Status of Women Committee on March 19th, 2024

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Good morning, everyone.

Welcome to meeting number 100 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the Standing Orders. Members are attending in person in the room and remotely using the Zoom application.

I would like to make a few comments for the benefit of the members and witnesses.

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I remind you that all comments should be addressed through the chair.

With regard to a speaking list, the committee clerk and I will do the best we can to maintain a consolidated order of speaking for all members, whether they are participating virtually or in person.

As you know, today we are starting a very important study. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted by the committee on Monday, November 27, 2023, the committee will commence its study of the implementation of a red dress alert.

I want to give a bit of context on this as we're starting.

In its 2019 final report, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls called for the establishment of a nationwide emergency number to ensure consistent protocols to investigate cases of missing indigenous women and girls across provinces and territories. The committee agreed to study a red dress alert after the House of Commons declared that violence against indigenous women, girls and 2-spirit people in Canada is an emergency. The House called on the Government of Canada to provide investments for a red dress alert system through a motion adopted unanimously on May 2, 2023. The committee will be hearing from expert witnesses on how such an alert system should be implemented here in Canada.

To begin, we have two witnesses for our first panel. I would like to welcome them. Online, from the BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres, we have Leslie Varley. She is the executive director. From the Union of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq, we have Jennifer Jesty, who is the emergency resiliency manager.

We are going to start off by providing you with five minutes each for your opening comments.

I'm going to pass it over to you first, Leslie, for the first five minutes.

[Leslie Varley, Executive Director, British Columbia Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres]

The red dress alert system in British Columbia must be a central feature of a comprehensive provincial service delivery model, which should be led by indigenous women representatives of and should provide services to all first nations, Inuit and Métis, urban and off-reserve, status and non-status indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQTT+ people. I'll get to the “why” shortly.

The province is thinking about two red dress alert pilot projects in B.C. One would be along the Highway of Tears, which runs over 700 kilometres, from Prince Rupert to Prince George. The other pilot would be in an urban area, perhaps Surrey or Vancouver.

What would these pilots look like? They might rely on different tools and they would have to be coordinated by the same central indigenous women-run provincial agency.

For the northern pilot, our primary tool will be billboards. There are signs on first nations land that advertise coffee shops, hotels and such. We could negotiate agreements to electrify those signs to enable red dress alerts, and the first nation could revert to the usual advertising when there was no alert. Where there are no existing billboards, we could negotiate agreements to install them.

There are at least 10 provincial points along the Highway of Tears that would need signs, and we would need them to face both east and west for all traffic in most of these small towns, so we would need a minimum of 20 signs that would have photographs and information about the missing person, a QR code and a central phone number to call. Signs could be programmed for a missing person alert along the entire highway in the direction we think the person was heading or we could focus on a smaller region in which we know the person was very recently seen and might still be.

The electrified signs could be used in combination with apps. Both the urban and rural pilots would utilize newly created apps that people would voluntarily download. One app could be a “find my missing loved one” app that people would use to search for loved ones in a coordinated and organized way. The app could show grids and offer other functions.

We would also need a similar nationwide app that would work for both urban and rural areas. Indigenous people currently use existing social media for searches. We're already connected to each other, but coordination should be centralized and effectively targeted and managed. The apps and signage should also draw in mainstream Canadians.

An urban pilot might rely more on apps and less on billboards.

We need an indigenous-run anonymous app to report sightings or to relay information we might know about a missing person. The City of Vancouver recently moved to provide free Wi-Fi in the Downtown Eastside, where indigenous women continue to be at high risk. The urban indigenous community is small, and we notice each other, but we know there's a lot of human trafficking, which is often gang-run and therefore dangerous. We need to have safe, anonymous reporting of sightings of missing persons so that those reports can be made without fear of retaliation.

Given the size of the province, we need a central system to coordinate with emergency services, police services, victim services, anti-violence services, transition services and safe houses. I have stated the need for the development of a provincial indigenous women-centred organization. I envision an indigenous organization for indigenous people to report missing women, to analyze data from apps and to provide services related to violence. The organization would provide standardized search training and could get funds out to the community within the hour to immediately start a search. It would provide community-based wraparound services for victims who have been found. It would coordinate and disburse provincial and federal anti-violence funds and oversee the ongoing development of indigenous anti-violence capacity.

An indigenous women-centred service model would address the distrust and discomfort indigenous people have with police services, the larger justice system and the existing mainstream anti-violence service bodies. These apps won't work for indigenous people if they are police- or mainstream-run. If appropriately structured, an indigenous women-centred organization would effectively serve all indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQTT+ people. It would disburse training and capacity funds and evaluate the change we desire.

Finally an indigenous women-led agency could keep safe the missing women who reported into the agency to state that they were not indeed missing but they simply didn't want to be found for safety purposes.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you so much, Leslie.

We're now going to move over to Jennifer Jesty, who is with the Union of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq.

Jennifer, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Jennifer Jesty, Emergency Resiliency Manager, Union of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq]

[Witness spoke in Mi'kmaq and provided the following text:]

Pjila’si. We’ltasi pe’jitiy’oq.

[Witness provided the following translation:]

Welcome. Nice for you all to come.

[English]

Welcome. It's so nice to see you all.

My name is Jennifer Jesty, and I am the first indigenous woman to become a member of the Nova Scotia firefighters association, as well as the first indigenous woman to become an advanced care paramedic in the province of Nova Scotia.

Currently, I am the emergency resiliency manager for the Union of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaq.

There are 4,127 people registered to receive alerts across our five Cape Breton indigenous communities, for which I created our very own Unama'ki emergency alert system. We have sent 183 alerts since its inception in September 2020. We have reunited 67 young people with their families because of the alerts. Some 96% of people were reunited with their families within the first hour of sending the alert.

Utilizing the Everbridge platform, our Unama'ki emergency alert system has been wildly successful. Every time we send a noteworthy alert, several more people subscribe.

In August 2022, there was a man who had a French accent and a white beard, and was driving a grey car. This person approached a young, indigenous female store clerk and attempted to lure her into the sex trade. He made promises of riches and asked her to get her friends to come with him as well. She immediately called the police and the man fled.

The chief of the community where this took place immediately called me and asked me to send out the alert. For all we knew, he could have been headed to one of our other communities. Because we own and operate this alert system, we did not need to go through any red tape, we did not need the say-so from authorities and we did not need to wait one more minute. I sent the alert within minutes of this event taking place, and I was able to send it to all five communities at once. The alert was sent to the over 3,000 subscribers we had at that time. Some of them took screen captures of the alert and posted it on their socials, which meant it reached far more than those who were actually registered. After that alert was sent, another 150 people subscribed to our alert system.

Because this system was designed by us, for us, we were able to create our own protocols around when, how and why an alert should or shouldn't be sent. The collaboration between our five community chiefs and me allowed us to use this system in a manner that works best for us. There has not been one single request for an alert that has been denied, and every single alert has been sent out within minutes of receiving the information.

The Everbridge platform gives us the ability to tailor the delivery of the message. Once the message has been typed out, with the press of one button, it will be sent to all forms of communication at once. It will text a cellphone, call a cellphone, send an email and, most importantly, call a land line. There are still several of our elders who have a land line and no other form of communication. In some areas, there is no service or very little cell service, which makes the land line option that much more important.

I was able to work with Everbridge to make some adjustments. We are now able to send just a text and an email. The second option is what we call “all paths”, which means it will then ring a land line.

Waking an elder in the middle of the night with a land line call is now reserved for immediate threats to life and safety only. We can choose to not wake people if it's something that does not directly affect them or that they can do nothing about.

Currently, the chief and two other staff in each community have been trained and have access to send the alerts alongside me. I was worried that the username and password for each community might fall into the wrong hands, so it's been designed that the only thing the username and password will allow you to do is send a message. It will not give access to the sensitive data that is within the system. As the administrator, I am the only person who can see, change or update that information.

This alert system started out as a simple little idea in my mind. I had no idea it was going to take on a life of its own. People continue to subscribe, even now, after four years. We often send out media campaigns to remind people to register or update their information.

Now, our alert system is getting nationwide attention. When there is something going on within communities, people are quick to take to social media, asking, “Where's the alert?”

That's a sure sign, in a community, that members support, approve of and rely on our alert system for critical information that directly affects their safety.

In my perfect world, I would love to take this alert system to every single indigenous community in this entire country. Would it save lives? I believe it already has.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you so much.

We're now going to start with our first round of questions, with six minutes to each party.

I'll turn the floor over to Michelle Ferreri.

You have six minutes, Michelle.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses. This is obviously a very important study.

I love that you ended, Jennifer, with this having already saved lives.

I want to read into the record a few stats for people who are watching at home. We look at this red dress alert and the very shocking statistics on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

Between 2009 and 2021, the rate of homicide against first nations, Métis and Inuit women and girls was six times higher than the rate among non-indigenous counterparts. Eighty-one per cent were killed by someone they knew. Thirty-five per cent were killed by an intimate partner. Twenty-four per cent were killed by an acquaintance. Twenty-two per cent were killed by a family member. Eighty-six per cent were killed by an indigenous person.

Ironically, today the Auditor General released a report on indigenous housing. I think there's a real link when we look at all of these issues. There's been no meaningful improvement in housing conditions in first nations. From 2015 to 2022, the percentage of homes in first nations that needed to be replaced increased.

The other shocking one is mould. It's been a massive issue in first nations housing. Despite this, only one Indigenous Services Canada regional office collected the information. The 2008 mould strategy is no longer being used, with no reasoning as to why.

You can see there's been a real disconnect in terms of servicing these communities and what the stats say about the violence happening within them. We're not giving the support and resources needed.

Two things jumped out at me when you gave your testimony, Jennifer.

One, the government wasn't in charge of this app. I would be very curious to hear your thoughts on this. Would you like governments to be in control of the red dress alert system?

[Jennifer Jesty]

No. I don't believe this should be government-run. It should be community-led, just as our alert system is. It was designed by indigenous, for indigenous. I believe that's how the alert system for the red dress campaign will be most effective.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

That's powerful. Thank you.

That record has not been fulfilled in terms of those broken promises in housing and the conditions.

The other thing that jumped out at me is this: You said you're the only one. That doesn't seem like a great system if something happens to you.

What would you like to see done differently there?

[Jennifer Jesty]

Well, we needed to get this up and running as quickly as possible. That was the whole purpose. Yes, that means Jennifer is on call 24-7, 365 days, but that's okay. That's just for now.

Now that the alert system has taken on a complete life of its own, it is time to bring in another way or another person. Yes, I'm available 24-7, but what if something happens to me? Who is my backup? I have developed a complete instruction book, detail by detail, with screenshots included, to hand over to my superior along with some of my colleagues. If, in fact, I were unable to do this, somebody else could carry on my legacy.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

I mean, it's incredible. This is how things get done. It is the power of one. It is one person. We hear these stories often. This isn't rocket science. It's just, “I took action”. That's the real missing piece, and you did that. I give huge accolades to you for doing that and saving the lives you have saved.

We all agreed on this red dress alert. It's going to save lives.

What would you like us to know, in order to ensure there are more Jennifers out there, that it's not just on your shoulders to take action, and that there is opportunity for communities across this country to have this implemented and working efficiently?

[Jennifer Jesty]

I was hired right in the middle of a pandemic and literally had nothing to do. I couldn't go into the community. I couldn't visit. I couldn't even introduce myself. I sat there and thought to myself, “What can I do?” We were right on the heels of the Portapique incident in Nova Scotia, which was the largest mass shooting in Canadian history. I started to think, “What if?” What if somebody walked into one of our communities and opened fire? What are we going to do? Well, what's the first thing we need to do? We need to tell everybody. How are we going to do that? The Unama'ki emergency alert system was born.

I don't think it needs to be a one-person event. What needs to be done is this: You need to do something. I didn't get it right, right out of the gate. We made some mistakes in the very beginning. I believe the red dress alert won't be perfect right out of the gate, either. However, it's time to do something.

I did this all on my own. I came up with the idea. I presented it to my superior and said, “Can I do this?” She said, “Yes”. Away I went. I didn't ask for anybody's permission. I didn't ask for anybody's help. I just did it. I think that partly goes to its success. Sometimes, when there are so many voices telling their own opinions and giving their own ideas, things don't get done.

I think we're in a position right now where we just need to do something.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Hear, hear! That's what we call “bureaucracy” here. That's bureaucracy, my friend.

How is it funded?

[Jennifer Jesty]

I started out using funding for my own program when I first started the program. After the first year—

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

I'm sorry. I only have 20 seconds. How is funded, and how much does it cost?

[Jennifer Jesty]

It's based on how many people are subscribed to the system through the Everbridge platform. Currently, mine is funded through Indigenous Services Canada's EMAP.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Do you have a number of how much?

[Jennifer Jesty]

I'm not really sure. I think it's somewhere in the neighbourhood of $8,000 per year for 10,000 subscribers and under.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

If you can submit it to the committee, if you get that information, it would be very useful for us.

Thank you.

[Jennifer Jesty]

Okay.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you so much.

We're now going to pass it over for the next six minutes to Anita.

Anita, you have the floor.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Thank you so much, Ms. Jesty, for being here.

Thank you, of course, to both witnesses.

I think it's remarkable, what you were telling us about your accomplishments—96%. If that were extrapolated across the country, what an incredible impact that would have.

I heard you emphasize in your testimony that because it is owned and operated by the community, this is specifically what allows you to act quickly and nimbly and to do it in a way that actually supports the community. Can you tell us how something like that might be replicated elsewhere?

Also, what would be the role of law enforcement in that? I think what you were saying is that you didn't have to wait for anything; you could just act. Could you give us some lessons for if we were to expand that?

[Jennifer Jesty]

Sure.

For every missing person in our community, law enforcement is involved. If I am contacted directly by a community member saying that his or her loved one is missing and asking if we can send an alert, I say, “Did you contact the police?” The reason for that is that I want to make sure there is a record, and I want to make sure that the said person is not over at auntie's place.

It needs to be a true missing person. We don't want to cause alert fatigue, so we don't want to be sending out alerts for missing people who are not truly missing. We have sent out alerts for people who have threatened self-harm. Again, law enforcement is involved.

It took a lot to get their buy-in, and some of the things they said to me were not the most pleasant. It was nothing but pure persistence on my end, knocking on their door and sending them phone calls and emails asking them to please utilize our system. I would tell them, “It's a tool in your tool box that you can utilize to assist in your own investigations.”

Once they caught on.... It's a lot different now. They call me all the time.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

That is very good to hear.

I want to go to Ms. Varley, but if we have time, I have some more questions for you as well.

Ms. Varley, I'd like to pose a similar question to you in terms of the role of law enforcement. If this were to be expanded nationally, what would be the key lessons and key components that you would suggest?

[Leslie Varley]

I agree completely with Jennifer's model. I think the important thing is that it needs to be indigenous-run and indigenous-led. Including law enforcement and getting them on board is, of course, key, but it can't be run by the police. It needs to involve and include the police, but it can't be run by the police.

I think the question that Jennifer asked, “Did you contact the police?”, is a key question. I think that's important to ask to weed out the people who don't want to be found or who are not missing.

Yes, there is definitely a role for police, but it's not a lead role in this process.

[Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean, ON]

Thank you very much.

Ms. Jesty, I noted that you talked about land lines. I'll be honest: I hadn't even considered that, but certainly for older people and in communities, those land lines might be the only way they get information.

Again, thinking about how this could be extrapolated in terms of a national program, how would you see that rolling out, and what other technical considerations do you have?