Evidence of meeting #2 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 workers.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Nelly Shin Conservative Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC
Earlier this summer, Megan Walker, from the London Abused Women's Centre, testified that “Trafficking and sexual exploitation did not suddenly disappear or slow down during COVID. It increased. Men who believe”—now this is very disturbing—“they have a right to pay to rape women and girls increased their demand for underage and young women and girls.”
We also know that with this appalling kind of insight, despite growing awareness, we are still seeing insignificant sentences in human trafficking convictions, with judges deferring to the minimum rather than meaningful penalties that convey the seriousness of this offence.
As you know, in Parliament, we've been reading Bill C-3. Do you feel that something like Bill C-3 could also be applied to human trafficking to increase sentencing for that? What are your thoughts on the kinds of Criminal Code legislation that could help send the message that this is wrong?
Executive Director, Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking
Again, looking at our own data, we have nothing to suggest there's been a huge or significant increase in trafficking. I don't want to say that Ms. Walker isn't correct. She's speaking to her own caseload and people she is serving through her organization. However, from a national snapshot perspective, we can't reasonably make that claim.
In terms of the prosecution rates for traffickers, I think one of the issues is that our legal system is not designed to effectively support any victims of sexual-based violence. Right now the way that our Criminal Code and legal system are set up is that it's very dependent on victim testimony. Traditionally, there's also been a lack of training for judges, so there's a lot of victim blaming that takes place. There's usually very strong cross-examination, which often includes gaslighting and making victims question their own reality and their role in their own exploitation. For very straightforward reasons, knowing that, a lot of people don't choose to go through that system. It can be incredibly—
Conservative
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
I want to thank our three speakers, who provided valuable input.
Since we're the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, we want to look at how COVID-19 is affecting women in particular. For my second turn, I want to address this.
Ms. Bauman, do you believe that the various government support measures implemented during the crisis were adapted to the reality of sex workers, particularly in terms of accommodation and hotels?
Can you briefly describe how things weren't well prepared to help them get out of the situation?
Co-Founder and Executive Director, SafeSpace London
I guess I can take this one.
Co-Founder and Executive Director, SafeSpace London
I just want to ask for some elaboration on what she means to “get out of” which...?
Bloc
Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC
What can we learn from the government's measures during the crisis? Were there areas where the government didn't respond properly? How were the measures not adapted to sex workers? I want to look at some of the specific measures that weren't adapted to sex workers. This question can also be for Ms. Duffy.
The various measures taken by the government included the tax measures discussed. Sex workers haven't been able to benefit from programs such as the CERB, for example. During the pandemic, it became clear that the measures implemented by the government weren't adapted to sex workers.
You can all respond. This may concern direct action, the funding of organizations, accommodation, connections with hotels, or assistance programs such as the CERB.
In your view, what aspects should be kept in mind?
Co-Founder and Executive Director, SafeSpace London
Well, it's a very big question, because it's hard to think of anything that was well adapted to sex workers' needs. Right away, what comes to mind in Ontario is the closure of strip clubs within hours of notice. This was not based on any empirical data. There was no real evidence that there was an increase of COVID within strip clubs, while there was evidence that there was an increase within other types of commercial businesses, such as restaurants that were literally a few doors down from some of the clubs. This was overnight.... I mean, I think that because of the stigma, people who work at strip clubs were maybe an easy target for the government to feel like they were doing something while causing the overnight loss of employment for many workers.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Marilyn Gladu
I'm sorry. I skipped over you, Ms. Zahid, so I'll go to you for five minutes.
October 27th, 2020 / 12:45 p.m.
Liberal
Salma Zahid Liberal Scarborough Centre, ON
Thank you, Chair, and thanks to all the witnesses for their very important testimony. I will be splitting the time with my colleague Ms. Hutchings.
My first question is for Ms. Drydyk. I saw on your organization's website that a number of issues have been raised in regard to how Canada's immigration programs, such as the temporary visa program, can be exploited by human traffickers and how people in these programs can be vulnerable to exploitation. Have these vulnerabilities increased due to COVID-19? Do you have specific suggestions that we could recommend to the government to better protect women and other workers?
Executive Director, Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking
I think that labour trafficking is incredibly important here in Canada and really deserves more attention. When COVID first began, we saw that there was a real trend in transmission in our agricultural sectors, specifically among temporary foreign workers. This, for a very good reason, rang a bunch of alarm bells and brought attention to the issue, but I have to say that it's incredibly long-standing. The prevalence of labour exploitation along the continuum, and insofar as human trafficking is concerned, is quite rampant across our agricultural sectors.
As for how to respond to that, I actually think labour trafficking is a bit more straightforward, in that we actually have labour laws and rules that have been established to protect the rights of these workers. They are just not being implemented properly and are not being regulated by the appropriate level. I do believe that this is done through the provincial governments, but I think that actually enforcing the laws we have would go a really long way in addressing this. Labour traffickers are clearly breaking the law, and it's much more black and white to be able determine where a crime of trafficking has actually taken place.
Liberal
Liberal
Gudie Hutchings Liberal Long Range Mountains, NL
Thank you, Madam Chair. That always helps.
Thank you to all of the witnesses who are here today. This topic is certainly important to all of us, and hearing your testimony really makes us work even harder.
I also want to thank you for your advocacy. Your advocacy has truly made a difference, because year over year we have increased our investments. We've provided stable, long-term funding for organizations such as yours to empower women and create change across communities. Between 2015 and 2019, our government has increased the funding to women and gender seeking organizations from under $20 million a year to over $65 million per year. That's giving long-term funding to over 500 organizations.
This year we are going to approve the funding of $110 million, and that is in addition to the $90 million given by WAGE to help organizations due to COVID-19, and another $10 million from Indigenous Services Canada. That's helping a thousand organizations. It's your advocacy that is truly making a difference for this.
My question today is for you, Ms. Duffy. Based on your experience, do you find that the LGBTQ community has faced additional risks and barriers in sex work, especially during COVID-19? If so, how can we all work hard to address that?
Thank you.
Board Chair, Maggie's: The Toronto Sex Workers Action Project
I will first say that the discrimination that the LGBTQ community faces in accessing what we would call “mainstream”, non-criminalized work often makes sex work the best option. It's a low-barrier entry.... We have a lot of anecdotal reports from workers saying that they experience a sense of community through doing sex work that they don't experience doing mainstream work.
However, there are ways this community is targeted and continues to be over-surveilled by the police force. For this reason, they are at risk for being sex workers, especially if a person is transgender, as they are targeted by police and subject to violence. There's a really interesting report that we can maybe send the committee about the violence that police commit with respect to sex workers.
I think that's all for now.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Marilyn Gladu
Very good. That's your time, I'm sorry.
I'm going to Ms. Mathyssen now for two and a half minutes.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
I want to get back quickly to one of the calls for support. I know there's a larger network across Canada for sex workers, and advocacy for that, but from SWAP Hamilton, I received a letter urgently asking the government to allocate funds to organizations working directly with sex workers, and to have far more flexible funding and granting mechanisms to allow for that, considering that we don't yet have that decriminalization part.
I wanted to ask a bit about that. Have you received from government those low-barrier mechanisms you were talking about before?
Board Chair, Maggie's: The Toronto Sex Workers Action Project
Sorry, I'm not completely clear about the question.
NDP
Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON
One of the asks was for the federal government to have more of those flexible funding and granting types of mechanisms to ensure that funding for organizations that provide support to sex workers, which are often left out of any traditional idea of grants or funding, would be a consideration, especially during COVID. They were talking about providing things like pre-paid debit cards and, again, those low-barrier funding models. Have you actually received any support from the federal government for that after your ask. I think that was months ago. Have you received any word on that?
Co-Founder and Executive Director, SafeSpace London
No, we have not received any funding from the federal government at all.
The majority of our funding, especially for all of our operational expenses, even for some of our staff, who have very limited hours and whom we've been able to secure, has come from community donations from very small fundraisers: people who send five bucks through e-transfers or PayPal, or who drop something off. All of our donations, literally 95% of our funding, comes from community donors. The biggest grant we've received comes from a global organization called the Red Umbrella Fund, a low-barrier grant for sex-worker organizations. Then we have received some other small grants from the Red Cross and so on that were very high barrier and that we spent a lot of time to apply for. It is a struggle, and there's been even more than all of that where we haven't been successful in getting—
Conservative