Status of Women Committee on Feb. 29th, 2012

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

That's still four offices.

[Pascale Robichaud]

National aboriginal is my unit.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Okay, so there are five offices in total, one of them being national, also based in Ottawa, yes?

[Pascale Robichaud]

There are, yes.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Okay, great. I started being confused there because I know there used to be 16, and 12 were closed, so I wasn't sure what had happened there.

[Linda Savoie]

I think I created that confusion.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

That's okay. It's clear to me now.

We also talked about the fact that we went from $10 million.... When was that funding?

[Linda Savoie]

It was in 2007.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

It went to $19 million in 2007.

I have a question about what has happened to the community fund and the partnership fund. I can't seem to find it anymore, but it looks like.... In the role it says “develop and strengthen partnerships with federal partners to work....” You seemed to be talking.... Is it now absorbed into the women's program?

[Linda Savoie]

The $10 million or $19 million is not allocated under either fund specifically, so our total funding envelope is unrelated to which mechanism we use to get the money out. Whether it was a community fund project or a partnership fund project was simply the mechanism that was used to seek the project and assess the project.

Basically, over the last two years that distinction, which was becoming a little bit artificial, has faded. We look at all our projects as benefiting from having partners. Having isolated what was the community fund in the past gave people the impression that partners were not necessary in a community fund project, when in fact the partnerships are a tool toward sustainability.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

If that's what's best, then that's good. In that case, what are we now talking about? Is the funding that was previously for the community partnership funds now also agglomerated into the women's program, and that could maybe account for the difference in funding, or is it really an increase in funding?

[Linda Savoie]

No, it's really an increase. It's all women's programs funding. Grants and contributions for the agency were in the order of approximately $10 million and are now approximately $19 million, no matter what fund or mechanism.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

Okay. But over a longer period of time it's not really an increase, because under the previous governments, before the Conservative government, it was closer to $20 million. Am I correct?

[Linda Savoie]

I have data only back to—let me see—2005, I believe. In terms of grants and contributions, our budget was approximately $11 million back then. In 2006-07 it was close to $12 million, and it jumped in 2007-08 to $18 million, and went on and on.

[Mylène Freeman, NDP, Argenteuil—Papineau—Mirabel, QC]

This isn't—

[The Chair, NDP, Irene Mathyssen]

Thank you. I'm sorry. That will have to wait until the next round.

Now we'll go to Madam Ambler for five minutes, please.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you to our guests for being here today and for their informative presentations.

I noted with interest that the minister recently announced a program to support young girls in leadership roles. It's specifically based on a pilot project in Toronto called Protégé. My understanding of this program is that it encourages leadership in young women by allowing them to job-shadow municipal councillors. Perhaps there's more to it than that, but that's the part I know about.

In fact, a number of us here participated back in November or December, I think, in a similar program that McGill University has. I think it's called Women in the House. I had a young fourth-year environmental studies student shadow me for the day. I thought that was great. I would have loved to have had that sort of opportunity to shadow a councillor or a member of Parliament when I was younger.

I was wondering if you could tell us about that project, its purpose, and how it's going.

[Linda Savoie]

That would be the project with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the FCM...?

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

Yes.

[Pascale Robichaud]

The project started a few months ago. What you described is very true: it's job shadowing, six hours per week, and it's taking place in four different communities, Edmonton being one of them. Unfortunately, the other three escape me, but I can send you the information.

It's also to make sure that while they are job shadowing the women can also try to be on boards during the period of the program and afterward, so they're working with different agencies and boards to make sure there is some continuity. It's also to help them develop skills and leadership skills to run for municipal campaigns, so yes, it is basically.... And it is going as planned. It's going well—

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

That's great.

[Pascale Robichaud]

I don't necessarily have the interim report in front of me, but I know that it's a project that is going well. The FCM has a very strong capacity to deliver that kind of project. They're very knowledgeable. It's going pretty well right now.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

Do you have any idea of how many young women are involved?

[Pascale Robichaud]

Right now I know that they're still recruiting. I know that they have recruited. I don't have the exact number. I'm waiting for my interim report, unfortunately, so I probably will be able to give you more information in a couple of weeks. I should get the report then.

[Stella Ambler, Conservative, Mississauga South, ON]

Okay.

Is it joint funding with Status of Women Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities?