Status of Women Committee on June 17th, 2022

[Michèle Audette]

I will repeat that the best people to give you the right answer would be the grassroots women, the women who live in the community, the women who live in Downtown Eastside Vancouver or in Montreal and so on, making sure that it's not a pan-approach but is diverse, one where we can respect what they really want to see and where they want to be involved.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Wonderful—

[Michèle Audette]

I can see the chair is saying, “Okay, Michèle...”.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

[Inaudible—Editor] it's Friday afternoon.

Thanks so much.

I'll now pass it over to Andréanne Larouche.

Andréanne, you have two and a half minutes.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Senator Audette, it has been a pleasure to have you with us.

Ms. Zinck, Ms. Moran, Ms. Van De Bogart, Ms. Brady and Mr. Parker, thank you very much for being here.

Thank you to you as well, Ms. Brazeau. In the summer of 2020, I was supposed to visit an indigenous friendship centre, but then COVID‑19 struck. I will have that opportunity again in the future.

As part of this study, we saw that there is money, but that it is being held back in Ottawa right now. There are calls to action, which are well known, but they have not all be implemented yet. We have gender-based analysis plus, a tool that could help measure the disproportionate effects of natural resource development projects on indigenous women and girls. Finally, we already have a number of things in place. There are solutions that are known. I am part of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Combatting Modern Slavery and Trafficking in Persons, so I know what I am talking about.

In light of everything we already know, what is missing and what could we recommend in our report to make it even more constructive?

Anyone who wishes to answer may take a few seconds.

[Michèle Audette]

Thank you very much for seeking to ensure that the recommendations include an important component on human rights, the rights of indigenous women, security and of course women's relationship with the environment.

With regard to economic development, there are so many projects ongoing in our territories, and indigenous women are left cleaning rooms and working in cafeterias, when they could be team leaders, engineers or in charge of environmental assessments. So we have to invest in the training of indigenous women and girls so they have a say on what is happening in our territories.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

There is less than a minute left, so I would like to give the floor to anyone who wishes to say something.

Ms. Brazeau, perhaps you would like to add something. If not, perhaps one of the departmental officials would like to.

[Jennifer Brazeau]

I would like to add to what Ms. Audette said. We have to ensure that indigenous people are involved in the development of these projects and are truly consulted. Their needs have to be heard. We saw how the population mobilized to respond to the virus that attacked it. In terms of violence against women, however, there are still many barriers that seem impossible to overcome, and I wonder if there is a lack of will to do so.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Regarding the virus, Ms. Brazeau, now that the pandemic restrictions have been lifted, I hope we will be able to continue.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you so much.

The final line of questioning will go to Leah Gazan.

Leah, you have two and a half minutes.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Thank you so much.

Senator Audette, I think you can sense my frustration. It's hard to continue to watch indigenous women pn particular experience violence, even from the very systems that are supposed to protect us. It's hard to build relationships at the end of a gun, as we continue to witness in the news.

I want to share a quote you gave to Al Jazeera, where you said, “We cannot keep doing [it] the way it has been done. If Canadians, politicians and industr[ies] want to include us, speak to us, create a safe space where we can have our say, then we can bring back that balance.”

Could you please suggest some ways to ensure that a safe and transparent place can be created to hold conversations and build relationships between indigenous women and girls, 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals, the government and industries?

[Michèle Audette]

Thank you very much. I was hoping to find a way to talk about that.

Lithium, which is used to make batteries as part of the green shift, is found on Innu territory, Anishinabe territory and many other territories in Canada. Most indigenous women are visionary. If we do not start including women in the discussions on the future environmental or economic impact, I am really afraid that an important voice will once again be muzzled or forgotten. I hope you will consider this aspect.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Thank you so much.

I want to build on that. I know that we often talk about consultation. We've heard from other testimony that it's usually done with the exclusion of indigenous women, particularly around resource extraction, when it's usually men who around the table and it's the women who are on the front lines of violence. What do you think needs to be done immediately to address that and to make sure that our voices are at the table?

[Michèle Audette]

Thank you.

In a few seconds, let me say that there are thousands of us. With the Internet, you can find us. Across Canada, there were women everywhere I went who could participate or put in something forward or stop something. We have knowledgeable women across Canada. We're side by side now—I will be at the Senate for the next 25 years—so I hope to get some emails from you.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Thank you so much.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Our time is over, but what an excellent way of ending it.

Thank you so much for that, Senator Audette.

I would like to thank all of our witnesses.

Senator Audette, Jennifer, Kimberley, Christine, Mélanie, Michelle, Patricia and Brent, thank you so much for joining us today and providing us your testimony.

I have a few notes, as today is our very last meeting of this session and we'll only be joining one another in the new session. Thank you, guys, for such a great spring term.

What notes do I have?

I have “excellent work” as number one.

I would like to thank the interpreters and translators and, of course, Clare and Dominique, and all the hospitality, and of course our clerk, who always keeps us on track and on the ball.

Thanks to everybody for such a successful session. I wish everybody an excellent summer.

If anybody wants to put their mikes on to say goodbye, that's fine.

I will adjourn the meeting if I can get approval from all.

[An hon. member]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you very much.

We will see each other again in the fall.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thanks, everyone.

[Jennifer Brazeau]

Thank you very much for the invitation.

If anybody would like to visit the friendship centre, you're always welcome.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

That's excellent. Thanks for the invitation.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you for the invitation, Ms. Brazeau.