Status of Women Committee on Dec. 8th, 2025

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Thank you.

I just would remind all of our witnesses that if you don't get a chance to say everything you want to say, please submit anything else that you want to the clerk. The committee is very happy do to that.

My job is to move it along.

Ms. Larouche, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Ms. Enayeh and Ms. Boutiyeb, I'd like to keep discussing your recommendations. You specifically mentioned legislative measures in one of your recommendations. A lot of witnesses are telling us about the importance of having tools to counter online threats and cyber-violence. Researchers and victims tell us that there aren't enough tools.

You talk about more legislative tools, including a law that would set limits on what can be said online and allow for intervention when things become too violent.

[Soukaina Boutiyeb]

One of the recommendations we suggest includes two components. First, we need to hold the people who make antifeminist and violent statements accountable and accept that these statements affect lives. Second, we need to hold platforms accountable if they allow this kind of narrative, which is perpetuated and amplified by algorithms. They're also responsible. So, we have to try to hold them accountable to reduce their impact.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Do you have anything to add?

[Nour Enayeh]

Yes, I wanted to add that intersectionality is worsening the situation for women. For example, with what's happening politically, the comments I receive as a Muslim woman and a veiled woman are changing. When platforms don't set limits, there are no limits on what people say. It goes directly into people's homes. It feels like the comments are reaching out to us directly and personally, at home, affecting our children and our families. It keeps going further and further as policies change.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Thank you.

Now we'll go to Ms. Roberts for five minutes.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you again to the witnesses for being here.

I have a question for the Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne.

You spoke about awareness, education and supporting minority women. I participate with an organization in my community that supports women who come from other countries. How do we educate them about the laws of our land so that they understand what their rights are? How do you do that without having that male interference?

[Soukaina Boutiyeb]

That's a very good question.

I believe that every woman has a right to be aware of her rights, whether she lives here, whether she's a newcomer or whether her family has been here for generations. Unfortunately, not all women are fully aware of their rights, which is why it's important to work closely with organizations to ensure that awareness-raising projects are implemented to inform women about their rights and in their language as well.

In that context, francophone women are not a homogeneous group. They are a diverse group of many women from different cultures and identity backgrounds. What they all share in common is French. That's why it's also important to ensure that projects exist in French to adequately meet the needs of minority francophone communities.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Would you say that maybe the government should look at implementing those rules in immigration policies? A lot of new immigrants I've been involved with have no clue about their rights. Would you say that should be addressed prior to their applying for immigration? I know that certain cultures have a male-dominated situation, and women aren't aware that, in the west, we have the same rights.

[Soukaina Boutiyeb]

That's often the challenge. We're often told that we live in a highly egalitarian society, at least in Canada. However, the fact that we have to talk about antifeminism shows that a lot of work remains to be done in our society.

To come back to the question, which was a very good question, it's important to ensure that everyone knows their rights, that the law is close to the people and that everyone understands their rights. We should ensure that no language, economic or other barriers stand in the way, especially for women, and that everyone knows their rights.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Thank you.

Dr. K., I'm going to ask you the same question. Do you work with new immigrants and explain that the laws here in the west are somewhat different and how the respect for women in Canada might be different from in a different country or the different part of the world they come from?

[Dr. Alok Kanojia]

I wouldn't say that I work with immigrants as a class, but I absolutely have several patients and have worked with many people who are immigrants whom I do have to educate on all manner of things, including equality between genders, as well as various aspects of sexual health, which oftentimes they're not educated in.

I run into it, but it's not something I do as a class-based intervention.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

I see that Ms. Enayeh has her hand up.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

Yes, I know. I was just going to....

Nour, could you please...? Thank you.

[Nour Enayeh]

I was just going to jump in to say “culturally adapted”. I worked with refugees before, and the thing that I can tell you that does not work is when we have the same language for everyone, saying, “Here in Canada, this is how we do it; this is how you have to do it.” We have to adapt the language to the population we're working with.

Men shouldn't feel targeted. That's the first thing. As soon as we wanted to talk to women, men felt targeted, when in fact, we were talking to them for the sake of the family.

Each culture has its own way of dealing with it, and each culture wants the women to be safe. It's just a way of knowing how to give that message.

[Anna Roberts, Conservative, King—Vaughan, ON]

It's interesting because when I speak to these women, they're amazed that Canada has such rights and privileges. It gives me the feeling that they weren't aware of that. When they get educated, there's always a friction between them and their spouse because that's not the world that they came from.

How do we protect them, and how do we ensure...? Listen, it's not against the men. It's not against the women. How do we—

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

I'm sorry. That's end of your time. It's a great question.

I would say to the witnesses that if they do want to send something to the clerk on that, that's great.

We're going to go to our final round of five minutes.

Ms. Khalid.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Just following up on what Ms. Roberts had to say, I don't think that it's a community or an immigrant issue. We've been dealing with gender-based violence all across the world, including in Canada. It doesn't matter what the colour of your skin is. It doesn't matter how old you are or how educated you are. When women are treated violently—when they are killed, when they are abused—it has nothing to do with where they come from and how they adapt to laws that may or may not exist in any specific country in the world.

I'm sorry. I just had to add that piece because, as a coloured woman, I have to say that it's not just specific newcomer communities that deal with this. It is everybody who deals with this, all across the world.

One interesting thing that Dr. Kanojia said—and I would love to have the input of both Soukaina and Nour on this—is that the rise of porn and the rise of gaming have accentuated or exacerbated what I think has already been there. We were talking about what the factors are that are creating this culture of anti-feminism, of anti-feminist ideology. I will ask you guys if you can take time to comment.

Initially, in fashion magazines as women's bodies were being objectified, there was a certain standard that women had to fit to—how their eyebrows looked, what shape their bodies were, what clothes were the best clothes to wear, what colour of skin was the best colour of skin. How did we deal with the mental health challenges that women were going through at that time, whether it was anorexia nervosa or bulimia? What lessons from the awareness campaigns that came out of that to support women and girls can we apply to how we're now trying to support men and boys?

Nour, if you want to start, and then we'll go to Soukaina. Thank you.

[Nour Enayeh]

I think it's in representation. I think what we're doing with women now.... Culture is changing. It's a whole culture that needs to change. The same way we did with women's representation—of different shapes or ages of women.... I think for men it's the same.

I'm not a doctor, so maybe Dr. Kanojia can correct me on this. However, I see a lot online when it comes to exercising—like gym buddies, like men who talk about how to exercise. This is where I see that it's giving an image, a message, that men have to look a certain way and that women have to look a certain way. Being fit and being healthy is always related to a certain image.

We're starting to work well on doing more representation around women's bodies, ages, wrinkles and all that. I think men should also be represented differently. We're still making fun of dads' bellies. I think men need to be more comfortable with what they see representing them.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Thank you. Dad bods are the best, by the way.

Soukaina, do you want to comment?

[Soukaina Boutiyeb]

I can comment on that one.

Absolutely. In my opinion, we still need to acknowledge the loss of role models, and we often forget how important it is to have role models. Without realizing it, people always compare themselves to others. It's part of our subconscious. It's also important to value and promote the different body sizes of the people who make up society. When I say promote them, I mean to normalize them, rather than always putting one type on display. I also think that the more we normalize our physical differences in public, the more it becomes normal, and the more we focus on what a person says rather than how they look.

[Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills, ON]

Thank you.

Finally, Dr. Kanojia, do you want to end this session with your final remarks, please?

[Dr. Alok Kanojia]

I think you're touching on something really important. Body dysmorphia and eating disorders are on the rise in young men. A lot of this shame comes from.... They have this Internet-based idea of what kind of man they're supposed to be, and they don't live up to this false idea. One of the things I'll tell people to do is to go to a playground. They'll see real moms and real dads. They are not what you see on Instagram or TikTok.

[The Chair, Conservative, Marilyn Gladu]

Excellent. Thank you so much to our witnesses for all of your testimony today. That was great.

For committee members, I want to remind you that tomorrow in the House, we are tabling our femicide report. Right after that, at 10:30, there's a presser. We agreed that everyone in the committee would be able to come. One member from each party will speak after me, and then I'll summarize—same as last time.

Are there any questions about that before I adjourn?

Madame Ménard.

[Marie-Gabrielle Ménard, Liberal, Hochelaga—Rosemont-Est, QC]

I had a question, but you just answered it, Madam Chair.

Ms. Larouche and Mrs. Vien, the last time we went to a press conference, there was a bit of confusion. Are we agreed that everyone is welcome, and that one person will speak per party?