I'm calling the meeting to order. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), this is a study on maternal and child health.
On March 31, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women passed the following motion:
That the Committee invite the Minister of International Cooperation, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister State (Status of Women) to appear before the Committee to present a detailed plan of the maternal and child health strategy which the Prime Minister intends to present to the other G8 leaders before their scheduled meeting in June.
This is why we're here today. Two ministers are here: the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister for the Status of Women, and the Honourable Bev Oda, Minister of International Cooperation.
We also have witnesses who are here to support the ministers. They are: Suzanne Clément, coordinator, head of agency, Status of Women Canada, and Suzanne Cooper, research analyst, and, from the Canadian International Development Agency, Margaret Biggs, president.
Before we begin, I will let everyone know that you are each allowed 10 minutes to present. That's the rule at this committee. I will give you a signal when you have two minutes left. At the end of 10 minutes, there will be rounds of questions and we will try to get in as many rounds as we can.
We will now hear presentations. I'll begin with the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister for the Status of Women.
Minister.