Status of Women Committee on June 13th, 2017

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We're going to resume our study of the economic security of women in Canada.

Today for our first panel, we have with us from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, Corinne Prince, who is a director general; Stephanie Kirkland, also a director general; and David Cashaback, director, temporary immigration policy and programs. Then we have, from Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada, Amanda Deseure. From the Canadian Federation of Students, we have Charlotte Kiddell.

We're going to hear comments from them, beginning with Corinne for seven minutes.

[Corinne Prince, Director General, Settlement and Integration Policy Branch, Department of Citizenship and Immigration]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

As you said, my name is Corinne Prince. I'm the director general of settlement and integration policy at Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.

I’m here today with my colleagues Stephanie Kirkland, director general of the Settlement Network, which is responsible for the operations of the settlement and resettlement program; and David Cashaback, director of the Temporary Resident Policy and Programs.

We are very pleased to appear before the committee this morning, and we hope that our testimony will help you as you undertake your study on the economic security of women in Canada.

Let me begin by saying that my department takes the issue of economic participation and empowerment of immigrant and refugee women very seriously. We recognize the tremendous contributions that immigrant women make to the Canadian economy, and both the human and social capital that women bring to this country.

Despite our best efforts, the reality is that some immigrant and refugee women continue to face challenges achieving economic security. We're working in partnership with all three levels of government and with settlement service provider organizations to ensure that the needs of immigrants, including women, are being addressed.

For the past 10 years, Canada has welcomed approximately 255,000 new permanent residents each year. In 2017, with increased levels, we will reach 300,000, and over half of all immigrants who arrived in Canada in 2016 as permanent residents were women. As you can see, women represent a large immigrant population to Canada and because of this, we want to ensure that they are afforded the opportunities and supports they need to succeed.

Immigrants come to Canada for different purposes: some to join family members, some to escape war or persecution, and some to improve their economic outcomes, all with different backgrounds and at different stages of their lives. The research tells us that the labour market participation rate and employment rate of immigrant women are lower than those of immigrant men and Canadian-born women, and that they are more likely to be living in a low-income situation than Canadian-born women.

Immigration can bring opportunities for immigrant and refugee women. However, we know that many women continue to face settlement and integration challenges on account of their gender.

Research and consultations tell us that issues include low official language proficiency; lack of economic independence; and challenges associated with housing, transportation and childcare.

For refugee women in particular, these settlement-related stressors are further exacerbated. We are seeing this with many of the Syrian families that have arrived. Economic stability for refugee families is important, and we have been collaborating with federal partners, including the Canada Revenue Agency, to increase awareness among refugees regarding how to obtain the Canada child benefit, which has proven critical to many Syrians.

The federal Canada child tax benefit and the HST/GST tax credit are available to resettled refugees during and beyond their first year in Canada, and will provide ongoing support to families with children of eligible age. In Ontario, for example, this could equate to over $48,000 per year for a family with six children—the highest amount for a province or territory because it's combined with provincial benefits. The lowest amount would be provided in Nova Scotia, albeit it would still equate to almost $43,500 for a family with the same six children. You can see that an additional $40,000 a year is a significant benefit, and it is not clawed back for either federal or provincial social assistance.

We’ve made reforms to caregiver programming. These reforms support Canada's efforts to reduce caregiver vulnerabilities, reunite caregivers sooner with their families, and improve their long-term economic outcomes.

In 2015 the department raised the minimum age of a spouse or partner in all temporary and permanent immigration programs from 16 to 18 years of age. This was done to discourage foreign nationals from entering into a marriage before the age of 18 for the purpose of obtaining immigration status in Canada. It was also intended to decrease the number of potentially vulnerable young spouses immigrating to Canada.

These changes are informed by a gender lens, and the dedicated GBA+ unit we have in the department helps us to examine the differential impacts of policies and programs on immigrant populations.

The department is committed to GBA+, and we integrate this across all lines of business. To my knowledge, IRCC is the only federal department with the legislative requirement to do so under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

In the settlement program, considerations for gender, age, diversity, and circumstances of migration are included in the design and delivery of settlement program policies. Once in Canada, immigrant and refugee women have access to the full suite of IRCC settlement supports. Through the settlement program the department provides more than $600 million in funding annually to over 500 service provider organizations across Canada to deliver pre- and post-arrival settlement services to immigrants. With the additional funding this year, including the money for Syria and levels plan money, this amount will be over $700 million. Women are taking up those services at a higher rate, at least at 55% of the whole.

These services are targeted for women-only language classes, conversation circles, family-focused workshops, information on women's rights and legal responsibilities, as well as the very important employment preparation.

Foreign credential recognition is also an important component. Preparation for licensure, job bridging programs, and job search workshops, including blended or women's only workshops, are an important component of our programming. We provide services both overseas and in Canada to provide early access to employment before the individuals even land on Canadian soil, as well as to get their credentials in order.

I will be happy to add other components to my comments through questions and answers. On behalf of the IRCC team, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you this morning.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Thank you.

Now we'll go to Amanda Deseure for seven minutes.

[Amanda Deseure, Manager, Socio-Economic Development, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Good morning, members of Parliament, chair, co-chairs, guests, and, of course, staff.

My name is Amanda Deseure. I'm the acting manager of the socio-economic development department of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada.

I also want to send greetings from Pauktuutit's president, Rebecca Kudloo, who sends her apologies. She wishes she was able to attend today.

The socio-economic development department has a mandate to cover a broad range of social, economic, and political issues as they pertain to Inuit women. This includes work on education, housing, political equality, business development, and much more.

Pauktuutit is the national representative organization of Inuit women in Canada and is governed by a 14-member board of directors from across Canada. It fosters greater awareness of the needs of Inuit women, advocates for equality and social improvements, and encourages their participation in the community, regional, and national life of Canada. Pauktuutit leads and supports Inuit women in Canada through work that ranges from advocacy and policy development to community projects, to address their unique interests and priorities for the social, cultural, political, and economic betterment of Inuit women, their families, and communities.

Inuit women's economic participation in the Canadian economy is inextricably linked to their access to child care, proper, violence-free housing, food security, and empowerment. While I do not have the time today to explore all of these intersections, it is imperative that the committee keep them in mind while we continue.

The Inuit consistently experience lower economic participation levels than the Canadian average. In 2012, the national average unemployment rate was approximately 7.3%. For Inuit, the average unemployment rate was more than double, at 16.5%.

At first glance, Inuit women across the north appear to be more successful at securing employment than Inuit men. Despite similar participation rates, the unemployment rate for Inuit women in 2012 across Inuit Nunangat was 16.2%, compared to a rate of 23.5% for Inuit men. This means that Inuit women and men are actively seeking employment and entrepreneurship at roughly the same rate, but Inuit women are more likely to succeed.

This greater success is likely tied to Inuit women's higher educational achievements as compared to Inuit men. However, their education rate is still significantly lower than that of other Canadian or indigenous women. The aboriginal peoples survey shows that Inuit women in Canada are more likely than Inuit men to complete secondary school or the equivalent. Still, in 2012, only 46% of Inuit women aged 18 to 44 years had completed the requirements for a high school diploma or equivalent. The primary reasons for leaving school were pregnancy and/or the need to care for children.

Furthermore, the labour market participation rate of Inuit women in Inuit Nunangat is about 60%. This means that approximately two out of every five Inuit women are not working and not looking for work. There is serious cause for concern around the participation of Inuit women in the Canadian economy and their ability to build strong careers and futures for themselves.

The economy of Inuit Nunangat is far more concentrated than in southern Canada. The regional economies are reliant upon governments, resource development, transportation, and a small private sector for the vast majority of employment. The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, CanNor, indicates that the northern economy is predominantly driven by the natural resource sector and the public sector. Employment in federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments remains the single largest source of jobs in the region.

Natural resource projects often are the highest paid employment in the north, and disproportionately employ Inuit men rather than Inuit women. This means that while Inuit women have a higher employment rate, on average their income is substantially lower.

In addition, recent census numbers suggest that while most Inuit live in Inuit Nunangat, a growing percentage live in southern urban centres. Indeed, in 1996, only 17% of Inuit lived outside of Inuit Nunangat, compared to a 2011 survey that indicated 27.9% of Inuit live outside Inuit Nunangat.

To better understand these trends and the needs of urban Inuit women, Pauktuutit just completed a comprehensive five-city research report on the needs of urban Inuit women. Most participants stated that urban centres brought economic opportunity through employment, training, and formal education. In contrast, women also highlighted that lack of options and opportunities were a major push factor for many Inuit women leaving their communities.

To begin addressing much of the research, feedback, and needs that were highlighted, Pauktuutit has developed numerous programs. Today I will be narrowing in on two of our programs. We have mentorship for Inuit women, and the Inuit Women in Business Network.

The Inuit Women in Business Network was created in 2011, through a three-year project jointly funded by Status of Women Canada and Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, to foster a sustainable local network of Inuit businesswomen to rely on for guidance and support, as well as to encourage entrepreneurship as a viable career option for Inuit women and girls. The IWBN was developed because of feedback that Pauktuutit received from Inuit businesswomen that they felt unsupported and socially isolated, but also that the barriers to entrepreneurship were overwhelming.

The Inuit Women in Business Network pilot began with face-to-face meetings in Iqaluit led by a Pauktuutit staff member, to get feedback, needs, and issues that the businesswomen in Iqaluit faced. Taking this feedback, Pauktuutit developed business resources, including a trilingual Inuit-specific guide to starting a business, and developed a website to house an electronic copy of this guide, in addition to a suite of plain language resources on banking, accounting, registering your business, and more.

Following the initial contact and networking, many of the women in the IWBN began meeting on their own for support and guidance. They are still meeting today.

The IWBN was granted new funding for the 2016-17 year, and Pauktuutit has just completed an expansion of the IWBN network and website to stretch across Inuit Nunangat. The process included developing new resources, outreach, and face-to-face meetings in Iqaluit, Kuujjuaq and Rankin Inlet. Today, the IWBN has over 90 members.

In addition, Pauktuutit also has a mentorship for Inuit women pilot project, funded by the Status of Women Canada, that works to pair Inuit businesswomen at different stages of business with each other for support and guidance. This project is currently entering its third year and has been a complementary project to the IWBN. While the majority of these projects are conducted in Inuit Nunangat, Pauktuutit plans to expand the IWBN to the rest of Canada to ensure that urban Inuit women are able to participate and feel supported.

Our recommendations moving forward would be that all programs and services must take into consideration the context of Inuit women's lives. The accessibility and availability of child care that is affordable, reliable, safe, and culturally relevant must be increased; it was the number one demand when we spoke to women. Service providers and stakeholder organizations must strengthen partnerships to share expertise, resources, and knowledge around the needs of Inuit women. Service providers must be innovative in their communications strategies to engage Inuit women locally, regionally, and nationally. Opportunities to build Inuit women's leadership capacity and empowerment must be developed and promoted. Targeted public investment in infrastructure is required to reduce the costs of doing business and seeking employment. Entrepreneurship services and programs must aim to provide a continuum of support to Inuit women, from pre-start to aftercare. Employment environments, services, and training programs must seek to accommodate the specific responsibilities, needs, and challenges of Inuit women in the workplace. Mentorship and networking opportunities must be developed to connect Inuit women with each other, elders, and topic experts for ongoing guidance and support. Finally, educational institutions, programs, and services must seek to engage youth and to accommodate their needs to support the development of future leaders, businesswomen, and executives.

For more information, I have brought a few hard copies of a strategy developed by Pauktuutit on how to engage Inuit women in economic participation. It's very nice, and I'm very happy to also provide an electronic copy for anyone interested. You're welcome to grab these on your way out as well.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

That was excellent.

Now we'll go to Charlotte Kiddell from the Canadian Federation of Students for seven minutes.

[Charlotte Kiddell, Deputy Chairperson, Nova Scotia, Canadian Federation of Students]

Thank you, and good morning, members of the committee.

My name is Charlotte Kiddell, and I am the deputy chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students. The federation is Canada's oldest and largest national student organization, representing over 650,000 college, undergraduate, and graduate students from coast to coast.

I'd like to start by thanking you for inviting me to present today. I'm here to discuss how improving access to post-secondary education can be used as a tool to improve the economic status of women. I believe that post-secondary education is one of the best ways to raise people out of poverty, but only if it is accessible. Any strategy that aims to strengthen women's economic security must address the inaccessibility of post-secondary education in Canada. The federal government is in a unique position to take bold action to make this a priority.

Today, the average student accumulates $28,000 in public student debt during a four-year degree. While Canada's post-secondary education system is publicly assisted, many students cannot afford the high up-front cost of tuition fees and end up paying more for their education than their counterparts who are able to pay up front. As I will explain, the negative effects of our current post-secondary education system are gendered.

Today, Canada ranks among the top countries for its proportion of citizens with post-secondary training. Since the 1990s, women have also made up the majority of students enrolled in college and undergraduate university programs. There is much to be proud of. It has been shown time and time again that higher levels of education drastically improve employment rates, and as a result, economic security. However, to develop an effective strategy to strengthen women's economic security, it is important to explore what is currently required to pursue post-secondary education in Canada.

As we have seen a decline in public funding for post-secondary education since the mid-1990s, costs have increasingly been downloaded onto students. In fact, the revenue generated by tuition fees in post-secondary institutions has tripled since 2001, and average tuition fees have reached $6,373 this year. As some form of post-secondary education is now required for 70% of new jobs in Canada, students who cannot afford the high up-front cost of tuition must incur life-impacting levels of debt.

Student debt is disproportionately a women's issue. Today, women account for 60% of Canada student loan recipients. This reliance on student loans is further intensified for women from marginalized communities, including racialized women, indigenous women, and women with disabilities. In this inequitable, debt-based model, women who must take out a $30,000 student loan to finance their education will pay $10,318 more over 10 years than a student who can afford the high up-front costs.

After receiving their diplomas, women are also disproportionately forced to rely on the repayment assistance program to pay back these loans. To qualify for the repayment assistance program, you must earn less than $25,000 per year. Today, 66% of repayment assistance users are women. There are a number of reasons for this higher usage. First, while women continue to be more likely than men to pursue post-secondary education, this has not resulted in higher salaries. Women working full-time continue to make on average 87 cents for every dollar that a male full-time worker earns. Second, Statistics Canada data shows that women continue to be more likely to be precariously employed than men, including taking on part-time positions or temporary contracts. In 2014, the number of women in involuntary part-time positions was nearly double that of men. This feminization of precarious labour has also impacted women who pursue graduate degrees. A 2016 survey of sessional instructors in Ontario found that 60% of contract faculty are women, and on average, they make less than $20,000 per year for this work.

When discussing women's participation in the labour market, it is also important to acknowledge the experiences of members of trans communities. A research project conducted in Ontario between 2006 and 2010 found that though 44% of respondents had a post-secondary education, the median income of respondents was $15,000 per year as a result of employment barriers and discrimination. A strategy to strengthen the economic security of women must address the experiences of trans women across Canada.

Because of massive debt and an unfavourable labour market that underpays women and favours precarious, underpaid, and even unpaid work, many graduates struggle to fully participate in the Canadian economy. The pressure to pay back loans can impact career choices and result in graduates finding themselves underemployed and outside of their field, living pay cheque to pay cheque.

Higher education alone is not an adequate solution to women's economic insecurity. As long as women must take on these high levels of debt to pursue post-secondary education, we won't be able to truly address the gendered effects of this inequitable system. To strengthen women's economic security, the federal government must make post-secondary education accessible to all. High-quality, accessible, and tuition-free education may seem like a pipe dream to some, but luckily students have developed a comprehensive plan for the federal government to make this a reality. This includes restoring federal transfers to provinces and territories, and developing a fifty-fifty cost-sharing model with the provinces and territories to eliminate tuition fees for all students. This plan is laid out in the federation's most recent lobby document, which I have copies of here.

Lastly, a strategy to strengthen the economic security of women must also address barriers women experience once they are on campus. A significant barrier to both accessing and succeeding in post-secondary institutions is the prevalence of sexual violence, including sexual assaults, sexual harassment, and gender-based violence. Studies show that one in five women will experience sexual violence during their time on campus. Most sexual assaults occur during the first eight weeks of the school year. This is a significant barrier to learning, as all students on campus must feel safe in order to succeed in their studies. This discussion on women's security must include a strategy to combat sexual violence.

Am I at seven minutes? I'm almost done.

While I am encouraged to see the strides being made in some provinces and the recommendations put forward by this standing committee, students will continue to call for the federal government to be bolder in its commitments to combat sexual violence on campuses across the country, calling for a strong national action plan that mandates participation at all levels of government.

Thank you for your time.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Very good.

I appreciate everybody's adherence to the seven-minute rule.

We're going to start our seven minutes of questions with my colleague, Ms. Ludwig.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you all for your presentations this morning.

I'm going to start with Ms. Kiddell on the subject of tuition.

The average tuition debt would be roughly $6,073 a year. I just want to put this together. I know we have provinces in Canada that are now offering free tuition. The road from high school to college or from high school to university is not an easy one for those who do not have role models, mentors, or people that they can follow or have for support. As a parent who has just put two kids through post-secondary education, I wish that all we had to pay was the tuition. The living expenses far exceed the actual cost of tuition. It's something that concerns me. I think offering free tuition is an important first step, but I'm not sure that's going to answer all the issues because there are so many other factors associated with that. Maybe you could speak to that and also to how someone is going to manage all the living costs once they arrive there.

[Charlotte Kiddell]

Thank you. That's an excellent question.

First, I'd like to clarify the free-tuition piece. Ontario and New Brunswick now have models of upfront student grants that propose to eliminate tuition fees for students from families that make under a certain income threshold. However, these aren't models that actually eliminate tuition fees upfront. They are like student aid bursary disbursements.

Your question about the cost of living is an excellent one. We advocate, alongside the elimination of tuition fees, for increased investment in the Canada student grants program. There are, as you say, significant costs of living associated with pursuing post-secondary education and, of course, these are amplified for folks from marginalized communities who may not have family support. We have a vision of the elimination of tuition fees alongside robust, upfront, needs-based grant funding.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Okay, thank you.

We've heard from witnesses before regarding the repayment assistance program. I think it's currently six months. The recommendation from a previous witness was for up to a year. Is that something you would be looking for, as well, or you would recommend?

[Charlotte Kiddell]

Yes. Any increase to student assistance is welcome, but, ultimately, this is just pushing the burden of paying the debt down the line. Whether students are paying their student debt six months in, a year in, or five years in, ultimately, they are accumulating much more debt in order to pursue their post-secondary education than those who are able to pay upfront, which is why the number one thing we ask for is for upfront barriers to be addressed.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Okay. Thank you.

I have another question for you.

We've heard from a previous witness regarding not only the cost of post-secondary, but also the issue of unpaid internships. Again, for a parent, it is a little concerning where a full tuition is charged for an internship period, and the student who is out working still has the cost of going to school but also the additional cost of working. I wonder if you could speak to the concern regarding unpaid internships and paying full tuition during that term.

[Charlotte Kiddell]

Absolutely.

We also call for the elimination of unpaid internships. We welcome the first step that was taken in budget 2017 in terms of eliminating unpaid internships here on the Hill, but we think that the federal government has a much larger role to play in terms of eliminating unpaid internships for all programs across the country.

That's something again that is disproportionately relevant to women. The programs that tend to feature unpaid internships are often female dominated: child and youth studies, education, nutrition, and that kind of thing.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

I have one last question for you. In my previous role, I was the associate dean of faculty and I oversaw about 84 sessional instructors. Certainly the income of $20,000 a year could be reflected, but did you also dig into the fact that so many sessional instructors teach at multiple institutions?

Sometimes they're putting together a full salary, which even makes it more difficult if they're earning $50,000 to $60,000 and they're teaching six or seven courses at different institutions. Did you look into that as well?

[Charlotte Kiddell]

Absolutely. I'm not an expert on that issue, but I will say that it reflects what we recognize as the overall deterioration of quality with institutions being underfunded. It's not just about the high cost of education; it's about increasing reliance on contract faculty who are sometimes splitting their time between schools, and increasing class sizes, all of these things.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Great. Thank you.

[Charlotte Kiddell]

Thank you.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

My next questions are for Ms. Prince.

On the IRCC settlement supports, one of the things I see said too frequently online, and I would like you to provide me with a response on this so I could share it with others, is that refugees receive more income supports than seniors in Canada. Is that the case?

[Corinne Prince]

That's a very good question. I do not have with me a comparison of the federal and provincial packages of support for seniors versus newcomers to Canada.

I know there has been some narrative, certainly since the Syrian cohort, that with 45,000 Syrian refugees coming to Canada, there are special supports for Syrians even versus other refugee-source countries. I can assure you that, in terms of settlement and integration programming, the department provides the full suite of resettlement services for all refugees coming to Canada and a full suite of settlement services past the six-week point to both refugees and immigrants.

There are distinctions in the refugee class between government-assisted refugees and privately sponsored refugees. I don't know what the knowledge level of the committee is, but government-assisted refugees do receive income support from IRCC for the first 12 months that they're in the country, while privately sponsored refugees receive supports from their private sponsors.

The child tax benefit that I mentioned in my opening statement is, of course, available to all refugees and immigrants to Canada, and as I explained, it is an important and significant federal contribution.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Thank you.

[Karen Ludwig, Liberal, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Thank you. Maybe that's where some of that myth is.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

I will go to my colleague Ms. Vecchio for seven minutes.

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

Thank you.

Ms. Prince, I want to continue with you. We have heard from the citizenship and immigration minister that the unemployment rate for Syrian refugees is sitting at about 90%. That has been confirmed. You also talked about 55% of the people taking part in some of your workshops being women. If we can look at some of those stats and disaggregate them, when we're talking about 55% being women, are we looking at 55% of the whole or is it 55% of so many?

What I'm looking at is, what is that finite number? Are all the refugees being considered in that, or have you taken into consideration the number of families that are not participating in these workshops? It is just so that I can get a clearer picture, if you don't mind.

[Corinne Prince]

Sure.

I believe I said in my opening statement that over a half of the newcomers to Canada are women. We know from the take-up rates of our services that approximately 55% of the clients are women. The statistics we're using are from the year 2015-16; the last year's are being finalized.

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

Can you delve a little deeper into that?

We have 45,000 new Syrian refugees. How many of them are participating in these supportive programs? Let's look at the whole number first, because breaking it down to 55%. If we're looking at one out of one, that's still 100%. What are those actual numbers of people, not percentages, because I want to know what the gross number is?