Evidence of meeting #13 for Status of Women in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was communities.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:40 p.m.
As an Individual
In our area it's a lot. It's the same comment: Nothing gets done, so why bother?
12:40 p.m.
As an Individual
It used to be that the first thing you did was call for assistance from the RCMP. However, now it's to the point where people are saying, “What's the point?” It's a waste of time to be sitting on the phone trying to get through to somebody, and the response time is so long.
12:40 p.m.
Conservative
Blaine Calkins Conservative Red Deer—Lacombe, AB
You're telling me that very few people are reporting, and Louise has already suggested that there's a 700% increase, which is reported. This tells me that the number of the increases in rural crime must be astronomical. Would you agree with that sentiment?
12:40 p.m.
As an Individual
Yes.
It used to be that you hoped for a big snowstorm so the roads were bad; the back roads would be blocked off and they didn't have access to shoot across a field. Now they're coming with four-by-four vehicles and they can plow through those snowbanks. Time of year or time of day doesn't matter to them anymore.
12:45 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Marilyn Gladu
All right. That's your time.
We're going to Ms. Dhillon for five minutes.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Anju Dhillon Liberal Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC
Thank you to our witnesses for being here today and giving such important testimony.
Ms. Rellis, to pick up on what you said before, that even when the officers show up at the homes of domestic violence victims, they are not able to have them file a report. Have the officers spoken to you as to whether they've noticed if it's been worse since the pandemic began?
As we all know, and we've heard in testimony, during the pandemic domestic violence has become worse because the perpetrator is in the house with the victim. Is the victim very reticent to give her report because he's there in the background?
12:45 p.m.
Administrative and Client Support, Central Alberta Victim and Witness Support Society
Even in the detachment we've seen that conversations with our officers have grown. They do recognize the victims are home with their aggressors so they're coming to us and saying, “We were called to this house and she's not making a statement. She doesn't want to press charges, but we feel there's something going on.” They are reaching out, in a sense, when they have the time to. It's not to say that they don't always see the importance, but if they're being called to a more severe situation, it's not that they forget about that client but it's pushed to the back of their mind because they have a Criminal Code situation that they're handling.
We are seeing an increase in those referrals from the officers. We are seeing an increase, for sure, in conversations where it is the women at home and we're seeing an increase in the youth who are suffering from this as well. We have youths at home with mom and with dad, or whoever the aggressor is, and they're stuck in that. Oftentimes, yes, it is the mom who we have to reach out to, but oftentimes the youths are still left there in that home, in that environment, with nobody reaching out to them. As much as we try, our capacity is only so much.
12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Anju Dhillon Liberal Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC
Thank you for that.
I'm going to ask two questions at the same time and also ask, in case we run out of time, if all three witnesses can send their recommendations to ensure that rural issues are reflected in our national action plan.
I'll start with asking you what some of the most innovative and effective ways are that you have seen communities come together in the interests of preventing gender-based violence and supporting survivors and their families.
As you know, throughout the pandemic, the increased reports of domestic violence have been referred to as the pandemic within the pandemic. Our government recognized immediately that we needed to provide additional supports for the organizations that deliver these essential services to women who are fleeing violence. The $100 million in emergency aid has supported over 100 organizations across Canada. Minister Monsef remains committed with her provincial and territorial partners to deliver a national action plan to end gender-based violence.
What would be your recommendations so that the needs of women in rural communities are reflected in this national action plan?
Thank you so much.
12:45 p.m.
Administrative and Client Support, Central Alberta Victim and Witness Support Society
For me, I feel we need an equitable distribution of funding between urban and rural centres. If funding is funnelled more into the urban centres to build the capacities there.... We need more officers. We need more patrols. We need way more officers than we have in our detachments to cover the area.
It always shocks me, the geographic area that our small detachment with our 10-plus officers has to cover on a 24-7 basis. To get from one end to the other.... I think we need to get more officers out there, get boots on the ground, build the conversations within the communities and bring those victims together. We need to say, “We hear you. What can we do for you?” What capacity can we build here, because we have the services. Instead of funnelling it to outreach programs in the urban centre, funnel that funding to the rural community.
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Ms. Rellis, I would like to carry on and go back to the obstacles and the defence mechanisms you talked about earlier.
The cases in remote areas are different. In what respect are those cases more difficult? How can you explain that there are more cases in remote areas? Is there a difference in education? Is it because of the lack of housing? What are the disparities that give rise to more cases in rural settings than in urban settings?
12:50 p.m.
Administrative and Client Support, Central Alberta Victim and Witness Support Society
Higher cases of rural crime? Is that it?
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Are there more cases in remote regions than in urban settings? Could difficulties in education and housing make the problems worse?
12:50 p.m.
Administrative and Client Support, Central Alberta Victim and Witness Support Society
In a lot of cases, it is a lack of access. Rural communities have a vast area outside of urban. It's not so much a lack of education—although we have seen, historically, that those in rural communities are less likely to go on to post-secondary education—as it is the barriers that they are faced with when they do try to reach out to services.
Unfortunately, for some reason, different organizations have different geographic areas that they cover, so sometimes one resident in Lacombe County, for example, might reach out to a particular organization, but because of where they are located on a map, that organization does not represent them and they are forwarded on to another.
It's just an increase of barriers, and it's increasing steps that they have to take. A lot of times it's more frustrating and adding more stress to them, they feel, than just putting up with it.
12:50 p.m.
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
Access to some services is more difficult in remote regions. There is a difference between the healthcare available to women in a rural setting and the care provided in an urban setting. It may be because the hospital is further away.
Ms. Johanson may have an opinion on that. She briefly mentioned the hospital.
Can you tell us about the problems of access to healthcare?
12:50 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Marilyn Gladu
Unfortunately, that's your time.
We'll go now to Ms. Mathyssen for two and half minutes.
12:50 p.m.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
Thank you so much.
One of the things that was brought up was the lack of, when you are a victim of crime, access to the proper insurance. Insurance cuts you right off.
While my riding is entirely urban, I grew up in a very rural area. We were targeted because of our.... You're off the beaten path; it's not seen as much. We were targeted a few times. It was very frustrating because even though my parents did absolutely everything they needed to do in terms of coverage, alarms and everything, the insurance company still threatened to cut them off.
I know that this is entirely provincial, but would you agree there should be greater regulatory changes or things that must be done for the insurance companies to ensure that they can't do that to further victimize people in rural areas?
12:50 p.m.
As an Individual
I would say yes. It was stated before that we can't stop a lot of these things that are happening to us. We have no way to stop them. Short of dealing with them so that they're not walking off our property again, we don't have a way to deal with it. If we don't have insurance, then we're on the hook all the time for whatever they're stealing, destroying or whatever. There has to be something that comes along that line.
12:50 p.m.
As an Individual
I'm just going to say that if they take a large item, say a vehicle, it is worth your while to put in a claim and deal with the insurance company. However, a lot of them, when it's tools and that, are smaller items, and your deductible minimum is going to be $2,500. When it's smaller stuff, those things just go by the wayside. Okay, yes, you were vandalized last night, and they took odd tools and things like that, especially off of a piece of equipment or something; they'll go through the tool box on it and clean it out. Well, you're not even sure what was in there for one thing, so unless you can justify paying the deductible, you don't even use the insurance because that goes against your claim record.
12:55 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Marilyn Gladu
That's your time, Ms. Mathyssen, and actually, that's the end of our panel time today.
I want to thank the witnesses for giving us a snapshot of what's happening in our nation on rural crime and what women in rural areas are experiencing.
Committee members, we'll be seeing you on Thursday to talk about pay equity and finish our report on the impacts of COVID-19 on women.
Is it the will of the committee to adjourn?
Okay. Thanks so much, and have a great day.
The meeting is adjourned.