Justice committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I want to start also by acknowledging the traditional territory on which I am currently, and on which you are meeting. As most of you know, I normally reside on Algonquin territory—right where you are—and this issue is very much linked to, as you already heard from our colleagues at the Native Women's Association of Canada, the ongoing impact of colonization, in particular on our indigenous women.

Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women committee  We agree, hence the reason we're trying to intervene there, because that would be a much more productive way, and that's what we have encouraged to happen. However, we are painfully aware of what happened in Fort St. John in particular, and what that is creating in terms of an incredible demand, a huge male work base that is brought in, and the huge demand for an influx of women to be made sexually available to those men.

Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women committee  In 2008 our organization changed our position from being a position of decriminalization across the board to the position we have now of calling for the decriminalization of women and girls always, and the continued indictment of the buying and selling of women and girls. Part of the reason we came to that position is the law....

Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women committee  The Nordic model is one of the examples. There are certainly.... One of the issues we're talking about is looking very much at a Canadian initiative. The Nordic model has with it many more of the social services and supports in place than we currently have in Canada. It would require a shoring up of the various supports that need to be in place, first and foremost.

Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women committee  I think the differential is very much based on inequality. If you start out in a less equal position, you end up in a less equal position, even though the law is supposed to apply equally. In terms of the economic disadvantage, the sexual disadvantage, and the fact that we don't have violence against women and girls taken seriously, whether in individual violence or not, despite efforts being taken by various parties and governments, the only time it seems to get attention paid to it is when it's an attempt to “responsiblize”, if I can use that term, the victims; that is, they have to learn ways to avoid being victimized.

Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women committee  Yes. We and the Native Women's Association of Canada did a piece on the hyper-responsibilization of indigenous women and girls.

Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women committee  It's putting the responsibility on them to get themselves out of a situation of being victimized and marginalized and oppressed.

Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women committee  I won't repeat what I already said, but it needs to be highlighted that the reason Human Rights Watch chose the title of the report, “Those Who Take Us Away” was, to pick up on Sue's point, that was their language, what they called the police. It's telling that it wouldn't be who you would go to if you interpreted or understood these people to be people who were taking you away.

Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women committee  It was part of why I mentioned in the context of an inquiry why that can be valuable, because many of the groups that have historically existed, including one that I mentioned, the Aboriginal Women's Action Network, don't have resources. Most of the groups that have been doing equality work in this country, particularly women's groups, have been literally wiped out in terms of being able to continue to do that work.

Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women committee  Thank you very much to the committee for inviting us. I also want to start by acknowledging the traditional territory on which we have the privilege of being, which is unceded Algonquin territory. Every day of the last 30 years that I have had the privilege and responsibility of walking in, and more importantly walking out of, federal penitentiaries and provincial and territorial jails, local police lock-ups and juvenile facilities, the colonial legacy that is the reality for our indigenous peoples is brought home.

Justice committee  I don't know if that's true.

Justice committee  We always support resources going to victims, but that wouldn't mean we'd support this legislation, because even if that—

Justice committee  It can't. We're back to a logical inconsistency: if people can't pay, they'll go to prison, and the result will be longer jail sentences—more expensive than the surcharge would have been in the first place—and people will end up in custody.

Justice committee  I don't know how you can't look at the legislation that way.

Justice committee  There may very well be, yes. There are some who haven't been—