Status of Women Committee on Jan. 30th, 2018

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Certainly, but if I can jump in, I fully accept that the bump in funding for these programs is a wonderful thing. I think it's great that they exist. I'm just wondering if there are efforts we are making or perhaps could be making that would essentially target people who might be at the greatest risk of recidivism, so we could improve the social outcomes for people who have the highest risk of running into problems. Could we be doing something to encourage that?

[Margaret Buist]

It's a really good point. Many of our programs are proposal-based—for example, our urban indigenous program. There are proposals for job skills training that are specifically targeted to men and women who have been incarcerated. It's the same with our other programming. When we get proposals for family violence prevention projects, they can be specifically targeted to the population of women who have been incarcerated.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

That's excellent.

I have 40 seconds left.

We heard about two really great things, section 84 releases and healing lodges, both of which have positive social outcomes. How can we expand each of those initiatives so that more indigenous women in the corrections system are benefiting from these features of our justice system?

[Anne Kelly]

Communities that expressed an interest in a section 81 agreement have to go through a process, but we're always open to that.

As I mentioned at the beginning, we've expanded the capacity at Buffalo Sage Wellness House, so yes. Right now we're reviewing a proposal for potentially another healing lodge.

[Sean Fraser, Liberal, Central Nova, NS]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

That's excellent. Thank you very much.

We're now going to start our second round with five minutes, starting with Stephanie Kusie.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I would like first to thank Ms. Connidis for her answer. Before I became an MP, I was a consular official. That is why I like planning so much.

Thank you very much for that.

Ms. Kapelus, what factors lead to the lack of access to the justice system that many aboriginal women victims experience? What has been done to address these barriers to justice, please?

[Mary-Luisa Kapelus]

I'm with the first nations and Inuit health branch, so I'm sorry, but I'm not—

[Margaret Buist]

I can talk to you a little bit about our family violence prevention programming.

We have significant family violence prevention programming, and we also have shelter funding on reserve for both the construction and the operation of shelters. As I said earlier, the family violence prevention programming is proposal-based. We fund about 300 proposals across the country annually, to the tune of about $38 million. We also fund the operation of 41 shelters, and we're funding the building of five more shelters. Around those shelters there's also prevention programming and operations and counselling, and a suite of services are available for women and their children who've experienced violence.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you very much.

Ms. Kelly, this is a very selfish question. I always want to know the reason things occur. I was very interested when in your opening statement you said women have had the best results. This is very exciting for me as a woman. I would like to know what you attribute that to. Is it something within our character? Is it a comparison of the systems? Why is that so, in your opinion? To me, it's just extraordinary; it's outstanding.

[Anne Kelly]

Maybe I can take just a couple of minutes to tell you about the results—

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Okay.

[Anne Kelly]

—because I am very happy about them.

Very quickly, in terms of education, we were at 84.3% at the end of December, versus 71% in 2015-16. For the average number of days from admission to first program, we're at 32 days, and for non-indigenous women it's 31.5 days, so it's about the same. In 2016-17 we've had the highest number of women released on day and full parole, as well as the greatest number of women successfully reaching the end of their sentence. Basically, the average percentage of time served before they get their first release has gone from 43%, which was longer, to 36%, which is good.

In terms of percentage released on day and full parole, we were at 75% at the end of October, and we were at 65% in 2016-17. In the percentage who have reached their warrant expiry date—meaning the end of their sentence—without being readmitted to custody, again we've seen an increase.

I would say it's a combination of things. For both men and women, we're seeing a higher number of them in the community, under supervision. I think it's also because of the programs we have.

I think you've witnessed the work of the staff who work with the offenders, and you'll find that if you visit our institutions or go to our community parole offices, staff are dedicated. They're committed to what they do. They believe in the mandate of the mission, which is actively assisting and encouraging offenders.

What we want and what we believe is that we want them to be better than they were when they came to us. That's why we work with them. We offer them programs and we have elders and chaplains in our institutions. Also, in terms of the review of employment, we're doing that so we can provide them with opportunities so that when they are released, they can get decent pay and can maintain themselves in the community. It's a combination of factors.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

It's a combination.

I was looking for—

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Excellent. We love you, but you're done.

Carrying on, we're moving on for five minutes to Eva.

Eva, you have five minutes.

[Eva Nassif, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

In a previous study, the Disabled Women's Network Canada stated that the prevalence of traumatic brain injuries among women inmates is often a result of domestic violence. The study also stated that these injuries were largely undiagnosed or that these women were simply left unsupervised, which made it more difficult to look after and treat them while incarcerated. This can be a contributing factor in the case of persons who reoffend and return to the system.

We heard that evidence over a year ago, so I do not have the statistics any more and do not remember the figures, but I would like you to comment on this. I recall that the number was truly shocking.

[Anne Kelly]

I think you are referring to rate of fetal alcohol syndrome, which is about 17%. It is 10% among men and 17% among women.

[Eva Nassif, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Sorry, it's not this. I'm talking about traumatic brain injury.

[Anne Kelly]

Oh, okay.

[Dr. Kelley Blanchette]

We don't have the specific data on traumatic brain injury. At intake we do a screening, so we're able to identify any men or women with cognitive impairment. We do follow-up assessments after that to determine the cause and course of action, but we don't have data we can point to that would say how many have traumatic brain injury.

That said, we've just recently implemented an electronic health records system, so there is a good possibility that in the future we'll be able to do that. It was implemented just last year.

[Eva Nassif, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Thank you. I think you have answered some of my questions.

I wonder whether the system includes mechanisms or special programs that are culturally tailored specifically for women offenders to foster their social and community reintegration.

[Anne Kelly]

Our correctional programs for women include one such program, known as the adapted correctional program model.

It is for offenders with cognitive impairment.

[Eva Nassif, Liberal, Vimy, QC]

Those programs are offered in prisons, but are there other programs to help these women after their release?

[Anne Kelly]

In CSC, as long as they're still serving their sentence, yes, we have a maintenance program in the community. I would have to turn to my colleague to speak to the programs that they have in the community once they've reached their warrant expiry date.

[Mary-Luisa Kapelus]

As I said earlier, it is a community program that supports all family members, including women and children, and that helps them be good parents and develop certain skills. This supports the reintegration of women after their release.