally or interdepartmentally is going to have an impact on how you move this plan forward, and if so, how?