Evidence of meeting #36 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 brunswick.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Maureen Adamson  Deputy Minister Responsible for Women's Issues, Ontario Women's Directorate, Government of Ontario
Jocelyne Mills  Assistant Deputy Minister, Executive Council Office, Women's Equality Branch, Government of New Brunswick
Tessa Hill  Co-Founder, We Give Consent
Martine Stewart  Director, Violence Prevention and Community Partnerships (Unit), Executive Council Office, Government of New Brunswick
Lisa Priest  Assistant Deputy Minister, Ontario Women's Directorate, Government of Ontario

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

I call this meeting to order.

We are starting with committee business. You all should have received the report from the subcommittee, so I need someone to move adoption of the report.

Ms. Malcolmson.

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB

I so move.

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

All in favour?

(Motion agreed to)

Go ahead, Ms. Malcolmson.

4:15 p.m.

NDP

Sheila Malcolmson NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC

I have another matter of business. I'm sorry I didn't give notice on this, but we just got a letter from one of our NGOs that was thinking of applying to Status of Women for their funding announcement. The deadline is December 8, and they asked if we could try to get an extension, because December 8 is right in the middle of their 16 days of action to end violence against women.

I propose that the Status of Women committee write a letter to the Minister of Status of Women asking for an extension of the December 8 funding deadline for women's organizations.

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

Is there any discussion?

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON

I thank Ms. Malcolmson for letting us know this just a few minutes before the meeting, but I don't know anything about this topic. It's the first that I've heard of it, and I wonder if we could have just a little bit of time. If it's December 8, we still have some time if we are to write a letter, but I would like to be able to discuss that with my colleagues and find out whether or not there was information put out and how vast this problem is before we make a decision.

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

Is there any other discussion?

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON

Could I move to table it to the next meeting?

4:15 p.m.

Conservative

Garnett Genuis Conservative Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB

This is just a thought on process. It seems to me that if the committee were to write a letter, we would need a meeting between drafting and reviewing the final letter. Perhaps, provisionally, a letter could be drafted so that at the next meeting we could decide one way or the other what we want to do, and then if we decide to go ahead with it, the letter is already ready. Does that make some sense?

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

Go ahead. Ms. Vandenbeld.

4:15 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON

In that case, I think that it might be better that we make our own interventions to the minister as members and have civil society do the same. I'm not ready to start drafting a letter today.

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

Then you move that we defer this?

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON

Yes.

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

You're moving that the debate be adjourned?

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON

Yes. I move that the debate be adjourned.

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

All in favour?

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON

(Motion agreed to)

4:20 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

That motion carries.

We will now welcome back our witnesses joining us by video conference. On behalf of all members of the committee, I want to thank you for your patience and understanding and for returning to us with information for our study on violence against young women and girls.

We have, from the Government of Ontario, Maureen Adamson, deputy minister responsible for women's issues, Ontario Women's Directorate, and Lisa Priest, assistant deputy minister, Ontario Women's Directorate.

We also have, from the Government of New Brunswick, coming to us from Fredericton, Jocelyne Mills, assistant deputy minister, Executive Council Office, women's equality branch, and Martine Stewart, director, violence prevention and community partnerships unit, Executive Council Office.

I understand that we are later going to be joined by Tessa Hill, who gave us her presentation previously on We Give Consent, but we'll start with the Government of Ontario for 10 minutes.

4:20 p.m.

Maureen Adamson Deputy Minister Responsible for Women's Issues, Ontario Women's Directorate, Government of Ontario

Thank you very much, and good afternoon. Bonjour.

I'd like to begin by thanking the committee for inviting Tracy MacCharles, the Minister Responsible for Women's Issues, to speak to you today, and I'm delighted to be here on her behalf. As you know, we are very committed to ending violence against women and girls in Canada and Ontario.

Although I am video conferencing from Toronto, we would also like to acknowledge indigenous peoples and their long prior history with the lands we are on today, and in particular to acknowledge the Algonquin peoples in the Ottawa region.

I want to start by telling you a bit about the Ontario Women's Directorate and the progress we are making toward the implementation of “It's Never Okay: An Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment”, and then give you a very brief overview of some of the other work that we have undertaken to address gender-based violence and inequality.

Promoting gender equality by ending violence against women is a priority for the Government of Ontario. We want to make Ontario a place where everyone can live free from the fear, threat, or experience of sexual violence and harassment.

The Ontario Women's Directorate provides advice and support to the Minister Responsible for Women's Issues and all government ministries throughout the development and implementation of policies and programs related to violence against women, gender equality, and women's economic empowerment. Our key ministry partners are helping us to end the global pandemic of gender-based violence and inequality, and we continue to engage experts, communities, survivors, and the public.

Let me speak specifically on stopping sexual violence and harassment. In March 2015, Ontario launched “It's Never Okay: An Action Plan to Stop Sexual Violence and Harassment”. This three-year plan builds on previous work and includes an investment of $41 million.

We continue raising awareness about sexual violence and harassment through public education. Our multimedia campaign, #WhoWillYouHelp, received 85 million views worldwide, producing measurable results.

Six months after the campaign launched, the results were clear and measurable. Two-thirds of Ontarians surveyed recalled seeing the campaign, and research showed that 55% strongly agreed that they had an obligation to intervene when witnessing sexual harassment, up from 37% before the campaign launched.

Further, 92% agreed that they had an obligation to intervene if they witnessed sexual violence, up from 81% previously, and 83% agreed that if they witnessed sexual assault and did not intervene, they were in fact making a decision to allow it to continue, which is again an increase, up from 77%. These are some really great results.

Such a significant change in public attitudes in such a short period of time is rare, as we know, and we are working with other jurisdictions in Canada and beyond that have expressed interest in adapting this campaign.

We also launched a creative engagement fund that is administered by the Ontario Arts Council and supports 11 artistic projects, including a multidisciplinary arts program that will engage Franco-Ontarian youth across the province in dialogue and action on sexual violence and harassment, as well as “Sexual Assault: The Roadshow”, a pop-up, participatory art gallery in a retrofitted shipping container that will travel to 15 areas in Ontario over the next three years.

We are enhancing training and resources for service providers so that they can better assist survivors and those at risk of sexual violence. For example, bartenders, servers, and others in the hospitality sector are being trained to identify and intervene in instances of sexual violence and harassment among employees and patrons.

We are also funding seven pilot projects, under our innovation fund, focused on survivors who are at a higher risk of experiencing sexual violence and require services tailored to their needs.

We also want to improve the experience of survivors navigating the justice system, which we know can be very challenging. One way we are doing that is by providing up to four hours of free, independent legal advice to sexual assault survivors. Since the pilot program was launched in Ottawa, Toronto, and Thunder Bay in June, we've already served more than 100 survivors.

We are inspiring generational change by helping students gain a deeper understanding about the root causes of gender inequality and issues of healthy relationships. Ontario has updated the health and physical education curriculum to help students understand online safety—including the risks of sexting—healthy relationships, and consent.

In March of this year, the Sexual Violence and Harassment Action Plan Act, 2016, a key commitment in the action plan, received royal assent. It strengthens provisions related to sexual assault and harassment in the workplace, on campus, in housing, and throughout the civil claims process.

The act actually requires colleges, universities, and private career colleges to have stand-alone sexual violence policies that are developed with student input and reviewed at least every three years. Policies must be in place by January 2017.

We wanted to raise awareness about sexual violence, challenge attitudes, encourage behavioural change, and equip bystanders with the tools to intervene. One of the lessons that we have learned is that a one-size solution does not fit all when it comes to public education campaigns. We've worked with experts in communities early to develop campaigns that are socially and culturally relevant. For example, the Ontario neighbours, friends and family initiative, which addresses domestic violence, has been adapted for francophone and indigenous communities, and for immigrant and refugee communities in 16 different languages.

While public education is a key element of the action plan, providing a forum for ongoing dialogue is also vital. With representatives from more 20 organizations, the permanent Roundtable on Violence Against Women provides advice to the Ontario government on gender-based violence. I can tell you that I attended the first of one of those meetings, and they are very passionate stakeholders.

Proactively engaging this sector on an ongoing basis is improving gender-based analysis of specific policy proposals, and it's helping us to identify promising practices from the ground up. Some examples include recommendations to develop the independent legal advice for sexual assault survivors pilot program, the sexual violence and harassment action plan, and the Ontario strategy to end human trafficking.

In February, Ontario launched Walking Together: Ontario's long-term strategy to end violence against indigenous women. This too was developed in collaboration with the joint working group on violence against aboriginal women. The strategy reflects the government's commitment to programs developed by and for indigenous people, and $100 million in new funding has been committed to support its implementation.

One initiative under this strategy is the family well-being program that was launched this year. This program supports indigenous families in crisis and helps communities address the effects of violence. The program will be available across the province, on and off reserve, and will provide 220 new workers in support of communities, additional program resources, and safe spaces for those at risk of violence.

Program models are being developed and implemented by first nations, Métis, Inuit, and urban indigenous partners and communities to respond to their local needs. Most recently, in June, we launched Ontario's strategy to end human trafficking, as I mentioned. It is aimed at raising awareness about the issue, holding traffickers accountable and, most importantly, ensuring that survivors have the support and services they need to heal.

Looking ahead, we want to build on the work of the action plan and strategies to address various parts of the spectrum of gender-based violence. We know that there is a link between women's economic security and violence. Ontario has committed to developing an economic empowerment strategy for women by the spring of 2017, and a gender wage gap strategy in 2018 that is part of that overall strategy.

Ontario has also committed to updating the domestic violence action plan, which was first launched in 2004. Ministries have gone far beyond their original commitments, and as you can imagine, the landscape has shifted.

We need to measure and sustain what's working well, but we know there is still much more to be done. Premier Wynne has set bold and ambitious goals for the women's agenda for the Government of Ontario. We welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively with our federal, provincial, and territorial partners to advance these goals, which include ending violence against women and girls.

I would like to conclude by offering some thoughts in areas where we think that the collaboration of federal, provincial, and territorial leadership would help to advance our shared goals.

First, by working more collaboratively, we can strengthen data collection and reporting on gender-based violence across jurisdictions, and we can increase capacity to track impact.

Second, by working across jurisdictions, we can improve violence prevention, which includes public education and engaging men and boys in the dialogue.

Third, together we can do more to address cyberviolence, an issue that crosses provincial, territorial, and international borders. We respectfully submit that it is an area that could benefit from national leadership and a review of criminal law that incorporates a survivor-centred approach.

Working with provinces and territories, again, the federal government can identify and mobilize evidence-based initiatives and explore issues related to immigration status and intersections where vulnerability to gender-based violence exists.

Finally, Ontario is looking forward to co-chairing the next federal-provincial-territorial meeting on the status of women in June. We hope to provide an opportunity for us all to collaborate and address key and serious issues, such as human trafficking and the gender wage gap.

In closing, I want to thank the committee again for inviting us. Lisa and I are delighted to be here and delighted to have the opportunity, and we would be happy to take questions at the appropriate time.

Thank you.

4:30 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

Thank you very much.

We'll now go to New Brunswick for your 10-minute presentation.

4:30 p.m.

Jocelyne Mills Assistant Deputy Minister, Executive Council Office, Women's Equality Branch, Government of New Brunswick

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the committee. It's a real pleasure for me to be here and to have an opportunity to talk to you today about our work at the women's equality branch.

I certainly want to express my gratitude, and that of the branch, for the invitation to talk about some of the work we're involved in from a provincial government perspective within New Brunswick.

I also want to introduce our director of violence prevention, Martine Stewart, who's joining me today. She leads our violence prevention unit, which strives every day to move toward the goal of ensuring that all women of our province are able to live free of violence. It's a privilege to work alongside that team every day.

I must tell you that I've prepared my notes in English. For my overview of the points I want to cover, I'll speak English, but I will be pleased to answer your questions in French or in English.

I'd like to start by giving you a bit of an overview of our organization to provide you with the context for our work, and then speak in a bit more detail on some of the initiatives and programs we are leading within the scope of your study in support of the prevention of violence against women and girls.

The women's equality branch is one of the units of the Executive Council Office within the Government of New Brunswick. We report to the clerk of the executive council, and our current minister is the Premier of New Brunswick, the Honourable Brian Gallant.

Being situated as part of the Executive Council Office positions us very well to deliver on our mandate of coordinating the implementation of government's actions and initiatives in the areas of women's personal, economic, and social security. We do this while working to promote gender equality, reducing systemic discrimination, and providing advice and support to our minister and to departments of government.

Our vision within the branch is a New Brunswick that is free of gender-based violence, where all women have achieved social, cultural, legal, and economic equality. To achieve that vision, we have two functional units, one focused on economic security and one on violence prevention. I want to focus today on the work in the area of violence prevention.

We have a very active violence prevention and community partnerships unit. The work of the unit is a blend of direct program delivery and supporting and fostering community partnerships in the area of violence prevention, as well as providing policy advice to government departments and leading and coordinating government action in the area of violence prevention.

On the program delivery side, we fund and support the following key programs: the domestic violence outreach program, which is a network of 14 outreach workers across the province; second-stage housing programs, which fund support services to residents of second-stage facilities within the province; the Moving Forward program, a program for agencies to develop a community-based group program for children and their mothers to heal from the hurt of living with domestic violence; and the provincial strategy on sexual assault services, which is delivered by community partners. It provides the coordination of community-based sexual assault services, including 24-hour crisis support and training for service providers as well as other sexual violence support services.

The investment that government makes in these important programs and services for women and children, for victims of violence, and for some of our most vulnerable populations accounts for nearly half of our branch's annual budget.

In support of community partnerships in the area of violence prevention, the branch supports and leads Provincial Partnerships in Action, which is a network of community-based organizations, outreach workers, second-stage housing and transition houses, and regional family violence network representatives.

We also lead the development and sharing of best-in-class tools for those working with victims of domestic violence, including the Woman Victims of Abuse Protocols, which is a resource guide that was developed by the branch that is widely used within the province, as well as other tools, such as the danger assessment training. There are some tools from the Cybersafe Girl website, which is an Atlantic collaboration with our other Atlantic governments and ministries responsible for status of women.

We also foster partnerships in research and innovation in the field of violence prevention through participation and supports for regional family violence networks and participation in various study projects. Some of the current themes are a project in the area of violence against immigrant women. We also support the New Brunswick human trafficking working group and are involved in the Domestic Violence Death Review Committee within the province.

Finally, in the area of policy development and coordination, our team works in close collaboration with other government departments in the development and delivery of key initiatives to combat and prevent violence. Some of the key priorities of government in this regard currently include work in the area of violence against aboriginal women and girls and in the area of domestic intimate partner violence.

With respect to violence against aboriginal women and girls, the women's equality branch co-chairs an interdepartmental committee on the prevention and response to violence against aboriginal women and girls, as well as an advisory committee of New Brunswick aboriginal women who inform the priorities of government in this regard. Through the collective work of these two bodies, the branch has been able to develop some innovative models to serve the needs of the aboriginal women and girls in the province. One recent example has been the announcement of a pilot site for domestic outreach service in the Miramichi, and that's been a partnership with funding from Public Safety Canada. The pilot will serve four first nations communities within that area, and the goal will be to focus on establishing culturally appropriate outreach services for aboriginal women who are victims of violence.

In the area of domestic and intimate partner violence, considerable focus has been established in collaboration with community partners through the provincial crime prevention and reduction strategy. This strategy is a community and government partnership with a vision to make New Brunswick a world leader in crime prevention and reduction. This partnership has established three priorities, one of which is addressing domestic intimate partner violence.

In this area, government is committed to four key initiatives: education and awareness, which has been led with the establishment of the Love Shouldn't Hurt campaign; legislative tools; community-coordinated response; and conducting work to better understand and address the needs of children who are witness to or exposed to intimate partner violence. Our violence prevention unit is leading or co-leading on three of these initiatives, in close collaboration with key government departments and other community partners.

Working toward advancing equality is an important part of why we do the work we do. In my role, I can tell you that it's the pillar of our mandate. It is the foremost objective of the support and advice that we offer to other government departments and to stakeholders. Achieving equality by actions that promote opportunity and safe environments for women and girls contributes substantially to sustainable economic growth and social advancement by employing the contributions of all people to build better communities.

As we know, gender equality is a fundamental right, but it is one that bears repeating. Achieving that equality informs all the work by the individuals working within our branch. They devote their time to managing programs, participating in working groups, developing policies, and engaging with our stakeholders, all with the goal of improving the status of women in this province. The branch is focused on helping to achieve and implement the government's priorities as they relate to women.

Key current priorities in addition to those already discussed include improving pay equity, implementing gender-based analysis across government in all its decision-making, and improving the representation of women in leadership roles. While these actions are not solely focused on violence prevention, we also know that there is an intersectionality in the work on economic and social equality on the one hand and violence prevention on the other, because, in the end, violence is about power and control, and to end it requires social change in attitudes and beliefs about the equality of all genders. Therefore, the work around gender-based analysis and leadership as examples is also critical.

By doing this work, we demonstrate the important role that women and girls play in our communities, our workplaces, and our homes. That is why in our approach to our work we continue to provide focus to programs and initiatives that relate to women and children. We work with the community, our stakeholders, and service providers in order to build a system that better serves everyone, especially women and children, a population that has traditionally been marginalized through violence and discrimination.

Regional diversity, community involvement and energy, leadership champions, and creativity and availability of resources create opportunities for processes to evolve around problem-solving and learning from the experiences of others. That is why the focus on partnerships is a part of the overall provincial strategy.

Finally, I would be remiss in not stating that this partnership approach also extends beyond our borders. Our work with the federal government and with other provinces and territories through the FPT forum of ministers, through our Atlantic forum of Status of Women ministers, and through bilateral relationships is a valuable source for our province of learning best practices and collaboration.

I will leave it at that. I want to thank you very much for your attention.

Thank you for your attention.

Ms. Stewart and I are certainly available for any questions that you may have.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

Thank you for your presentation.

We're going to start our first round with Ms. Ludwig.

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

Karen Ludwig Liberal New Brunswick Southwest, NB

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to all the witnesses this afternoon.

I'm going to start with—

4:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff

Can I just interrupt you for one minute?

We have Tessa Hill on the screen on the left. You can direct questions to her as well.

Tessa, thank you for joining us again.

4:40 p.m.

Tessa Hill Co-Founder, We Give Consent

Thanks for having me.