Status of Women Committee on March 1st, 2022

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

I call the meeting to order.

Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to the seventh meeting of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. It's wonderful to have you all here. Some of us are on Zoom today and some of us are here in the room.

I'm going to remind everybody that, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted on Tuesday, February 1, the committee will resume its study of intimate partner and domestic violence in Canada.

Given the ongoing pandemic situation and in light of the recommendations from public health authorities, as well as the directive of the Board of Internal Economy on October 19, 2021, to remain healthy and safe, the following is recommended for all of those attending the meeting in person. Anyone with symptoms should participate by Zoom and not attend the meeting in person. Everyone must maintain two metres of physical distancing, whether seated or standing. Everyone must wear a non-medical mask when circulating in the room. It is recommended in the strongest possible terms that members wear their masks at all times, including when seated. Non-medical masks, which provide better clarity over cloth masks, are available in the room. Everyone present must maintain proper hand hygiene by using the hand sanitizer at the room entrance. Committee rooms are cleaned before and after each meeting. To maintain that, everyone is encouraged to clean surfaces, such as their desk, chair and microphone, with the provided disinfectant wipes.

For those participating virtually, I would like to outline a few rules to follow. You may speak in the official language of your choice. Interpretation services are available for this meeting. You have the choice at the bottom of the screen of the floor, English or French. If interpretation is lost, please inform me immediately, and we will ensure that interpretation is properly restored before resuming the proceedings.

Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. If you are on the video conference, please click on the microphone icon to unmute yourself. For those in the room, your mike will be controlled as normal by the proceedings and verification officer. That's all working today. Perfect. I remind you that all comments should be addressed through the chair. When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. When you are not speaking, your mike should be on mute.

Before we welcome our witnesses, I would like to provide this trigger warning. We will be discussing experiences related to violence and assault. This may be triggering to viewers with similar experiences. If you feel distressed or if you need help, please advise the clerk.

I'm also going to let everybody know that I've made this beautiful little sign. It's your one-minute sign. To any of our panellists, when you're giving your five minutes, you'll be getting this at the four-minute mark, for your one-minute warning. To any of our questioners and our MPs, that's a reminder for you as well.

Let's begin today's meeting. I would like to welcome to our first panel the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres. We have Gertie Mai Muise, the chief executive officer, and Sean Longboat, director of programs. From Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada I'd like to welcome Gerri Sharpe, the interim president.

For opening comments, we will all begin with five minutes. I would like to turn the floor over to the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres for your five minutes.

[Gertie Mai Muise, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres]

Thank you.

My name is Gertie Mai Muise. I am Mi'kmaq from St. George's, Newfoundland and currently the chief executive officer for the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres.

I am joined today by my respected colleague, Sean Longboat, who is a Cayuga man from Hamilton. He is currently the director of programs at the OFIFC. Sean is a kind man, meaning he is a committed advocate for the protection of indigenous women, children and families. I have asked him to join me today to discuss friendship centre wise practices for ending violence.

We are very honoured to join the committee this afternoon. I thank you for the invitation. Our presentation will provide some highlights from our more substantive brief that has been submitted to the committee.

Our organization supports 29 member friendship centres across Ontario for the past five decades and also additional delivery sites. It has ensured that culture and community are at the core of all of our programs and services.

Ending violence has always been a pillar of our work, which recognizes the disproportionate rate of violence against indigenous women, girls and the two-spirit LGBTQQIA community members. We also never forget the impact of violence and trauma on indigenous men and boys in our communities. Our efforts have contributed to frameworks and initiatives that have influenced the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and in particular, the urban indigenous national action plan.

Going forward from the foundation of evidence provided through the national inquiry and many prior reports and research, I would like to share information on two key areas to inform the committee's study. The first is about three indigenous-led initiatives delivered by Ontario Friendship Centres that have been designed to address intimate partner and domestic violence. I would also like to recommend new approaches that can be adopted by the federal government to effect meaningful change and impact within our current generation.

To begin, I will share information about three key initiatives. The first is the indigenous healing and wellness strategy, which was launched provincially in 1994 to address the increase in intimate partner violence and domestic violence in indigenous communities. The indigenous healing and wellness strategy supports indigenous governed programs and services to reinstate the healing journey in a holistic manner that is aimed at better outcomes at the community level. Since 2019, friendship centres have collectively supported over 12,000 clients, reflecting the sustained need for programs that heal and prevent violence.

The next is the Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres' Kizhaay Anishinaabe Niin program, which is a leading wise practice that empowers indigenous men and youth to take part in ending violence by reclaiming their traditional roles and responsibilities as protectors of their communities. The program provides wraparound care for self-identifying indigenous men and youth who are ready to embark on their healing path or to become advocates for their community to end all forms of violence.

Finally, the federation has a program called the indigenous community justice program. It is a culturally appropriate alternative to the mainstream justice system that supports the prevention of violence through diversion programming. The program is based on indigenous legal principles by involving community members, victims, survivors of intimate partner violence and elders in the creation of healing plans that seek to resolve and restore balance, and mitigate further harm. The program keeps the individual rooted in community, stabilized and connected to long-term healing, subsequently reducing the risk of recidivism.

The indigenous community justice program was recently designated as the indigenous-specific intimate partner violence program by the Province of Ontario. This is a milestone that demonstrates the program's power in addressing offending behaviour through culture-based approaches to justice that reduces indigenous peoples' involvement in the justice system.

Next, I would like to recommend new approaches that can be adopted by the federal government. The first is a new relationship with indigenous people, communities and organizations that actually reflects the lived experience in our communities. The lack of federal strategy to directly support urban indigenous communities impedes improving outcomes across social determinants of safety and health.

The second is to establish a national program to ensure victims' service workers are integrated within urban indigenous community service provider networks and employed within organizations like friendship centres.

The third is for Canada to implement a universal guaranteed basic income program nationally to address deeply entrenched socio-economic circumstances that remain barriers to safety, health, well-being and community connection.

Finally, increase the capacity for urban indigenous innovation, program design and evaluation to support creative approaches to finding new wise practices in ending violence and reducing conflict through culture-based preventative strategies that are informed by those who are most impacted.

This concludes our presentation. Thank you for listening.

We would be pleased to answer any questions you might have throughout the session.

Wela'lin.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you so much.

We're now going to pass the floor over to Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada. Thank you so much.

Gerri Sharpe, we're going to pass the floor over to you for five minutes.

[Gerri Sharpe, Interim President, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada]

Ubalaguk and good afternoon, Madam Chair or Madam isivauta , and distinguished members of the committee.

It is an honour and a pleasure to appear before you today.

Since 1984, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada has been the national voice for Inuit women of our country. Through advocacy, policy development and community projects, Pauktuutit brings awareness to the unique needs of Inuit women in a wide range of areas, including violence and abuse prevention, justice and policing, health and wellness, and social and economic development.

Addressing intimate partner and domestic violence is the main priority of Pauktuutit, and yet the problem has continued to worsen in the past 30 years.

I will start by providing you with a glimpse of just how severe the problem is. The rate of violence experienced by Inuit women is 14 times higher than for other groups of women in Canada. At times, Inuit children experience abuse and maltreatment at 10 times the rate of other Canadian children. In Nunavut, one of two Inuit women has experienced severe sexual abuse during childhood. The suicide rate for Inuit is estimated to be between nine and 20 times the national average.

These few facts only reveal the surface of the issue. Reluctance to report domestic violence is further heightened by the Inuit language barrier, a lack of safe places or shelters, and a general mistrust of police.

Underlying historical, social and economic factors contribute to the Inuit experiencing the highest rate of violence in the country. Inuit continue to face the intergenerational trauma of residential schools, institutionalized and systemic racism, overcrowded housing conditions, poverty and food insecurity.

Domestic violence must be addressed as both a physical and mental health issue. We know that psychological traumas, particularly those that go untreated, have devastating impacts.

The financial costs of physical abuse, including emergency services, treatment, rehabilitation and the frequent need for medevacs are significant, yet current investments to reduce gendered violence have been insufficient. Many Inuit women live in small fly-in, fly-out communities. Most Inuit Nunangat communities are experiencing a housing shortage and are without shelters. Too often, there are simply no safe places where women can escape violence and no resources to access.

Inuit women are required to navigate a complex system and travel long distances with no transportation or financial means. They are forced to seek shelter outside of their home communities, leaving behind any children and support systems they have in place.

While Inuit women face the highest rates of domestic violence in the country, funding, resources and a seat at the table for Inuit women's leadership voices as decision-makers are significantly lacking.

An Inuit-specific, gender-based analysis lens must be applied to all policies and initiatives to address domestic and intimate partner violence experienced by Inuit women. The solutions must be led and informed by Inuit women, who are the experts and hold the knowledge to solve this issue that directly impacts Inuit women. Pauktuutit has called for investments in shelters and transitional housing that are coordinated, gendered and distinctions based. These investments must be sustainable and support work to increase access to counselling and treatment programs and supports for unhealthy addictions, which mask the underlying traumas and/or instigate violence.

Health, police and service providers must be better educated about Inuit history, culture, gendered violence and our language. Historically, there has been a breakdown in trust, resulting in fear of those in positions of power, such as police. Inuit women have expressed that they have felt revictimized after seeking help within the justice and policing systems.

Pauktuutit has signed a memorandum of agreement and is working in partnership with the RCMP to shift towards community-led policing that strives to improve the safety and security of Inuit women, for our families and communities.

The need for support and resources was heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many services were reduced or shifted online, while Internet accessibility is a continuous problem for Inuit communities. Mental health and substance misuse issues have risen even higher, as families have remain confined to the home, in overcrowded conditions, due to health directives. Advocacy for shelters and transitional homes for Inuit and their children must be a top priority for Pauktuutit.

I appreciate the opportunity to come before you today and to speak to the important issues of intimate partner violence. This issue continues to victimize and traumatize our women and gendered people, with intergenerational impacts that continue to destroy the lives of children, families, communities and culture. We look forward to working with the federal government to address this modern-day tragedy that impacts so many.

We welcome any questions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you very much for those words today.

We will start our first round of questioning. We'll be granting six minutes to each of our members.

We will begin with Laila Goodridge.

Laila, you have six minutes.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Thank you so much to both witnesses for your powerful testimony.

One thing I've really trying to bring to the forefront as we study this important topic is legislative solutions. One piece that has been brought to the attention of the committee is Clare’s Law, which originated in the United Kingdom and is now in place in both Alberta and Saskatchewan.

I'm wondering if either of your organizations has heard of Clare's Law and what your thoughts on that would be.

Ms. Sharpe, perhaps you could go first.

[Gerri Sharpe]

Thank you for that question.

I can tell you that I personally have not heard of Clare's Law. I can tell you that I have advocated for the women of the Northwest Territories for many, many years and I'm not familiar with that, but that's not to say that our staff are not.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Go ahead, Gertie.

[Gertie Mai Muise]

No, I have not heard of Clare's Law, but I'll pass this over to my colleague Sean Longboat. He may be more familiar with the policy work behind some of our program development.

[Sean Longboat, Director of Programs, Ontario Federation of Indigenous Friendship Centres]

Thank you, Gertie Mai.

I'm aware of Clare's Law. I haven't studied it in detail. I know that some of our staff in our policy shop have information on it. We'd be happy to follow up in written format to provide our position on that piece of legislation.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Wonderful. That would be much appreciated.

I think, effectively, one of the big pieces to get to the bottom of domestic violence and something that I think is critical is making sure that we have the right legislative framework in place. Can you point to any pieces in legislation that currently exist or that could be tweaked that would improve the situation, in your opinion?

Perhaps that can go to Mr. Longboat.

[Sean Longboat]

In terms of legislation, we're happy to follow up on specific solutions from a policy stance. We presented a number of solutions that address programming. While there is important legislative work to advance, there are also a number of program initiatives that are under way and ready to launch immediately. Our focus as a friendship centre movement is really getting down to business in terms of being able to scale up programs that are working, because there are not sufficient resources for indigenous organizations, broadly speaking.

As Gertie Mai mentioned in her opening remarks, urban indigenous organizations are often forgotten. Here in Ontario, 85% of indigenous people live off reserve. We're very much interested in talking about the kinds of solutions that can effect positive change in communities immediately.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

Wonderful. Thank you.

As someone who represents the riding of Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, we have a large indigenous population, and much of that is in urban centres. The work that the friendship centre does in my community is truly spectacular. I can imagine that the work you guys do in Ontario is very similar to what I see in my own backyard, so thank you.

I believe Gertie Mai had something to add.

[Gertie Mai Muise]

Yes, thank you.

From a legislative standpoint, we have a lot of legislative tools in place. A lot of it has to do with provincial programs and policies, relationships between jurisdictions and jurisdictional discord and wrangling that really has an impact on our ability to properly get up from under.

I also feel there is a need to recognize that legislation is historically and inherently systemically racist against indigenous women, and is only a small part of the solution.

[Laila Goodridge, Conservative, Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, AB]

To Ms. Sharpe, you were talking about some of the unique challenges that exist in our Far North. Could you expand on some of those issues, so that we hear a more fulsome piece for our committee?

[Gerri Sharpe]

Most definitely. I'm glad that you give me the opportunity to do this with the pure fact that regardless of any policies and legislation that you have in place, you need to remember where we're located. When we say small fly-in, fly-out communities, that is no joke. That is the reality that we live in.

While I am located in Yellowknife in an urban setting, I am not on Inuit Nunangat. You need to remember that in those small communities, such as Pauktuutit and Sachs Harbour, individuals who are encountering intimate partner violence need to utilize the health care system to get a trip to Inuvik. They're treated like they're there for a health care visit, which is crap.

When you talk about something that comes from the UK, that is not going to be suitable for the north. The north has only been around for the last 60 years. With Inuit, when it comes to intimate partner violence, it needs to be community-based and involve everyone.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Thank you so much.

We're going to move to Ms. Sonia Sidhu, for six minutes.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I want to begin by acknowledging that today is United Nations Zero Discrimination Day and the first day of Women's History Month. We can all agree that we are all working toward a future when women of all backgrounds are free from discrimination. Thank you very much for that powerful testimony.

My first question is for OFIFC. Ms. Muise, you were talking about barriers to safety and a culture-based strategy. We have heard about the general increase in domestic violence during the pandemic. When we talk about the lack of general trust in policing, how can we improve the language barriers that you mentioned? What are the unique barriers to accessing services?

Ms. Muise, you can begin, and Ms. Sharpe, you can add to to that as well.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Ms. Muise, are you able to hear us?

[Gertie Mai Muise]

Yes, I'm not sure I clearly understand the question that's being asked.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

What are the unique barriers? We heard about the lack of trust in police services and language barriers. There are many barriers. Can you talk about the barriers and how can we improve those barriers?

[Gertie Mai Muise]

Okay, I see.

The barriers to support for indigenous women and girls, 2-spirit and LGBTQIA, and men and boys in our community are intersectoral. Every area of work, the determinants of health, all of those things that have an impact on people's vulnerability...each of those systems trying to respond and help has barriers in them. One of the ways we've found that works to help improve the jurisdictional wrangling and the intersectoral lack of coordination—all of those things—is to have community-based teams that navigate those systems to encourage coordination and really encourage linkages to culture-based resources, like traditional knowledge holders, traditional teachers, family and kid networks, and people who've come through systems and survived.

It's really critical to understand barriers, because the way the community understands barriers is very different from what western service systems and service structures see as barriers to helping our communities. That's why it's so critical for any investments to land inside communities with organizations that are indigenous-led, indigenous-governed and indigenous-informed. Now we are seeing a lot of awareness around what the real barriers are, especially during the pandemic. I think we've seen a new understanding among all the stakeholders in the field. There could be some education around it. I think it's always helpful for us to understand what keeps systemic racism at play, and how to interrupt that and create new pathways for safety and wellness.

We have a lot to say on that, and I think our longer brief went into some of those barriers. Actually, when I look at the brief, it has some legislative pieces we are recommending to support Bill C-223, an act to develop a national framework for a guaranteed livable basic income. That was one of the legislative pieces that we had and are currently advancing.

[Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South, ON]

Ms. Sharpe, would you like to add to that? Culturally sensitive services are very important. How can they be more helpful?

[Gerri Sharpe]

There are a number of barriers that need to be recognized. In particular, one of the barriers around COVID-19 is having people isolate in the home. Potentially, this places a woman in more danger. She's being removed from her safety group. I definitely agree that anything that works towards the community is going to help the community.

An example I can give you is something that happened last week in regard to policing. The individual stated there was a drug dealer living below her. Whether that's the case, I don't know. The person living below her decided to call the RCMP. The RCMP responded, and because her daughter was crying, a social worker wanted to take that individual's daughter, despite the fact that the woman had a recording of that drug dealer verbally threatening to stab her and kill her in her sleep. They did nothing for that individual except remove the woman from her home and bring her over to her sister's home—otherwise, they would have needed to take her daughter. This was all instigated by the drug dealer.

[The Chair, Conservative, Karen Vecchio]

Wow.