Status of Women Committee on March 26th, 2012

[Leanne Nicolle]

We are working very hard to change that. In fact, one of the reasons the Toronto District School Board believes so strongly in our program is that we're bringing these life skills around conflict resolution, financial literacy, or conflict resolution and negotiating skills—knowing your conflict style so that when that comes into play, you know how to deal with co-workers, a boss, etc. You understand your own conflict style and therefore you can manage either conflict or negotiation appropriately. This is a skill that young people are not graduating with.

However, through this program and through these modules, which I'm happy to share, they will graduate with these skills. In fact, last week, on March 8, we gave the conflict resolution presentation to 500 young girls between grade 3 and grade 6 in Toronto, and it was widely accepted.

[The Chair, NDP, Irene Mathyssen]

Thank you very much.

Now we go over to Ms. Freeman and Madam Brosseau for five minutes.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Thank you very much for being here.

I have two questions for Madam Nicolle, then I'll give the rest of my time to Ms. Brosseau.

You said that globally girls and women face the same issues and they just manifest differently. We agree on that. Experiences may differ, but the root causes of gender-based violence and general inequity for women are the same around the world.

I know that Plan International Canada does a lot aimed at developing countries, but I'm also aware that Plan Australia has begun domestic development operations in order to address the extreme poverty and inequality experienced by their aboriginal communities.

Could you talk about anything that does exist or will exist, or any discussions that are happening around developing initiatives like this in Canada, for first nations or marginalized, low-income communities in rural and remote areas, that will address the experience of high rates of violence, poverty, etc.?

[Leanne Nicolle]

The program we have developed is a very strong skeleton and so the program is a generalist program at this point, but we do believe that these skills can be transferrable or adapted to various communities across the country, and that's our plan. It's in our plan to do various adaptations of this program for marginalized communities whether they be urban, rural, or aboriginal.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Yes, for sure, and I'd imagine this would be something that Status of Women Canada could—and you would probably appreciate this—partner with.

[Leanne Nicolle]

We would absolutely appreciate it. We think that we have a very strong foundation. We have relationships in the aboriginal community, one laptop per child, for example. We have various different partnerships throughout the aboriginal community.

We do believe it has to be 100% inclusive in that it's a bit of a tripartite between government, NGOs, and community-based groups, as is this program.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

How much time is left?

[The Chair, NDP, Irene Mathyssen]

You have two minutes.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

I have a very quick question then.

I know that Plan is a very strong advocate of maternal health, and I was wondering if you could just speak very quickly about the fact that relative to the other OECD countries, Canada is not doing so well in terms of sexual and reproductive health and teen pregnancy in rural and remote areas. How does this affect the empowerment of our Canadian girls?

[Leanne Nicolle]

Once again, I think it's based on education. Therefore, whether it's taught in the school system or not, or at home, as an organization we are focusing on maternal health globally. Canada is part of that—especially with teens—and girls' sexual and reproductive health is one of the modules that's forthcoming.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Would you say access also?

[Leanne Nicolle]

Access for sure.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

All right.

I'll give the rest to Ms. Brosseau.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

I thank you both very much for being with us today.

It seems we have to really talk about the root causes here. We keep going in circles: education, financial literacy, making schools more accessible. It's very expensive now. When we graduate, we're coming out with huge student debt. It's such a disadvantage, whether you're male or female. I know from personal experience. I went to school as a single mom. I know what it's like paying $55 a day when you're 20 years old and going to school.

I think of Attawapiskat, the motion we passed, and Shannen's Dream. The NDP passed a motion with the government hoping to ensure children do have a right to school.

I was wondering if you could maybe talk a little bit more about what you're doing in Canada for aboriginal people. You mentioned one laptop per child.

[Leanne Nicolle]

That's just a partner organization we've been in discussion with. Once again, this program is entirely collaborative—Girls Action Foundation, Girl Guides. We're bringing experts in because we don't need to reinvent the wheel. We want to manage our resources effectively. Bringing the experts in from other parts, other community-based groups, is part of our strategy around this program and what has made it so wildly successful. We're not working with them, but we are friends with them.

[Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Okay.

Ms. Cara Coté, I was wondering if you could talk a little bit more about engaging women to get into political work. Do you have any recommendations for what direction our committee should go in?

[Cara Coté]

For sure.

We found an increase in political interest when we would host political forums. If there was an election coming up, then we would invite the candidates to come and speak on topics and invite our membership and the community to come and watch and ask questions. Because it is a smaller, more intimate setting, we find these particular people return and they get more involved that away. Starting at a very small level, these very intimate political question periods start growing into larger venues as well. But that would be a great starting point.

[The Chair, NDP, Irene Mathyssen]

Thank you very much.

Now we'll go to Ms. Ambler for the time remaining.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

Thank you.

And thank you both for being here today. They were very interesting presentations.

I'd like to ask Ms. Nicolle a little bit more about the International Day of the Girl. When Minister Ambrose came to the committee, she talked a little bit about the genesis of it, and the fact that, when she spoke to girls who had worked with Plan Canada about International Women's Day, many of them felt they couldn't relate to it because their problems were very much focused on girls—forced marriages, access to education, access to health care, forced genital mutilation. These are problems faced by girls, not women. She spoke very movingly, I think, about the need for that International Day of the Girl.

I want to know about the promotion of this initiative specifically. For example, you can walk along Sparks Street and see the information posters in the bus shelters, and we hear about it because we work here. But I'm wondering about how it's promoted in other areas of Canada. Also, is there anything we can do, as members of Parliament—not just those of us in this room, but all 308 members of Parliament? Is there something we can do through the promotional efforts we undertake every day? We send out flyers in our ridings. We have access, obviously, to families in our neighbourhoods. Are there things we can do or should be doing to promote this further? Or should it just be in schools?

I guess my first question is how is it promoted, and is there anything we can do to further promote it?

[Leanne Nicolle]

This is the inaugural year, so we're busy planning for the festivities that will come on October 11. This is a Canada-wide celebration of girls. Everyone is affected by a girl in some way, shape, or form in their lives. It's really about raising awareness in the entire population—not just girls, and not just youth. It's about women, men, boys, and girls getting involved to do something important to celebrate girls and raise awareness of the unique issues they face.

As I said in my opening remarks, girls are doubly discriminated against by gender and age. That's why we felt the need for the International Day of the Girl—their own unique day outside of International Women's Day.

There will be a ton of promotion around it. We have PR efforts, school-based efforts, community group efforts, the Girl Guides, the Girls Action Foundation, and the private sector. We will have a gala evening in Toronto. There are many things going on.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

Excellent.

If there is any way we as members of Parliament can participate further, please let us know.

[Leanne Nicolle]

Thank you. Thanks for your support.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

My pleasure.

Do I have more time?

[The Chair, NDP, Irene Mathyssen]

Very quickly.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

I want to congratulate you on the private sector involvement.

I'm curious about the Coca-Cola partnership. We all know about the Dove body self-image campaign. That was very exciting, I thought. But can you tell us a bit about the women in business partnership with Coca-Cola?