Status of Women Committee on May 12th, 2015

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

How do you evaluate its efficiency right now?

[Meena Ballantyne]

I think it's contributing to awareness of how you analyze policies and programs, how you ask the right questions, how you move beyond only the sex and gender issues. I did bring something that I thought might be of interest to you. For example, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research has a little postcard on sex and gender. Throughout the research granting process, they're implementing a requirement that all grant applicants have to respond to mandatory questions about whether their research designs include gender and sex.

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

That's really interesting.

I'm going to move on because I don't have much time.

One thing I do want to raise with you is that when I'm meeting with women's organizations across my riding, across the country, what we often hear is that while new funding programs and initiatives that are being brought forward are interesting, what's frustrating for them is that if they do find funding or if there's something they are trying to apply for, it's something that really only exists for a small period of time and then there's not a renewal of that type of fund. Every couple of years, or even every year, there's no automatic renewal. Organizations that have very limited funds and human resource capacity are spending half their time simply redoing different funding applications in order to try and receive.... Why is there not more core funding toward the groups that do advocacy or research? Why is there not core funding to even service providers, when it comes to women?

[Meena Ballantyne]

I think the terms and conditions of the program have been established for a few years now, and the path chosen has been not to fund service delivery and core programming. What we're trying to do, as the minister and Linda were saying earlier, is to have systemic change and to provide two-to-three year funding, so that it's sustained in the communities by all the partners who then own it. Instead of the government funding it, it's sustained in the communities themselves. Those are the terms and conditions of our program.

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

With the last couple of seconds that I have, I want to raise the fact that the last time we had Madam Savoie with us for the STEM research, you said specifically that the responsibilities for child care and even elder care were still primarily with women.

The data that we have on that is almost 10 years old now and in a publication that's five years old. Are there any new data that are going to be collected around that number, or do we have newer data coming out?

[Meena Ballantyne]

I'm not sure if we have data on that specific issue, but I know that in the Stats Canada Women in Canada publication that we're working on, the next edition and the various chapters that are going to be coming out.... But I could look into whether the Women in Canada—

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

If you could provide that to the clerk—

[Meena Ballantyne]

Sure.

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

—and to the committee members, that would be much appreciated.

[Meena Ballantyne]

Yes.

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

Again, I want to thank you all for coming in and for enlightening us following the minister's visit.

Now we will move on to go through our routine to the votes.

We will now vote on items 1 and 5 of the Main Estimates 2015-16.

STATUS OF WOMEN

Vote 1—Office of the Co-ordinator, Status of Women—Operating expenditures.......... $9,364,355

Shall vote 1, less the amount of $2,341,088 granted in interim supply, carry?

(Vote 1 agreed to)

Shall vote 5, less the amount of $4,737,500 granted in interim supply, carry?

Vote 5—Office of the Co-ordinator, Status of Women—Grants and contributions.......... $18,950,000

(Vote 5 agreed to)

Shall the chair report the Main Estimates 2015-16 to the House?

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, NDP, Hélène LeBlanc]

I would like to thank all the committee members.

Our next meeting will take place in room 228 of the La Promenade Building.

Have a good day.

The meeting is adjourned.