Committee
Consult the user guide
For assistance, please contact us
Consult the user guide
For assistance, please contact us
Add search criteria
Results: 1 - 15 of 219
View Bob Bratina Profile
Lib. (ON)
I call this meeting to order.
I will start by acknowledging that in Ottawa we meet on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin people.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted on April 29, 2021, the committee is meeting on its study of the sex trafficking of indigenous peoples.
To ensure an orderly meeting, I'd like to outline some best practices.
Participants, you can speak and listen in the official language of your choice. At the bottom centre of your screen there's a globe. You select that globe and then select English or French as your preferred language. Then, as we proceed, if you wish to speak in the other language, there's no need to make any technical adjustments, but you should be on the language of your choice as we begin, so look for that.
When you speak, please speak slowly and clearly. When you're not speaking, your microphone should be on mute.
With us today for the rest of the time available to us are Trisha Baptie, community engagement coordinator of EVE, and Karen Pictou, executive director of the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association. Our witnesses will give opening statements. They are usually around six minutes, but we'll offer you as much time as you need to complete the sentiments that you wish to share.
I should tell you that when we go to questioning, there's no requirement to answer any questions that may cause you discomfort. We understand the sensitivity of things, so please don't ever feel that you need to engage in any question or other conversation that causes you discomfort.
Having said that, I'll ask Karen Pictou, the executive director of the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association, to present her testimony first.
Thank you. Go ahead, please.
View Arnold Viersen Profile
CPC (AB)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank our witnesses for being here today.
I want to acknowledge the pain and harm that you've experienced from traffickers and men who buy sex. I want to thank you for choosing to appear at this committee in spite of all your pain. I hope that we can bring our committee to some understanding of the realities that Canadians across this country face and help to prevent others from being trafficked, so thank you very much.
Previous witnesses talked a little bit about the role of group homes and child welfare systems as places where youth are lured from. I was wondering if I could get each of you to comment about that a little bit.
We'll start with Trisha.
View Lenore Zann Profile
Lib. (NS)
Thank you. Wela'lioq. I come to you today from the unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq here in Nova Scotia.
First of all I want to say thank you so much to each of the witnesses for their very moving stories and personal experiences, their lived experiences. It takes a lot of courage to speak out. It takes a lot of courage to share these stories with others, and until more people come forward and are heard and have people actually listening and ready to act, you're right to say that this cycle will continue.
Regarding human trafficking, Canada, our government, is guided right now by the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its supplementary protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children. It's been organized around four pillars: the prevention of trafficking, the protection of victims, the prosecution of offenders, and working in partnership with others. There's a new one that's been added, which is called empowerment.
They've added this particular new one to enhance supports and services to victims. I have to say there's about $75 million that is going to be coming over six years, including $57.22 million over five years, and with $10.28 million ongoing to implement an enhanced suite of initiatives to help strengthen our response and fill critical gaps.
That said, how much of this issue do you feel has to do with organized crime, and how much do you feel has to do with just individuals who are exploiting women and children?
Who would like to go first? Karen Pictou, would you like to go first, and then Ms. Perrier and Ms. Baptie and Ms.... I can't see your name there.
View Sylvie Bérubé Profile
BQ (QC)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am in the constituency of Abitibi—Baie‑James—Nunavik—Eeyou, on the unceded territory of the Cree and the Anishinaabe.
Everything you have said today is very harrowing. You have a lot of courage to be here before the committee today. You have gone through terrible things: exploitation and violence. Once again, I greatly admire the strength that you are showing by being here today.
Let's talk about the way trafficking young children starts.
How do you know that those children have been subjected to it? Is there a process? How did you manage to get out?
You can all answer my questions.
View Rachel Blaney Profile
NDP (BC)
Thank you, Chair, and I want to thank all of you for your testimony. I think the history of indigenous women being trafficked is Canadian history that goes so far back. I think of my granny, who was in residential school and at 16 got married off to a carpenter in the community who was significantly older than she was. I remember hearing that story and thinking, “That explains some things.”
I want to thank you all for telling that story, and for also understanding how systemic it is in our system.
My first question is going to come to you, Karen. You talked about the government cutting money while you're being asked to do even more. I heard testimony from everyone about the lack of resources and not knowing where to put people who are trying to escape trafficking.
I wonder if I could come to you first, Karen, and then I will come to you, Madame Gobert, because I haven't heard from you yet. I would love to have you answer that question, and then I'll continue on.
View Rachel Blaney Profile
NDP (BC)
Thank you for that.
Ms. Perrier, you talked about people having to stay in your house because there's nowhere to send them. I'm curious as to whether you could talk about the concern you have around a limit of resources and not having a place to send folks so that they are safe.
View Gary Vidal Profile
CPC (SK)
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I too want to thank our witnesses today. I'm not going to pretend to be able to even acknowledge the pain and the suffering that you've experienced in some of your journeys. I can't even imagine that. However, I want to thank you for coming and sharing your journeys with us to help us understand this as parliamentarians and try to move forward in a way that might offer some solutions for the future. I appreciate that.
Over 50% of the survivors of sex trafficking in Canada are indigenous women and girls, even though they make up 4% of the population. This is obviously a huge challenge.
You've referred to a number of things as you've each spoken. We've talked about the child welfare system. We've talked about public policy changes. We've talked about exit strategies. We've talked about a number of different things. What I'm looking for from each of you is just a recommendation that would be very significant from a prevention perspective. I get the challenges exit-wise, but how do we stop it in the first place? What are some really practical things that the Government of Canada could do that would help to prevent young women and ladies from even being put in this place?
I think I'll start with Ms. Gobert because she hasn't had an awful lot of opportunity today, and then each of the other witnesses could take a minute of my time and answer that question if they can.
View Jaime Battiste Profile
Lib. (NS)
Yes, thank you. My question is going to be for Karen Pictou.
Karen, I want you to talk a little bit about the Jane Paul centre and the resiliency centre that you have planned. How are these important examples of how we can use part of the money with the missing and murdered indigenous women's group to prevent violence against women, and racism as well?
View Jaime Battiste Profile
Lib. (NS)
No, it was a good response.
Something I've always been curious about is this: If someone is seeking to leave trafficking and someone is in crisis or they feel they are vulnerable, what are the supports available for that person? Can they just call 911? Do they have culturally sensitive, relevant supports available so that they can just dial a number or send a text or log on to a website? Can you tell me what someone would be able to do and whether that is working?
View Sylvie Bérubé Profile
BQ (QC)
In your introduction, you mentioned some programs, especially education programs. You said that a Pandora's box must be opened and that political changes must be made. What are your recommendations for making those political changes?
View Rachel Blaney Profile
NDP (BC)
Thank you, Chair. I will go to Trisha.
You didn't get a chance to answer my question, and I will frame it specifically for you, based on your previous testimony.
You talked about the area where trafficked indigenous persons are and the fact that the aboriginal housing is right there. The services are a couple of blocks away, and they're staying in that area because they don't have an alternative.
When we talked about having the resources to support people who are trying to get out, you talked about the ability to leave and how beneficial resources are for you. Do you see a gap there in this particular case?
View John McKay Profile
Lib. (ON)
I call the meeting to order.
This is the 37th meeting of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security. It is a study on the current situation in federal prisons in relation to the Correctional Service of Canada.
I apologize for cutting the witnesses short last time, and it looks like we might cut the witnesses short this time. As you can see, we're waiting for votes, and I may ask for the indulgence of colleagues to gain as much time as possible out of this portion of the meeting.
With that, we're going to turn to Ms. Stubbs for six minutes.
View Shannon Stubbs Profile
CPC (AB)
View Shannon Stubbs Profile
2021-06-21 15:44
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Yes, I hope we'll be able to hear more from all of the witnesses. The testimony at the last meeting was very compelling and in some cases extremely troubling and disturbing.
I note that Jeff Wilkins, the head of the union for correctional officers, didn't get any opportunity to answer questions last time. I'm going to focus on some questions for him in my time, and I hope that everybody else will also be able to speak during this meeting.
Mr. Wilkins, I'm wondering if you wanted to explain for us laymen and for Canadians who might be watching what the are differences between solitary confinement and administrative segregation, with a specific focus on prisoner and correctional officer safety, and if you want to expand on any comments on whether or not, in your experience, solitary confinement impacts or either improves or worsens an offender's chance for rehabilitation.
View Shannon Stubbs Profile
CPC (AB)
View Shannon Stubbs Profile
2021-06-21 15:48
Thank you.
I know that a John Howard report has said that solitary confinement has been used as a means of population control in chronically overcrowded prisons. Have you or any of your members observed that?
View Shannon Stubbs Profile
CPC (AB)
View Shannon Stubbs Profile
2021-06-21 15:49
Mr. Wilkins, on the issue of the management of COVID-19 in correctional institutions—because this is part of the motion—I wonder if you want to let people know what the experience has been like for your members, for staff and for offenders in penitentiaries over the past year. Also, do you have any comments in terms of the vaccination pilot program and the ways in which that was done for correctional officers and support staff within institutions, as well as for offenders?
Results: 1 - 15 of 219 | Page: 1 of 15

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
>
>|
Export As: XML CSV RSS

For more data options, please see Open Data