Status of Women Committee on Nov. 25th, 2014

[Marla Israel]

Yes, there have been increases both in the amount and in the direction of that funding. Some of the increases are supporting the operation of shelters on reserve—

[Wai Young, Conservative, Vancouver South, BC]

In your presentation you noted that there were 249 proposal-based prevention projects that were funded by the program. That's quite substantive, would you say, 249 projects specifically for prevention projects? That's what you say here.

[Marla Israel]

Yes.

Right now, currently, the department, just with respect to prevention, to the family violence prevention program, has invested $7 million.

[Wai Young, Conservative, Vancouver South, BC]

Could we have a list of the amounts then and the projects, please, submitted to our committee? Thank you.

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

Thank you.

If it is possible, please forward that to the clerk.

She will then pass the information on to the committee members.

Thank you, Ms. Young.

I now yield the floor to Ms. Crockatt for five minutes.

Hold on a moment, Ms. Crockatt. I'm stopping the clock.

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

I apologize for interrupting the discussion, Madam Chair, but I see the light indicating that a vote is being held. Is there a vote? I did not receive an email informing me of this.

[Susan Truppe, Conservative, London North Centre, ON]

Yes, I was just asking that question too.

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

Yes, sometimes....

I have still not received a notice of vote. We will wait until we have received it. Thank you for pointing this out.

There is usually no ringing of bells, but the light flashes when the meeting is called to order.

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

That's true. It's the beginning of the meeting.

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

I don't know what is happening. It is 10:10 a.m. and the light is blinking, although it should not be.

Ms. Crockatt, you still have your five minutes. Go ahead.

[Joan Crockatt, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Thank you to all of our witnesses.

There is some good information that's coming out here, and I appreciate the contributions that all of you are making in your various areas.

I want to talk to Andrew Beynon for a minute.

It was said that you could address the matrimonial property rights act. I'm wondering if you can tell us how, in your view, Bill S-2 will make a substantial contribution to ending violence against women.

[Andrew Beynon, Director General, Community Opportunities Branch, Lands and Economic Development, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Thank you for the question.

The matrimonial rural property legislation was enacted relatively recently, in 2013, but a lot of steps have been going forward in terms of its implementation. There will be provisional federal rules that will begin on December 16, 2014. A national centre of excellence for matrimonial rural property has been established and is up and running. This is a new area solving a legislative gap that has existed in the past, so we're very hopeful that this will actually make a very real difference in the lives of aboriginal women in the communities.

Maybe I can tie my answer a little bit back to an earlier question, which was: are there initiatives that we feel can very much contribute to moving these issues forward? What I would offer on that front is the example of what has been done in terms of implementation.

There's federal funding of $4.8 million over five years to invest in the centre of excellence that is intended to provide support to first nations members. That centre of excellence was established in partnership with an existing first nations and Inuit institution, the National Aboriginal Lands Managers Association.

It's an interesting example because, rather than deal with brand new legislation that goes into a new area and creates an institution from the ground up, we partnered with an existing institution that already had an operational presence, websites, and so on. I think we're very pleased with the fact that this has been put in place so fast. I would like to subsequently share with the clerk the website link for the centre of excellence because the presence and information that's available to first nations and first nations members is already quite impressive, I think.

More broadly speaking, I'll just say in closing, where you as committee members are looking at implementing change, new legislation, and so on, I think it's an interesting lesson learned to partner with an existing institution to get the implementation off the ground quickly. That is something that's been very successful on the first nations front.

[Joan Crockatt, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Wonderful.

Now could you just drill down a little bit and just tell us how you think it will impact for the better the lives of women who are in violent situations on reserves?

[Andrew Beynon]

As some specific examples, the legislation provides for law-making authority of first nations. They can choose, for the first time, to make their own laws specifically targeting matrimonial real property. Also, the legislation provides for default provisions if first nations choose not to do that. There will be a solution to the regulatory gap that has existed so far.

[Joan Crockatt, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

A little bit more about exactly what would happen if a woman is in a violent situation, I think, would be helpful.

[Andrew Beynon]

The provisional rules, the provisions that will come in on the federal side will provide for rules on the breakdown of marriage, but also provide for a mechanism where individuals can seek emergency protection orders and go to court to apply for a remedy, but in a very simple way, including by telephone application.

Individuals can turn to police authorities and request their assistance in seeking an emergency protection order. This is a concrete example of what can help address family violence situations.

In the past, before the legislation, the challenge was that in trying to use provincial laws on reserve, individuals were facing a risk that the courts would say that provincial rules that apply to all other women in Canada on a breakdown of marriage don't apply on reserve, and you're left without a remedy.

That's the concrete benefit.

[Joan Crockatt, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

I want to ask a question if I could with regard to immigrant women and the cultural programs that are available for men.

I know that the Calgary Immigrant Women's Association has a program for men, a family violence program. It might be something that you might want to look into and report to the committee. Apparently, it's very successful. One of the things I've heard is that some of these men come and say they didn't know that it wasn't okay to beat their wives in Canada and they didn't know that they couldn't give their daughters away to someone else.

I was fascinated to hear, Susan, that you have programs to actually educate men before they come to Canada. What are the programs? Is this a best practice you want to see expanded? Could you talk a bit about that?

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

Thank you very much.

Ms. MacPhee, if you could provide the information....

It seems that a vote will be held at 10:45 a.m. You may be saved by the bell, but we will miss out on good testimony and good answers.

Thank you so much for making yourselves available, for your testimony and, especially, for answering our questions courteously. I have to suspend the meeting.

Ms. Nash, did you have a question?

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Madam Chair, before we suspend the meeting, can we give you written questions for the witnesses, since the discussion has been cut by 25 minutes?

[Joan Crockatt, Conservative, Calgary Centre, AB]

Can we bring them back?

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

No because the meeting is ending at 10:45 a.m.

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

Can we submit written questions?

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

Certainly, I think that's a great proposal. I'm just making sure that there are—

[Peggy Nash, NDP, Parkdale—High Park, ON]

A small number of questions.

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

Yes, a very small number.