Debates of March 25th, 2021

Gender-Based Violence

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Sherbrooke, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for his very important and relevant question.

I was a member of the board of directors for L'Escale, a shelter for women fleeing from violence. When we would go there in the evenings for our board meetings, we would see children doing their homework in the workers' offices. Their mothers were there to help and support them, happy despite it all, despite everything they had been through.

These are courageous women who are working together, joining forces and supporting each other. We should do the same to give them a hand, support them, be there and listen to them. We should be alert for early warning signs and encourage them to speak out to put an end to the inequality they suffer.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague from Sherbrooke for her speech. She identified the problem correctly. It needs to be said again and again. When we talk about femicide, we are talking about women being killed because they were women.

On top of that, there is the importance of supporting survivors. I am also familiar with the shelter sector. I am even a sponsor in my community. I would like to highlight the work of all the women who work at the Maison Alice-Desmarais.

My colleague talked about the work being done by CALACS. It is good that some CALACS in her region have received funding. In my riding, Chantal Brassard from the CALACS in Granby told me that her organization did not qualify last summer, in the midst of the pandemic, even though she had submitted a program to provide proper support for survivors.

Given that we are in the midst of a pandemic and we know that women are more affected by violence, would it not have been a good idea to make sure that as many CALACS as possible, as many organisations as possible that had projects to support survivors, could get this funding?

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Sherbrooke, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank my almost neighbour for her question and comments.

I agree that all our organizations need support and financial aid. During the pandemic, we have been very present, investing $100 million in emergency funding. For Quebec, that represents $17.5 million. We brought in the first gender-based violence strategy.

These examples show our willingness to be there to support these organizations. I know that we can do more. The recent events provide further tangible proof that we must be there and collaborate with the territories and provinces to continue offering our help.

[Arnold Viersen, Conservative, Peace River—Westlock, AB]

Madam Chair, from the work I do on combatting human trafficking, I speak with many feminist organizations from across the country and they have all noted the increase in domestic violence across the country under COVID.

My questions for the hon. member is this. Does she know whether the Liberal government undertook the gender-based analysis that it promised to undertake on all its initiatives?

[Élisabeth Brière, Liberal, Sherbrooke, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for the question.

It is an extremely important question. We are present, we are here to provide support and help, and we will continue that work.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Madam Chair, I would like to begin by offering my sincere condolences to the friends and families of the seven women who were killed in Quebec over the past seven weeks. These women were loved by their families and will be missed by their communities and their loved ones.

I would like to share a bit of a quote about one such victim. Her name was Rebekah Harry. She lived not five minutes away from me, five minutes from where I am sitting right now. To never know what is happening behind somebody's closed doors, how desperately somebody could need help, is the most tragic and heartbreaking thing.

I would like to share a quote about what her life was about to some of her family members.

Rebekah Love Harry was born on January 28th, 1992. ... Her mother gave her the middle name LOVE of the fact that she was already loved so much by everyone. From a very young age, this angel would serenade the family in song and spread love everywhere she went. Little would they know that Rebecca would embark on a fight of her life. At just 2 years old this angel was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a rare kidney disease, that she was able to combat with the help of her supportive family. This early battle must have instilled a superpower in her because from that moment on Rebekah became unmatched and lived life vicariously. Anyone who had a chance to be in her presence could feel something special.

These are the women, our sisters, who get murdered through domestic violence, through hatred. As we mourn the loss of these women, sadly, they are not the only ones whose lives have been taken as a result of gender-based violence.

We also remember the lives of at least 160 women killed in Canada in 2020, the thousands of our missing and murdered indigenous sisters, and most recently in the U.S., the Asian women killed in Atlanta. These are alarming tragedies that should have been avoided.

For too long, gender-based violence has devastated individuals, families and communities in Canada. Femicide happens at an alarming rate everywhere in our country, and it needs to end. Between 2016 and 2020, there were approximately 760 women killed. Another alarming statistic is from a 2020 study done by the CBC, which estimates that approximately 19,000 women and children were turned away from shelters across the country every month because shelters were full. After a decade of underfunding, the women's movement is making up for lost time in order to provide the support these women and their children need.

Widespread reports from across the country show that movement restrictions, loss of income, isolation, overcrowding and stress, stigma and anxiety have increased the incidence and severity of some forms of gender-based violence, especially for those who face intersectional barriers.

Gender-based violence is one of the most pervasive, deadly and deeply rooted human rights violations of our time, and is a significant barrier to achieving gender equality.

The pandemic has brought on unprecedented challenges and has had an impact on the health and safety of people in Quebec and across Canada. It has widened the gaps, intensified persistent inequalities and exacerbated the rates and severity of sexual and domestic violence.

We must work in partnership with stakeholders and counterparts in the other orders of government to put a definitive end to this, but work is under way and progress has been made. The Government of Canada is working and acting now to end gender-based violence in all its forms.

From day one of the pandemic, the governments of Canada and Quebec have taken measures to limit the impact on women and girls. The governments of Canada and Quebec signed agreements in the spring and summer of 2020.

I would like to end by saying that women who feel unsafe at home should use resources that are available to them to remain safe. Support lines are available in all provinces and territories across Canada. They exist to help find solutions. Please reach out.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Madam Chair, I had the honour of working with the member as we travelled on the HUMA committee with lots of laughs. It was an honour working with her.

I also know that she was one of the first women Sikh lawyers in her area, and she should be very proud of being one of the first Sikh women lawyers in Quebec. I am sure there were many challenges. I hope she would talk about some of the challenges and perhaps the discrimination she felt in her field and in her community. If she could share that, I would love to hear it.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Madam Chair, I would like to thank my hon. colleague, with whom I had the great pleasure of working. She always made me laugh as well. She has a great sense of humour, and I look forward to continuing to work with her.

I thank her so much for her beautiful comments about the beginnings of my career. Things are never easy when starting out. I can give an example. I once went to court to represent a client, and the client was not there. I stood on the defence side, and the judge asked me, “Are you waiting for your lawyer?” I said, “No. I am the lawyer.” We see a lot of these things happening.

The field I was practising in as well is mostly male-dominated, but now we are seeing more and more women come forward and we see more female judges, so I am very happy about that.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

Madam Chair, it is a pleasure serving with my colleague at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.

Some things have been done in the area of immigration. For example, it is no longer mandatory to reside with one's spouse to finalize the sponsorship application. This requirement often forced women to remain in an abusive situation.

I would like my colleague to speak of other things we can do for people who arrive here and are at a disadvantage. For example, could we consider the possibility of investing more in phone lines so that immigrants who are victims of domestic violence can report it, as well as spending more in specific support for immigration to combat domestic violence?

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Madam Chair, I would like to thank my colleague. I am pleased to serve and work with her on the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. She has a great deal of compassion, and I really like how she presents things.

To answer her question, which relates to compassion, I find that it is really important to have support, especially for women. We see that women are becoming increasingly isolated because of the pandemic. When it comes to immigration, women are sponsored and arrive without their family. Sometimes they have no family and no friends here, and it is very difficult at first.

Therefore, I believe that it is important to give them the tools to handle problems or to talk with someone if they need to.

[Lindsay Mathyssen, NDP, London—Fanshawe, ON]

Madam Chair, I too have the honour of serving on the status of women committee with the member. She is very busy.

Recent media coverage has revealed that several hate groups and anti-LGBT groups, as well as 45 anti-choice groups, received wage subsidy funding through the government and through the emergency funding. I am wondering if she would be willing to help look into that and see if the government would be willing to revoke that funding for those anti-choice groups and those hate-based groups.

[Anju Dhillon, Liberal, Dorval—Lachine—LaSalle, QC]

Madam Chair, it is such a joy and a pleasure to listen to this colleague as well at the status of women committee. She is very, very passionate, and I enjoy listening to her and thank her so much for her kind comments.

As to the hate groups, there is no place for hate in Canada. There is no place for hate in our society and our communities. I will definitely bring this up so that we can look into it further. I thank her so much for her question and her hard work.

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Chair, tonight, as we share our stories, comments and feelings about what has been happening, I would like to split my time with the member for Mégantic—L'Érable.

We take time to mourn the loss of seven women who died as victims of heinous acts of femicide in Quebec these last several weeks: Elisapee Angma, Nancy Roy, Marly Edouard, Myriam Dallaire, Sylvie Bisson, Nadège Jolicoeur and Rebekah Harry. May they rest in peace. My heart and prayers are with their families. May their stories compel us to take greater action to combat gender-based violence and protect women.

Last Saturday, Rebekah Harry was maimed and wounded in her apartment in LaSalle, Quebec. She died three days later. She was attacked by her boyfriend. Sadly, Rebekah's story is not an isolated incident. Intimate partner violence is a crisis in our country. On average, one woman is killed every two and a half days. One in three women and girls in Canada will face some sort of violence in their lifetime.

According to Statistics Canada, in 2018, of the 174,613 women who experienced violence, 78,852 experienced intimate partner violence. There is also the overrepresentation of indigenous women suffering domestic violence. They are three times more likely to report domestic violence than non-indigenous women. These statistics are deeply alarming.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has exacerbate domestic violence, the majority of whom are women victims. In a status of women committee meeting, a first nations leader testified that many indigenous women were more afraid of their violent partners than COVID-19. We need to take that statement seriously.

Because of lockdowns, exit strategies are difficult to execute for women trapped with their perpetrators. In many rural areas, women do not have easy access to transportation to be able to escape to cities where they can find a shelter. As many social services have gone online, remote areas with poor access to broadband makes it particularly telling for women to access services virtually. Both transportation and broadband services need to be more accessible to these women to give them a means to escape and find help.

The bottom line across Canada is that isolation from lockdowns empowers violent partners to gain more control over a woman's ability to escape. With added anxiety and frustrations from economic instability and lockdowns, domestic conflict has increased. In addition, limited social contact means fewer opportunities for friends and family to recognize and intervene in domestic abuse. With the drastic lockdown measures, we have to protect Canadians from the spread of COVID-19, but we must also take drastic measures to protect women from domestic violence. We need to provide more shelters and transition housing, and support the advancement of a national action plan on gender-based violence.

On multiple occasions in the House, I have spoken about the need for a national framework for mental health, and I am so glad our party supports that. Family wellness is critical. We need to help the provinces provide more social work and counselling for families and individuals so they can heal, manage their conflicts better and learn to love themselves and others in healthier ways.

We need to examine the criminal justice system and policies for law enforcement response to ensure women feel safe through their cases and do not suffer in silence.

Men need mentoring to know how to treat women with respect. Fathers and male authority figures need to learn to treat women with more respect and model it to counter toxic masculinity.

We also need to empower more girls and women to have stronger self-esteem. They need to learn how to identify and reject abusive behaviour. The problem with domestic violence is that it continues even after the perpetrator is outside of that woman's life, with PTSD and the rebuilding of their self-esteem. That is why they need support.

I would like to call upon my 337 colleagues in the House to stand with me in a concerted effort to protect women. It should not be a partisan issue. It is worthy of our attention and efforts.

I know there are many women out there who are feeling trapped, hopeless, unworthy and have given up on trying to leave their perpetrators. They try to leave only to give up again and again. I would like to send a message to all the women who are struggling right now with domestic violence. If they are watching, I want them to know that they are valuable, loved and beautiful, and what they are experiencing right now is not the lot they were born to live. They were made to explore life and all its possibilities. It may seem impossible for them to break free from their prison right now because their perpetrators seem too powerful for them, but the beauty and power within them is greater than the appearance of power in bullies who harm their partners. I want them to have courage and hope. They do not need to wilt. Fight for their right to live and reach out for help.

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

Madam Chair, I thank the member for her very heartfelt speech. As she said, we really need to find that fulsome and wholesome approach in combatting gender-based violence and ensuring equality for women.

Can the member comment on how she feels about her party, the Conservative Party, voting against the special committee for pay equity in 2016, and subsequently her party and members of her party's stance on a woman's autonomy over her own body and her right to chose?

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Chair, I appreciate that there are many different opinions and ideologies out there. We live in a democracy. I do not agree with everything everyone says in the House, or even within my party, but we are a democratic society and our party is very symbolic of democracy. I think the questions the member has raised require a greater discussion offline. Today, we need to focus on gender-based violence against women.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Madam Chair, growing up, I witnessed domestic violence in my own home, and as an adult I have supported friends and family experiencing gender-based violence. This has fuelled my passion, which I can see is shared by the member opposite, to address this issue.

It is very clear to me that poverty and trauma are intersecting issues that increase women's risk of violence. I worked with Victoria Women in Need. It does incredible work supporting women on their journey from crisis to wellness, or simply women supporting women with pre-employment programs and empowering other women experiencing these barriers. It is so clear that precarious employment and economic instability mean women face these additional barriers leaving abusive situations.

Does the member support a guaranteed livable income to ensure that women will have the economic security to support themselves in making free choices?

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Chair, I agree there are issues with poverty contributing to women finding themselves in precarious situations. A lot of times, domestic violence is perpetuated by the women's financial dependence on her partner, and the goal is to help her to find more independence. I believe in the care and financial support that the government can provide at different seasons, and think it is something that requires very detailed, specific and unique models for different circumstances.

[Elizabeth May, Green, Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC]

Madam Chair, I want to thank my hon. friend from Port Moody—Coquitlam her very impassioned and moving speech contributing to the take-note debate this evening.

I want to ask her to expand on what we can do as women. She attempted, in her speech, to directly speak to women who might be listening tonight to continue to be brave to escape dangerous situations, recognizing that at every step of the way they may face danger, even from the former partner. I would like her to expand on her thoughts.

[Nelly Shin, Conservative, Port Moody—Coquitlam, BC]

Madam Chair, that is an amazing question that I appreciate. What it comes down to is that a woman needs to come to a place where she is so sick and tired of the way she is living that she hits that wall of not being able to live that way anymore, and finds the courage from that to be able to break free. If someone does not hate the situation they are in enough, then they are not going to find the courage. I want the women out there who are struggling with this to also identify with the hate they have and with the hardships they are experiencing to say that they are not going to take it anymore, and they will find that courage.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Chair, I really wanted to speak tonight in this debate on violence against women because the fight to end violence against women is not just a women's issue.

I was moved by many of the testimonies I heard from my colleagues this evening. It is important that we make the fight to end violence against women a social issue, and we must ensure that everyone gets involved.

What prompted this debate, as we all remember, was the murder of not one, not two, not three, but seven women in Quebec in just over a month—seven women, mothers, who have left grieving children and loved ones behind. This kind of grief is difficult and unacceptable for a society like ours, which claims to be open and modern. Seven women were killed in just over a month, when the province normally averages about a dozen such murders a year, which is already far too many. To get the numbers out of the way, 160 women died as a result of violence in Canada in 2020, which is one woman killed every two and a half days. That is completely unacceptable.

I am sick and tired of this reality, which has only been aggravated by the pandemic. However, the pandemic did not cause this violence, which is present in so many men still today. It just exacerbated it.

After these events, today I called shelters back home to find out what was going on in the Mégantic—L'Érable region. I have been in regular contact with many of them for a long time. Since the beginning of the week, I have had a lot of questions about the people back home. When you live in a smaller community, word gets around when domestic violence occurs, and it is often blamed on a temporary fit of anger, emotion or whatever. Although surprising when they occur, these actions are then quickly forgotten because, unfortunately, far too many of us turn a blind eye.

I have been told that since the second wave of COVID-19 hit, the shelters are always full of women who have nowhere else to go. One of the shelters I contacted told me that it provides many services off-site because it does not have enough room. Incidents of violence are apparently becoming increasingly serious, and danger levels are rising. More cases are being reported to police, and I am told that action must be taken more quickly to get children to safety. I just cannot fathom it.

I cannot accept that a shelter that can usually accommodate people must turn them away for lack of room. Our office had to get involved with another shelter to help a woman who had problems with the system. I will not provide further details because our community is small, but it was a very difficult situation. I was also made aware of the difficulties posed by smart phones and social media, which some violent men use to monitor their partners 24 hours a day.

Obviously, these places want and ask for more money, but they especially want to see more prevention in schools, and not just starting at age 15 or 16. Even relationships among young people have the potential to be violent, and I was surprised to learn that similar behaviour can start at such a young age. We need to better educate our sons. Parents have a role to play. As a father, I have a role to play. Although my children are older, I want to do this for my grandchildren.

The legal process needs to be simplified. Enough with the lenient sentences that do not always reflect the severity of the crime committed. Sometimes, a thief will receive a harsher sentence than someone who assaults a woman, and this is completely unacceptable. Stakeholders are also calling for lawyers, judges, police officers, the directors of youth protection in Quebec, and the various stakeholders to work together. Greater awareness is needed.

I now want to talk to men and implore them to ask for help before hitting or controlling a woman. These men are not alone, and violence is not a solution. As men, we must always remember that love is not controlling and love is not violent. Love is supposed to be loving. We cannot confound the notion of domestic violence with love. Men do not express their love to women through violence.

If a man hears this message this evening, if he feels as though he is trapped in a straitjacket and he wants to talk, I would ask him to seek professional help or to call a friend but to please never again harm a woman.

[Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport, ON]

Madam Chair, I want to thank everyone for the wonderful discussion this evening. It has been a real honour to listen to so many passionate voices on this super-important topic this evening. I also want to thank my hon. colleague for his speech.

Every morning, no matter how tired I am, I try to go for a run and I listen to songs. I love pop music, but there is this song by Shawn Mendes with these two lines:

I wonder, when I cry into my hands
I'm conditioned to feel like it makes me less of a man.

From your perspective, and this is just your own opinion because I do not expect that you are a professional on this, what is it that we could do to help our boys and young men feel like it is okay to show emotion in a healthy way, and to do so in a way that respects themselves and the women in their lives?

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I would remind the member that she is to address all questions and comments through the Chair.

The hon. member for Mégantic—L'Érable.

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Chair, it is a difficult question, but I think showing them an example in our own homes is probably the best way, and to speak with them.

We simply need to tell these boys and young men that relationships are not bad, they are not unkind, and they should not make you feel hurt.

We especially need to tell them not to turn a blind eye to the small impatient gestures we see everywhere and to talk about them. When they see things they do not like happening around them, it is important for them to say so and to be able to tell their parents about them. We need to encourage these boys and young men to speak up.

That is the reality. There are too many people who keep too many things bottled up inside them. I am not a professional, but that is what I think. Talking about things is the first step in expressing one's emotions, in my opinion.

[Rachel Blaney, NDP, North Island—Powell River, BC]

Madam Chair, I thank the member for his speech today, and I agree that this is a very important topic. I am glad that we are all talking about how we can improve.

However, I am a little frustrated hearing people say in the House that women need to be brave or that women need to get tired of it so that they will walk out the door. The reality is that it is hard to walk out that door when there is nowhere safe to go, when women do not have people who can guide them along the way and help them to get out of that and know that they are going to be safe, and that the people they are with, their children, are going to be safe.

Could the member talk about the reality that we need resources so that women can safely flee?

[Luc Berthold, Conservative, Mégantic—L'Érable, QC]

Madam Chair, my colleague is absolutely right. I have talked to shelter workers about that.

The first thing they wanted us to do was be more present and make sure that all community resources could join forces, talk about this, and take front-line action to help these women, who, it is true, cannot always walk out and do not want to leave their kids at home. Those are not easy decisions to make.

I think that is why, this evening, I also wanted to talk to men about their responsibility in these situations. It is not just up to women to find solutions. Men have to be involved. As a society, we all have to be involved to find a solution. Rapid intervention and making sure women know they can get help are absolutely necessary.