Debates of March 25th, 2021

Gender-Based Violence

[Ken Hardie, Liberal, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Madam Chair, we are dealing with a form of systemic racism here really. This is not just something that has been amplified by the pandemic, but has been around for a long time.

I would like the member's comments on the pernicious impact, especially on young men, of the way women are portrayed in video games, movies, music, television, not to mention what is going on online, including pornography.

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

Madam Chair, today's society has access to a lot of information. Some of it is good information, but I think most of it is bad, whether it comes from video games or social networks.

Can we control everything, or do we need to better educate our young people, especially our girls, about all this abundance?

We need to have that debate. One thing is certain: We need to prepare them better to face life, because life is not always easy. It can be hard. We have to show our young people that not everything that lies ahead will be beautiful. Some things are hard, and we must be able to talk about them.

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Madam Chair, I will be sharing my time with the member for Saanich—Gulf Islands, a strong voice for women in the House. I am happy to be sharing it.

Today we have been taking in this place about gender-based violence, and I want to speak a bit about the continuum. Women face aggression and disrespect throughout their lives in public and in private, and we need to stop condoning and accepting this behaviour. I have an example. I love to run. It brings me calm and joy. However, before I go on a run I have to think about certain things. Will there be enough people around? Will there be enough light? Will I have a phone? This is about all the ways that women's movements are constrained. We are made smaller.

I was reading a social media post by a runner. She was stopped by a man who insisted that she stop running and talk to him. It was a small thing. She wrote, “The little things that we've been socially conditioned to respond to ever so sweetly, that we are often too nice to challenge—these become the big things we can no longer ignore. Women do not exist to please men.” I do not have her name so I cannot credit her for that, but it has been shared many times. I want to thank her for this because all of these small things that are said and done to constrain women somehow say they are less.

I do not want to trivialize this debate. It is very important to highlight the women we have lost, in particularly the seven women in Quebec we lost recently, and the recent report about the devastating femicide numbers in our country. However, there is an atmosphere that builds toward an acceptability of deeper aggression by some people, and it is important to look at that.

The UN says that one in three women is subjected to unwanted sexual behaviour in public spaces. Frankly, if we ask women about this, we hear so many stories. We have heard some today.

When I was a young teen, grown men would make comments to me about my body and would even reach out to touch me, in subways, elevators or on a busy street. No one said anything. We need to stand up and stop this behaviour. When I say “we”, I am calling on men specifically to join us in taking action to stop this behaviour.

I also recognize I am a white cisgender woman, and the experiences of women are not all the same. I acknowledge that there are women who face greater risks and fears because of race, gender identity, disability and other factors. I am speaking about my own experience, and I know there are other voices that must be amplified if we are going to get this right.

When women are not seen as having equal value, when we are seen as being there only to support and satisfy the needs of the men in our world, that leads to greater violence down the road. The director of advocacy at YWCA Toronto said that to end intimate partner violence we can start at home by teaching men and boys to respect women. A similar point was brought home by the UN in its resource document, which says, “Start conversations about gender roles early on, and challenge the traditional features and characteristics assigned to men and women. Point out the stereotypes that children constantly encounter.... Talk about consent, bodily autonomy and accountability to boys and girls”. These are important pieces.

I have focused on public spaces, but some of the greatest dangers for women can be in private ones. The UN Secretary General referred to a shadow pandemic and said that some of the greatest threats to women and girls can come from their own homes.

I want to focus on the path forward: the friends and families of women experiencing violence. Let us listen to her story without judgment and help her to form an escape plan.

I have talked with women who run the local shelters in my community and they point out that some women fear going to shelters right now because they fear exposure to COVID. I want women to know that shelters are doing important work to help keep people safe from COVID. They are using PPE, cleaning and even running alternate sites to allow for greater spacing. Some federal funding has gone specifically to providing those resources to keep shelters safe during COVID. I want to thank the women who are running these operations for doing such an amazing job of keeping people safe in this difficult time.

In summary, let us teach our boys how to respect women and girls. Let us teach our kids about gender roles and stereotypes. Let us speak out against acts of aggression. Let us collect data about what is happening. Let us listen to women and, if needed, help them build an escape plan. Let us support our local shelters and advocacy, and let us take action against violence against women and girls.

[Garnett Genuis, Conservative, Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan, AB]

Madam Chair, I really appreciate my colleague's emphasis on teaching men and boys about respecting women. I want to take this opportunity to credit my mother, who has four sons, for really emphasizing that and trying to pass it along to us. It is something I think about a lot as a father of daughters and sons.

One of the big concerns I have is that young boys are often exposed to violent sexual images on the Internet. So much of the socialization that happens is through images people see online. My colleague from Peace River—Westlock and other members have tried to push for things like meaningful age verification on the Internet to try to address the fact that people are being exposed to images that shape their perceptions of what is acceptable regarding the treatment of women.

Does the member have a comment on what we can do collectively to address the issue of the kinds of information people are being exposed to through online images and messages? They can contribute to violence against women. How can we combat that?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Madam Chair, it is important that we think about all of the different sources of information that come to young men and women about stereotypes and about demeaning people. We should make sure to provide resources and guidance as family, friends and people in the community, specifically for things like the non-consensual sharing of images, child pornography and other types of images. We are working on legislation to deal with those online harms, and they will be important pieces.

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

Madam Chair, I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on equality and what can help achieve it.

We know that women are currently not equal to men. They have been more harshly affected by the pandemic. There are still problems with pay equity. Furthermore, more women are victims of violence.

In the 1970s, a royal commission on the status of women stated the following: “No country can make a claim to having equal status for its women so long as its government lies entirely in the hands of men.” At that moment, there was only one woman and 264 men in the House of Commons.

I would like to hear what my colleague has to say about the participation of women in politics. Could achieving equality in politics help achieve equality in other areas?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for her question because I find that it is very important. One thing I really liked this evening is that we heard from many women. Also, our Chair is a woman.

There are women here who have important roles. Our voices are very important and we must use them to provide support.

[Laurel Collins, NDP, Victoria, BC]

Madam Chair, the report on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls found that the link between resource-extraction projects and violence against indigenous women is a serious problem that demands attention.

I had a meeting with one of my constituents and she told me about her nation, which is located close to a resource-extraction project. She talked about the threat of violence. She also talked about her worry over COVID and its spread during the pandemic.

Does the member agree that the government needs to do more to address the issue of man camps and violence against indigenous women?

[Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth, ON]

Madam Chair, I mentioned it briefly, but there is no question that many intersections play a role in violence against women and increased risk. We absolutely do need to provide more support.

Regarding the recommendations in the missing and murdered indigenous women study, I have been able to participate in some of the round tables coming out it. There is a lot of important feedback about the path forward and really important leadership from first nations, Métis and Inuit communities that can lead the path forward so we know how best to respond.

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

Madam Chair, I want to especially thank the hon. member for Toronto—Danforth for sharing her time with me and for her kind words.

Tonight's take-note debate has been mentioned several times as being historic. I have to say I was surprised to find that this is the first time in the history of this Parliament and in the history of this place that we have had a take-note debate on the issue of women murdered by their intimate partners. Violence against women is so prevalent in our society that it strikes me as strange that this is the first time Parliament has taken up the debate, but I also want to say that I am impressed with the speeches, with the sharing and with the non-partisan commitment. I regret the extent to which partisanship crept in now and then, but I think it is important to recognize that we are all in this together.

We recognize that we are in a society that is, whether we want to face it or not, a patriarchy that is, to its bones, sexist. We also live in a society in which we have to acknowledge systemic racism. We have to acknowledge that a lot of work needs to be done.

What prompted tonight's very important take-note debate was the tragic killing of seven women so very, very close together in time in Quebec, but we recognize as well that over the course of this pandemic, 160 femicides have taken place. One hundred and sixty women have lost their lives to intimate partner violence.

Many of the references have been to urban centres. There could not be a place in this country more idyllic than Saanich—Gulf Islands. I am so honoured to represent the community here, but we had, in one of the most idyllic places within my idyllic riding, a case of a woman murdered by her husband in June of 2020.

I want to say her name: Jennifer Quesnel. She had three little boys. She left her husband of 18 years because she was unsafe and only went back to the home because she was certain he was not going to be there. He was there. He murdered her and then he took his own life. It left the community reeling, but it happens far too often.

There is lots of good evidence and there are lots of good studies showing that men in some situations are jealous, do not want their wives to find happiness, and Jennifer Quesnel's family gave a statement to the media to say that he had killed her because if he could not be happy, he did not want her even to live.

Margaret Atwood is credited with something as a quote that actually was a longer commentary in which she said:

Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.

This is how we live our lives. I was taken by the fact that Global reporter Mercedes Stephenson wrote a long thread on Twitter within the last number of days about what it is like in the normal course of our days as women to navigate dark places, to get from where we parked the car to where we are moving through a dark place. She describes step by step what she does unconsciously, looking around to see if she is in a safe place. Other women have mentioned this tonight. Is the area lit? A woman clutches her keys in her hand in case she needs to lash out to protect herself.

What I found striking was not her relating to everyone what a woman does day to day to navigate safely in spaces that are public; tonight we recognize the most dangerous spaces are the private ones. What I found astonishing was how many of her male colleagues posted comments to say how shocked they were. “This is how you live your life?” Yes, this is how we live our lives.

We should do things differently. Let us celebrate those movements and those men who want to make a difference, like Paul Lacerte, his daughter Raven and the Moose Hide movement. Let us end violence against women and children. Let us have men step up and say what is acceptable and what is not. Let us fight patriarchy by saying we are equals at all times from our birth, baby boys and baby girls, and let us make sure that as babies they get a fair chance, that they are not subjected to trauma themselves. This is a societal project.

This is a societal project.

It starts tonight.

[Lenore Zann, Liberal, Cumberland—Colchester, NS]

Madam Chair, the member's words moved me very much, as have many of the women who have spoken tonight and some of the men as well.

She is right: It is a societal problem. From day one, children need to be taught that we are equal, that one is not more important or valuable or loved than the other. It is a societal problem and it is a serious one.

If we look at what is going on in England right now, what does the member think about the idea of making misogyny a hate crime?

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

Madam Chair, I want to thank the member for Cumberland—Colchester publicly for her bill, which we carried through the House a few days ago to second reading to deal with environmental racism and how it has affected the lives of Black Canadians and indigenous people in this country.

Misogyny is clearly a hate crime. We do not acknowledge that these are hate crimes, when we have the incel movement, and we had that killing. I will not say the name of the killer, but he has just been found guilty of murdering people on the streets of Toronto. What was his incentive? He hated women. This is not something that is rare in our society. It is all too common, and it should be recognized as such.

[Alex Ruff, Conservative, Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, ON]

Madam Chair, first off, I want to thank all the participants in tonight's debate. I do not know or have all the answers on how we can completely eradicate violence against women, but I do know education and shining a light on the fact that women are being held hostage by their partners is one small step in doing that.

These women do not choose this abuse. They are hostages. I am hoping tonight's debate will help more people become more aware of this horrific situation. Finally, for all those women watching out there, they should know there is help out there. There are resources such as, in my own riding, Women's House Serving Bruce and Grey.

I fully acknowledge more resources are needed. Does my hon. colleague agree?

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

Madam Chair, I want to acknowledge that the hon. member holds the seat of Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound, once held by the first woman elected member of Parliament in this place, Agnes Macphail, in 1929, and I am sure he speaks with her spirit.

Yes, we need more resources. Yes, even though the government has increased resources to women's shelters, the fundraising that is usually happening through volunteer organizations has not been possible with COVID, so they are still terribly short of resources. We need to do more.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague from Saanich—Gulf Islands for her comments and her involvement in the feminist cause. We are both members of the Canadian Association of Feminist Parliamentarians, which is a cause that unites us, much like the environmental cause.

That being said, a few days ago, I had the opportunity to watch some United Nations meetings. Because of the pandemic, an event that was supposed to take place last year in New York was postponed to March of this year and held virtually. It was an event to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action.

What came out of this meeting was the connection between the threats that women still receive, the violence and dangers they may encounter, and the fact that these are still barriers to going into politics. According to the data and statistics, on average, a maximum of 25% to 30% of parliamentarians are women. That does not include countries that still do not have enough women at the helm, in government or in elected positions.

I would like my colleague to talk about the connections between the power that women can wield and the barriers still posed by the risk of violence.

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

Madam Chair, I will respond briefly.

It is an honour to talk to my colleague from Shefford about feminist issues around the world and at the United Nations. This is an issue for women around the world and at the United Nations, not just those in Canada. We need to do more than we are doing now.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Madam Chair, I will be splitting my time with the member for Cloverdale—Langley City. As always, I look forward to her remarks. I find her to be an incredibly thoughtful individual who is constantly in touch with her constituents. I know she will add a lot to this debate.

Before I begin my comments, I will compliment the member for Port Moody—Coquitlam. This is a member who joined our caucus after the 2019 election. She has repeatedly touched my heart with her remarks, specifically about Bill C-7 and the necessity for hope. I actually think those sentiments ring true here this evening as well, as we discuss such an important matter, the issue of violence against women here in Canada. This has really come to light with the terrible tragedy of these seven lives recently being lost in Quebec.

As I reflect upon this and the situation within myself, my family, my circle of friends and my community, what I keep coming back to is the incredible toll this last year of being in the pandemic and working together for the collective good has taken. It has been so important, but it has come at such a price to our mental health.

I genuinely believe that although this problem existed, and of course it existed, as the previous speaker indicated, for generations before I was here, we have really seen it amplified in the last year with the situation of the pandemic.

I am really happy that my leader, in his five-point plan for securing the future, has indicated he will make mental health a priority. That is of absolute necessity. Our discussion here this evening reflects it.

I see it in my own community. CTV here in my city has reported that before COVID-19, 5% of Canadians reported high to extreme levels of anxiety. Now we see that that number has multiplied to 20%. Self-reported cases of depression have more than doubled from 4% to 10%. When asked what they expect if social isolation continues onwards, respondents generally anticipated anxiety levels to remain the same but for depression to worsen.

These types of mental health impacts are the things that we are seeing playing out within the pandemic. It is taking a severe toll. In fact, there is fear that when we finally come out of this pandemic or return to the new normal, we will experience an echo pandemic.

In addition, we have seen opioid overdoses spike during COVID-19, as a result of people's attempts to cope and figure out a way through this pandemic. My province recorded 301 opioid deaths from April to June of this last year, more than double the rate from January to March. We see that increasing significantly, as well.

Distress Centre Calgary has said that suicide-related calls, texts and chats were up 66% in the month of October over previous months. I could go on and on.

All to say, I think this is a problem that has existed for a long time, but the situation we have found ourselves in over the last year has amplified it beyond belief. We have to figure out a way to emerge from this as a society with the government leading the way. Unfortunately, it has led to horrific consequences, as we have come to learn.

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

Madam Chair, in the member's speech she mentioned that there is a lot more to do to address the issue of gender-based violence. I wonder, as we find out through a holistic, fulsome approach the role of a woman's autonomy over her own body, what role that plays within gender-based violence.

I ask the member how she feels about the stance of her party and members of her party on the control a woman has over her own body and the way that interacts with gender-based violence in teaching a woman that perhaps she is lesser than somebody else who has control over what happens to her body?

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Madam Chair, what the member is really asking is how we can contribute to solutions in our own communities, and that is an excellent question.

Personally, I try to meet with the YWCA to look for solutions as a member of my community on a regular basis. I am always very certain to attend the YWHISPER Gala, which directly addresses these issues we face, and which are really at the centre of this discussion here today.

I want to thank her for that question. I hope she will look for constructive ways we can work together and look to our participation in our communities to improve this dire situation.

[Gord Johns, NDP, Courtenay—Alberni, BC]

Madam Chair, I want to first thank my colleague for seeing how forms of violence such as patterns of coercive and controlling behaviour are often a precursor to overt physical violence.

The member for Esquimalt—Saanich—Sooke has put forward a bill to make this kind of behaviour a criminal offence, which would allow earlier intervention by police, courts and service organizations, without having to wait for violent incidents to take place. Does my colleague see that legislation like this would be really important in preventing violence against women?

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Madam Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for the work he and his party are doing in an effort to end violence against women. They do incredible work in this regard. I have the good fortune of sitting on the HUMA committee with some excellent members from his party.

I definitely think we always have to be thinking of legislation that moves us in that direction. The first step is to think of legislation that allows us to emerge into the new normal with our mental health intact. That is the first step. Certainly while there are other things that can be done and other steps in the future that can be taken, I am very much focused on the here and now, as is my party, and as is my leader, and emerging from this pandemic whole.

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

Madam Chair, I would like to ask my colleague, within the federal framework we are talking about, how could women be more supported and empowered in the area of mental health?

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Madam Chair, I think it starts here in the House with us all supporting each other and always respecting each other's positions and opinions. It starts with our work here together to further Canada because that really is our ultimate goal, to have a whole and complete Canada. It starts with us working together and not against each other.

[Tamara Jansen, Conservative, Cloverdale—Langley City, BC]

Madam Chair, I am thankful for the opportunity to participate in tonight's important debate on the Parliament of Canada's response to the disturbing rise in gender-based violence that we are seeing across our country.

Before I get to my remarks on this motion, I want to start by offering my sincere condolences to the families of the seven women in Quebec who recently lost their lives in heinous acts of gender-based violence and to all of those who have been affected by this kind of violence in our country. Canada mourns their loss and their pain. On behalf of at-risk young women across this country, I will be supporting this motion.

Tonight I would like to talk specifically about the part of the motion that calls on Canadians to do more to combat the problem of gender-based violence. When it comes to ending violence against women, we need to look at some of the root causes, and one of the most glaringly obvious cause that we seem to gloss over here is the prevalence of violent pornography. The fact that anybody in the country can log in to Pornhub and watch videos of women being raped is a serious problem that we need to address.

Boys as young as 10 and 11 years old are easily able to access pornography, which has a massive impact on their developing brains and poisons their attitudes toward women. According to a 2010 study that analyzed 304 scenes from best-selling pornography videos, almost 90% of scenes contained physical aggression, while nearly 50% contained verbal aggression primarily aimed at humiliation and degradation. How are we allowing this to be made so easily available? How can we allow young men to grow up consuming this horrific material and expect to have a society where women are treated with the respect and honour they deserve? Why is it acceptable for men to get pleasure out of watching women being abused? Men are not born to hate women and see them as objects. The attitudes and behaviours that lead to gender-based violence are learned. We are never going to be able to protect women without addressing the root causes.

I watched in horror the ethics committee testimony of David Tassillo and Feras Antoon, two men who sat there in front of all of Canada as if they were merely a couple of simple businessmen. These men are profiting off the complete humiliation of women, many of them minors. They talked about ensuring the best quality experience for their customers. They said they wanted to be the best in the world at providing online entertainment, but let us be clear: This is online entertainment that traps women in a web of shame and helplessness, online entertainment that teaches men to view sex as nothing more than a transaction they can pay for on demand.

It is absolutely no wonder that a young, wealthy, elite politician's son could come to the conclusion that groping a female reporter is perfectly acceptable. It is no wonder that he believes he experienced things differently than she did. Of course he did. When we regularly portray women as objects, taking that object in hand is no different than grabbing a beer from the fridge.

It is sad that tonight that when we come here to debate the terrible scourge of violence against women, it seems that we women are again being used, that this debate might have an ulterior motive lurking below the surface. I am hoping that our words here tonight will be more than noisy gongs and clanging cymbals, that we really care about those vulnerable daughters and granddaughters who have met death far too early at the hands of an abuser.

I am here to stand for young women across this country. I am here to stand for my daughters and my unborn granddaughter. I want them to know they are far more than an object to be used and discarded like yesterday's trash. They are precious jewels. Their bodies are more valuable than gold. Their ability to love and care for others is immeasurable. They should ignore the message that is hammered into their heads by the media and popular culture day after day. They are not objects. They are not for sale. They do not deserve to be treated as trash. They are priceless.

Together, with all Canadians, let us be the catalyst for building a better world for our daughters and granddaughters, as well as our sons and grandsons. We can do this and it just takes beginning right here.

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

Madam Chair, I have a lot of concerns about the member blaming the pornographic industry as the sole reason for intimate partner violence, gender-based violence and toxic masculinity.

I will pick up on her closing remarks when she said that women are not objects and ask her if she believes that a woman has the autonomy to decide what happens to her body. I will leave it at that.