Evidence of meeting #49 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 women.
A video is available from Parliament.
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff
Thank you very much.
We have only 10 minutes before we adjourn so we'll have to keep our questions and answers crisp.
I know you have a delegate here, Nathaniel. Would you like to ask a question?
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Liberal Beaches—East York, ON
Thank you to all the presenters. You would all make excellent parliamentarians, and I'm sure you will be one day.
I have a question for my representative of Beaches—East York. You spoke of 11 years in indefinite detention, and then you spoke of the 90-day period—a huge disparity. Perhaps you can speak to whether other countries have adopted that 90-day period—and you referenced the United Nations—and the importance of adopting that 90-day period in Canada.
12:05 p.m.
As an Individual
Thank you for your question.
The importance of that weighs heavily on the way migrants are detained because at this point we are the only country that not only practises migrant detention, but also that does not have a 90-day presumptive period. The U.K. and Australia have employed this.
It is highly unfortunate that this has led to more suicides by migrants within detention centres. There is no out. There is no end in sight when you do not have access to legal services or even improved mental health provisions.
This is one way in which we can at least ensure that if migrants are going to be detained, they are being detained because of a criminal offence. Right now they are being detained without a criminal charge. The importance of this weighs heavily on all of us.
12:05 p.m.
Liberal
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
Kelly McCauley Conservative Edmonton West, AB
No, thank you very much. I'm here to learn, and it has been very informative. All four of you have spoken incredibly well, and when Ms. Erskine-Smith said you'd be great parliamentarians, that wasn't meant as an insult. It was a compliment.
Thank you for sharing. I appreciate it.
12:05 p.m.
NDP
Irene Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Yes, thank you very much.
The fact that you're here gives us great hope. You will note, as you watch through the week, that there simply aren't enough women. We need more, and we need women who have the passion and the understanding of our society that you have obviously demonstrated.
I want to ask everyone a question, but I suspect that I'll be limited, so I will go to you, Teanna. You talked about the fact that there has been truth-telling but no reconciliation. Some years ago, I was on the status of women committee, and we travelled the country. We talked to indigenous women, to women in shelters, and to organizations. The one thing they said was that they wanted there to be an inquiry, but that they had done so much research and had talked to the families and knew what had to happen next. They knew how to get to reconciliation.
However, that plea on behalf of those women has largely gone by the wayside. I wondered if you had thoughts on that in terms of the women who have lost sisters and daughters having control of that inquiry?
12:05 p.m.
As an Individual
First off, I'd like to say that I stated that we are at a place of truth-telling, which means that this is the point we're ready for. In that truth-telling, I believe that our indigenous women are leading the way for reconciliation. I think all of the initiatives that we're taking about at the community level, at the grassroots level in our communities and cities, are what are leading this reconciliation journey, and it's mostly led by our women. There's a very specific reason for that; it's because women need to reclaim their power. That was one of the biggest things that was taken in colonization and the efforts at colonization—the importance of women and their rightful place in leadership.
One of the biggest efforts that we as women are offering to this journey of reconciliation is the reclamation of matrilineal leadership.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff
Thank you very much.
We have representatives from the Green Party and the Bloc here. I'm just wondering if you two want to share the last five minutes. Is that okay?
12:10 p.m.
Green
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Yes, we can share the speaking time.
Thank you very much.
12:10 p.m.
Green
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Thank you. It's almost impossible in two and a half minutes to ask the things I want to ask.
I would like to thank all the witnesses, especially Ms. Morin and Ms. Gendron.
I have some quick questions for Ms. Ducharme and Ms. Hossain.
Thank you, all of you. I am very impressed, Antu, with the information you pulled together on the detention of migrants. I've been very concerned about this myself.
How did you come upon this issue and what makes you passionate about it?
12:10 p.m.
As an Individual
Thank you for that question.
I was a refugee when I came from the United States. Considering the state that the United States is in right now, with many asylum seekers coming across our borders and our policies having failed to evolve in response, I've been very concerned about this issue. I have also gone to an immigration holding centre myself and met an ex-detainee who told us that if we are not the ones advocating for detainees, no one will.
These are some of the things that have brought me to bring these narratives forward, and which I hope you can take away from today.
12:10 p.m.
Green
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
If I have any time left, to Teanna, you....
I don't have time?
12:10 p.m.
Green
Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC
Merci beaucoup.
Teanna, you're not the first to note—although you're brilliant in noting it—that there are parallels between the violence done against the earth and violence against women. There's a deep literature on this, including the work of Rosemary Radford Ruether particularly, who's a feminist Catholic theologian. I think it's also embedded in things like the Tsilhqot’in decision, that there's a pattern of domination and exploitation—men against women, humanity against earth—and violence in that notion of exploitation.
Would you like to speak more to that, because you clearly came upon it on your own, which is brilliant. Please, would you like to expand on it?
12:10 p.m.
As an Individual
I came to an understanding of notion when I experienced violence in my life. The only way I reclaimed my body sovereignty was through land sovereignty, through ceremony with the land. That was the only way I was able to regain my strength and reclaim my spirit.
It was just something that I noticed.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff
Thank you for your bravery.
I think we have two minutes, maybe three, if you'd like to use them.
12:10 p.m.
Bloc
Monique Pauzé Bloc Repentigny, QC
I will be quick.
I was really struck by what you said about access to housing for homeless women. You said there are more and more homeless women. Can you elaborate on that?
I live in Montreal and I can see it. There are far fewer shelters for homeless women than there are for homeless men. This is a basic need that is not being met.
12:10 p.m.
As an Individual
For your information, the Conseil des Montréalaises released a report on March 1 about homelessness among women. It found that senior women can be left in the lurch when their landlord takes back the dwelling for his own family, for instance. In some cases, these senior women had been in that housing for 25 or even 40 years and they paid just $450 or $500 per month. For equivalent housing, they now have to pay $800, but they cannot afford it.
The waiting list for shelters, such as Le Chaînon, is incredibly long. There is not enough low-income housing either.
FRAPRU is an organization that is active primarily in Quebec. It is a source of information about housing conditions, for women in particular. In 2015, there was a testimonial campaign, and the testimonials are still available on YouTube. The FRAPRU website includes testimonials from aboriginal women, women who head single-parent families, and women having difficulty finding housing.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Pam Damoff
Thank you very much.
Teanna, I just want to recognize that your member of Parliament, Mr. Cullen, has joined us at the back.
Ladies, thank you very much. As I mentioned to the previous group, and will say to you as well, that was incredibly powerful testimony. We hear from a lot of witnesses in our committees, and you rival the best that we've heard—all of you.
Thank you very much for your very important testimony. We're privileged to have you here with us today. We look forward to what you'll be doing after you leave us. Thank you.
I get to bang the gavel one last time.
The meeting is adjourned.