Evidence of meeting #26 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 military.
A video is available from Parliament.
April 15th, 2021 / 1:25 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Thank you very much.
I'll be directing my questions to you, Dr. Preston. Thank you so much for the work you do at the SMRC.
I'm going to ask you a very open-ended question. In an ideal world, if resources were not in question, how would you expand the SMRC? What would you see as its ideal role, mandate and resources? What would you like to see?
1:25 p.m.
Executive Director, Sexual Misconduct Response Centre, Department of National Defence
If resources were not a question, again I would take as my starting point a comprehensive set of supports and services for members that best meets their needs. That needs to start with hearing from survivors themselves about what it is they want. If that turns out to be SMRC or something else, that's fine. I'm not wedded to a particular structure. I'm wedded to what's in the best interest of members.
Ideally what I would like to see is a culture whose sexualized nature is addressed, where people feel they're included and respected and incidents are appropriately prevented, but if incidents do happen, there be accessible care regardless of where the member is. Therefore, I would like to see decentralized services. I would like them feel safe coming forward to report.
We definitely have to look at things like the duty to report, whether there's an option for independent reporting of an investigation and whether they're free from reprisal as well, so when members do make a report, they have an advocate or a source of support that accompanies them from the time they come forward until such time as they don't need that support anymore to be able to support and address reprisals in real time.
That is a range of things I would like to see in place.
1:25 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Looking more broadly than the SMRC—you've been following this discussion very closely, I know, in both committees and also a number of discussions that are happening at Defence—what would be some key recommendations you would have for the Defence team that may not have already been mentioned in this committee, or what are the key gaps you see we need to put forward to find solutions for this?
1:25 p.m.
Executive Director, Sexual Misconduct Response Centre, Department of National Defence
There is a range of things that need to happen, but one of the important things to think about is the approach that is taken to address some of the gaps and issues. What I've seen and certainly what I've experienced in the last number of years that I've worked on this file is that it's very reactive. We're constantly directing our efforts to the crisis of the day or the issue of the day and what has arisen, without stepping back and taking a more strategic or comprehensive view of the issue and making sure that we look at processes from beginning to end with a survivor lens to really look at where the gaps or the issues are at every single part of a process in order to make sure there is consistent, trauma-informed, survivor-centred support or response from beginning to end.
1:25 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
What about intersectionality? We know that not everybody experiences it the same, and there might be different needs for racialized or LGBTQ members. Is there enough data or research on intersectionality?
1:25 p.m.
Executive Director, Sexual Misconduct Response Centre, Department of National Defence
At present there is not a huge amount of data. There is some information that was in both of the StatsCan reports. However, the need for further information on the experiences of these intersectional groups has been raised with the CAF's research department, which is currently either developing or conducting studies. I'm not quite sure where they're at, but they are looking at very focused studies, looking at members from all of these various groups to better understand their experience and their needs.
1:30 p.m.
Liberal
Anita Vandenbeld Liberal Ottawa West—Nepean, ON
Often we know that when people come forward, it's not immediately a case of, “I want an investigation. I want punitive measures against the perpetrator”. Often it's a series of stages the survivor goes through, starting with maybe needing counselling, then perhaps peer support, then perhaps other steps, and at that point she might be ready to say, “Yes, I want to formally report a complaint”.
How does SMRC assist the survivors to get from the various different stages and the various different needs they may have over the course of time?
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
1:30 p.m.
Executive Director, Sexual Misconduct Response Centre, Department of National Defence
That's exactly what SMRC does, either by referring people to the appropriate support services or through our own response and support coordination service, where members are assigned a single point of contact at SMRC and we support them throughout their journey. Members define what their journey is. We are not leading them to reporting. We're leading them or supporting them to access what they want, but once they decide they're ready to report, we help facilitate that as well, including accompanying them.
1:30 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Marilyn Gladu
Very good.
I want to thank both of our witnesses today for your leadership and patience, and for staying late.
Now for the rest of the committee, is it the will of the committee to adjourn?
Seeing that it is, I shall see you then on Tuesday at our next meeting on this subject.
Thank you so much.