:
Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
If you don't mind, I will make my opening statement, as planned. I will then be available to take questions from members of the Committee.
Madam Chair, Committee members, I am pleased to be here to outline the Government of Canada's commitment to women's full participation in Canadian society and Status of Women Canada's recent accomplishments. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Chair on her re-election, and congratulate Ms. Davidson and Ms. Mathyssen on their election as Vice-Chairs.
I am accompanied by Clare Beckton, the Coordinator of Status of Women Canada, whom you have already met twice. I understand the Committee has begun its study on gender budgeting. This is an area of great interest as we prepare for the 2008 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women deliberations, on the theme “Financing of Gender Equality”.
In the Speech from the Throne, our government's current five priorities were outlined: strengthening Canada's sovereignty and place in the world; strengthening the federation and democratic institutions; providing effective economic leadership for a prosperous future; tackling crime and strengthening the security of Canadians; and, improving the environment and health of Canadians.
Status of Women Canada's work is aligned with these priorities, focussing on the broader barriers facing women, by working in several policy areas related to women's economic security and violence against women. Status of Women Canada's two key instruments for action—its strategic policy and partnership function, and its funding mechanisms—are interrelated and inform each other.
This positions the organization well to address the barriers to women's full participation in society—barriers that often go even deeper for visible minority, immigrant, senior and Aboriginal women.
[English]
As a demonstration of our firm commitment to the success of Status of Women Canada, Budget 2007 provided $10 million in funding to the agency, bringing the total budget to $29.9 million, a record for Status of Women Canada. The women's program of Status of Women Canada now houses both the women's community fund and the new women's partnership fund.
[Translation]
In October, I announced $8 million in funding for 60 projects across the country through the Women's Community Fund from the first call for proposals, issued last June. These projects will positively impact over 260,000 women and girls by addressing barriers, educating them about violence prevention, helping them increase their financial literacy, and encouraging cooperative peer support networks.
In November, I announced a second call for proposals for the Women's Community Fund. That call closed on December 21, 2007. I am pleased to report that 342 applications were received—a significant increase from the first call for proposals. The focus is on projects that promote women's economic security and prosperity, health and safety, and those aimed at ending all forms of discrimination and violence against women. All projects must support the advancement of all women in Canada and serve to foster partnerships to meet women's needs.
At the end of last year, I announced the first initiative under the new Women's Partnership Fund, with my provincial counterpart in Quebec, Mme Christine St-Pierre, and the École nationale d'administration publique.
Through funding over three years of $1.05 million from the Government of Canada, and $600,000 from the Government of Quebec, the Groupe Femmes, Politique et Démocratie will provide leadership training for women who mentor other Quebec women seeking to participate in the democratic process.
A strong country means a country in which women can participate, make a contribution and realize their dreams.
Violence against women and girls is a major concern to Canadians. It is, therefore, a key priority for Status of Women Canada to reduce violence directed towards women. In particular, Aboriginal women in the North experience higher rates of violence and unemployment, lower-quality living conditions, and less access to health care, social services and other supports. Renewed attention to Canada's North will promote economic and social development, including better living conditions, directly benefiting the women who live there.
[English]
Status of Women Canada's ongoing partnership with the Native Women's Association of Canada is improving the lives of aboriginal women through the Sisters in Spirit campaign, addressing racialized, sexualized violence against aboriginal women.
At the first National Aboriginal Women's Summit, which took place in June 2007 in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Canada announced funding of almost $56 million over five years for family violence prevention programs and on-reserve services.
[Translation]
The Government's commitment to re-introduce legislation to repeal section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act is good news for Aboriginal women living on-reserve—providing them with access to the same rights as other Canadian women. This is an issue on which Status of Women Canada has been very engaged, providing evidence of the impact of Section 67 on women.
Trafficking in persons remains a serious and growing concern for women and girls, both in Canada and beyond our borders, which the Committee knows well from its work in this area. I am pleased that it is your intention to continue this work.
Budget 2007 allocated $6 million to combat the serious, growing issue of child exploitation and trafficking. As the Vancouver 2010 Olympics approach, our Government is taking action to combat the trafficking of young women and girls.
The RCMP leads a team of federal partners and other officials, including Status of Women Canada, which enhances knowledge, skills and enforcement of laws on trafficking and the services required by victims of this deplorable practice.
My ministerial colleagues will have the opportunity to discuss this further at their next appearance before the Standing Committee.
Economic security remains a challenge for many Canadian women. Accordingly, another top priority for Status of Women Canada is advancing women's economic security and prosperity.
[English]
I'm pleased to be working with the forum of federal-provincial-territorial ministers responsible for the Status of Women to promote women's self-sufficiency, safety, and security and to improve the situation of aboriginal women in Canada.
The growth in women's workforce participation, including older workers, will drive economic growth and long-term productivity for the next several decades and beyond, from which all Canadians will benefit.
While women's labour force participation has increased, there is still much work to do. The Department of Finance conducted a gender-based analysis with a focus on tax measures in both Budget 2006 and Budget 2007, and will do so going forward. This is essential if women are to participate fully in the economic life of the country.
[Translation]
Achieving concrete results requires the ability to monitor and measure progress, based on policy and program objectives linked to accountability and measurable outcomes. As a result, Status of Women Canada is working with central agencies and key departments to integrate gender reporting into government accountability mechanisms, and create a set of indicators to measure the situation of women over time.
:
Thank you very much for your question, Mr. Stanton.
Approximately 60 projects were announced in the fall. Let me give you a few examples.
In New Brunswick, funding will support a project aimed at eliminating the unique barriers facing rural women who are victims of violence in a non-urban setting.
In Quebec, funding will support a project aimed at raising awareness among young women between the ages of 9 and 17 with respect to the danger of violence against women.
In Ontario, funding will support a project that will twin immigrant and refugee women with mentors, in order to facilitate their transition to full-time employment or help them start their own business.
In British Columbia, funding will support a project to address the marginalization and social exclusion of visible minority women, as well as Aboriginal women and girls.
At the national level, funding will support a number of projects, including one aimed at enhancing the financial literacy of Aboriginal women, in order to prepare them to return to their community after they have accessed accommodation services.
In Alberta, funding will support a project that will help Aboriginal women living in urban areas to improve their lives through support and mentoring activities, with a view to enhancing their economic status.
As you can see, all of these projects will help women directly, to ensure not only their own economic security, but their ability to contribute to the democratic life of this country.
Minister, thank you very much for coming here this morning.
I must confess I'm having some difficulty following what I believe to be wordsmithing around the word “equality”. I need some clarity. Well, I have two lines of questioning, but I need some clarity.
Is the Status of Women program, the overall program, now dedicated to advancing the equality of women in Canada? And does that mean that organizations such as Women and the Law will now receive funding? Will it mean that organizations that have had their funding cut because they advocate on behalf of women's equality in a whole host of areas will receive funding? That's my first line of questioning.
We've looked at your website. There was an objection because we were looking at our BlackBerrys, but we were looking at your website. Quite frankly, we found one insertion, but only one insertion there. So I'm fearful we're being wordsmithed somewhat here, as are the groups that are applying for funding in the field. I'm hearing from them about the wordsmithing they're having to do in order to access funding. I find the whole process somewhat duplicitous and misleading.
My other line of questioning--which I want to get on the record before my time runs out--is that you've frequently referenced international organizations here, such as the UN and your work internationally. When we were studying the impact of the court challenges program, we were commenting on CEDAW. We heard from REAL Women that CEDAW is not to be taken seriously and that we shouldn't pay attention to what CEDAW says. I'd like to know whether you believe that we do have obligations to CEDAW.
In the election campaign, the Prime Minister--as I'm sure you're aware--signed the CEDAW pledge, which we believe has not been honoured. So I'd like to know whether you agree with REAL Women and if that's why it has not been honoured.
As an aside, I'd like to know whether REAL Women has received funding from your program.
:
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Minister and Ms. Beckton, thank you for being with us this morning.
Minister, having heard your opening statement, I have four questions for you. I would like to ask them one after the other, and you can answer them in the same manner.
First of all, with respect to gender budgeting, previously there was a person who had been trained in the departments by Status of Women Canada and was responsible for gender analysis. It would seem that these individuals are no longer receiving training from Status of Women Canada. Are you able to confirm, or not confirm, that information?
Also, shelters for Aboriginal women received special funding this year in order to meet the needs of Aboriginal communities. However, we know that the money provided is not enough. Is it your intention to increase funding for Aboriginal women who are victims of violence on an ongoing basis?
Thirdly, you mentioned that you went to Afghanistan and met with the Minister responsible for the Status of Women in that country. However, the Afghan Parliament included only one women, Ms. Malalai Joya. She was expelled from the Government for speaking out against the warlords. Have you pressured the Afghan government to demand that Ms. Joya be reinstated?
And, here is my last question: you say that you want to improve women's economic security. Do you think it could be important to introduce new, proactive legislation to achieve pay equity?
I have a question, and I'd also like you to answer my question in regard to why the previous minister did not take the advice of the bureaucracy in regard to the program change. Also, in regard to your statements about the mandate change, we've looked at the website and, yes, you've changed the front page, but there are no changes in funding, and this concerns me.
You've talked to this committee about all these positive changes you've made, but I hearken back to last June. I went to Kampala with the Minister of State to the eighth Commonwealth women's summit. The booklet that was presented to members of the Commonwealth showed the old mandate. It indicated that Canada, that SWC, was still funding advocacy, research, lobbying, and it had been months and months and months since that change was made. I fear, Minister, that SWC and the Government of Canada and the Minister of State were misleading the members of the Commonwealth. I fear that in this semantic prescription of the mandate in regard to Status of Women now, you're misrepresenting the reality.
I'd like you to comment on the failure to follow the advice of the bureaucrats in regard to not changing the mandate, the fact that the funding hasn't changed, and that in the Commonwealth meeting misinformation was presented to members of the Commonwealth.
:
Minister, this brings us to the close of the meeting. What I'd like to do is just wrap up. Generally the chair does not take advantage of this, but I have been listening to you, and there are two things that are of grave concern to me. That grave concern is that you've been talking about economic security for women. We had rural women come before us who were accessing the regional offices to help their economic enhancement. We are a little concerned that with the closing of those offices, it is the rural women, the very vulnerable women, whom you're not helping.
Could you give us an idea, in your closing remarks, what you're going to do with the twelve regional offices that you have closed? This is now debilitating women's economic enhancement.
Second, you have been stating—and I read your paper very carefully—that the government has increased the budget by 40% over 2006. In 2007, you increased the budget by 40%, but in 2006 you cut the operational budget by 100%. So if you increased it by 40%, you still have a shortfall of 60% of the budget for the operating office.
If you're not able to answer that question because it is operational, perhaps you can send us some information back on that specific issue, because wordsmithing will not help me. The mindset is that if you cut 100%, yes, year over year you've increased by 40%, but really that doesn't help economic enhancement.
So if you could wrap up your remarks, I'd really appreciate it.
Thank you.