Status of Women committee  I'm saying the challenge is the same, yes. Often I do meet with a lot of clients, men and women, and I ask them what they are seeing. The two things they're coming back with are access to financing, and recruiting and retaining talent. It's the same for men and women.

Status of Women committee  One of the challenges women are facing is the work-life balance in terms of that, as well.

Status of Women committee  From the bank's perspective, I'm not hearing that. Clients aren't telling me that is a concern of theirs. If I could speak personally to it, that would be a different thing, but from the bank's perspective, I'm not hearing that. When I speak to entrepreneurs and ask them what their challenges are—and it's about the same for both men and women—it is access to financing.

Status of Women committee  Certainly, what we're seeing is that the external challenges are similar for both men and women. According to a Statistics Canada survey on small and medium-sized enterprises, it states that the requests and approval rates are similar for both men and women. I don't have that information from the BDC perspective, but I would assume that it is in line with that.

Status of Women committee  There are usually four things that I think I learned on my first day with the bank 15 years ago. We always look at the management, the earnings, security, and investment. We look at the management, whether it's a female or male applicant, in terms of what their expertise is, where they come from, what they are bringing to the table.

Status of Women committee  Distinguished members of Parliament, mesdames et messieurs, good afternoon. It's certainly a pleasure to be here today. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to help inform the committee on the economic leadership and prosperity of Canadian women by presenting to you how BDC supports women in business.