House of Commons Hansard #76 of the 43rd Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament's site.) The word of the day was committees.

Topics

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:20 p.m.

Peterborough—Kawartha Ontario

Liberal

Maryam Monsef LiberalMinister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development

Mr. Chair,

[Minister spoke in Ojibwe, Anishinabe and Arabic as follows:]

boozhoo, aaniin, as-salaam alaikum.

I join from my home in Peterborough—Kawartha, where Curve Lake First Nation and our entire community are grieving the loss of Cileana Taylor, who lost her life due to an act of violence perpetrated against her by a man she knew.

I would like to thank my hon. colleagues for agreeing to this important discussion. I am not sure when the last time, or if there was a first time, the House of Commons had a take-note debate on gender-based violence. My team and I have been looking for that, but this is historic. I want to thank the Liberal women's caucus for sounding the alarm, our House leader for listening to us and for taking us seriously, and every single party in the House for agreeing to have this important conversation at this very important time in our history and for women.

These conversations are important and our government will continue to create spaces for them. However, this cannot just be about words, but has to be followed by action. When I see my Conservative colleagues vote against transferring essential funds to support women and children escaping violence and abuse in Quebec tonight, I have to question their sincerity. I hope my Conservative colleagues will account for why they voted the way they did in the time they have tonight.

I would like to talk about the women we lost, our government's response during the pandemic, the illness that causes the violence against women in the first place and how parliamentarians can lead the cultural shift necessary to put an end to this shadow pandemic.

Let me say the names of the seven women we lost in Quebec in just seven weeks. Elisapee Angma, 44 years old, was the loving mother of four children. Marly Edouard, 32 years old, was a Haitian Canadian well known in the Haitian music scene and a former manager, producer and radio host. Myriam Dallaire, 28, was the young mother of a precious one-year-old child. Sylvie Bisson, 60 years old, was Myriam Dallaire's mother. Nadège Jolicoeur, 40 years old, was the mother of five children. Rebekah Harry, 29 years old, was the mother of a nine-year-old son and was described as a good friend and family member who lived life strongly. Nancy Roy, 44 years old, was loved and cherished by those around her. These women were loved and they will be missed.

To Quebeckers and to Canadians grieving, we grieve with them.

One life lost is too many. We grieve with them. We will continue to put survivors and the loved ones we lost at the centre of what we do.

We lost more than 160 women to femicide last year, and one life lost is too many. We grieve with them and we will continue to keep survivors and families at the centre of our work.

When the pandemic was first declared, we reached out to leaders across the country, and they all said the same thing: They warned us the rates of violence would go up. We asked what the Government of Canada should do and they said we should get funds as quickly as we could into the bank accounts of organizations that would be the last stop for women and children fleeing violence and abuse, and we did that. Through an innovative model that had never been done before, we were able, with our partners, provinces and territories, the women's Shelters Canada team, the Canadian Women's Foundation and a separate agreement with the Government of Quebec, to get got money into bank accounts.

Over a thousand organizations in this country have been able to keep their staff paid, their doors open and to get the PPE, cleaning supplies and the laptops necessary to provide this critical care. I thank these organizations for their care. Because of them, we managed to prevent many, many more tragedies. Close to a million women, children and non-binary Canadians have been able to find care and refuge through these organizations during the pandemic. On behalf of the Prime Minister and the Government of Canada, I would like to thank these leaders. They are in every single one of our ridings, and we could not do this work without them.

The issue of gender-based violence is not new. For decades, feminists, survivors and their families have been advocating for change. The pandemic has magnified and intensified the reasons for the violence, and people are under pressure, but violence against women is unacceptable. It is a violation of their dignity and human rights, and it costs all of us.

Our government is working with provinces and territories to move forward on a national action plan on gender-based violence. Our partners at the YWCA, led by Maya Roy, and our partners with the Blueprint coalition, led by Women's Shelters Canada's Lise Martin, have been out there ensuring that the voices of survivors are fed into our national action plan.

Provinces and territories have agreed to move forward. We have spoken with over 1,500 stakeholders across the country, and over the past five years we have increased funding to frontline women's organizations more than any other government, and five times more than the previous government. We have opened up regional offices and have lifted the gag order that prevented too many feminist organizations from advocating for their clients and those they serve.

Every step of the way, including with the economic development measures that our government is working on, we will continue to rely on strong feminists across this country. They know the way. They have brought us to this moment in time when parliamentarians are having this courageous conversation, and every step of the way we will continue to work with them until every woman and child in this country is safe and free to achieve her dreams and reach her full potential.

I see that Madam Speaker has taken the Chair. I appreciate your leadership and advocacy in this chamber and in the women's caucus. You are a rock, and your feminism and advocacy strengthen the rest of us.

We have not always been brave enough to call the reason for this violence what it is. We have not always been brave enough to name it, but toxic masculinity is creating less safety for women and it is robbing men of their dignity, too. There are 238 honourable men in the House, and I am calling on all men to join us to help fight this preventable crime from happening in the first place. We need them. For too long, women have carried the burdens of violence against them, their families and their bodies, but more and more we are seeing guys step up as allies, like my former parliamentary secretary, who has been incredible in his advocacy, and like the Prime Minister of Canada, who shares power and space with other women and encourages us to lead and be strong in our advocacy for those who do not have a voice at the table.

There is a reckoning happening, and this reckoning requires us as parliamentarians to ensure that we seize the moment that has been offered to us, unpleasantly so because of the pandemic, to put an end to this violence once and for all.

Not too many days ago on a schoolyard not too far from where I live, an 11-year-old girl was kicked in the hips really hard by a boy because she had outperformed him on the sports field. He told her that she was fat and ugly and that she had no friends. Her friends laughed, and she left that place crying.

In another place, in another school not too far from here, a 14-year-old boy, when cornered in a difficult conversation, told another 14-year-old girl that she was too ugly to be raped and asked her why she was even debating with him the safety of women.

Within a matter of minutes, the entire school was calling him out. The girls had circled the wagons around this 14-year-old girl and they were calling out the toxic masculinity. Our teenagers are seeing this and they are calling it out. We have to be courageous enough to do just that. They are—

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:35 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Chair Liberal Alexandra Mendes

I apologize to the hon. minister, but we have to go to questions.

Questions and comments, the hon. Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:35 p.m.

Winnipeg South Manitoba

Liberal

Terry Duguid LiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (Western Economic Diversification Canada) and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change (Canada Water Agency)

Madam Chair, I want to thank the minister for her powerful words and call to action. I had the privilege of working with and standing with the minister when she introduced Canada's first strategy to prevent and address gender-based violence. An important part of that work was to engage men and boys in advancing gender equality, to address the issue of gender-based violence and promote positive masculinity.

We heard from women's shelters, women's organizations, those working with young men and those from iconic sports organizations, such as the CFL, on why we need to engage men and boys, women and girls, and people of all genders and gender identities in the fight against the scourge of intimate partner and other gender-based violence. Can the minister share with the House some of what we learned?

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:35 p.m.

Liberal

Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON

Madam Chair, the Prime Minister asked us to go out there and talk to Canadians about how to engage men and boys in the war to address and prevent gender-based violence and to achieve gender equality. In that work, my colleague and I connected with hundreds of good men and allies who are actively working on being better men every day and supporting their brothers, sons and fathers in that work. We heard that these groups had never been brought together before, so the simple act of convening was a success.

We also recognize that the toxic masculinity we speak of is in the highest levels of authority in Canada, as well. Canadians need to know that the institutions they rely on to keep them safe from harm will also provide safety for their mothers, sisters, daughters and sons, and we are going to do just that.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:35 p.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Madam Chair, I thank the hon. minister for her intervention.

I am especially touched that we are having this debate this evening because, as we know, it is a problem, particularly in Quebec, but also across Canada.

I would like to hear from the minister regarding the action plan on gender-based violence.

Last summer, during the Standing Committee on the Status of Women's study on the effects of the pandemic on women, we asked the minister for a tabling date and concrete measures. We did not just want individual measures, we asked that a comprehensive plan be tabled.

Do we have a tabling date for the plan?

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:35 p.m.

Liberal

Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON

Madam Chair, I appreciate my colleague's question and her advocacy. In January, we came to an agreement with all 14 ministers responsible for the status of women to move forward on a national action plan. This is the second phase of our government's commitment to addressing and preventing gender-based violence.

As we speak, the YWCA and the blueprint coalition group are out there getting information from survivors and putting it into a report. I have asked women's organizations and feminists to provide us with the kinds of accountability measures they want to see in that plan and the milestones they would like to achieve. Ultimately, it will be up to them to tell us if we got it right. We will be receiving that report sometime in mid-April, and I look forward to including all members of the House in the development and implementation of the national action plan. Our provincial and territorial colleagues will need to be part of it. They have the majority of the levers, as do national indigenous leaders and representatives.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:35 p.m.

NDP

Lindsay Mathyssen NDP London—Fanshawe, ON

Madam Chair, I thank the hon. minister for her impassioned speech. The supports she is talking about and the actions from these organizations that we are relying upon, were hard struck before. They were trying to make ends meet, and unfortunately they have consistently had to deal with simply project-based funding. They have called repeatedly for core operational funding so they can manage.

To ensure that they can move forward on a gender-based violence action plan, when will the Liberal government allot that operational funding?

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:40 p.m.

Liberal

Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON

Madam Chair, I appreciate my colleague and her work. The organizations she speaks of, I used to work with and continue to appreciate the opportunity to support. Our government is the first in a long time to provide them with predictable, sustainable, capacity-building funds.

Today, the feminist response and recovery fund, the $100 million envelope, closed for accepting applications. We put in $100 million for capacity building. The gender-based violence strategy has $200 million attached to it. We put in place $100 million in GBV emergency COVID funds just this year. We recognize there is more to do to stabilize the sector, and we are working very closely with colleagues and partners to find the best way.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:40 p.m.

Conservative

Jag Sahota Conservative Calgary Skyview, AB

Madam Chair, at least one in three women and girls in Canada will face some sort of gender-based violence in their lifetime. That is—

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Chair Liberal Alexandra Mendes

I have to ask the hon. member to use her headset, please.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:40 p.m.

Conservative

Jag Sahota Conservative Calgary Skyview, AB

Madam Chair, I am at home. I do not have a headset. I am sorry about that.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Chair Liberal Alexandra Mendes

I am sorry, but interpretation cannot work without the headset. Interpretation will not be able to capture the sound. We will get back to the member.

The hon. member for Calgary Centre.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

March 25th, 2021 / 8:40 p.m.

Conservative

Greg McLean Conservative Calgary Centre, AB

Madam Chair, I really want to ask the hon. member more about the experiences that she spoke about in describing these incidents that have happened, and the results of these being somewhat related to COVID and what has happened in the last year here in Canada, and how much we can look forward to coming out of this at the end of the day and hopefully getting past this.

How do we deal with it in the meantime? How do we deal with it, going forward, after that point in time?

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:40 p.m.

Liberal

Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON

Madam Chair, conversations like this are important. What we are doing right now in this chamber is sending a message to all Canadians that in the Government of Canada, in the House and in people's houses, we condemn all forms of violence against women and girls and gender-based violence. That is an important step, but actions speak loudly too.

I appreciate my colleague's concern, but I have to wonder why he voted against funding for the very same Quebec women's organizations that provide support to the kinds of women we are mourning here tonight. There is so much work to be done. This work is deeply rooted in cultural norms and societal expectations that are out of date and harmful. We need everybody working together, but more than words, we need—

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:40 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Chair Liberal Alexandra Mendes

The hon. member for Abitibi—Témiscamingue.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:40 p.m.

Bloc

Sébastien Lemire Bloc Abitibi—Témiscamingue, QC

Madam Chair, first I congratulate you for your commitment, which the minister mentioned in her speech. I also commend the minister for her commitment.

I am moved to rise in the House as a man to take part in a debate like this one, because it sheds light on all the psychological distress that men may be experiencing, particularly during this pandemic.

I feel we also need to emphasize the importance of investing in resources for assistance and support, because pleas are being made.

Can the minister commit to working with the provinces, which are in touch with community organizations, to increase funding and ensure that we can act quickly to help those in need before they commit an irreversible act?

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:40 p.m.

Liberal

Maryam Monsef Liberal Peterborough—Kawartha, ON

Madam Chair, gender-based violence is entirely preventable. If folks who are at risk of harming are under a lot of pressure, they can go for a walk, call a friend, talk to a spiritual leader they trust or reach out to a counsellor before they do something they might regret. This violence is preventable. Bystanders, neighbours or people who know that a friend is in trouble can do something about it. They can call the individual who they are afraid is at risk and ask if she needs help.

The Canadian Women's Foundation has come up with a signal for help. It is to address the lack of informal support systems in place. If anybody is experiencing danger and makes this signal on social media, on a FaceTime or Zoom call, we can call for help. Call the individual and ask closed-ended questions like, “Are you okay? Do you need me to call somebody? Do you need me to call the police?”, and check in on them regularly.

We have invested in front-line organizations. We will continue to be there for them. We all have to step up our efforts with greater funding, but we also need to address the cultural norms. The violence that women experience is a reflection of what we as a society are willing to tolerate—

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:45 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Chair Liberal Alexandra Mendes

Resuming debate, the hon. Leader of the Opposition.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:45 p.m.

Durham Ontario

Conservative

Erin O'Toole ConservativeLeader of the Opposition

Madam Chair, during the pandemic, we saw a shadow pandemic, a significant increase in domestic violence. Over the past few weeks, the tragedies that occurred in Quebec have reminded us of the sad reality that many women face. Over the past seven weeks, we have lost seven women to family violence in Quebec. Last year, we lost one woman or girl to violence every two and a half days. There is a crisis in our country.

This evening we remember them and we undertake to do better for the women and girls of this country. Experts warned us that there would be an increase in violence. Their reasoning was very simple. After a natural catastrophe, the rate of domestic violence increases. Economic recessions also lead to an increase in domestic violence.

A pandemic is an economic recession during a natural catastrophe. The situation is therefore very serious. Those who deal with victims of domestic violence warned us of the risks to women who are locked down with their aggressors.

Those who deal with victims of domestic violence warned of the risks for women who would be locked down with their aggressors and abusers. At the start of the pandemic the Canadian Women's Foundation developed a sign for help: a hand gesture that could be quietly used on Zoom or on FaceTime to indicate that a woman was in an abusive situation. Raising her hand with her palm to the camera, a woman traps her thumb in her palm under her four fingers. If people know anyone who may be in an abusive situation, they should make sure to reach out to see if they can help.

We have all heard the “seven times” statistic by now, but it is worth repeating. It can take survivors on average seven attempts to successfully leave an abusive relationship and when they do, recent evidence suggests that violence against former domestic partners is also increasing significantly during the pandemic.

We have all heard about the seven times statistic, but it bears repeating. On average, survivors will try to leave an abusive relationship seven times before they manage to leave for good. Unfortunately, statistics show that, when they succeed in leaving, the violence against them by their former partner increases.

The recession is going to be a terrifying legacy of the pandemic. We know from all available statistics that it has disproportionately affected women and especially women in part-time and service sector jobs. In other words, these are women whose financial situations are already precarious. Financial instability is one of the reasons most frequently given for staying with an abusive partner. That should cause all of us to realize that even when the pandemic is over and Canadians are safely vaccinated, the silent pandemic of domestic violence will have worsened and will continue.

Financial problems are often given as a reason for staying with a violent partner. Even when the pandemic is over and Canadians are vaccinated, the shadow pandemic of family violence will still remain. We all need to be aware of that.

The motion as it is currently worded makes reference to the national action plan on gender-based violence. It is a pledge that the government has made since being elected and it is an important pledge, but it is one that has been continually put off.

The government has never presented its policy in response to the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls report, in spite of the fact that many provinces have begun to take action. As an example, last year many provinces announced the end to the practice of birth alerts, a practice that disproportionately impacts indigenous women. However, the Liberal government has failed to act.

This week, the Conservatives asked the Liberals to table a specific plan to gradually and safely lift the COVID-19-related restrictions. These restrictions have had a serious impact on the mental health of Canadians. They have also led to an increase in domestic violence across the country. Unfortunately, the government denied our request.

As I have said many times, the mental health crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has been a pandemic of tears for so many families. That is why the Conservative opposition will introduce a Canada mental health action plan and boost funding partnerships with provinces for mental health care. We will provide incentives for employers to provide better mental wellness coverage for employees. It is important that we, as this House voted, create a nationwide three-digit suicide prevention hotline.

We will also introduce a plan to restore the million jobs lost in this pandemic in one year, and not stop there. Let us remember that so many of those jobs were held by women, who now find themselves unemployed, and as I noted earlier, it is much harder for a woman to flee domestic violence if she does not have a reliable income.

Killings and acts of violence all have something in common, as nearly all of them start with domestic violence.

At this point in my speech, I would like to thank people who have mentored me to be an advocate on this issue from the time of 2006 and 2007: the late Hon. Jim Flaherty and my father, John O'Toole, member of the provincial Parliament for Durham, who in 2007 introduced the Lori Dupont Act in memory of a nurse who was killed in the Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor by a former partner. She was unable to secure a peace bond from someone who was a known aggressor.

I was proud to work with my father, as a lawyer at the time, on Bill 10, to provide an intervention order to avoid situations like the one Ms. Dupont found herself in, asking for help from the state, knowing there was a risk, and the workplace and the province were not able to act. As a parliamentarian today, I am proud to continue that tradition that was begun by my father.

This evening, I want to remember the seven women in Quebec who recently lost their lives as a result of a femicide.

We also mourn the lives of the 160 women lost to feminicide this last year alone: 160 daughters, sisters, mothers, friends. Their lives had purpose and value, and we will cherish their memory. They were taken by people they had trusted or loved, snuffed out, and we cannot forget them.

As we mourn, let us recommit as Canadians to ending violence towards women and to watching for the signs of violence around us, whether online or in our workplaces. We all must recommit to do more. Important debates like this, after seven weeks of tragedy in Quebec, are one small step.

This pandemic has led to an increase in domestic violence in Canada. At a time when lockdown measures continue to be in effect and the unemployment rate is rising, we need to increase Canadians' awareness of domestic violence and do everything we can to prevent it.

We all must do more.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:55 p.m.

Peterborough—Kawartha Ontario

Liberal

Maryam Monsef LiberalMinister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development

Madam Chair, I appreciate the Leader of the Opposition talking about this issue in the House. We were all concerned when we did not see the words “gender” or “equality” mentioned once in his leadership platform.

I would like to know why the Leader of the Opposition instructed his caucus to vote tonight against the funds we are trying to provide as support for Quebec women's organizations so that they can address and prevent gender-based violence. I would appreciate an answer to that, as would all Quebec women.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:55 p.m.

Conservative

Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON

Madam Chair, I would appreciate it if the minister would stop politicizing the issue, hoping that Canadians think she is being sincere. A vote on supplements is not a vote by anyone in this chamber against providing support for people at risk. Votes in budgets, votes in parliamentary debate, are being stage-managed by the government.

She herself attacked my friend, the member for Calgary Centre, by saying we need action, not words, but there has been no action from that minister on women with respect to the MMIWG recommendation that I talked about in my speech, no action on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission findings. This government and that minister in particular are very good at the photo ops and feigned compassion, but very poor at follow-ups.

As I said in my remarks, I have been advocating this since 2007. I will make sure that there is action—

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Chair Liberal Alexandra Mendes

I am sorry, but we will have to move on to other questions.

The hon. member for Saanich—Gulf Islands is rising on a point of order.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:55 p.m.

Green

Elizabeth May Green Saanich—Gulf Islands, BC

Madam Chair, as a member of Parliament and not a member of the minister's party, I wonder if the Speaker finds the words “feigned compassion” as offensive as I do. It suggests that the minister is lying about the extent of her concern.

I think all of us in this place should presume, as I do, that the hon. member, who is the leader of the official opposition, spoke truthfully of the depth of his concern for women who have experienced violence. However, I find it offensive to suggest that the minister is feigning compassion.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Assistant Deputy Chair Liberal Alexandra Mendes

The member is asking for my own personal opinion, and I would be hard put at this moment to make a judgment on it.

The hon. member for Shefford.

Gender-Based ViolenceGovernment Orders

8:55 p.m.

Bloc

Andréanne Larouche Bloc Shefford, QC

Madam Chair, I thank the hon. Leader of the Opposition for his speech.

Everyone here tonight recognizes that it is important to reduce the degree of politicization in a debate as emotional as the one we are having on violence against women.

If there is one issue that should not be politicized right now, but rather should be pushed ahead in the interest of women's safety, it is more effective gun control.

I would like the opposition leader to tell us how far his party is willing to go to ensure more effective gun control in order to better protect women.