Evidence of meeting #106 for Status of Women in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was data.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Pamela Best  Assistant Director, Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
Jennifer Kaddatz  Chief, Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
Anna Kemeny  Survey Manager, Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division, Statistics Canada
Justine Akman  Director General, Policy and External Relations, Office of the Co-ordinator, Status of Women Canada
Riri Shen  Director of Operations, Democratic Institutions, Privy Council Office
Nancy Gardiner  Senior Director General, Women’s Program and Regional Operations, Office of the Co-ordinator, Status of Women
Joshua Bath  Analyst, Democratic Institutions, Privy Council Office
Selena Beattie  Director of Operations, Cabinet Affairs, Legislation and House Planning, Privy Council Office

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS

Are you actually following the individuals who took part in this? Do you have a plan for the long term?

5:25 p.m.

Senior Director General, Women’s Program and Regional Operations, Office of the Co-ordinator, Status of Women

Nancy Gardiner

No, that's not part of the longitudinal study for—

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS

Is there a reason we couldn't be doing that?

5:25 p.m.

Senior Director General, Women’s Program and Regional Operations, Office of the Co-ordinator, Status of Women

Nancy Gardiner

There isn't a reason we couldn't be doing that. It was not part of that particular project.

5:25 p.m.

Liberal

Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS

Someone from PCO discussed the potential for setting quotas for candidates but in the next breath talked about the very real problem of placing women in ridings they can't win. If we were going to entertain a discussion about measures that would actually encourage parties to have parity in terms of their candidate slate, what protections could we put in place to ensure there isn't a practice of just putting in placeholder candidates, where they know they're never going to win, to satisfy an artificial requirement?

5:30 p.m.

Analyst, Democratic Institutions, Privy Council Office

Joshua Bath

One of the most effective mechanisms that has been seen in a country like Canada.... I believe the Special Committee on Electoral Reform discussed this in their final report, the fact that nomination contests are seen as one of the biggest barriers to women's participation in Canada. There are several political parties that have put in place, on a voluntary basis, rules about when and how nomination contests are held. I think that could be something the committee might wish to look at in terms of....

5:30 p.m.

Liberal

Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS

I think that's my time. It's 5:30.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

That clock is off by two.

June 5th, 2018 / 5:30 p.m.

Director General, Policy and External Relations, Office of the Co-ordinator, Status of Women Canada

Justine Akman

Political training, mentorship, leadership programs—the kind we do at Status of Women but perhaps more targeted ones—and enhancing research, those things will also help. It's not just about quotas necessarily.

5:30 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio

Thank you very much.

I just want to let you know that my Daughter of the Vote is doing tons of things now in our community. I think she really was helped by that. Great work.

Our next meeting is going to be Thursday, June 7. We'll have Shal Marriott, Kayleigh Erickson, Nancy Peckford, and Michaela Glasgo.

Dissenting and supplementary reports for the women's economic report are due by 12:00 p.m. on Friday and midnight for indigenous women.

The meeting is adjourned.