Status of Women committee  When I take students to women in prison, that is almost the most transformative experience they have. I find that very ironic--the most disadvantaged people are giving the biggest gift to my students. So I agree with Beverley's comment. I hope there's something in your report about the education system and what we need to do, because students are being profoundly affected by those opportunities to meet aboriginal women.

Status of Women committee  It's interesting that you would bring up the residential schools, because in my class today we were talking about the residential schools. These are second-year criminology students. I asked how many in the class had heard of residential schools, and virtually everybody had. Then I asked what was their notion, one thing they thought they knew for sure about residential schools, and just in polling that one group who are studying criminology, the amount of inaccuracy and error was high, and there was even some denial that things had really happened.

Status of Women committee  I was going to say, with respect to aboriginal people, if we accept that the legacy of the residential schools plays a factor, then you have a strong history here, in British Columbia, of a residential school system, and not particularly well-run residential schools in the west.

Status of Women committee  When I was on the task force on federally sentenced women, we had six suicides during the course of the task force. I remember a woman, Sandy Sayer, who ultimately committed suicide. She didn't have any hope for herself. She had hope for our task force, and she wrote a very poignant submission to us.

Status of Women committee  As a person who is not an aboriginal person, I am interested in some recommendations that would be targeted towards non-aboriginal communities, the larger community, and the “us and them” mentality. I alluded earlier to the inhospitable climate that we have in our country, that starts with....

Status of Women committee  Merci. I was using it as a way to talk about concerns about aboriginal women. And I like those concepts of belonging and mastery and independence and generosity as concepts that are key in the aboriginal community. I think for women coming out of prison, which is the area I know best, these are key things we could build recommendations around.

Status of Women committee  We know from the research that community-based programs work better. They do. And it makes sense, when you think about it. That doesn't mean that I don't think people can learn some things in prisons. In fact, one of the ironic things is that it's in prison that aboriginal women sometimes find out about their culture for the very first time.

Status of Women committee  I'll stop right there.

Status of Women committee  Excellent. Thank you.

Status of Women committee  Thank you. I want to correct this right away, because someone thinks a criminologist has arrived; it's my second career. I don't think I'm here in my criminology capacity, although I am teaching in areas related to the subject matter we're talking about today. I think it's my experience...33 years with the criminal justice system, and my volunteer work now, both with the residential schools dispute resolution process and as a member of the Keepers of the Vision for the healing lodge for Corrections Canada and Okimaw Ohci in southwest Saskatchewan.