Status of Women Committee on April 21st, 2015

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Thank you.

First of all, I was glad to hear you say that the growth resulted from the funding from our government. As we all know, we certainly have a great concern for the youth of our country, so I was glad to hear you say that.

As well, we often see that there are many challenges in these programs, especially for young girls. I was thinking that one of them would be scholarships, but you were saying that you have much access to scholarships and that scholarships are not a problem in that area for STEM, right? I'm wondering if there are other challenges that you see more often for girls.

[Dorothy Byers]

Especially when they're going off to university, having someone in a mentorship position is key. Most often, for girls who have been through a program and are really finding their way, if they've had an experience in FIRST we know that they've developed the competencies they need, and that will often lead to the confidence they have. The third piece is the connections they need to make, which they need on an ongoing basis to be able to reach out to a network. It may be at their specific university or it may be nationally. Karen alluded to technology; they could be Skyping with people.

As Bonnie said, it's important to include mentors who are men as well, who believe in them as women in those roles, because that's the systemic change we need to see. It doesn't matter what gender you are, you are appreciated for what it is you can do. That's the key piece. It's not just women supporting women, but it's a cultural shift to be able to promote girls in those ways.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Do you have something to add, Bonnie?

[Dr. Bonnie Schmidt]

It's a complex question. Again, it's very hard to say there's a magic bullet.

I think we've covered a lot of it. It's around experiences and knowledge and awareness, and the recognition that social influences are very strong. I'm still struck by the number of times I hear “I didn't know that” as being a core element of decision-making.

I think sometimes we trust our teens to know how to project into their future. It will take all of us to help them realize the opportunities.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

So that is one challenge we face.

[Dr. Bonnie Schmidt]

It's a big one.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

It's trying to get the message out in the schools and with parents as well.

[Dr. Bonnie Schmidt]

Yes.

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

Thank you.

Ms. Duncan, you have the floor, but please be brief because we are coming to the end of our meeting.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

I guess I will.

Ms. Muzaffar brought up a very difficult topic, which is micro-aggression. It does occur.

Would any of the other panellists like to address this?

[Karen Low]

I'd just like to make one comment. As females, I think we've all been in situations where we've had it. I have found that perhaps the best thing I can do if I'm in that situation is to just take a moment, one to one.

If you as a male said something to me, John, and I was uncomfortable, I would come back and say, “John, I'm really uncomfortable with that. Can you tell me what you meant?” Would that make you think about what you said?

Female to male, that's what I have done. I've said, “Can you reframe that? Because I'm really confused now. I thought we were looking at my actions and the results, not whether I smiled or blinked my eyes twice.”

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

Or asked whether you were pregnant....

[Karen Low]

Or asked whether you were pregnant.

[A voice]

I think it's illegal.

[Kirsty Duncan, Liberal, Etobicoke North, ON]

It's supposed to be.

[Karen Low]

Well, that happened to me. But I think you can turn that around. I had my boss ask me that. I had two children, a boy and a girl. He said to me, “Oh, my God, you're pregnant. Weren't you going to stop because you had a boy and a girl?” I looked at him and I said, “Actually, I was going for four, but they're not twins.”

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Karen Low]

That just defused it. I mean, he was a dinosaur and I outlasted him. But yes, you just kind of wanted to say what happened—

[Saira Muzaffar]

This is what happens. Women are very good at problem-solving on our feet. This is what we do. We get stuck in a certain situation and we will deal with that situation, but we won't turn it into a practice or a recommendation. The recommendation is education and awareness, and it needs to bring in everyone, not just women. Lessons learned—

[Karen Low]

But you can only pick them off one by one.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!

[Saira Muzaffar]

You see? Mindsets.

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

Thank you very much for that.

Thanks to all of you for your presentations.

I thank you also for these thought-provoking words. I find the salary disparities by activity sector very interesting. This may be linked to the priorities we set in our society. I find this compelling. We talked about life sciences. I am an agronomist by training and I chose that field out of passion. But agronomists do not earn the same salary as some people in other sectors.

So I think we have to ponder our priorities. What are they? And how is this reflected in the salaries paid in various professions, regardless of gender?

That is the thought I had as I listened to you, in addition to all of the other thoughts you generated, of course. Thank you very much.

We will get together Thursday for another meeting which I believe will be held at the Valour Building, La Promenade.

Thank you once again and have a lovely day.

The meeting is adjourned.