Status of Women Committee on Nov. 23rd, 2016

[Walter Henry]

One is to have more funding for organizations like ours and to make it easier for us to go into the schools. Sometimes there's a lot of red tape before we can get into the schools. Also, incorporate this into the curriculum so that it's both ways. Once you make it easier for organizations like ours to go into the schools, it will be much easier. From the information we heard, catching it at a young age, from even before age 10, is important. If organizations like ours can go into the schools, we can spread the message.

The other thing is that I believe individuals like you could start a revolution in terms of being that voice, and it will spread. Once when I was trying to advertise to get into the schools, one of the things I said was to start a revolution. Individuals like you are in a perfect position to be that voice. If more individuals like you could speak up, more male-identified individuals like you would speak up.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Sheila Malcolmson]

Thank you. That's a good way to end it.

We'll move now to Mrs. Vecchio for five minutes.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

I thank all of you for coming today. It's really important and a great discussion.

Last week, a group of us from all parties joined together to do Shine the Light here on Parliament Hill. It was the first time it had been highlighted on Parliament Hill, and the Peace Tower was turned purple. It was wonderful to see not just female but also so many male MPs engaged in something even as simple as getting their photo taken in front of the tower, just to show that they too stood up.

I trust the words that you said today, Walter. They are exactly the same words that my husband has said as well about how important it is to get men engaged, and that you have to live as the example. He lives as the example to my three sons, and that is very important, as well as to my daughters who have to recognize that they cannot allow this to happen to themselves.

Starting with that—and this goes for both the White Ribbon campaign and for Halton—we have heard about the extreme importance of getting men and young boys involved. We have heard you talk about going into the schools and some of the red-tape issues you have.

What is the best thing for us to do to get men inspired? Getting into schools is one thing, but what other functions do you hold, or what other events do you hold to get more men involved? I am going to continue with this one, because I recognize I have only a few minutes, and you guys can speak freely. I know, for instance, that the White Ribbon Campaign runs from November 25 to December 6. What is done outside of that calendar period so that we can make sure this is not just a two-week event but something that is looked at 365 days a year? I think sometimes that when it is front of mind, it's there, and we always need to be make sure that it's front of mind.

Walter and Alma, maybe you could start, and then we'll move over.

[Walter Henry]

One of the things we are having next year is a MAN conference. We'll deal with all the issues related to sexual violence, misogyny, and learning about misogyny in a patriarchal society. There is a speaker I'm in connection with by the name of Jackson Katz who speaks about it. I think he's the godfather for ending misogyny. He's a Harvard grad.

It's also just networking in the various men-dominated spaces. I'm willing to give a presentation in a coffee shop or a bar, where men are. I think it's doing that grassroots work, where you go into a park and have the conversation.

Sometimes it's not all about the power point presentation, but it's just about having a conversation. I learned that right away when I did my first presentation at Take Back the Night for SAVIS. I gave a power point presentation, and the men were like, “Let's have a conversation”. So It's about having a conversation in male-dominated spaces. That's the most important thing.

[Alma Arguello]

Something that also sometimes is missing, and that we are hoping here at SAVIS to change, is also to have cultural relevancy in our community. That means teaching young men in that community, in that sphere, in their own safe environment, whether it's a mosque or a synagogue or a church or a temple, and talking to them about how being a male ally helps in their own community. Having that conversation sometimes in their own language—in Hebrew, in Spanish, in Arabic—is very important.

I think that's a part of the education that in some of the programs we have seen is also missing. Having that cultural and diversity piece is very important, because children will hear it at home, in the place of worship, or within their own community-specific youth group, and at school. So far, that's not happening. All we hear is that we have it at bigger events, but we're targeting the places where the kids go to play. That's just as important.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

And White Ribbon...?

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Sheila Malcolmson]

You have 20 seconds.

[Chi Nguyen]

Thank you very much for that question, Karen.

There are a couple of things we think about when we do our work, given that we know we can't be everywhere in the country. We also host large-scale conferences of about 200 people, called “What Makes a Man”. We host conferences in partnership with the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario and the Toronto District School Board, so we're able to connect into the school system. We also are doing work across the universities and colleges, specifically around building the capacity of student leadership on these issues so that they can understand how to create action plans and programming that can address these questions.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Sheila Malcolmson]

My apologies, but we have to end it there.

We'll move to our final questioner, who is Ms. Vandenbeld, for five minutes.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Thank you.

Actually, Ms. Nguyen, do you want to continue that thought?

[Chi Nguyen]

Sure. I'll just wrap up by saying that we know there is also a hunger for new resources and tools and ways to connect in diverse communities. We've been working with the Canadian Council of Muslim Women to create a tool kit on engaging men in the Muslim community, as well as with the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples. Those are materials that are currently in development, and we hope to have these out for 2017.

Another important piece to acknowledge in this conversation is that men and boys also can end up being victims of violence within households and families, and acknowledging that as part of any of the work you're doing is important. There's a whole host of strategies and tools and intervention points that can all add to the approach, but sadly, there isn't a singular magic bullet, and there's a whole host of things that we can be doing.

The thing that I think will be really exciting in the next couple of years, given increased awareness and understanding about these issues, is to see men step up and actively speak out on this. I think we're at a pivotal moment at which we've seen the detrimental, devastating impacts and the cost for organizations, whether it's the RCMP or the Canadian Armed Forces, and we need to address these questions with some real urgency.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Thank you very much.

I want to thank all of you.

Mr. Henry, you talked about a culture of misogyny, and there is no way that we can actually make a cultural shift without including half of the population. It's absolutely necessary to have male allies and to work with men, so thank you very much.

I noted, Mr. Henry, that you talked about the concept of “toxic masculinity”. We've heard in this committee of some programs working with young men about not being a bystander.

Ms. Nguyen, you talked about bystanders having to name and call it out. I think this goes to the normalization of misogyny, and I applaud the work you're doing; unfortunately, it's only affecting a certain percentage of the population.

My question is to both of you, and in particular to Ms. Nguyen, about the community of practice that you mentioned—I think you said there are eight organizations. How do we scale this up? If the messages are coming so strongly from such a wide array of places, how do we take what you're doing—take those lessons learned, take those best practices—and is there a role for the federal government in taking those lessons and applying them across the country?

I'll start with Ms. Nguyen, and then I'll turn to you, Mr. Henry.

[Chi Nguyen]

Thank you for that question.

Part of it is capacity and reach and scope. We know some of the pieces that are working in each of these organizations that we had as part of our community of practice. The tool kit that's just been launched is quite extensive. It has an incredible evaluation framework as well, so it grounds it in some really strong research and indicators.

It's really about ensuring that we get those materials out to as many organizations as possible, and extending it out so that it's not just within the sector of folks who deal with this issue. Anyone who is faced with social service interventions—the health sector, nurses, librarians, anyone who has a touch point with community—should get some supports and understanding around gender violence, responding to disclosure, supporting victims, but also on how to help intervene and to help name some of these challenges.

A lot of those sectors I just named are often caring professions, but there are also roles that men can play in very masculine environments, in masculine work environments, whether it's mining or the extractive sectors, where there are women. They can do their part in terms of naming and identifying when they see gender violence. That includes harassment and toxic workplaces.

Along that whole spectrum, we have so much work to do, and I'm glad to be able to share some of our insights with you.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Thank you.

Ms. Arguello.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Sheila Malcolmson]

Just a couple of seconds. It's very close.

[Alma Arguello]

Okay.

For us, it would have to be funding. We are two of us, and we reach Hamilton, Peel, Niagara, St. Catharines, Hagersville. At the end of the day, the community really wants it. The community is reaching out to us and asking us things. Can you come and talk to us? Can you translate this? Can you talk to this? Can you talk to our kids? Can you come and talk to a gym full of kids about what a bystander is and the responsibilities of a bystander?

If these children are not being taught what are the bystander responsibilities they have, they will grow up as adults and continue to feed the misogynistic society we are currently in.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Sheila Malcolmson]

Thank you so much.

I'm very grateful to our witnesses from both White Ribbon and SAVIS. On the committee's behalf, many thanks to both of you for your community work and for assisting us today in our study. If you have any final thoughts or things you wish you'd been able to say, please send them to the clerk and we'll include them in our evidence.

With the committee's acceptance, I'll just end with a fantastic social media campaign that the government has just launched, #actionsmatter. It has these calls to action, and how to name and respond to misogyny when we hear it, which is very effective. It would be great if we could all use it, take our leadership role, and see if we can talk afterwards about whether we thought it made some impact.

Thanks to the whole group. We'll say goodbye to the witnesses. Thanks so much.

We are now adjourned.