SoVote

May/2/23 6:55:07 p.m.
Watch

Madam Chair, I think I just have to look at what has been going on so far. It has been almost four years since the national inquiry. In 2020, the government released $724.1 million to address the crisis of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls. The money is there. How much has it spent? Only 5%. No new shelters and no new transitional homes have been built. This system is already in place. All we need is the political will to put it in place. We have Amber Alerts for child. We have weather alerts. This system is already in place. I have spoken to a minister across the way about this initiative. We were planning to set up meetings, but we do not need to meet for the sake of meetings. We need to meet with a tangible goal to have immediate action. There has been enough talking. The government needs to act now as it is costing lives.

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Context: House Hansard - 189 - May/2/23

Mrs. Dominique Vien

May/2/23 7:22:55 p.m.
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Madam Chair, they are like building blocks that can be stacked up, one on top of the other. There are so many solutions that could be implemented. My colleagues have gone over them: shelters, halfway houses, or safe houses for these women and girls who wind up on the street, with nothing, at the mercy of bad people who can sense their vulnerability. I want to say that I am distraught at the increase in violence that we are currently seeing in Montreal and elsewhere. Yesterday, a colleague delivered a member's statement about rising violence in other provinces. There has been a 32% increase in violent crime and a 92% increase in gang-related crime. That is the setting that vulnerable women and girls like indigenous women find themselves in. That is something that needs to change. Criminals should be in jail, not on the streets.

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Context: House Hansard - 189 - May/2/23

Ms. Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre, NDP)

May/2/23 7:52:20 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, my hon. colleague spoke about all this money. I am going to mention some of that money. Of $724.1 million that was issued in the 2020 budget, only 5% has been spent. Meanwhile, women are being murdered and going missing. We are dying on the streets, and they are throwing us in landfills. Although I was very pleased that there was support given for searching, the current government has failed to invest in keeping us alive, in real time. The minister talks about all this money: $1.6 million over six years. He knows very well that this funding is completely inadequate. I will tell members how I know that; it is because we continue to go missing and be murdered. The government, in real time, is cutting $150 million for women's shelters in September because it was emergency support given during the pandemic. I will tell members something. Gender-based violence was a crisis before the pandemic, and it has increased since the pandemic. The government should not be cutting back resources from shelters; it needs to be increasing these resources. We have a right to be safe, and we have a right to justice. The time for waiting for the government to figure it out is over. When is the minister going to get that money out the door? How is he going to ensure that women who are survivors of violence, family members of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls, trans women and nonconforming women who are impacted by this violence are actually going to be able to lead these discussions?

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Context: House Hansard - 189 - May/2/23

Hon. Marc Miller

May/2/23 7:54:42 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, again, as easy as it is to stand here in this place and talk about historic sums that have been invested, it is equally easy to stand up and dismiss them. I think the member is accurate on a very important point. No one in the House should be talking about success until every woman and child and 2SLGBTQ person who is indigenous is safe in this country. This tragedy is indeed ongoing. I want to address one point, which is the shelters. They need to get out faster, and I will absolutely concede that. Half of the money that she spoke about is dedicated to the continuing operation of these shelters, and the other half dedicated to creating shelters across the country outside of the “reserves” reality. This is indispensable in her riding, and she knows it. It exists in my riding in downtown Montreal. That need is crying to us, and we cannot get it out fast enough. We are looking forward to some announcements in the very near future to make sure that people have those shelters available to them. It is never right to ask for patience, because people are going missing every day, but I do expect a number of those announcements to be coming out in the very short term.

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Context: House Hansard - 189 - May/2/23

Ms. Jenna Sudds

May/2/23 8:57:27 p.m.
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Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague across the way for her advocacy. It is a pleasure working with her on FEWO, and like was said by another member across the way, continuing to learn from her as well. It is fair to say we will continue to walk the path of reconciliation with indigenous people. Women, children, 2SLGBTQIA+ and two-spirit individuals are at the centre of the work that the ministry and I continue to do. With respect to funding specifically for shelters, what I would like to point out is that undoubtedly our government stepped up when COVID hit and additional funds were put in place to ensure women had a safe place to land. Further to that, where we are now, I am quite happy to say we have now an agreement on the national action plan to end gender-based violence with the provinces and territories. That is $539 million we are putting in their hands to help direct those resources to the shelters and to the communities and resources that need it most. I do believe by working closely with community, with indigenous people, this money will be spent in the best possible way to ensure women, girls, 2SLGBTQIA+ and two-spirit individuals have a safe place to land.

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