Status of Women Committee on April 11th, 2019

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Excellent. Thank you very much.

We're now going to turn the floor over to Salma.

You have five minutes, Salma.

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thanks to all three witnesses for providing their important input.

My first question is for both witnesses. Gender-based violence is an important issue faced by all women and by many senior women in particular. In 2017, the government invested in the gender-based violence strategy, and just last year, in 2018, there was funding in the amount of $50 million to tackle gender-based violence. That money was given to different projects across Canada to support underserved groups such as indigenous women, and immigrant and LGBT organizations. The funding also included projects that would assist senior women living in northern, rural and remote communities, and people with disabilities.

We'll start with Ms. Grenier. How do you feel that has helped senior women? What types of projects were able to handle that and how is that helpful? What more can we do on this issue?

[Dr. Amanda Grenier]

I haven't evaluated any of these programs, so I can't speak directly to how those particular programs have made an impact, but what I can say is that in the stories that we saw, for example in homelessness among older women, the trajectory into homelessness for women was often gender-based violence, violence within the home. If we think, then, about older women going into the shelter system, they are at risk for many other things, especially if they're entering a shelter system for the first time in late life.

The suggestion I would have is really for a very particular group of marginalized women, and it is to think about specialized services for older women who are leaving situations of violence, who may not necessarily seek out a women's shelter and may not necessarily seek out an emergency housing shelter. Thinking about what you could do, my suggestion is to think about those particular groups who are at risk in late life.

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Ms. Adewale, would you like to add to that?

[Dr. Oluremi Adewale]

I totally agree with what you have said. I have done some work, and I have written practice guidelines on women abuse and intimate partner violence. I have read the report you are talking about, in my other job, which I'm not going to talk about here. I know that particular groups—immigrants, indigenous, LGBTQ, people with low education or in poverty—those are the people who, based on much of literature, are high-risk.

Gender-based violence is huge. We're talking about bullies, men who abuse, intimate partner violence. For senior adults, there are things that stand out when I hear that. Financial abuse is a huge one that a lot of them face. It's hard to deal with that, especially when they've been abused by a friend they depend on or family or their spouses or even their children. If those are the only sources of support they have, it's very challenging to deal with that.

In terms of what can be done, I think we need to speak about awareness. There need to be a lot of programs that speak to how people need to be aware. Doctors need to be aware of questions to ask. Health care professionals, social workers and people in religious places need to be aware of indicators of abuse, especially among senior women. If they see them, what should be done? What can they do about it?

The elderly too, the seniors, need to know the impacts, the long-term or the short-term implications of all these forms of abuse.

Awareness might be—

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

Ms. Adewale, in your testimony you also talked about social isolation. I know it's a very big issue, specifically when it comes to—

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

You have 10 seconds.

[Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre, ON]

—minority women. I think because of language and other cultural values, they face even more isolation.

Do you have any recommendations that you can send to us, specifically in regard to minority women? How can we tackle social isolation?

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

That's excellent.

We have enough time to have three more questions. Instead of going through the full rounds, we're going to give one question to CPC, one question to LPC and one question to NDP. Maybe that's an opportunity for Salma.

I ask that you keep the question and answer within a minute and a half.

I'm going to pass it over to Rachael for a minute and a half. I'm going to keep it to 90 seconds.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

All right.

Ms. Adewale, if we were to go back to my first question, with regard to society's treatment of women and our perceptions of youthfulness versus age, are there any last thoughts that you would add to that conversation? Time got cut a little short there.

[Dr. Oluremi Adewale]

I think relationships are everything. Awareness and the opportunity for women to gather together and talk about strength and those things you mentioned.... You talked about wisdom and their contributions. I think we need to bring all those things to them. It's about balance and opportunity and having relationships and letting them go out and enjoy the rest of the life they have left. That's it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you very much.

Eva, go ahead for 90 seconds.

[Eva Nassif, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm the member of Parliament for Vimy, in Laval. In 2014, the City of Laval decided to provide free public transportation for seniors. It's good news. It improves their quality of life and reduces their isolation.

Apart from access to public transportation, according to your research, are there other factors that you haven't mentioned yet that help reduce social isolation?

[Dr. Amanda Grenier]

Thank you.

I'll answer in English if that's okay.

[Eva Nassif, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

It's okay.

[Dr. Amanda Grenier]

About transportation, again, I haven't studied Laval's example, but it's a really good example of making transport accessible.

The piece I would stress from our project on isolation is the social aspects, and I think that echoes what you were trying to say. Transportation is not only related to medical issues and this sort of thing, but it allows older women, older people, to get out and about in the city. It creates ways of facilitating social engagement, inclusion in communities, countering the exclusion and isolation that can occur. It's the social aspect, providing support for programs that allow for social opportunities.

I think that is one such example. Allowing for public transportation, and making sure it's accessible and can work, allows people to make informed choices about being able to get out and about—go visit a friend, get their hair cut, and these sorts of things that help to break isolation.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

We have the nicest panel today; I just can't do my job.

I'm now going to pass the 90 seconds over to Irene.

[Irene Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I wanted to touch on two things just very quickly, because there's so much to discuss. The first is in regard to caregivers. We have a dropout provision for employment insurance, although it's certainly not long enough. What about a dropout provision for CPP, so that women are not being penalized for their undervalued and unpaid work?

The second thing I wanted to shift over to is dental health and pharmacare, which are very important. Do they need to be a fixed part of our health care system, so that seniors, and women in particular, have access to that important dental care and the medicines they need? I mean universal pharmacare, not fiddling around pharmacare—real pharmacare that takes care of everyone.

I'll throw that out to the panel.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

You have 30 seconds to respond.

[Dr. Oluremi Adewale]

There does need to be...absolutely. There is a link between poor dental care and heart disease and health problems, so absolutely there needs to be. Not only do they need it, but where they can get it needs to be accessible. Every community needs to have public health units. Not only do they need it, but where do they need to go? How do they get there? It should be, absolutely.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

I would really like to thank the panel today. Thank you very much to Amanda, Oluremi, and Boluwaji. This has been a wonderful panel today.

I see no other committee business. See you in two weeks. Thank you very much.

The meeting is adjourned.