Status of Women Committee on May 20th, 2022

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Good afternoon. I call this meeting to order. Pursuant to the motion adopted on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, the committee will resume its study on the main estimates 2022-23.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to order of the House of Commons on November 25, 2021. Members are attending in person in the room and remotely using the Zoom application. Per the directive of the Board of Internal Economy on March 10, 2022, all those attending the meeting in person must wear a mask except for members who are at their place during proceedings.

I would like to make a few comments for the benefit of witnesses and members. I'm sure looking at everybody on this. You probably already know about your microphone. Touch your microphone. If you're looking for French, English or the floor interpretation, you'll find it on the bottom.

I'm looking at Ken Hardie.

Welcome to our committee today, Niki. You're going to see a different way of how people chair their meetings. We're just going to try to get as much done as we can today.

We know that Minister Ien has a dead stop at three o'clock today, so we're going to be working toward those timelines. We'll be able to do votes after that, but we want to make sure that Minister Ien can be on her way.

We're going to break this into two parts. I would like to welcome our witnesses for our first hour of this panel.

We have the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. Welcome to Minister Marc Miller.

We have the Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Youth. Welcome to Minister Marci Ien.

From the Department of Women and Gender Equality, we have Alia Butt, assistant deputy minister for strategic policy; Gina Wilson, deputy minister; and Lisa Smylie, director general, research results and delivery branch. From the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, we have Daniel Quan-Watson, deputy minister Thank you very much for joining us today.

I'll be passing the floor over to the witnesses. Because of the time being very short, I will be cutting you off at five minutes, so when you start to see the hammer, please make sure you wrap it up within the next 10 seconds, if you don't mind.

I'm going to take this opportunity now to pass it over to Minister Ien.

Minister Ien, you have five minutes.

[Marci Ien, Liberal, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]

Thank you, Madam Chair, for the opportunity to participate in the committee's study of resource development and violence against indigenous women and girls.

I am speaking to you from my home in Toronto on the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishinabe, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat people.

I'd like to start by thanking this committee for undertaking this really important study as all forms of gender-based violence are violations of human rights. For decades, far too many indigenous women and girls, two-spirit and LGBTQ people across Canada have suffered in silence. Gender-based violence takes a physical, psychological, emotional and financial toll on victims, survivors and their families. It is simply unacceptable. This happens in our country.

Since the release of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report and its recommendations, our government's understanding of the harmful social norms, structures and relationships that contribute to this issue has deepened. When we take a closer look at the available data, the picture is extremely grim. We know indigenous women are more likely than non-indigenous women to be sexually assaulted or experience intimate partner violence. There is mounting evidence of a correlation between resource development projects, and acts of physical and sexual violence against indigenous women and girls. This reality is unsustainable.

The reality is that many resource development projects in the forestry and mining industries happen on or adjacent to the traditional and, in many cases, unceded lands of indigenous peoples. We learned from the final MMIWG report that resource extraction sites bring with them transient and largely male workforces, and can result in increased rates of sexual offences, domestic violence and gang violence in host communities.

What cannot be ignored is the strong link between human trafficking and the disproportionately high rates of violence against indigenous women and girls. It tears too many families and communities apart and simply cannot continue.

These are not isolated issues that only happen in remote work environments. Evidence suggests that when women are subjected to unwanted sexual attention in public, they withdraw from their regular daily activities and stop going to school, attending classes or even going to work to make more money for themselves and their families. They stop doing these things.

Our government knows that the solution lies in actively educating, engaging and mobilizing everyone in Canada, including boys and men, in this effort. Targeted investment policies and programs that directly address GBV are at the core of this work. Last year, we invested $601 million to advance the national action plan to end gender-based violence, and this year, through budget 2022, we've committed $539.3 million to finalize this plan and support the provinces and territories as we begin to implement within a year.

Along with the provinces and territories, the plan is informed by engagement with civil society, indigenous partners, community leaders and more than a thousand recommendations from stakeholders. Our shared goal is to ensure everyone, regardless of where they live, has reliable and timely access to appropriate protection and services.

My department is a key partner in the federal pathway to address missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ people, the federal government's contribution to the 2021 MMIWG national action plan. To ensure that these two initiatives complement each other, we will continue to work in partnership with indigenous communities, 2SLGBTQ people, leaders, survivors and their families, along with all governments.

We know that even with the best intentions, modern government policies and programs can also contribute to discrimination and inequity. One of the calls for justice requested that governments critically examine their prioritization and resourcing measures, and eliminate the marginalization of indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ people in budgets, as well as programs, and that's exactly what we're doing.

The actions and investments that I've described today cannot on their own put an end to gender-based violence. We know that. However, they represent important pieces of the larger solution. By better understanding the links between resource development, social infrastructure and their relationship to vulnerable populations and GBV, I believe this study will be extremely helpful in informing the way forward.

It is critical that we inspire Canadians from all corners of our country to learn about and put in the work to actively prevent gender-based violence.

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you very much.

Minister Ien, next time, I'm going to ask you to put your mike up closer up to your nose.

I would like to note that Ms. Chantal Marin-Comeau, who is the director general of the missing and murdered women and girls secretariat, is also on the panel today. I just noticed her name as we were doing this.

I'm now going to pass the floor to the Hon. Marc Miller for five minutes.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Kwe kwe.Tansi.Unnusakkut. Good afternoon.

I want to acknowledge first that I'm speaking to you on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

Before I begin, I want to take a moment of recognition for Rebecca Contois, a member of the Crane River First Nation, who was found brutally murdered in Winnipeg early this week. I want to acknowledge, personally and on behalf of Canada, the family's and the community's horrific loss.

I'm here to discuss this ongoing tragedy and ongoing crisis. Families and survivors must see tangible actions from all levels of government to end the systemic causes of violence against first nations, Inuit and Métis women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. This is collective work to end this national crisis. Our work centres around the implementation of the 231 calls for justice found in the final report of the National Inquiry into the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

The national inquiry heard testimony from witnesses who explained how resource extraction projects can exacerbate violence against indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people as outlined by Minister Ien. It is connected to the environment and masculine work culture of these projects—from the transient nature of the workers, to the prevalence of harassment and assault in the workplace, as well as rotational shift work, mental health and substance use, and economic insecurity. It's a story we hear repeated across the country, including during the pandemic.

Our government is developing guidelines for resource extraction projects to decrease the risk for indigenous women staying and working in camps and living in impacted surrounding communities. For example, for the Trans Mountain expansion project, there's an indigenous advisory and monitoring committee. This committee has introduced guidelines that could be adapted for other projects. These include completing gender-based, socio-economic impact assessments; performing impact benefit agreements to include provisions on the impacts of projects and the safety and security of indigenous woman, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people; anticipating and recognizing increased demand on social infrastructure; and identifying mitigation measures as part of the planning and approval process.

Violence against indigenous women in the extraction sector in Canada is part of the larger problem of systemic violence rooted in colonialism and misogyny. The specific focus of this study connects to our broader work to end the violence against indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people across the country.

Budget 2022 builds on previous investments, including the $2.2 billion commitment made by the government in budget 2021 to end the crisis. Budget 2022 also invests in housing, education, and mental wellness for indigenous communities, as well as in the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. All of these initiatives are linked to the Government of Canada's Federal Pathway commitments regarding missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, as well as responding to calls for justice.

Our government recognizes that access to culture remains an important part of reclaiming power and place, and ultimately of finding safety for indigenous peoples.

I recently had the opportunity to announce several investments that respond directly, as a beginning, to call to justice 2.3, on providing safe cultural spaces in indigenous communities across the country. In one project out west, in Skeetchestn Indian Band, we're allocating more than $800,000 in funding for a healing through culture project, which includes the construction of a traditional pit home and a museum for the community.

When we visited this last April, the energy and excitement of their youth and the entire class for this project was contagious. The new centre will provide a space for the next generation to remain connected to their language and connected to their culture.

This program is an example of the work our government has started, but it is clear that much remains to be done. The Government of Canada will provide an update in June, very soon, on the progress to date and highlight the shortcomings, which will help us chart a path forward.

We have heard it, we understand it, and we agree that there is a need for a strong oversight and accountability mechanism, such as a mediator.

This is a whole-of-government, whole-of-Canada and whole-of-society approach. Our actions must be done in partnership, developed collaboratively, implemented systemically and led by indigenous women with input from indigenous communities.

We have more work to do and will continue to do this tirelessly with indigenous partners, provinces and territories.

Meegwetch. Qujannamiik. Marsee. Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you very much, Minister Miller.

We'll start off with our first round of questioning. We'll be providing each party six minutes to start. We'll be starting online with Dominique Vien.

Could everybody make sure their microphones aren't popping today? Keep them nice and close to the nose. Thanks.

Go ahead, Dominique. You have the floor.

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

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

I'd like to thank the two ministers for meeting with us this afternoon.

We have undertaken a very serious study, for which we are all engaged. Some of the testimony we've heard so far has been chilling. I listened to the presentations by both ministers. They were very interesting. Obviously, no one likes to hear what we have heard, and no one likes to see certain absolutely dramatic situations happen.

What do you know about violence against women in places where there is resource development or extraction? What kind of data do you currently have to judge the situation? Would you say today that there is indeed violence in those areas?

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Do you want the question directed to Ms. Ien?

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

My question is for Mr. Miller.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Go ahead, Mr. Miller.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Thank you for the very relevant question. The answer is yes.

As you mentioned, the reality is that there is a lack of data to really measure the full extent and state of things. The government has a number of initiatives to collect data. You've probably heard about them. It's impossible to address the problem and fix it in a meaningful way without data to back it up.

Having said that, I've heard too much testimony, either personally or in the drafting of the report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to say that these are just anecdotes. That's far from being the case. There is evidence of systemic violence, for all the reasons I mentioned in my opening remarks, and much more.

So in reality, it's measurable. It is a problem and it needs to be addressed.

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

Mr. Miller, people have told us that there wasn't enough consultation. Women and indigenous communities aren't consulted before the various projects that are planned for development. No measures are taken upstream, before all this takes place.

Do you agree with that statement?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Yes, absolutely.

In terms of the consultation process, we can't excuse this as an evolving area of the law. In Canada, we ourselves have made mistakes in upstream consultation processes.

The consultation process is the responsibility of both the provinces and territories, of Canada as a whole, and of the companies. It is an engagement process that should not be superficial. It needs to be deepened by women's suggestions and comments. What we know is that their voices aren't being heard. When voices are allowed to be heard, we're not talking about the form, but the substance, about improving the project and the working conditions that should exist on the site itself.

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

Mr. Minister, it seems to me that it would be so easy, if I can put it that way, to act fairly quickly and to mobilize all the players involved in this problem—the companies that set up shop there, first of all, but also the police, indigenous communities and governments, including the federal government.

Why is it so difficult to get everyone at the table? It seems to me that we have to show some leadership. Everyone has to sit down around the table and assess the situation.

How is it that women who go to work in these companies have second‑class jobs? It seems that no one is focusing on the same problem at the same time. It seems to me that it wouldn't be complicated to sit down with everyone at the same table to determine how things are going to go and to specify what we no longer want or want to see.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

The observation I've made is that there are a lot of people who don't want to hear the truth. Perhaps it's a human reaction, but it isn't right—

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

Who doesn't want to hear the truth, Mr. Minister?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

This may include stakeholders involved in the consultation process, the provinces and territories, and sometimes the Government of Canada. That was the significance of the conclusion of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, after all the testimony. The report's 231 recommendations demonstrate the impact it had.

We know it's not an easy thing to sit everyone at the same table. We need to determine who will be involved in this, as well as when, how and under what conditions. The federal government can certainly impose certain conditions, but companies, the provinces and territories must be involved. You've been in politics long enough to know that it is not always easy to do these things when it comes to an issue as serious as this one, which has major economic implications. That's why we're sitting here today.

The fact remains that improvements have been made in recent years. Companies are starting to follow suit and see the problem. They have told me so in person. Nevertheless, the problem and the crisis still exist today.

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

Time is short, so I'll move on to my next question. It's a bit frustrating not having much time.

Call for justice 13.5 calls for ensuring that when a project is developed in the communities, social infrastructures, such as policing and health services, are planned for accordingly.

Where are we on that?

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

We are working on a number of fronts, and I hope to be able to present an update in a few weeks, that is to say on June 3 or 4. You will then be able to find out our response to the calls to justice after the first anniversary of the publication of the report.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Excellent. Thank you.

I will have to—

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

So we'll have to invite you back, Mr. Minister.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Perfect. We will keep on inviting him. That's not a problem. Thank you very much.

I'm now going to pass it over to Anita Vandenbeld.

Anita, you have six minutes.

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

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Minister, for being here today, and also thank you for your demonstrated commitment in your portfolio to listening to and working with indigenous women, as we've seen you do.

We've heard in this study—and I want to thank you for being here as part of this very important study—from women, not just about the impact of the resource extraction industries in their communities, but also the women who seek leadership positions within the industry, on the bullying, discrimination, racism and harassment that they feel, and how often they feel relegated to tokenism, as opposed to having a meaningful space at the table to make change from within.

I am wondering if you can talk a little about what we are doing to make sure women are fully part of the process, that there is an inclusive industry and, whether it's the board or high-level executive positions within companies, that indigenous women are there, they are present and they are also making a difference within those companies.

[Marc Miller, Liberal, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, QC]

Thanks for the question.

Perhaps Minister Ien would like to complete my thoughts. As this committee has seen, the jobs that are held by women are often inferior in nature in terms of how they're paid and, in addition, the treatment they receive. That is something that consistently gets underlined to industry, as well as the processes of consultation that are part of the process when these larger, more often than not, projects are proposed in communities.

In order to complete my thoughts, though, I will allow Minister Ien to speak on that.

[Marci Ien, Liberal, Toronto Centre, ON]

Thank you so much, Minister Miller.

I want to point out here that this is an all-of-government, all-hands-on-deck situation.

What that means is that my colleagues and I in cabinet often discuss areas where our mandates overlap. That happens a lot. As such, WAGE and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada are working really hard together to ensure the GBV national action plan and the 2021 missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people national action plan are aligned, and in fact complementary, because that's important.

Our collective goal is for anyone facing gender-based violence to have access to reliable and timely protection and services—that is really important too—and this most definitely includes indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, LGBTQQIA+ people, and those living, I might add, in northern rural and remote communities, where a lot of this development takes place.

Thank you so much, Madam Chair and Minister.

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

Thank you.

Further to that, talking about the economic development opportunities for indigenous women and for the communities in which the resource extraction is taking place, often what we have heard is that this cannot be top down. This cannot be government-directed. It needs to be self-directed by the communities, and particularly by marginalized members of those communities, making sure that they are also included, not just as beneficiaries of programming but as part of the design, the implementation and the nature of the programming that takes place.

Minister Miller, could you tell us a bit about what we are doing to ensure that these economic opportunities are being self-directed?