FEWO Committee Report

Complementary opinion of the Bloc Québécois

The Bloc Québécois would like to reiterate that the mental health of young women and girls is an important issue that we take very seriously and that must be addressed quickly. It is true that the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated this problem which was already very present before.

In addition, it is important to mention that the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has had disproportionate effects on women and girls. Social isolation, increased cyber-violence and domestic violence, and many of the gender stereotypes that are still present have had a negative impact on women's overall health but particularly on their mental health.

According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, hospitalizations for eating disorders among young women jumped by more than 50% during the Covid pandemic[1]. The pandemic also led to a significant increase in the number of women who were hospitalized for eating disorders. In addition, the pandemic has led to an increased presence of youth on social networks. The online hate and hypersexualization this increased presence has led to has had a major impact on the mental health of girls and women. Therefore, it is important to take action and coordinate efforts between different levels of government to address this issue.

Indeed, the Bloc Québécois' position differs regarding the established methods followed to respond to this major problem. Health, and more specifically mental health, is the exclusive jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces, and the federal government's role must be complementary to the provincial governments and not restrictive or intrusive.

The Bloc Québécois is providing this complementary opinion to explain that we do not disagree with the foundations and principles of this report but rather with the measures suggested to address the problem. Indeed, almost all the recommendations proposed in this report suggest that the federal government is interfering in the areas of jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces.

The federal government is increasingly interfering in Quebec's jurisdictions. It is implementing project-based and ad hoc programs, which is not what organizations in the field are asking for. Stable and recurrent funding is provided by the Quebec and provincial governments which have the necessary skills and are much closer to the reality happening. The situation is critical. In Quebec, we know the health network and community organizations have no shortage of projects and initiatives concerning access to mental health services.

One of the major problems, however, is the critical lack of funding. To meet this demand, the Quebec government must necessarily increase its budget for the health care system. We therefore believe the federal government must contribute its fair share and adequately fund the provinces and territories by transferring the missing funds to them without conditions.

Our recommendations:

• That the Government of Canada increase health transfers to Quebec and the provinces to a sustainable level of 35%, without conditions;
• That the Government of Canada adopt a clear legislative framework regarding cyberviolences, hate and online hate speech that disproportionately affects women, girls and marginalized groups in our society.