Evidence of meeting #18 for Status of Women in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was entrepreneurs.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Thank you.
Are you able to tell us if we have recent data on how much work women are doing in this country that is unpaid work?
Director General, Policy and External Relations, Status of Women Canada
The most recent data we have is what we commissioned through Statistics Canada. If you go back to “Women in Canada”, there is a chapter that is quite comprehensive. It uses all the data on unpaid work that was available at the time the report was pulled together, and it covers a range of issues and how women compare to men. So I would refer you back to “Women in Canada”. This is the publication we distributed the last time we appeared. You can also find in “Women in Canada” other very interesting chapters that touch upon related issues such as wealth, women compared to men. You can find the latest statistical information that was available through the different sorts of surveys that Statistics Canada conducts.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
I'm sorry, can I interrupt? What would be the most recent year we will have data on?
Director General, Policy and External Relations, Status of Women Canada
The general social survey—
Senior Director General, Women's Program and Regional Operations Directorate, Status of Women Canada
It was 2011, I believe.
Director General, Policy and External Relations, Status of Women Canada
In 2009?
Senior Director General, Women's Program and Regional Operations Directorate, Status of Women Canada
No. There is 2011, for sure, on unpaid work.
Director General, Policy and External Relations, Status of Women Canada
We would have to check with the colleagues at Statistics Canada.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
Okay. I am going to come back to the data question because Ms. Savoie said she has been assured that it will be comparable. Question 33 is important. It's all the data prior to not having the national household survey. How are we going to make sure that we can compare the data before and afterwards?
Senior Director General, Women's Program and Regional Operations Directorate, Status of Women Canada
We rely on our colleagues at Statistics Canada for that expertise.
Liberal
Senior Director General, Women's Program and Regional Operations Directorate, Status of Women Canada
I believe they appeared before this committee at the time of the discussion about the long-form census and gave us that assurance.
Liberal
Kirsty Duncan Liberal Etobicoke North, ON
My concern is whether you can assure us that the data will allow us to see how women are faring economically before and after so that we know how far women have come and how far they have yet to go.
Director General, Policy and External Relations, Status of Women Canada
It's difficult for us to reassure you, because we also turn to the experts at Statistics Canada to point to the best available source of information. I agree with you that this is a fundamentally important question and issue for Status of Women. This is why we keep an eye on unpaid work. This is why we wanted it to be included in “Women in Canada”. We will continue to rely on whatever source of information Statistics Canada can draw on to continue to monitor the situation.
NDP
The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc
Ms. Goupil, Ms. Duncan and Ms. Savoie, thank you.
Mr. Young, you have five minutes.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Thank you, Chair.
Thanks to all of you for being here.
Madam Savoie, what ideas do you have that may not have been mentioned yet that will break down barriers for women in construction and apprenticeships in the trades? These are varied positions and women are perfectly capable of doing them if they have encouragement. These positions are really well paid, and we have shortages in every province.
Senior Director General, Women's Program and Regional Operations Directorate, Status of Women Canada
That's correct.
What we've been trying to do is make sure that those people who need to own the issue ultimately are at the table and discussing with women what potential solutions exist. We try to use mechanisms such as funding partnerships for the development of sector plans so that, for instance, those in a specific sector of the construction business can get together and see how they can incorporate women into their labour shortage strategies and adapt their own practices and their own workplaces so that they become more woman-friendly.
We also work on some other levels with partners, not just through our funding arm. We have been organizing learning events. For instance, we had one very significant event on non-traditional employment just recently, where we had stakeholders from across the private sector, including those in the construction trades. They demonstrated to us their very keen interest in this issue and in working together to identify solutions.
Conservative
Senior Director General, Women's Program and Regional Operations Directorate, Status of Women Canada
Yes. Colleges were in attendance at that event, for instance.
We try to encourage the education, the corporate, and the non-profit worlds to work together, to look at the actual opportunities that exist in a given area, and to make sure that things are aligned in order to make sure that no one is working in isolation.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
I noticed today that the Government of Ontario has put out a RFP or something for communities that want more university classrooms or university campuses.
They want to have another 60,000 spaces, yet we have thousands of graduates—actually, in Ontario, the highest percentage in the world—thousands of young people who get ordinary degrees, ordinary B.A.s, and their unemployment rate is just massive. In fact, 25% of them end up going on to community college to get some skills.
I think that's the wrong direction. They should be putting money into skills and apprenticeship training, etc.
Do you have any comments on how we might get more young women involved in the trades at the earliest stage, such as the secondary school stage?
Senior Director General, Women's Program and Regional Operations Directorate, Status of Women Canada
We certainly know what the barriers are in the early stages. The lack of role models in a very male-dominated classroom and program environment is a factor, but this is something that cannot be dealt with by a single player. For instance, at the federal-provincial-territorial table, there have been discussions on this issue. There's a continued interest in working together to address this in a more holistic manner.
But you're quite correct. There are certain barriers that appear very early in the life of a young girl that discourage her from those types of career choices.
Conservative
Terence Young Conservative Oakville, ON
Something that Madam Duncan raised strikes me. Is there still a wage gap that is based on or defined by equal pay for equal work? If so, how does that happen and what should be done about it?