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Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It's really nice to see all of my colleagues on the HUMA committee. My first questions are for Ms. McGee.

During this unprecedented time in history, as we've seen in other unprecedented times in history, critical social programs that have been created have collectively benefited all Canadians. There was, for example, employment insurance. I believe that now is a time in history when we have a chance to restructure our economy in a way that is more just and equitable for all. I recently introduced motion 46 in support of a guaranteed livable basic income that would be in addition to all current and future government and social programs, including accessible affordable social housing. How do you think a guaranteed annual livable income in Canada could help realize our international legal obligations to ensure the human right to housing?

Thank you very much. I completely agree with you and I think, knowing that we could be in this for two or three more years, we need an urgent response to ensure that we can keep people out of poverty. That being said, can you speak about the critical importance of ending homelessness and ensuring adequate housing for all within the government's COVID-19 response strategy? I know that in my riding of Winnipeg Centre, which is the third-poorest in the country, we now have families going into shelters because we just don't have enough houses even for families, and that means kids becoming homeless and living on the street. That's another reason to speak to the importance of guaranteed livable basic income. How, going forward, is this going to be critical in the emergency response to COVID-19?

Yes. I totally agree.

I have one last question for you. Do you believe the national housing strategy should be revised or revisited to consider the increased vulnerability and housing insecurity facing Canadians as a result of COVID-19? I think you've spoken to a lot of that. My concern is that we have a homeless crisis, certainly in Winnipeg Centre, that I believe will grow rapidly. How should the response change as the situation rapidly changes?

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My questions are for Madame Corriveau. I apologize that I will have to ask them in English. I am taking French classes, though so maybe the next time I can ask in French.

I really appreciated your comments on the need to invest not just in affordable housing but also in affordable social housing. There's a huge difference between the two. I want to speak more specifically about persons with disabilities who have been, in my opinion, completely disregarded during the pandemic, including in terms of our having a real housing strategy with real investments and affordable, accessible social housing. I'm wondering if you could speak more to that.

Just to expand on that, would you say it's important for the government to collect data? I know we talked about it for black and indigenous peoples. For persons with disabilities, there seems to be a real gap in data collection.

Can you expand on that, please?

Madame Corriveau, I have just one last question in that regard. Would you say that the failure to collect data further marginalizes disabled persons from accessing their human right to housing?

I have one last question on the national action plan.

Sorry. I had myriad questions.

Thank you, Chair.

I want to start off by saying thank you sincerely to the witnesses, Mr. Falconer and Mrs. Whitman, for their opening remarks, which were very powerful and very emotional. I think all members of the committee can agree that we very much appreciated them.

I have a number of questions for you, Mrs. Whitman. I hope we can fit them all in.

I am the shadow minister for diversity, inclusion and youth. My counterpart is Minister Chagger. Over a year ago, the Liberal government announced the anti-racism secretariat with the mandate to help end systemic racism in our institutions and to inform all government departments on how they can combat this, essentially. This was well over a year ago. We know that it's been in working order since at least June, from the minister's remarks.

Mrs. Whitman, you represent the Native Women's Association of Canada as their president. It is the most prominent advocacy group in Canada for native women. Have you been contacted by the anti-racism secretariat or Minister Chagger's office within the past year?

Actually, that leads really well into my next question. On June 3 you released a rather scathing report card of the Trudeau government regarding their response to the national inquiry for missing and murdered indigenous women, which we know was released over 14 months ago. My understanding is that the Liberal government was supposed to release a strategy implementation plan and they have not.

I have seen your comments in the news about enough consultation; time for action. Can you just comment for the Liberal members of this committee and for all members of this committee on what you want to see in this strategy plan, if it ever does get released by the government?

That was very well said, Mrs. Whitman. Thank you for those remarks. I appreciate them. I'm sure all members of the committee have heard them and I hope they are taken back to the ministers responsible for releasing the strategy from the Liberal government.

My last question is about human trafficking. We know this government has cut resources to several facilities combatting human trafficking in Canada. I know we see indications that indigenous women and girls are more likely to fall victim to human trafficking.

How can we better resource indigenous communities to stop women and girls from being victims of human trafficking? How can we also better staff our police to get women out of this horrendous industry?

That was very well said. I agree and I think all members of the committee would agree that we need more resources for these facilities to better support indigenous women and girls.

Thank you, Mrs. Whitman, for your candid remarks. We appreciate them.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'll just follow up on that line of questioning.

Your organization is part of the Canada service corps. Is that correct?

Did ESDC ever reach out to your organization to discuss what you could do in terms of programming in the COVID context?

I have a record of that call. It was on April 15. What did you say they told you? Was it that different organizations in CSC would be contacted to assist in providing the CSSG? Is that what you said?