Evidence of meeting #53 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 budget.
A video is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Marilyn Gladu
I believe there are questions that are allowed to be asked on any of the topics that would fall under the Status of Women's mandate letter.
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
But this doesn't fall within the Status of Women's mandate.
Conservative
Liberal
Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm happy to answer. My colleague is referring to a tweet from 2012 when I noted that isn't it fascinating that in a—
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
My question is simple. It's actually yes or no. Do you believe that this advocated for gender equality?
Liberal
Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Madam Chair, I'd love to answer my colleague's question if she will allow me.
Liberal
Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
The observation I made was just that. Isn't it fascinating that there is not a woman around that table to be part of that very important conversation?
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Thank you very much.
I'm going to stop you there. I'm going to ask a question on the estimates.
Liberal
Liberal
Pam Damoff Liberal Oakville North—Burlington, ON
Madam Chair, if she can answer the question I think we should allow her to answer the question.
Conservative
Liberal
Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
My commitment to women and girls and gender equality, Rachael, is apparent. One of the reasons I'm here today is that I know there are challenges across all cultures when it comes to gender equality. As I look at my mother, I'm reminded of what can happen when women are given opportunities to succeed.
Conservative
NDP
Sheila Malcolmson NDP Nanaimo—Ladysmith, BC
Madam Chair, I don't think the session started until nine o'clock so I think we still have 15 minutes.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Marilyn Gladu
We had asked for the minister to be available until 9:45. I'm not sure what her schedule is. Are you willing to stay for another 10 minutes or so?
Liberal
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Marilyn Gladu
All right. That's very good.
We'll go to Mr. Fraser for five minutes.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
That's excellent. Thank you so much for being here, Minister. It's been a pleasure to work alongside you and to get to know you over this past year and a half.
One of the programs that I wanted to get you to elaborate on, given your own life experience, is the Canada child tax benefit. I know in my own riding we saw approximately $4 million invested in a single month in the families I represent. When I went through budget 2017, an interesting pie chart highlighted the fact that 65% of the people who qualified for the full amount are single parents. Of those 65%, 90% are single mothers.
Could you elaborate on the importance of this policy to helping families and in particular single mothers in the communities that you and I represent?
Liberal
Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Thank you for all your great advocacy on behalf of Atlantic Canada.
The Canada child benefit is an example of how budget 2017 is building on the work that we began and prioritized in budget 2016. We know that under the previous proposed child benefit plan that single parents like mine would not have benefited. These are often the parents who need the most support and the greatest hand-up. They are the ones who are often choosing between a safe roof over their kids' heads or good food on the table. Those aren't choices that women and parents in Canada should be making, but they are.
We know the Canada child benefit is lifting 300,000 Canadian children out of poverty, and those children are going to have a better start because of that focus. These children have mothers, parents who care for them, who dream of better lives for them. One way we can make sure they get a solid start is by making sure their parents, at the end of the month, aren't worrying about whether or not they will have the dollars to put their kids in after-school programs or buy back-to-school clothes for their kids or supplies or food or camp opportunities over the summer. This program gives parents that flexibility.
Liberal
Sean Fraser Liberal Central Nova, NS
I think you've hit the nail on the head. To me, it's a tremendous social policy innovation that really helps the people I represent.
I wanted to follow up on a conversation I had with one of your officials shortly before we started. We've heard in the corporate context during one of our current studies on women's economic security and participation in the Canadian economy that when you have, not necessarily gender parity, but representations from different genders you start to see a difference in the quality of decisions that are being made.
I'm wondering if you can speak to how gender parity in cabinet has led to this gender lens being applied to the budget. Because when I see the infrastructure investments aren't all just for water pipes this time around, but are for things like child care facilities that are going to give 40,000 children access to child care or things like housing that are going to allow women fleeing domestic violence to have a safe roof over their heads, can you tell me how gender parity contributed to the discussion to ensure these investments impact men and women in a positive way?
Liberal
Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON
Firstly, being a young woman in politics and finding myself around that cabinet table, it's inspiring to see my colleagues around that table, these strong women, compassionate women, leading and advocating for Canadians. Research has shown that whether it's politics or STEM fields, the more young women and girls see people like them in these positions of power and influence, the more likely they are to be able to see themselves in those positions.
You're right. The gender-based lens that you see in our policies has something to do with the feminist approach that our government takes, but I also want to let you know that the people who are around the table are bringing a range of experiences and intersecting identities. Minister Hajdu, for example, her work in running a homeless shelter as well as being raised by a single mom and being a single mom herself brings a really interesting lens, amongst all the other ways that she's a dynamic person, to that table.
We have a feminist Prime Minister who has so much respect for his partner and his mother, and his focus on things like youth advocacy and mental health has been shaped by his experiences. Whether it's those of us who are settlers to this country or whether we are indigenous to this land, like Jody Wilson-Raybould, each of us brings intersecting identities and experiences beyond our gender identity that, I think, are serving Canadians well. We need to see more of that across tables, across the country.
I met with folks from the Bank of Canada, for example. They are, as a corporation, working to enhance the diversity around their board tables because they recognize that's how innovation happens, that's how creativity happens, and that's how they can become an even more attractive workplace for others. Ultimately it will help their bottom line.