Jag Sahota

[Judges Act, November 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, the member's question is different than the usual one of venting on how previous governments screwed up.

The Conservative Party was there for Canadians. When the Liberals brought in a bill that addressed the concerns and helped Canadians, Conservatives were there for them, co-operating with the Liberal government in passing those bills to make sure that the help gets to Canadians as fast as possible.

In certain instances we also pointed out deficiencies that were highlighted by our constituents who could not meet the criteria for these programs. Yes, definitely in terms of helping Canadians, the Conservative Party has been there, and there has been acknowledgement from the other side as well that Conservatives have supported Canadians. We will continue to do that.

[Judges Act, November 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I sit on the committee with the member, and I enjoy our conversations. It is time to start talking about women. The pandemic has highlighted what, to some extent, we already knew. It has brought all the problems to the surface.

This legislation is a step in the right direction in that women will feel more comfortable coming forward and talking about their experiences without having the feeling of revictimization. That is the whole purpose. I am very thankful that the bill is here before Parliament. All the parties seem to be supporting it, and I cannot wait for it to pass.

[Judges Act, November 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Cumberland—Colchester.

I am pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C-3, an act to amend the Judges Act and the Criminal Code. This bill is very important to me as a lawyer, as a woman, but also as the shadow minister for women and gender quality. As such, I am pleased to stand in this place and debate the bill.

However, I am disappointed that because of the Prime Minister's continual lapse in ethical judgment, instead of facing scrutiny for his decisions, he chose to prorogue Parliament and the casualty was having to reintroduce the bill, meaning victims of sexual assaults still cannot get due justice. It is shameful.

Bill C-3 would add new eligibilities for lawyers seeking appointment to the judiciary to require the completion of a recent and comprehensive education in sexual assault law as well as social context education. It would require the Canadian Judicial Council to submit an annual report to Parliament regarding the details on seminars offered on matters relating to sexual assault law and the number of judges attending. It would do this while still maintaining the balance between judiciary independence and a fair criminal justice system, which is very important to me and to all Canadians.

The rationale for the need for the bill is all too familiar, given the recent spotlight on the treatment of sexual assault victims during trial. Sadly, this certainly is not something that is new.

Let us explore the current state as it stands now.

There is piecemeal training and education available in certain jurisdictions but it is not mandatory. In 2016, a judge was found to have relied on myths about the expected behaviour of a victim of sexual abuse. That case was overturned on appeal for obvious reasons.

We have heard instances of judges using insensitive language. For example, in 2014, Justice Camp made a comment to a sexual assault victim in my home city of Calgary, asking her why she could not keep her knees closed together. Comments like Justice Camp's are all too familiar and further lead to the stigma that the courts are not there to protect the victims.

In 2019, nearly a dozen cases were going through Canada's court system that shed light on how some judges continued to rely on myths and stereotypes when informing their decisions on sexual assault cases.

We are still hearing similar misinformation about the experience of sexual assault victims or victims of abuse, which can lead to poor decisions and, as we have seen, possible miscarriages of justice sometimes resulting in new trials. Retrials can be incredibly painful for complainants, potentially further revictimizing them as they have to relive the trauma by constantly retelling lawyers and judges their horrific experiences, in some cases, preventing them from being able to mentally heal.

The way victims are treated during their court proceedings as well as in the public eye is a major hindrance to reporting the crime in the first place, particularly if the person who committed the assault is someone in a position of authority or if it is someone they know, such as a father, brother or uncle.

Other victims witness how other sexual assault victims are treated in the justice system and are terrified that if they come forward, they will be treated the same way. It is well documented that sexual assault cases are one of the most under-reported crimes in Canada. Of reported cases, only 12% result in a criminal conviction within six years compared to 23% of physical assaults, as reported by Statistics Canada.

We know the reasons for under-reporting include shame, guilt and stigma of sexual victimization. Because of this, many victims do not believe they will see a positive outcome in the justice system, which is why they do not come forward. This simply cannot stand.

What can we do? The best way to prevent this type of sentiment is through education and training. The path forward that this legislation sets out would allow for more confidence in the criminal justice system by ensuring lawyers who are appointed to the bench are trained and educated in this very specific type of case.

The hope is that once this bill passed, and with education and training, the future state will be that the stories we once heard of victims being made to feel less than will not be repeated. This legislation is intended to help reduce the stigma of coming forward to report the crime and to see justice prevail for the victims.

The hope is that with education and training, victims of sexual assault will be treated with respect to avoid at all costs revictimizing them, which can be incredibly traumatizing for the individual. This will let other victims know they can be confident in our justice system and feel safe in coming forward.

Ms. Ambrose, as she provided her testimony before the status of women committee, said, “Really, to be honest, for me it's about building confidence. Women do not have confidence in our justice system when it comes to sexual assault law.”

This has to change if we are ever going to see an increase in sexual assault being reported and convicted. This piece of legislation will bring us one step closer to eliminating barriers and giving victims of sexual assault more confidence to come forward.

I hope this bill passes quickly as this will only move us forward as a society and help grow confidence in our justice system.

[Airline Industry, November 20th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, over 82% of travel agents are women whose income is solely tied to commissions from selling airfares and vacation packages to their clients. However, when airlines refund customers, the airlines automatically claw back the commission that a travel agent has earned.

Running a small business is no easy task. With the majority of this industry being women, will the Minister for Women and Gender Equality ensure that any bailout package to our airline industry protects these Canadian women?

[Women and Gender Equality, November 17th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister for Women and Gender Equality publicly guessed how much income she made per year. Not only was she wrong, she was wrong to the tune of almost $20,000. For a CERB recipient, that is 10 months of benefits. For a person in the minister's riding, that is seven months of pay at the average income level.

It is particularly maddening coming from this minister because female entrepreneurs have seen their businesses decimated by COVID-19. Workers in the hospitality and tourism sectors are overwhelmingly women. They are among the hardest hit by the pandemic. They would love to have an additional $20,000, and I bet most of them could tell us, down to the last red cent, how much they made on their last paycheque.

The minister cannot represent Canadian women in the COVID economy if she can forget about more money than most of them will make.

[Women and Gender Equality, October 19th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, women are the majority of those unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, an issue that has not gone unnoticed by the status of women committee.

Recently the committee learned of the numerous negative impacts women have faced because of the Liberal government's failure to follow through with its commitment that all programs and funding would go through a gender-based analysis. Unfortunately, because of the Prime Minister's latest ethical lapse in judgment, we were not able to present our report and recommendations to the government to help address and alleviate their concerns and to find ways to help get women back into the workforce.

Canadians are looking for stability and leadership. Women cannot afford to wait while the Liberals continue to play political games. Canadians can be assured that under a Conservative government, we will continue to put forward constructive ideas and solutions in addressing the impacts of COVID-19 on women in Canada.

[Points of Order, October 9th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, it is International Day of the Girl Child. As the shadow minister for women and gender equality, I would like to celebrate the strides Canada has made thus far in empowering and protecting girls, but we still have a long way to go to overcome gender inequality.

Sadly, the present government continues to fail Canadian girls during this pandemic by cutting funding to organizations such as the London Abused Women's Centre, an organization that protects and helps girls in instances of abuse or human trafficking. Women and girls can be assured that under a Conservative government, Canada would always defend, encourage and advocate for girls as community-building students, leaders and entrepreneurs, both today and tomorrow.

Let us all remember the women and girls in our communities, and support them in achieving their goals. Let us remember this momentum and carry it with us all year long because when girls succeed, Canada and the world succeed. I wish everyone a happy International Day of the Girl Child.

[Points of Order, October 9th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, during my statement during Statements by Members, the parliamentary television services listed me as the Liberal member for Brampton North. While I share the same last name, I am not the member for Brampton North and definitely not a Liberal. This, unfortunately, is not the first time. During my speech in reply to the throne speech, the parliamentary television services listed me as the member for Kelowna—Lake Country.

This is very concerning to me, and I ask that you look into this matter.

Additionally, I believe if you seek it, you will find unanimous support for me to redeliver my statement.

[International Day of the Girl Child, October 9th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, Sunday is International Day of the Girl Child. As the shadow minister for women and gender equality, I am proud to celebrate the strides Canada has made thus far in empowering and protecting girls.

While we still have a long way to go to overcome gender inequality, sadly, the present government continues to fail Canadian girls during this pandemic by cutting funding to organizations such as the London Abused Women's Centre, an organization that protects and helps girls in instances of abuse or human trafficking.

Women and girls can be assured that under a Conservative government, Canada will always defend, encourage and advocate for girls as community building students, leaders and entrepreneurs both today and tomorrow.

Let us all remember all the women and girls in our communities and support them in achieving their goals. Let us remember this momentum and carry it with us all year long. When girls succeed, Canada and the world succeeds.

I wish everyone a happy International Day of the Girl Child.

[Resumption of Debate on Address in Reply, September 24th, 2020]

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for her question and her participation this summer on our status of women committee. As she said, we heard a lot of stories where women are stuck with their abusers. There is no deadline on when the funding will be provided to these organizations. In fact, the funding is being cut or taken away from these organizations. At a time when the Liberal government is saying it has everybody's back, you do not have the backs of the girls and women of this country.