Status of Women Committee on May 16th, 2019

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

I'm looking at the time; there was no question on that. I hear you. We'll allow it to pass to the questions.

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

All of that was false.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you. That will show on the record.

Irene, I'll pass the floor to you for seven minutes.

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

Thank you, Minister, for being here.

I have a number of questions, and I would prefer succinct answers because I want to cover a lot of ground.

First, when are you planning to restore core operational funding to women's organizations, funding that was withdrawn by the government in 2006? You talked at the beginning about collaboration and partnerships, yet by favouring project funding over core funding, your government has increased its control over the types of community services offered, while making women's organizations more financially vulnerable. They're busy desperately trying to cobble together short-term proposals, and they cannot do long-term planning for the provision of service, advocacy and research.

Minister, how on earth will they participate in this collaboration?

Second, there's a conference in early June in Vancouver called Women Deliver. Community organizations have been excluded because they cannot afford to go to the conference. When will we see core funding again, please?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

The Government of Canada is not in the business of core funding. That said, as I mentioned, my number one priority is the sustainability of the movement. As the VP of the YWCA in my community, I agree that the strings that came with 12-month, 24-month funding envelopes hurt the movement's ability to move forward. That's why we've increased funding for women's organizations fivefold to go beyond an election cycle, up to five years, which is what they asked for, so they are able to better respond. In the new budget there is an additional $160 million over five years. I can assure you this was designed in collaboration with the women's movement, and they know we have their back.

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

I'm sorry, Minister, but that is not what I am hearing from organizations. I've been in this portfolio off and on since 2006, and women's organizations are very clear that they require stable funding so they can plan and hire, and this mishmash of project funding is simply not working. It's certainly not working for organizations that do the groundwork. I don't accept that answer in any way.

My next question has to do with your statements about women in non-traditional roles and child care. This committee did a study in 2008 of women in non-traditional trades and found that they were excellent. They were probably the best employees ever because they were conscientious and careful. Unfortunately, most of the women who tried to educate themselves for these jobs had to drop out because there was no child care.

You talked about child care; you talked about 40,000 spaces. How is this adequate across an entire nation? Are they publicly funded, are they permanent, is there going to be a program to provide for the kind of child care we need, that we do not have?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

As you know, just as funding women's organizations is a shared responsibility with provinces, so is child care. We've put $7.5 billion on the table and signed bilateral agreements with our provincial counterparts. In his previous role, Terry, my parliamentary secretary, was a part of that. It's making a world of difference, Irene. If you're asking me about what's coming up, in our platform and our work towards another mandate, stay tuned.

As for your comment about women's organizations, there has never been capacity-building funding for women's organizations—and we now [Inaudible--Editor] on women's day so it's not a hodge-podge—

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

Yes, Minister, there has been.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Irene has the time as the questioner.

Go ahead.

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

Thank you.

Minister, you're absolutely wrong. There was always capacity-building funding until the Conservatives removed it in 2006. I would have expected you to restore it simply because women's organizations—

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

We did.

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

You did not. You made it into piecemeal project-by-project funding. Child care spaces in Toronto cost about $1,200 a month for one child for a family. That is not affordable, and if we are going to have successful child care, it must be affordable.

Minister, you talked about the need to have women represented. Some time ago, I think about in 2004, the NDP introduced a bill to require federal boards to have 50% participation of women. I reintroduced the bill, and I wonder, since you support it, will you ensure the passage of that NDP bill to make sure that women are properly represented?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

That's a great question, Irene.

The fact that only one in five seats is filled by a woman in Canada's wealthy corporate boards is a shame. It also affects our economic opportunities and competitiveness.

So, we introduced a comply and explain model through Bill C-25. Parliament supported it wholeheartedly. We introduced that bill in the understanding with corporations that if we were not able to see results, we'd be willing to take further steps.

The recent data isn't showing much improvement. I'd be interested in seeing your bill, Irene, and wrapping my head around it.

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

All right. I most certainly will send it along.

There is some profound concern with regard to funding for the Native Women's Association of Canada. You talked about the importance of work connected with missing and murdered women, and yet NWAC's funding has been reduced and they were the key catalyst for the Sisters in Spirit campaign.

What is your relationship with NWAC? Are you able to interact in a positive manner? In terms of partnerships and collaborations, is there a good working response in terms of your department and the work that NWAC does?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Thank you, Irene. Yes. We also have a great relationship with Pauktuutit and with Métis women. At the provincial and territorial meetings I've been a part of over the last two years, they've had a seat for the first time ever. When I went to the UN they were part of the Canadian delegation, as they should be. We've signed a bilateral agreement specifically with NWAC. We also have one with Métis women.

I will correct something, though. NWAC's funding has increased under our government. They had, I think, nine staff when we formed government, and it's over 70 now, and that is a direct result of the investments we're making. They're valuable partners and we need their voices and we need them to be sustainable, but we also need to ensure that their individual partners, like the Quebec Native Women's Association, the Atlantic native women's associations—

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Wrap it up, please.

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

—and the Ontario Native Women's Association also have the supports they need.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Okay.

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

So, absolutely we have a strong partnership—

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Okay, we're going to now move over to our next set of questions because I allowed a much longer time.

Rachel, you have the floor for seven minutes.

[Rachel Bendayan, Liberal, Outremont, QC]

Minister, women have fought, not for decades but centuries, for their rights, and I was quite shocked to see last week a march in Ottawa demonstrating against a woman's right to choose, against a woman's right to make decisions over her own body, and this after the Supreme Court of Canada recognized that right over 30 years ago.

Minister, you've always set your sights forward, and rightly so, and in your presentation to this committee you mentioned a number of really incredible accomplishments made over the last four years. Are you concerned at all that there's a risk of some of the fundamental rights that women have fought for actually rolling back and being lost?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

I am.

Patty Hajdu says this. Our rights are not carved in stone. Every time we've seen progress there has been a backlash. There was backlash when we got the right to vote. There was backlash when we entered the workforce. There is backlash now as more and more of us enter politics.

Just look at any one of your social media feeds to see what that backlash looks like now, and when we have conversations that still question the autonomy of women's bodies, it's a reminder of the fact that we cannot be complicit and—

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

Point of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Yes, go ahead.

[Kellie Leitch, Conservative, Simcoe—Grey, ON]

I think the member opposite raised the issue of staying on the estimates. I think this is an issue that is not related to the estimates, and I'd ask the minister to focus on that. Thank you.