Status of Women Committee on Feb. 27th, 2020

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Thank you so much for your question. I'm glad that the Prime Minister has partnered me up with you, Gudie.

One thing that those of us who come from rural communities or mixed rural-urban communities are tasked with, just by the nature of this beautiful country, is we have to work that much harder, be that much louder and that much more prepared to ensure that the perspective of rural Canadians is heard and understood. That's part of GBA+ as well, but we are working to strengthen that lens. Gudie, when you say that your riding has a land mass bigger than Switzerland, that's a really smart way to help demonstrate that rural lens.

Budget 2019 included an investment for broadband for high-speed Internet. It included investments through CRTC. It included investments to move forward with low-earth orbit satellites, LEOs, for those particularly remote communities. It also included funding through the universal broadband fund, funding that we hope to roll out in the coming months so that communities across Canada can be connected further to high-speed Internet. I believe it's an essential service. It's not a luxury to have access to high-speed Internet. Canadians have told us that.

For the first time, we have a rural economic strategy that tells us that the number one priority for rural Canadians is connectivity. For the first time we have a connectivity plan that says by 2030 we're going to connect 100% of communities in Canada to high-speed Internet. The standard we're using is 50/10. Why that's important to the work of this committee, that gender lens here, is if she's not able to log online and see what services exist for her, she's less likely to leave an abusive relationship. If she doesn't have access to high-speed Internet, she is less likely to take the great gift that she has as a woman entrepreneur and expand upon it. If she doesn't have the ability to speak with her grandkids and her loved ones through FaceTime, then she's less likely as a grandparent to feel connected to them. Those feelings of isolation can be prevented through technology.

There's another gendered lens here too. Who develops these technologies? Right now, about 26% of those who are in the tech sector are women. That sector is experiencing significant labour shortages. It's the one that needs innovation to get ahead of everybody else. We want Canada to be number one in this sector, yet that 26% are often paid 26% less than their male counterparts for work of equal value. There's definitely a gender lens. The more Canadians we connect, the greater economic prosperity we'll be able to share, but the greater safety and security we will also be able to add to their lives as well.

[Gudie Hutchings, Liberal, Long Range Mountains, NL]

Minister, I'm going to ask you a quick question.

When you refer to GBA+, what are you going to encompass in the plus? Are you making sure that we're looking at people in rural communities, indigenous communities, Inuit communities, women of colour and, of course, persons living with disabilities?

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Get that done in 10 seconds.

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

The short answer is yes. We do need to strengthen all the lenses that you mentioned, but also create a culture and continue to strengthen that culture here within our government and the public service so that it becomes automatic to apply GBA at the outset, at the end and throughout the process. Turning it into a cultural norm is our key challenge.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

I'm going to ask Ms. Roy and Ms. Monsef whether we would be able to keep them for three more minutes so that we can complete this entire round.

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Absolutely.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

I have thumbs up to that.

I'm going to pass the floor back over to Raquel, for five minutes.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Minister, I want to share with you a little of my personal background. I grew up in rural Manitoba in a town of about 3,000 retired farmers. When I graduated from high school, if the men weren't going to work on their farms, cattle ranches or going to university, they went to Alberta to work in the trades there and bring home a lot of income for their families.

Of course, that isn't happening anymore and it's of grave concern to me, Also, my fiancé works for Manitoba Hydro. Many men I grew up with went on to work with Manitoba Hydro.

Minister, I want to ask you about some troubling remarks concerning gender-based analysis by the Prime Minister, in Argentina, in the G20. He mentioned, “...what does a gender lens have to do with building this new highway or this new pipeline or something?” and “ ...there are gender impacts when you bring construction workers into a rural area. There are social impacts because they’re mostly male construction workers.”

Now, you can understand, particularly for me as my fiancé is one of those guys who goes into rural areas.... I know many of them in my riding do as well. We have many men and women in the trades who go into these rural areas away from their families. They used to go to Alberta but they no longer have that opportunity.

I'm just wondering if you agree with the Prime Minister in his implication that men who go into rural areas have negative implications on women.

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Thank you for sharing that very personal story. I wish you all the best with your partnership.

You asked me early on about the GBA+ on resource development projects.

One thing we take into consideration now, especially with the new Impact Assessment Act that was passed last year in the House of Commons, is the calls for justice that came from the inquiry around missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. There you'll find some clarity concerning where that gendered analysis comes from.

The Prime Minister made his remarks based on facts. We also know that the men who go into those isolated communities experience their own challenges. Part of GBA+ is recognizing the challenges for all genders, not just women, and working to address them.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Do you feel that the impact of men working in rural areas, building the infrastructure of our country...? Do you feel that the negative impacts of what you're talking about exceed the positive impacts? Is that why your government isn't wanting to support projects such as Teck Frontier or other energy sector projects?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

I disagree with the premise of that question. We have moved forward—

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

Do the negative impacts outweigh the positive impacts—

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

—with resource development projects.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

—of men working in rural areas?

[Maryam Monsef, Liberal, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

We have to ensure that the positive benefits—

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

You're speaking around the question a little bit.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

What I'm going to do is stop the time for a moment. I think everybody knows this, but I believe the time is the questioner's. That is my philosophy on this issue, and as the chair, I'll take that view. I recognize the opportunity to always respond, but I'd ask that we not speak over one another.

The clock is back on.

Go ahead.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

That's really it.

Actually, I'd like to move a motion, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Okay, move your motion.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

It's in reference to my first question.

Given that the minister confirmed that her cabinet colleagues, including the Prime Minister, have all completed the gender-based analysis plus training, I move that the committee request that the Minister for Women and Gender Equality table the GBA+ completion certificates of her cabinet with the committee.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Are there any questions on this motion, or is there any conversation on it?

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Could it be repeated?

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Go ahead.

[Raquel Dancho, Conservative, Kildonan—St. Paul, MB]

I'll speak slowly for Andréanne's sake as well, just so that the translation—

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

I would like to have it if possible, of course