Thank you, Madam Chair.
I am first going to address Mr. Bontis.
Despite what you said in your preliminary remarks, there is a question I would like to address.
Christine Sinclair said that in the past, soccer players had no money, but the situation was the same for men and women. According to her, women players now have to fight for equal treatment. However, they are not bitter about the terms for the men's team and they believe the players have made huge gains for the national team athletes. The men also support their demands.
Mr. Bontis, we are talking about equal pay and, as we know, there is a significant discrepancy, but there is also a discrepancy when it comes to the right to play.
Why did you have the idea of creating a professional men's league but the women's league was not created at the same time as the men's? At what point did that occur to you?
We really get the feeling that the mindset at Canada Soccer puts women in second place, even when it comes to the right to play in a Canadian league.