Status of Women Committee on June 20th, 2017

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

The question is whether we want the next study to be a long overarching study or a short one. We don't really know until we hear what's been done previously and what the gaps are. Then we'll be able to assess. I like the long overarching ones because you don't know what you don't know at the beginning, and as you start to hear witnesses, it brings out things that we didn't know about, areas that we can help in. We'll see how we go on that one.

We have our next panel coming at 9:45 a.m. I don't know whether you just want to suspend until then, or if there are other topics that you want to discuss.

All right. Let's suspend and I'll see you at 9:45 a.m.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Good morning.

We are continuing our study on the economic security of women in Canada.

Welcome to all our witnesses today.

We have with us, from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Pierre Charest, Serge Villemure, and Anne Webb. We have, from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Dominique Bérubé, Claudie Gosselin, and Danika Goosney. We have, from the department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Sheilagh Murphy, Melanie Reid, and Kevin Murchie.

I know our Department of Foreign Affairs person is en route. I don't see him yet.

We're going to begin. Each of you will have five minutes for your comments.

We'll begin with NSERC.

[Dr. Pierre Charest, Vice-President, Research Grants and Scholarships Directorate, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada]

Madam Chair, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

With regard to the focus of the committee's study on the economic security of women in Canada and equal participation of women in the Canadian economy, we can provide some specific examples in the natural sciences and engineering regarding problems affecting women's equity in these fields, and what the lack of equity means for women's income, occupational segregation, and access to key growth sectors.

As an agency, NSERC seeks to invest in the best research to create world firsts in knowledge. And we seek to collaborate with industry so that they can use and take this knowledge to market.

To be successful in these goals, we know we need to increase diversity and gender equity in science and engineering.

I can assure you that we are not only concerned about this issue, but that we have been taking action, collaborating at the tri-agency level with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and working with other stakeholders, to tackle this challenge.

First, I will give some background on the current state of women in science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM fields.

At the time of graduation from secondary school, the number of girls in STEM fields is slightly higher than the number of boys. However, starting at the bachelor's level, the enrolment of women is lower than that of men. In 2014-15, it was 38% for females and 62% for males for bachelor's programs. This difference increases at the master's and doctoral levels.

This under-representation of women studying in STEM fields at university is reflected in their representation at the career stage, where women comprise between 18% and 23% of the STEM labour force. In the academic sector, the highest proportion of women is among those who hold lecturer and instructor, non-tenure track positions. This means that the majority of women academics in these fields hold lower-rank positions, and their salaries are correspondingly lower.

Under-representation in STEM fields also means occupational segregation, barriers and obstacles experienced by under-represented groups in terms of the work culture, unconscious biases, micro-aggressions, gendered language, and so forth. It contributes to hiring and promotion biases, salary differences, and women leaving these fields or making other choices of where to work. It also means that fewer women access key growth sectors, such as IT and artificial intelligence.

Under-representation of women in STEM fields means that fewer women are eligible to apply for NSE grants. This means that fewer women are in a position to conduct cutting-edge research and to define and influence research priorities, policy, social development, and knowledge that benefit all individuals in our society, across all genders and other diversity factors.

The expectation that the under-representaion of women in STEM will change over time due to a gradual increase in the enrolment of women in some disciplines is not a well-founded assumption. The achievement of equity will take decades unless we make equity, diversity, and inclusion priorities in our policy development and change how we understand scientific excellence.

Diversity and gender equity are key priorities in our current strategic plan, NSERC 2020. They are also highlighted in the strategic goal, “Building a diversified and competitive research base”. This commitment is operationalized primarily through actions outlined in NSERC's framework on diversity and gender equity.

This framework implements a tri-agency response to the 2012 Council of Canadian Academies' report, “Strengthening Canada's Research Capacity: The Gender Dimension”. It also comprises the implementation of NSERC's 2015 commitment to Status of Women Canada's departmental action plan on gender-based analysis.

We have taken a number of measures that you have described there, in terms of looking at our programs and ensuring the integration of team members and people participating.

We have also updated NSERC's guidelines and indicators of research excellence to counter the gender-bias associated with taking career leaves for family responsibilities.

We also have programs that help improve the situation.

NSERC's PromoScience program offers financial support for organizations working with young Canadians to promote an understanding of STEM fields, with a particular focus on reaching girls, young women and other underrepresented groups.

Additionally, the Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering program (CWSE) aims to increase and retain the participation of women in science and engineering, and to provide role models, mentoring and outreach for women active in, and considering, careers in these fields. The CWSE program is regional—with one chair for each of the Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies, and British Columbia/Yukon regions, and each chair is appointed for a five-year term.

In closing, I would like to formally invite all of the members of this committee to the upcoming Gender Summit in Montreal that is co-hosted by NSERC and the Fonds de recherche du Québec. The summit takes place from November 6 to 8, under the overarching theme of “Embracing pluralism and thriving through diversity—shaping science and innovation.” The aim of the summit is twofold: to make gender equality in research and innovation the norm and to embed gender equality as a primary dimension of quality. I hope that you will be able to attend.

Thank you for your attention. We would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Thank you very much.

Ms. Bérubé, you have five minutes.

[Dominique Bérubé, Vice-President, Research Programs, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada]

Thank you very much.

Good morning, Madam Chair.

On behalf of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and of course our president Ted Hewitt, thank you for the opportunity to appear today in support of your work on the economic security of women in Canada.

We think this work is particularly important in light of increasing scrutiny on gender equity across all sectors of Canadian society, including in higher education institutions, in research teams and labs, as well as in the boardroom and other leadership positions.

As vice-president of research programs at SSHRC, I am particularly pleased to be here. I am an engineer by training with a degree from École polytechnique de Montréal—I was there in 1989—and a doctorate from Université du Québec à Montréal, while having two kids.

Prior to coming to SSHRC, I worked in universities, holding a number of leadership positions at Université de Montréal, including acting as vice-president of research, giving me both perspectives in this world. I hope that I may bring a personal perspective, in addition to providing you with all the information required for the deliberations today or as a follow-up to this meeting.

May I remind you that the social sciences and humanities comprise a wide spectrum of disciplines including psychology, sociology, education, economics, fine arts, linguistics, gender and indigenous studies, geography, business administration, and communications. They touch on almost every aspect of Canadians’ lives, thereby contributing to the Canadian economy.

SSHRC awards grants, scholarships and fellowships in three core program areas. Each of these programs brings benefits to Canada's economy in different ways.

The first program, our talent program, obviously, supports graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, to develop the next generation of researchers and leaders in all sectors. It's about 44% of our program expenditures. It's very important within our own agency. This training provides Canada’s women and men with the critical analytical and communications skills required by a new economy.

Our insight program supports individuals and teams of researchers to advance knowledge and build understanding, and accounts for about 45% of our program expenditures. New research insights, for instance, about new business models, corporate social responsibility, and the integration of people with disabilities into the labour market can help Canada’s businesses gain a competitive edge and contribute to improving the well-being of Canadians in general.

The third program, the Connection program, represents 11% of our expenditures. It supports the exchange of research knowledge within and beyond academe to maximize its impacts. Connecting research knowledge to the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors that can use it is another way that SSHRC contributes to the economy.

Through its programs, SSHRC has funded many of the researchers in Canada who are examining the very issues you are studying. I think you have met some of them during your different meetings.

For example, we have funded research projects on the gender aspects of poverty alleviation, employment standards protections for precarious job workers, child care policies, gender income inequalities, and much more. What is important is that the leadership of women in these fields of research is very strong.

Indigenous research is also a strategic priority for SSHRC. Now up to 10% of our budget is invested in that area and indigenous and non-indigenous women researchers are central to our efforts. Women are leaders in that area of research. In the spirit of reconciliation, it is always important for SSHRC to consider this perspective in our thinking.

With regard to women's participation in our programs more generally, we are obviously in a very positive situation. About 50% of our applicants are women, and the success rates of women and men are equivalent. In our scholarship and fellowship programs we are seeing women applicants and awardees at a rate of over 60%. Last year, women made up 50% of our adjudication members also. However, we continue to track the situation and monitor the leadership opportunities for women within our programs.

While it is true that women are pursuing post-secondary education in increasing numbers, the participation of women is greater than that of men in the social sciences and humanities at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. However, men still occupy more senior academic positions. We are looking forward to new data from StatsCan's recently reinstated survey for university and college faculty to see if this trend is lessening with time.

We also administer, on behalf of the three granting councils, five major programs, including the Canada Research Chairs Program and the Canada Excellence Research Chairs Program.

We know we have some progress to make in these cases. Recent evaluations concluded that efforts toward achieving equality by universities have not been sufficient, so we took action. We have just launched an equity, diversity, and inclusiveness action plan, and we will be happy to answer your questions regarding that plan.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Thank you very much.

Now we'll hear from the Department of Indian Affairs with Sheilagh Murphy. You have five minutes.

[Sheilagh Murphy, Assistant Deputy Minister, Lands and Economic Development, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development]

Good morning. Thank you, Madam Chair, for the opportunity to provide an overview of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada's programming that supports indigenous women entrepreneurs and businesses.

Before I begin, I'd like to recognize that we're on the traditional territory of the Algonquin nation.

In the context of the fast-growing indigenous business sector, I would like to tell you about INAC's lands and economic development services program as an integrated whole. The purpose of this program is to directly and indirectly support indigenous business women, specifically through access to business capital, support services, business opportunities and procurement.

INAC is committed to strengthening indigenous women's access to business and economic opportunities and recognizes the importance of positioning indigenous women to be in leadership and decision-making roles.

This commitment can be attested to with the representation of indigenous women on the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board. Of the board's 13 positions, five are filled, four of them by indigenous women.

The board advises both INAC and the federal government more broadly on its policy and program direction related to indigenous economic opportunities. In addition, the National Aboriginal Economic Development Board secretariat is in the process of establishing a collaborative partnership with the Centre for Women in Politics and Public Leadership at Carleton University on the topic of indigenous women entrepreneurs and innovation.

INAC's indigenous entrepreneurship and business development program supports indigenous women by increasing their access to developmental debt and equity capital to fill a financing gap, as well as providing project-based funding to improve access to business and procurement opportunities. It does so in close partnership with the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association and the network of aboriginal financial institutions that administers and delivers the program.

INAC helps indigenous entrepreneurs by giving them access to start-up or expansion capital for their own businesses. Almost 25% of the program's business recipients are indigenous women.

Another important element of the indigenous entrepreneurship and business development program is its project-based support. Since 2010 INAC has worked in partnership with national and regional indigenous women's organizations and has funded 27 indigenous women's projects totally $3.7 million. These projects have provided indigenous women entrepreneurs with financial literacy training, access to business development tools, business and training networks, and access to capital to help them establish, expand, and run viable and sustainable businesses. These organizations included the Native Women's Association of Canada and Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada.

Another support coordinated by INAC on behalf of all the government departments is the procurement strategy for aboriginal business. Through this initiative, participating federal government departments and agencies support indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs through mandatory set asides, voluntary set asides, joint ventures, and partnerships linked to federal contracting opportunities.

Recognizing the value of entrepreneurship and the needs and aspirations of indigenous women and increasing their employability and self-reliance through entrepreneurship will provide the skills and opportunities they require to become self-sufficient. INAC is committed to closing the gaps that exist between indigenous and non-indigenous people when it comes to employment opportunities, income, and housing.

Housing is a fundamental need, and all Canadians should have access to a secure home. Investments in housing are crucial to begin addressing some of the root causes of poverty, for promoting opportunity and inclusive growth, and to help lay the foundation for community development.

No one fleeing domestic violence should be left without a place to turn, including those in first nation communities. Women and children fleeing violence need a safe place to live while they plan their future and turn the page on violence. In collaboration with the CMHC, INAC is investing in safe shelters. Through budget 2016 Canada invested $10.4 million over three years to support the renovation of existing shelters and the construction of five new shelters in first nation communities. Canada also invested $33.6 million over five years and up to $8.3 million ongoing in additional funding to better support the existing network of 41 shelters and operations in first nation communities.

Housing is the starting point for better social, economic and environmental results. It is important to work together on this fundamental aspect to improve the lives of indigenous women.

Thank you, again, for the opportunity to speak. I look forward to your questions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Thank you very much.

Now we're going to John Gartke from the Department of Foreign Affairs for five minutes.

[John Gartke, Director, Trade Missions, Consultations and Outreach, Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair and honourable members, for the opportunity to discuss the important topic of Canadian businesswomen in international trade. This is very timely, as Canada is committed to advancing a progressive and inclusive trade agenda that addresses such issues as gender equality by ensuring that all segments of society can take advantage of the opportunities that flow from international trade and investment.

In my remarks today, I will highlight the landscape of Canadian women entrepreneurs and provide an overview of our business women in international trade program—or BWIT, as we like to call it—and outline the work being done by the BWIT program to increase opportunities for Canadian businesses on the global stage.

To begin with just an economic context, Statistics Canada's 2014 survey found that, overall, women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises represented 15.7% of all SMEs but that only 11.1% of exporting SMEs are owned by women. There is lots of room, then, to grow on many fronts.

Canadian business women are expected to play a significant role in driving Canada's economic future. A Royal Bank of Canada study predicts a 10% increase in the number of women-owned firms over the next 10 years would lead to a $50 billion injection into the Canadian economy.

At Global Affairs Canada, this potential has long been recognized.

The BWIT program was established in 1997 and is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. It is fully integrated as a program in the Canadian trade commissioner service, and the program is dedicated to assisting, promoting, and advocating for women-owned businesses in the area of international trade. The main objectives of the program are to provide export advice, guidance, and access to information and services specifically for women entrepreneurs, including support networks, government resources and events, and opportunities for women-owned businesses to participate in women-focused trade missions abroad.

To achieve these objectives, BWIT has a wealth of tools, information, and products that could be leveraged by Canadian women exporters. We have an annual BWIT newsletter—I believe copies have been distributed—which showcases successful women exporters, promotes the benefits of international trade, and disseminates information regarding key government-wide international business development programs and services. The newsletter is widely distributed to more than 2,500 entrepreneurs and stakeholders in Canada and through our missions abroad, and is available to download on the BWIT website and the trade commissioner website as well.

We maintain a BWIT website as part of the trade commissioner website, with approximately 70,000 visitors annually. It provides resources and access to a range of educational and funding programs; links to key contacts in government support agencies, financial institutions, and a variety of regional, national, international associations; as well as expert advice geared to improve competitiveness in international markets.

By looking at ways to connect entrepreneurs across Canada and keep them informed, we launched a LinkedIn group back in 2012, creating an interactive venue for businesswomen to share ideas and successes with other like-minded entrepreneurs. With almost 2,300 members and growing, this LinkedIn group is a two-way conversation and a rich source of intelligence and practical information for entrepreneurs.

Articles that highlight the achievements of successful Canadian women entrepreneurs are regularly included in CanadExport, the department's bimonthly electronic trade newsletter which has almost 27,000 subscribers. Annually, a special edition commemorating International Women's Day on March 8 is published, which features the many successes, realized by Canadian business women.

With the collaboration of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, a specialized women-owned sub-directory in the department's Canadian Companies Capabilities database was created in 2014. The specialized directory is a searchable database that helps business women identify and promote their products and services to potential customers, as well as to partner with other women-owned businesses. It also provides corporations that have supplier diversity initiatives access to a dedicated listing of women-owned businesses across Canada.

Our flagship event, without a doubt, is the BWIT-led trade missions, a major component of the program. There are anywhere from two to four missions annually for women-owned enterprises. In fact, there's a trade mission happening this week. A delegation of 86 Canadians, of which 62 are representatives of women-owned business enterprises, are currently in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the largest supplier diversity conference and business development fair. Fortune 500 companies have sent their procurement officers to this conference with the express purpose to diversify their supply chains by contracting with minority-owned companies. Through engagement in this conference, our program provides Canadian businesswomen access to supplier diversity programs, connects them with many of America's leading corporations that are committed to doing business with women-owned enterprises, and provides insight into the U.S. market.

A good example of the success we have encountered there is a businesswoman from Manitoba who owns a company that sells pies in a jar. On a recent women's trade mission to Orlando, she presented her product to purchasing officers from Disney, and they're pursuing contracting opportunities to have her product available in the Magic Kingdom. Another example is a businesswoman from Prince Edward Island who is now supplying her abrasive products in several major hardware store chains across the United States, all based on attending our trade missions program. In the BWIT newsletter, there are many other examples like this.

A permanent feature of our program is the ability to develop strong partnerships at the national, regional, and international levels. An example of this is the establishment of WEConnect International in Canada, a non-profit organization that certifies Canadian women-majority-owned businesses. WEConnect International's certification—

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

I'm sorry, that's the end of your time.

[John Gartke]

Perfect. Okay, I'll just say that, if there are questions, I'd be happy to entertain them. Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

No problem. We'll cover the rest in questions. Thanks so much.

We're going to start our first round of questioning with my colleague Mr. Fraser, for seven minutes.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

That's great. I'll start with the NSERC and SSHRC representatives who are here with us today.

I have a small university in my riding in Nova Scotia, StFX. It's primarily an undergraduate institution. One thing I hear is that, oftentimes, the federal government strives to fund the next biggest, groundbreaking research. When we look at research careers, as I think our witness from NSERC pointed out, there tend to be more men at senior levels in their careers today.

Is this focus on the next big thing perpetuating this inequity? Should we be shifting to support an increase in the number of undergraduate researchers in order to get more women involved in research at the junior level of their careers?

I'd like to hear from both organizations.

[Dr. Pierre Charest]

On this question, in our main program, the discovery program, there are three criteria: the excellence of the researcher, the training provided by the researcher, and the excellence of the proposal submitted to the evaluation groups, the peers who look at that.

In our eight-point framework, we're looking to ensure there's no unconscious biases. We strongly suggest to reviewers that they get training before they look at proposals to make sure we don't have biases in the way decisions are taken. Because the excellence of the proposal and the excellence of the researchers are two of the main criteria, there will definitely be an emphasis on groundbreaking research. But we are trying to counteract that. One of the measures we've taken for small universities now is that we have discovery development grants for those who are on the margin of obtaining a grant. We go one rank lower, and we give them grants.

We also have increased the number of summer stipends that we give in small universities. We recognize that there is a difference in small universities. The success rates for women and men in small universities versus other types of universities is the same. That's one thing I would like to mention. At NSERC, for scholarship fellowships or for grants, the success rates for men and women are about the same.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Okay.

Ms. Bérubé.

[Dominique Bérubé]

Thank you for the question.

Of course, for SSHRC, 60% or 70% of students at the undergraduate level are women. To promote emerging researchers and research in smaller institutions, we are the only agency that has an institutional grant that is devoted to small institutions so that they can support research. We have a special program for emerging researchers, professors, an insight development grant that has about a 40% success rate and supports young researchers.

At this point, it's also important to develop a mechanism to support the careers of women within their institutions and to ensure their leadership is recognized in the institution throughout their careers. That's the challenge we face most at this point. That's why we're working on the CRC equity action plan to help promote this. I do agree with you that it is important to support undergraduate research at all levels. For the moment, within SSHRC it's supported through our grants program, where undergraduate students are integrated into research.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Again, to both of you, in terms of how we can support women within their institutions to ensure they progress throughout their careers and obtain leadership positions, what recommendations could we, as a committee, make to the federal government that they could adopt that would help turn this into a reality?

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt.

Unfortunately, there's a vote call. You can see the bells are going off. This is not good for our committee work. Would it be acceptable for the members of the committee to forward their questions to the clerk and have the clerk send them to you for a written response?

I do apologize. I thank all the witnesses for coming today. I'm sorry that we have to break this off to go vote in the House but that's what they pay us to do.

The meeting is adjourned.