Pam Damoff

[Business of Supply, May 24th, 2018]

Mr. Chair, I am glad to add my voice to the ongoing debate in this House on Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's main estimates for 2018-19. I am going to deliver a 10-minute speech and then ask a few questions.

One of the most important and notable responsibilities of this department, particularly over the past few years, lies in supporting Canada's strong and long-standing humanitarian tradition of resettling vulnerable people from around the world who have been persecuted and displaced, and who seek our country's protection. Indeed, maintaining that humanitarian tradition and ensuring that Canada continues to provide protection to those in need around the world is one of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's central mandates.

This mandate is particularly prominent at a time when record numbers of people around the world are being displaced, be they refugees, asylum seekers, or internally displaced persons. In fact, there are more than 62 million displaced people in the world right now. Although the ultimate objective of these displaced people may be to return home in peace and safety, unfortunately, that is all too frequently not an option. The objectives of Canada's resettlement program are to save lives, to offer protection to the displaced and persecuted, to meet our country's international legal obligations with respect to refugees, and to respond to international crises by providing assistance to those in need.

Canada's commitment to providing protection to the world's most vulnerable people is fundamental to our country's identity, as well as our international reputation. In that spirit, Canada's private sponsorship of refugees program was recently identified as a model for other countries, and a potential key element in an international effort to address migration crises and situations of conflict around the world.

Through this program, refugees are sponsored privately by civil society groups and groups of ordinary Canadians. These refugees are supported in addition to those supported by the government. Since it was established in the late 1970s during the crisis faced by the Vietnamese boat people, the program has allowed Canada to offer protection to many more people than we could have otherwise helped. In fact, more than a third of the 51,000 Syrian refugees resettled to Canada since November 2015 were privately sponsored, and last year, more than two-thirds of refugees of all nationalities resettled in Canada were privately sponsored.

I was pleased to play a small part in sponsoring a family through Terra Firma Halton, and to get to know Ranim, Sidra and Tarek, welcoming them to their new home in Oakville and watching them grow and succeed in their adopted country.

I was encouraged to see that the government, in collaboration with several partners, launched a new initiative aimed at helping interested countries study and adopt Canada's private sponsorship model. The Canadian model of resettlement works, at least in part because it mobilizes citizens in direct support of refugees, and those who sponsor and welcome refugees become advocates for diversity and understanding. These sponsors are also invaluable resources for ensuring that refugees integrate successfully to Canadian society.

Canada's humanitarian commitment to protecting vulnerable people, including women and girls, sometimes extends beyond refugees and asylum seekers. A significant example of this lies in our country's recent attempts to help Yazidis, one of Iraq's oldest minorities, who are mostly concentrated in northern Iraq. Almost two years ago, a United Nations commission report concluded that abuses of Yazidis by Daesh amounted to crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Several months later, in October of 2016, the House of Commons voted unanimously in support of a motion that the Government of Canada provide protection to Yazidi women and girls who are fleeing genocide. The Government of Canada committed to resettling 1,200 survivors of Daesh, including vulnerable Yazidi women and children, as government-sponsored refugees, by the end of 2017.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada worked closely with the United Nations Refugee Agency, the International Organization for Migration, and resettlement assistance program service provider organizations, and other partners to meet this commitment.

The UNHCR helped to identify vulnerable Yazidi women and children and other survivors of Daesh and their family members both inside and outside of Iraq. With the help and advice of German and Kurdish authorities, as well as Yazidi leaders, the government determined that the focus of these efforts should be on helping the most vulnerable individuals, rather than on a large-scale resettlement. The government also facilitated the private sponsorship of individuals who fall within this vulnerable group, so more Yazidi women and girls, as well as other survivors of Daesh, could arrive in Canada as privately sponsored refugees.

As of March 30, 2018, Canada has welcomed more than 1,300 survivors of Daesh, including 1,216 government-supported and 88 privately sponsored refugees. Of those who have arrived, close to 85% are Yazidi. Once in Canada, these survivors of Daesh continue to receive the necessary supports required, through both private and public organizations. The government has committed to continue to accept and even fast-track the private sponsorship of refugees who are survivors of Daesh. That is why I am shocked and disappointed to hear members of the official opposition continually accuse the government of failing to support Yazidi women and girls. This government has demonstrated its commitment to these survivors time and again, and we will continue to do so. We know that many survivors have experienced significant mental and physical trauma. To assist service-provider organizations with the settlement and integration needs of this population, migration officers and physicians with the International Organization for Migration have identified the specific medical and resettlement needs of each individual. As well, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has developed and circulated a Yazidi population profile, detailing demographic and health characteristics, as well as cultural considerations, for this vulnerable population.

To support their successful settlement and integration, all government-assisted refugees, including the survivors of Daesh, receive settlement services pre- and post-arrival. As such, the International Organization for Migration delivered orientation-to-Canada training to all survivors of Daesh before their departure from the Middle East. Coordination with the settlement community in Canada continues to ensure that their settlement services, including psychosocial and mental health supports, are available to meet the very acute needs of the survivors of Daesh as we resettle and welcome them to Canada. Like all resettled refugees, these individuals receive coverage for physician services and mental health supports, including clinical psychologists, psychotherapists, and counselling therapists as well as prescription-drug coverage. In addition, given the unimaginable trauma that many survivors of Daesh may have experienced, some individuals may have unique medical needs. As such, an assessment has been conducted for each individual to identify their needs and to connect survivors with medical and psychosocial support services post-arrival. Officials meet regularly to discuss how these individuals are adapting and to ensure that the appropriate settlement services are in place.

The Government of Canada's efforts to resettle survivors of Daesh, including vulnerable Yazidi women and girls, is just the latest example of our country's long-standing humanitarian approach to the world's most vulnerable groups. Canadians can continue to take pride in this great tradition.

We know that these women and children have suffered severe trauma from Daesh in their countries of origin, and we know that they need a great deal of support when they arrive here in Canada, which I know is a priority for our government despite of what some members of the opposition have claimed. Once again, today at the status of women committee, the plight of these women was politicized with claims being made that we are doing nothing to support them, when in fact the very program being used to provide mental health supports is one that the Harper Conservatives cut and our government reinstated. Can the minister expand on what Canada is doing to help them once they are here?

[Status of Women, May 9th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, last week we heard over and over again disconcerting things from Conservative political leaders across the country denying the facts and ignoring the real barriers faced by women in politics. Our government understands that women in politics face sexism, harassment, and other systemic barriers, and we are working to eliminate these factors.

That is why we are working with organizations like Equal Voice and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to find out why there are fewer female elected representatives than male.

We also announced $18 million in funding to enhance the participation of women, including indigenous women, as leaders in their communities.

We have introduced Bill C-65 to address harassment and sexual violence. Our government knows that we simply cannot move forward when half of us are held back.

[Canada Labour Code, May 7th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, we listened to the testimony that we heard at committee and we asked officials about the best way to frame the legislation. We framed the legislation based on the testimony we heard at committee.

[Canada Labour Code, May 7th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, the member is absolutely correct. It was something I brought up during the committee study when I asked witnesses whether the legislation should be reviewed.

It is important that we make sure legislation is working properly, and having that review in place will allow us to look back and determine which parts of the legislation were working and which parts were not. Quite honestly, if we find out within two years that a part is not working and we need to change it, we have that ability, but this will require every government in the future to make sure it is looking at the legislation to see how it can be approved.

[Canada Labour Code, May 7th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for her work on this issue. She is absolutely right. Legislation can only go so far. We had a lot of conversations at committee about the regulations that will accompany the bill.

When it comes to political parties, we need a process within each party for staffers to come forward. That is not something that will be legislated within this bill, but we certainly need the opportunity for all staffers to feel safe to come forward.

In my opinion, it needs to be someone completely independent. It cannot be done within the parties. I feel that staff need to be able to come forward to someone who is independent to share their concerns. Once that has been done, the legislation can kick in, in terms of what the framework is. It is important for those processes to continue as we move forward.

[Canada Labour Code, May 7th, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I will be sharing my time with the member for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles.

I am extremely proud to speak today about Bill C-65, which is important legislation to address harassment and violence in federally regulated and parliamentary workplaces. Through this bill, our government is taking an important step toward building a country where Canadians are better protected from inappropriate behaviours, including sexual harassment and sexual violence, and where those who have experienced such abuse receive the support they need.

I was proud to sit on the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities for the duration of its study of Bill C-65 and was privileged to have the opportunity to propose amendments to this bill.

Legislation alone will not solve the problem of harassment and violence.

We know that a cultural shift is also needed.

Sadly, we live in a society that has tolerated workplace harassment and violence, that accepts power imbalances and gender norms and creates and reinforces these behaviours.

However, it is our view that Bill C-65 will go a long way in supporting a much-needed and long-overdue cultural shift. With this legislation, the government is sending a clear message that harassment and violence in the workplace, including parliamentary workplaces, is entirely unacceptable. The negative impact of these toxic behaviours on the individuals who experience them, as well as on their families and co-workers, is enormous.

During a visit to Edmonton earlier this year, I met with members of the Union of Safety and Justice Employees who worked in the extremely toxic environment that had developed at the Edmonton maximum security prison. I hope they are watching today as the bill moves through the House, knowing the information that they shared with me helped to frame my work on committee as we studied the bill.

Over the course of the committee hearings, we heard from many witnesses who described situations and incidents that no one should have to endure. We heard from Beisan Zubi, a former Parliament Hill staffer, who described some of the sexual harassment she witnessed and in some cases was subjected to herself during her time on the Hill. These experiences included touching, groping, comments and come-ons, and older men telling stories to a table of young staffers about their sexual encounters with young staffers. Ms. Zubi recounted how at one point her body was being discussed by others right in front of her.

As a young Parliament Hill staffer many years ago, I too experienced and witnessed this type of behaviour, which was tolerated and accepted then and continues to be tolerated in some circles today.

The unfortunate reality is that many people who are harassed have felt as though they had no choice but to leave. They felt fundamentally unsafe and unsupported, or they stayed because they had no other option for financial reasons or out of fear for their colleagues whom they would leave behind. I was told by one staff member at Edmonton Max that she could not leave the good ones behind to suffer the abuse on their own.

One of the issues that has come up over and over again, especially on Parliament Hill, has to do with defining harassment and violence. Since the #MeToo movement and the important discussion that followed, I have noticed that there is a lot of confusion about what is and is not appropriate behaviour.

That is why the committee introduced a definition of harassment into Bill C-65. It will help employees and supervisors understand how to conduct themselves in a respectful and appropriate manner in the workplace and learn what behaviours might be unwelcome or inadvertently harmful.

Many have stayed silent because they knew their complaints would not be treated seriously and that bringing a complaint forward might even result in negative repercussions from their employer. In many cases, supervisors themselves are the perpetrators. That is why we made an amendment to the bill at committee stage to allow employees to come forward to someone other than their direct supervisor, which would give them more options to report.

Many Canadians continue to work every day knowing they will be subjected to inappropriate behaviour from their co-workers or supervisors. This mentality is still deeply ingrained in our culture. These experiences are all too common and take place in all types of workplaces. Many women nod in recognition when I ask how many of them have taken a different route to get to their desk in the morning to avoid that one person.

There needs to be an understanding that this behaviour cannot and will not be tolerated and that this is a country where no one should have to endure harassment or violence of any kind.

To this end, we are putting into place a comprehensive approach that takes the full spectrum of harassment and violence in the workplace into consideration, and we are expanding coverage to parliamentary workplaces for the first time. This approach focuses on preventing these behaviours before they happen; responding effectively when they do occur; and supporting victims, survivors, and employees throughout the process.

Once the new process is put in place, we expect to see a better understanding of what workplace harassment and violence is and what behaviours are unacceptable, as well as more willingness among employees to speak up about this behaviour understanding that they have a right to be safe. Ultimately, we expect to see a culture change in the workplace where there is zero tolerance for harassment and violence.

We know that legislation can never be the only fix for the pervasiveness of harassment and violence in the workplace in Canada. Culture change requires work and it will take all of us, not just within government, to see that change through. Legislation is one tool our society has in its tool box and I am proud to have been part of this process to strengthen our laws around violence and harassment so that survivors have more support.

In order to drive a culture change in workplaces, we know that we need to play a more active role in raising awareness and educating workplace parties around the issue of harassment and violence in the workplace. We will work closely with employers and employees and other key stakeholders through the regulatory process to provide an opportunity for them to influence the design of the specific requirements of employers and employees.

We will also undertake extensive education and outreach to ensure that employees understand their rights and employers understand their roles and responsibilities. The good news is that a culture change is under way. The global movement against workplace harassment and violence on social media has brought a great deal of attention to the issue and has shed much-needed light on it. I am immensely impressed by the bravery of those who have shared their stories.

More and more people are having these conversations, not just in the media and in politics, but in workplaces around the world. They are more than just conversations, but transformational change in our understanding of healthy workplaces.

All members of the House agree on the importance of the bill and are committed to working together to get this important piece of legislation right. Throughout our committee hearings and during debate on the bill, there has been an unprecedented level of all-party co-operation, something that speaks to the importance of this legislation.

I am proud to speak to the bill today as I strongly believe it is a very important step forward in our efforts to improve our workplaces, one that would help create healthy, respectful environments where employees feel safe and are not afraid of reprisal, and where businesses increase their productivity and prevent losing talent and experience.

I would like to thank the departmental officials for their hard work in helping to put the bill together and also assisting us during the committee as we navigated the complex aspects of the bill. It was an honour to sit in with members of the committee as we studied the legislation. I extend a special thanks to the witnesses who shared their stories, their advice, and wisdom with the committee to inform our discussions. Finally, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all members of the House for their support in getting the bill to the next step in the parliamentary process.

[Employment, April 24th, 2018]

Mr. Speaker, our government has doubled the number of jobs for young Canadians through the Canada summer jobs program, making it our priority to ensure young people have the skills they need to succeed.

In my riding, I have heard first-hand the positive impact of this program for youth and employers, like the Oakville Soccer Club, Old World Stone, and St. Luke's Anglican Church. It helps youth save money for school, gain valuable skills, and contribute to their communities.

Could the minister update the House on Canada's summer jobs 2018?

[Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1, April 23rd, 2018]

Madam Speaker, we can look at what is going on in Canada right now. Just recently, UPS, which is headquartered in my riding, announced it would be investing $500 million to create 1,000 new jobs. I am really proud of that. It shows that businesses are confident in where the Canadian economy is going, so they are making the investments they need to grow their workforce in Canada. Five hundred million dollars is not a small investment to be making to create 1,000 jobs.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1, April 23rd, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I do not see any broken promises in this budget. In fact, I see the commitment our government is making to invest in Canadians.

We have the fastest growing economy in the G7 and we have one of the lowest debt-to-GDP ratios. This means we can invest in all Canadians today and ensure that everyone can participate in the economic recovery happening right now.

I am very proud of what is in the budget. I am very proud to be delivering on what we promised. We actually put a gender analysis on a budget for the first time in Canadian history, of which I am incredibly proud. I am proud to take it back to my riding of Oakville North—Burlington.

[Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 1, April 23rd, 2018]

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her party's advocacy on this issue.

There was a special committee on pay equity, which was one of the first things our government did after being elected, and it came forward with recommendations. I would be disappointed if anyone was cynical based on what was in the budget. We have committed to introducing proactive pay equity legislation, something this government feels is incredibly important for federally regulated employees to have. There is no reason that women in the workplace should not be making the same as their male counterparts.