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.
