Status of Women committee  Absolutely. I think the largest corporations in Canada are aware of this. I don't think they are really the target of that kind of educational campaign, but you'd be surprised how many medium and small businesses we still meet that need to be convinced of this.

Status of Women committee  Women are often really fabulous entrepreneurs, and there are plenty of them out there. I think the key to a program like that would be in making the connection, facilitating that connection space, and providing incentives for them to relocate themselves and their families. Women

Status of Women committee  That's an interesting proposal. I think that people who want to be digitally literate are, and the people who aren't haven't chosen to become so. I'm not sure that kind of campaign is going to solve the problem. It is tricky to say that government should regulate the media. I a

Status of Women committee  Absolutely. The main focus there was, as you said, to emphasize this “change the system, not the women” approach. We've benefited directly from the WinSETT Centre and their workshops; they're wonderful. Such things still need to happen, but it's not all that needs to happen. T

Status of Women committee  As you said, in British Columbia, especially in the Lower Mainland, we're seeing that housing crunch. I think investments in affordable housing are really important. The crackdown on empty rental space by Vancouver has been very useful. I would say, especially in the spirit of t

Status of Women committee  Absolutely. I think quotas can be useful, and they can be problematic. If you address the kinds of job postings you're putting together and seeing who is being attracted to them, as well as how you're evaluating—blind hiring, removing identifiers that people have biases against,

Status of Women committee  I think you hit the nail right on the head, talking about the partners seeing themselves in you and thus giving you that special treatment; we call it sponsorship. That person put specific time into sponsoring you to the position of partner; they invested extra time and effort. U

Status of Women committee  I do believe it is a good choice to pursue the “use it or lose it”, just because so many don't use it. If we make it more normal that fathers take leave, that they're involved in the child-rearing process, then it will no longer be a risk that young women employees carry. It wil

Status of Women committee  Renewing the funding is something that obviously would be helpful. We could make improvements to the platform with our own budget and investment over a number of years, but obviously a further investment on a larger scale would allow us to make those improvements faster, roll it

Status of Women committee  We still refer to Make Possible as being in beta form. We're still making upgrades to the platform. Essentially we have over 800 members on the platform ranging from high school students all the way up to CEOs, and not just in Canada; we have a few international members as well.

Status of Women committee  Yes, absolutely I believe in mentorship, but I think that really, when we're talking about media, we're talking about role models. We're talking about making a woman scientist or CEO a normal thing to see every day. I actually have to compliment Tamara, the NSERC chair, for the

Status of Women committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. I am here representing the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology, SCWIST. We are honoured to be called upon to comment on your study about women's economic security and equal participation in the Canadian economy. Based on over 35 years of

Status of Women committee  That's part of why we are the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology, not “of” Canadian women. We are all inclusive, and we want male members as well. We want them there supporting women.

Status of Women committee  I'm going to let Sandra take this one.

Status of Women committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. My name is Danniele Livengood, and with me is Sandra Eix. We are here representing the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology, fondly known as SCWIST. For more than 30 years SCWIST has been supporting and advocating for women in science, te