Status of Women Committee on April 1st, 2022

[Mercy Lawluvi]

It's really a critical issue. IWSO was formed 34 years ago was precisely for this reason, because immigrant and racialized women found it a barrier to access existing mainstream services. There was the need to have organizations that provide that cultural response to their needs.

Immigrant women have different and additional systemic barriers. They have additional barriers that need different responses. It's critical that there are organizations that will meet the cultural needs of these women. One size does not fit all.

For immigrant and racialized women, it's critical that there is an understanding of the cultural issues they're facing, the barriers, the additional challenges they are facing in their day-to-day lives. How does that intersect with their experience of violence? A very good understanding of all of that is needed to be able to help them effectively.

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

Thank you.

How many seconds do I have?

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

You have 45 seconds.

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

Very quickly, then, for women who have more children than the average, is there an additional barrier, and how do we resolve that in terms of shelters and making sure that there is space that's modular for larger families?

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

You have about 25 seconds to respond.

[Mercy Lawluvi]

Thank you for that question, because that is a real concern. I have known of immigrant women who have stayed in shelters for longer periods of time because they have large families, many children, and therefore couldn't get space in subsidized housing. This is a real issue.

Consideration has to be made for immigrant families, which are usually large families. That is something that should be on the table when considering housing.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you so much.

We're now going to pass it over to Andréanne.

Andréanne, you have six minutes.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I thank the four witnesses for appearing before the committee today and for the work they do on a daily basis with respect to this very important issue of intimate partner violence.

My first question will be to Ms. Vallée.

At the last meeting of the committee, which was held last Tuesday, a witness told us:

[...] we must absolutely support the feminist movement and feminist organizations, because research has shown that they are the ones that bring about change when it comes to violence against women and spousal violence.

Obviously, I support these words. Your contribution to the fight against violence against women is undeniable. I think your centre and the work you do demonstrate that. I would really like to thank you for accepting our invitation to appear today.

In March 2020, your organization submitted a report to the Expert Committee on Support for Victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, which was entitled: “Adapter le parcours judiciaire au rythme et aux vécus des victimes et des survivantes” [Adapting the judicial pathway to the pace and experiences of victims and survivors]. In this report, you mention the importance of eliminating the barriers that hinder access to justice for women victims of domestic and sexual violence, since many victims are afraid to denounce their aggressor, in particular because of these obstacles.

Could you explain what the obstacles and barriers are that a woman has to overcome in order to agree to denounce the violence of which she is a victim?

[Stéphanie Vallée]

First of all, there is the fact that victims are always forced to repeat their story at every stage. Since the publication of our report, another report has been filed in Quebec. It is entitled “Rebâtir la confiance” [Rebuilding trust]. Several measures have been taken in response to feminist demands to remove the barriers that prevent women from denouncing the violence they experience.

In addition, in all categories of stakeholders who deal with women victims of violence, there is a lack of understanding of violence against women and the cycle of domestic violence. For example, it may happen that the police officer they meet in their small village is not adequately trained to help them or does not believe them. Thus, the stakeholders hinder the women's action and the women's taking control of their own lives. Each time, they relive a trauma.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

I would like to ask you a question that relates to trust.

What could the federal government do to restore the confidence of women in the justice system and to facilitate whistleblowing?

[Stéphanie Vallée]

Personally, I am not aware of what the federal government is doing.

Earlier, a witness said we should listen to feminist groups.

In 2000, at the World March of Women, one of the big demands was to have a major awareness campaign over 10 years—it would be in the past tense if that had been set up. This would raise awareness and educate people about equality between people and the prevention of all types of violence.

At the time, campaigns on seat belts and drunk driving had a more repressive and preventive component. If the demand of feminist groups had been taken seriously 20 years ago, we might see improvements today.

This should be put back on the agenda. We need to raise awareness and take into account all the actors involved in violence, that is the men and the violent partners. However, we also need to raise awareness among children. We must make school accessible to all and promote equality.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Perfect.

You named the report “Rebâtir la confiance”. I have less than a minute of speaking time left, but I would like you to tell us more about it. This report contains several recommendations, including the establishment of specialized courts and the use of tracking bracelets.

We want to keep women safe. In your opinion, is the tracking bracelet for abusers a good legislative means of removing some of the barriers to reporting and restoring women's confidence, or at least ensuring their safety?

[Stéphanie Vallée]

These are certainly all perfect ways to get where we want to go. We just need to make sure it's accessible to all women in all regions.

At the moment, there is still a digital divide, meaning areas that don't have access to high‑speed Internet. These gadgets work with Internet networks and cellular networks. It will therefore be necessary to ensure that all regions are served equally by this type of action.

The same is true for specialized courts. We can certainly have this type of specialized court in Montreal, with actors who are very aware of the problem. However, there may not be any in Lebel-sur-Quévillon, for example.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

There is one in my riding, in Granby, and it will be part of the models implemented.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you so much.

We'll now pass it over to Jenny Kwan.

Jenny, you have six minutes.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

To all the witnesses, thank you for your presentations and for the excellent work that you do in our communities.

Mercy, I'd like to ask you a question about newcomer supports. Is the current support system for newcomers who are experiencing intimate partner violence sufficient? Maybe more to the point, where do you see the gaps that need to be filled to better support newcomers?

[Mercy Lawluvi]

Thank you for this question.

I don't think the supports for newcomers are sufficient at this point. Newcomers are particularly vulnerable when they come to Canada. They don't speak the language, they don't know how the system works and they don't know where the resources are. As I mentioned in my opening statement, it's critical that they get the information sooner rather than later. As soon as they arrive in Canada, it's critical that they get information on the resources available, on Canada's laws around gender-based violence, and so on. That is needed.

Just to give you an example, when we had the influx of Syrian refugees, we had lots of referrals coming in for violence-related issues after a while. We asked ourselves, “Did they get any information about what their rights were and where to go for support?” We held focus groups among this group, and what we found was that they had no information.

It's critical that newcomer women coming into Canada receive that information, preferably right at the ports of entry and at their adult education schools. There must be some curriculum to tackle this, and information spread within the community, where, if they went for a doctor's appointment, they could easily pick up some resources in their languages. That needs to be there.

There are gaps. We need to reach out more, absolutely, to newcomers, because they are exceptionally vulnerable when they come to the country.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you very much for that answer. I particularly appreciate the notion of providing the information in their language at the port of entry, because that's what I am hearing from the community groups on the ground here in British Columbia, as well.

Your organization offers housing and transitional support programs and such. In terms of the major struggles that women—as well as gender-diverse individuals—and families face when attempting to flee violence and find housing, what can the government do and what should the government do to better provide this support?

[Mercy Lawluvi]

I think there needs to be more affordable housing to begin with. There needs to be more space in shelters. That was a huge issue because, when COVID struck, the instances of violence shot up and we found ourselves not being able to find shelter space for women needing to flee for their safety.

There needs to be additional shelter space for women fleeing violence, and more affordable and safe housing, because that's also an issue. We're trying so hard to get women into safe and affordable housing, and the wait time is really long because there is not enough affordable housing. These are things to be considered.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, there are immigrants with large families coming with lots of children, so that becomes an issue. They are underhoused. They might have a two-bedroom apartment for a family of six or seven. These are issues that need to be considered.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Have you encountered this problem in your region? This is a problem that I know exists in Vancouver East, for example. Women who are fleeing intimate partner violence show up at the shelter, but the shelter is only available for them and their children. If one of their children is a boy who is 16 or older, he is not able to stay with the mother in that shelter, so they get separated.

Is that a problem you're encountering in your community, and what do you think the solutions are?

[Mercy Lawluvi]

Yes, this is a problem here, as well. Sometimes we have children who are 16 and who are six feet tall, and it becomes an issue having them in a shelter.

What happens sometimes is that, as an option, they are placed in motels or hotels. That in itself creates additional challenges, because there are safety concerns. It's not as secure. Sometimes, in motels, they have to live on snacks and they can't cook meals. It creates a whole slew of issues.

My recommendation is that we bear this in mind as we are creating shelter space. It is critical that this be kept in mind, because it is an issue, especially with immigrant women who have.... It's a problem that must be kept in mind when shelter spaces and alternatives are being considered.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you so much.

We're now going to our next round. With our first five minutes, I'm going to pass the floor to Dominique Vien.

Dominique, you have five minutes.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I'd also like to thank our witnesses this afternoon.

I'd like to come back to Ms. Czitrom's remarks about this criminal injuries compensation plan.

Ms. Czitrom, tell me if I've understood correctly. You said that two provinces have this system in Canada. Certainly, you're talking about Quebec, where we have this criminal injuries compensation plan. Perhaps you mentioned the other province, but I don't remember it. You can tell us again.

Of these two plans that exist currently, Ms. Czitrom, which of the models could be implemented in Canada?

How do you see this plan in Canada?

[Alice Czitrom]

Thank you for your question.

I used to be bilingual. I'm going to answer in English so I say it properly.

I was talking about the two provinces that had the pain and suffering awards specifically around compensation. Right now, nine out of 10 provinces have some form of victim-related compensation. There are some provinces and territories that have absolutely nothing. Newfoundland is one of the provinces that have no victim compensation.

What I will say about Quebec's compensation program, because I had direct experience with Quebec's process this past year, is that it is one of the most robust compensation programs in the entire country. That's based on the monetary value that's allotted to victims and the pain and suffering award that is included.

Basically, what we have is a patchwork. Back in the 1990s, Canada essentially said that each province and territory is to take care of its own compensation programs. What happened is that these programs are so costly that some of the provinces either did cutbacks or took out the compensation program altogether. It's very much based on eligibility, which is different within each province. It's very time-sensitive, and it's limited. It's like, “Okay, you had a door broken down. We can replace your door.”

We know that, with pain and suffering, especially when we're talking about intimate partner violence, one of the number one reasons women do not leave an abusive relationship is economic barriers: “What am I going to do once I leave? Where am I going to live? How am I going to feed my kids? I have to take time off work.” There are all those things. What compensation does is address all those pieces in a much more trauma-informed, holistic way.

I don't know if that answers your question completely or if there was something else that you wanted me to address.

[Dominique Vien, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

What you would like to see, ultimately, is a uniform national compensation plan for victims of crime.