Good afternoon, honourable members, staff and guests. Thank you so much for the opportunity to address this committee on the issue of gender-based violence and femicide against women, girls and gender-diverse people in Canada.

Today I'm appearing on behalf of McMaster University's Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office and bringing over 30 years of experience in working to end all forms of gender-based and sexual violence in my community and beyond.

Before I continue, I'd like to share this: Ten years ago, on October 21, 2014—almost to the day, actually—I appeared before another parliamentary committee to discuss the issue of gender-based violence as it relates to homicide. Back then, we didn't call it “femicide”. I'm deeply saddened and angered that 10 years later, in many aspects, the situation is worse for women, girls and gender-diverse people in Canada, despite legislative and funding improvements.

I know this committee understands that we're facing an epidemic of gender-based violence in Canada. As University of Ottawa researcher and expert Dr. Holly Johnson states:

Gender-based violence is perhaps the most wide-spread and socially tolerated of human rights violations. It both reflects and reinforces inequities between men and women and compromises the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims.

We also know that gender-based violence is systemic and disproportionately impacts certain groups of Canadian women, girls and gender-diverse people. For example, indigenous women are killed at nearly seven times the rate of non-indigenous women. I also want to take a moment to highlight how gender-based violence is a serious concern on college and university campuses across Canada, a situation that has only been heightened in the postpandemic context. Women aged 15 to 24 are five times more likely than women over 25 to be physically or sexually assaulted by a non-intimate partner.

I know I don't need to convince this committee about the seriousness of this problem. I understand that many previous speakers have shared statistics on the prevalence of GBV, including femicide, and not just for this study. We also have numerous Canadian reports and recommendations, and we have heard from thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of survivors over the years. The 2019 National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and trans and 2-spirit people released 231 calls for justice. In 2022, a Renfrew County inquest released 86 recommendations. In 2023, the Mass Casualty Commission released 130 recommendations, including 17 that specifically address gender-based violence. Seven provinces have domestic violence death review committees. Ontario had the first domestic violence death review committee in 2003. Since that time, they've reviewed over 500 deaths and made numerous recommendations. We have learned time and again that domestic violence deaths are preventable. Finally, we have a national action plan to end gender-based violence, and several provincial plans.

You might be wondering where I'm going with this. We have at our fingertips the evidence and best practices to proceed. We know what to do. As my colleague says, there's no shortage of recommendations, so what's getting in the way of our moving forward?

I can share with you that this feels frustrating, 30 years into this work, working with survivors who need things to change now and who are terrified for their lives, but I don't give up hope or stop working for change. I believe Canada can be a leader on ending all forms of gender-based violence, including femicide.

How do we get there? In addition to fully implementing the five pillars of our national action plan, I believe we need further coordination and accountability.

I want to share a promising approach that has the potential to facilitate real and lasting change and to help us move the needle. Last week, the Women's Legal Education and Action Fund released a report authored by Dr. Amanda Dale. It is entitled “What It Takes: Establishing a Gender-Based Violence Accountability Mechanism in Canada”. This excellent report outlines a path for the establishment of an independent gender-based violence commissioner, similar to an ombudsperson.

This office would strengthen the monitoring of Canada's adherence to international obligations concerning gender-based violence. This commissioner would also work in tandem with a national indigenous and human rights ombudsperson, which actually is call to justice 1.7. A report on this was just released on October 2, so it's quite relevant and timely. By creating an independent commissioner, Canada can join England, Wales, Finland and Australia as a leader in working to end all forms of gender-based violence and femicide.

Thank you.