Status of Women committee  Yes, I will continue. The $5 million budget cut will apply starting next April 1st to future years.

Status of Women committee  Five million dollars will be cut from Status of Women Canada's operating budget.

Status of Women committee  We're still talking about the same $5 million.

Status of Women committee  Some cuts announced by the Treasury Board apply to the current and the next fiscal years. The cuts do not apply to us this year. They will only come into effect starting on April 1st.

Status of Women committee  That's why we are not in a position to give you the details today. That work remains to be done.

Status of Women committee  What the Minister is saying is that in the next few years, we will be working with her to determine how the $5 million in cuts will be made. That's what she said.

Status of Women committee  Yes, I'll give you one example. It's the Sisters in Spirit initiative of the government, which Status of Women is coordinating. That initiative came about a year ago. The government had identified $5 million over five years to go to the NWAC, the Native Women's Association of Canada.

Status of Women committee  I know that there are a number of funding programs. The $10.8 million funds a number of groups with different interests. Perhaps Jackie Claxton, who is the director general of the women's programs, can give you some idea of the kinds of initiatives that we have taken and that we have with some aboriginal women's groups and other groups that are interested in immigration.

Status of Women committee  A number of policies have begun to help immigrant women. Obviously some barriers still remain, and the minister was acknowledging that. The work that's been done on foreign credentials is essential. A lot of women and, as the minister said, a lot of men in Canada have come to this country expecting that they can be full participants, and when they come here their credentials are not recognized.

Status of Women committee  That pre-exist, yes. As the minister said, we're fortunate in Canada that our Charter of Rights does guarantee equality. What often happens to women who are immigrants particularly is that they're not necessarily informed of their rights or are not knowledgeable about their rights.

Status of Women committee  I must say that in the last year, and you will see that from our response to the standing committee report, a lot of effort has been put into making sure the central agencies, which are really key to holding departments accountable, are playing a key role in making sure that gender-based analysis is implemented on policies and programs.

Status of Women committee  The cuts apply only in the next fiscal year, so we're talking about 2007-08. The cut is for $5 million, to look for efficiencies in the operations of the agency. It's too soon to tell. We were only informed of the magnitude of the cuts recently. We will be working in the coming weeks with the minister and others to find the appropriate means to apply the savings that the government has requested, but also to continue to improve women's lives and bring tangible results for the women of Canada.

Status of Women committee  That is a policy question that would best be asked of the minister.

Status of Women committee  Yes. At Status of Women Canada, we have promoted gender mainstreaming, and what the minister was talking about this morning is making sure that departments are held accountable for ensuring results for women. Not only Status of Women Canada but the whole of the government needs to be accountable.

Status of Women committee  I want to touch on the first point you made. I think it's extremely important, and I repeated it twice in my remarks because it's so important. It is the business of everyone, and for the longest time people thought it was just the business of Status of Women Canada. We were very pleased when we saw that Parliament had decided to have a committee on the status of women, and we are pleased that this Parliament has decided to continue the work you have done--and I think Hélène and others have touched on it--to ensure that key players in the federal government are now paying more attention to equality for women and men.