Evidence of meeting #56 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 girls.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:05 p.m.
Program Administrator, Women in Trades Training, Kelowna Campus, Okanagan College
We promote that program to our students, but that kicks in a little way down the road after they leave us, after they become apprentices, so I don't have very much feedback on that for you.
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
John Barlow Conservative Macleod, AB
You talked about some of the barriers out there, and I know a lot of that is what happens on the job site, but is financial aid one of those barriers? We've seen that about 300,000 Canadians start an apprenticeship program, but fewer than half finish and this loan program is there to address that. Do you see that as maybe addressing one of those barriers?
12:05 p.m.
Program Administrator, Women in Trades Training, Kelowna Campus, Okanagan College
I do. I think the financial situation is definitely a barrier for some of our women, many of whom are single parents.
12:05 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc
Thank you very much.
Ms. Sellah, you now have the floor for five minutes.
12:05 p.m.
NDP
Djaouida Sellah NDP Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
First I would like to thank the witnesses who are here with us today.
My question is for you, Mr. Montpellier. In 2011, you published a report entitled “Changing the Face of the Canadian Mining Industry.”
In your presentation, you described three obstacles. Are they a part of the conclusions of that study?
12:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Mining Industry Human Resources Council
Yes. Let us say that the obstacles we detected were determined in various studies carried out by the Mining Industry Human Resources Council, or done in cooperation with our partners in various areas of the country.
12:05 p.m.
NDP
Djaouida Sellah NDP Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
I see.
Among these obstacles, you mentioned the lack of information about women. I suppose we will need money to remedy that. You referred to a culture and an environment that is not inclusive, and is dominated by men. So money will have to be injected there. Moreover, on the topic of career advancement opportunities, you said there was no mentoring, and no parental leave. Money will be required for that as well. However, in Budget 2015, there is nothing that furthers the participation of women in the skilled trades sector.
Does that not worry you, since you want to change the face of mining industry? If the government is not behind that objective, how are you going to manage to attract more women?
12:10 p.m.
Executive Director, Mining Industry Human Resources Council
That is a very good question.
Several ongoing projects are attempting to determine the reasons that prevent us from eliminating the obstacles to the promotion of women. Of course we would like to have more resources to promote the industry to young people, women and aboriginal persons. We have to wonder whose responsibility that promotion rests with. Does the industry have the responsibility of doing its own promotion, as a choice employer? Must the government play a role in the promotion of sectors or professions in demand in our society? There is room for everyone.
Our council receives direct support from the mining industry and the federal government. A lot of our career promotion projects were set up in partnership with the industry and the federal government. It is a model that functions very well and allows us to receive resources from industry and the government so as to knock down the barriers that exist.
12:10 p.m.
NDP
Djaouida Sellah NDP Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
I listened to Ms. Jennifer Flanagan's presentation.
I was happy to hear about your initiative with young aboriginal girls aimed at encouraging them to take an interest in computer science, which is currently the basis of the whole industry.
I would like to know what the word “Actua” stands for. Does it mean “actualité”? I don't know what it means. Could you explain it?
12:10 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
It isn't an acronym. It is a word that years ago, when we came up with our identity, came from the word “actualize”, which was helping kids to actualize their potential.
12:10 p.m.
NDP
Djaouida Sellah NDP Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
That is interesting.
What do you think of this initiative? I know that you have reached a lot of girls, some 48,000 throughout Canada. Will this be an ongoing project?
12:10 p.m.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Actua
Yes. The figure is actually 10,000 per year.
We have every intention of continuing. The girls program has been going for almost 20 years, and we will continue until women are equally represented in these fields.
12:10 p.m.
NDP
The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc
Thank you, Ms. Sellah.
Ms. Perkins, you now have the floor for five minutes.
April 28th, 2015 / 12:10 p.m.
Conservative
Pat Perkins Conservative Whitby—Oshawa, ON
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I appreciate all of the presentations today. They were very enlightening, and the video was quite amazing.
Question number one I think would go to the mining industry.
We were talking about the fact that the head of your corporation had been a woman. Is there a board of directors?
12:10 p.m.
Executive Director, Mining Industry Human Resources Council
The question was about the first female president of the Mining Association of Canada. There are number of female executives who work in the industry, and we're seeing that trend continue.
12:10 p.m.
Conservative
Pat Perkins Conservative Whitby—Oshawa, ON
Are your boards of directors involved with these corporations?
12:10 p.m.
Executive Director, Mining Industry Human Resources Council
Yes, absolutely.
12:10 p.m.
Conservative
12:10 p.m.
Executive Director, Mining Industry Human Resources Council
We are.
That is one of the reasons I think the security regulators in Canada are starting to move to mandatory reporting on diversity measures. If they weren't already employing women on boards, they certainly will be now.
What is very important in our industry is our corporate social licence to operate. CSR has tended to be more around environmental impact and our responsibility to communities. We're seeing that more and more diversity is being linked to CSR, and, certainly at the board table and at the C-suite, we're seeing more and more women taking on those roles.
I can't give you the exact percentage—
12:15 p.m.
Executive Director, Mining Industry Human Resources Council
I am seeing it.
12:15 p.m.
Executive Director, Mining Industry Human Resources Council
I've been in this industry for 12 years, and 12 years ago nobody was talking about it, but they certainly are today.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Pat Perkins Conservative Whitby—Oshawa, ON
I think that having women on the boards is certainly changing the culture a bit more, so it's very good to hear.
It's not the first time we've heard about the change rooms and the washrooms and the various things that people encounter, such as improper-fitting clothes and all of those things. It's good to hear that the industry is picking up on that as well.
Jennifer, if you don't mind me calling you Jennifer, you made a statement that formal computer science should be a part of basic literacy. You're saying that it isn't part of basic literacy in schools, but you were speaking about all children, not just the girls. It doesn't exist for boys?