I have, yes. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.
I did appear before this committee about a month ago, just prior to the release of the federal budget. When I appeared the last time, I articulated the need for our government to reinvest in the women entrepreneurship strategy and direct significant funding to support the recovery of women-identified business owners.
In my comments today, I want to touch on three things in particular: child care, program design issues and, of course, the women entrepreneurship strategy.
I know that I'm here to comment on and answer questions about child care. The early learning and child care program announced in the budget certainly has the potential to advance gender equity and equality in Canada if it is implemented thoughtfully. To truly move the needle, the program must be designed in a way that supports all types of workers of all genders and, of course, contributes to a healthy and safe start for children.
As I've said before and said the last time I appeared before this committee, affordable and accessible child care is critical for advancing gender equality and equity, but it is not a panacea. If a national child care program had been implemented 50 years ago, per the recommendation of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women, the pandemic would still have sent children home and closed child care centres. What might have been different, however, if we entered the pandemic with 50 years of universal affordable and accessible child care?
We may have had different gender norms, a greater percentage of women in senior management roles and perhaps a different value assigned to women in the economy. It is these systemic and cultural changes that would have mitigated or even prevented the “she-cession” that we face today, not the existence of child care alone. What I'm trying to say is that there is more to be done.
When I read through the proposed budget, unfortunately I see many of the same missteps and errors that occurred in 2020. The financial supports and programs being put forward to support recovery are simply not designed to include women and racialized business owners.
An example is the Canada recovery hiring program. The purpose of this program is to help small businesses recover and grow, as well as increase employment opportunities for individuals. Many women-owned businesses in the service sector have few or no employees and instead engage in contracts of varying lengths with freelancers. If the Canada recovery hiring program was expanded to include this type of independent contract or arrangement, it would support more businesses in their recovery and provide self-employment opportunities to freelancers. This is just one example of how accessibility and design are critical at the planning and implementation stage and why women, racialized and other underserved businesses are becoming more marginalized and left out of recovery.
With respect to the women entrepreneurship strategy, it is my opinion that the 2021 federal budget fails women-identified entrepreneurs by allocating an incredibly small amount to the women entrepreneurship strategy. It is approximately $150 million over the next four years, which is less than $40 million a year. This is following a year in which all evidence indicates that women, including women business owners, have been hit the hardest, have been excluded from financial supports and have been forced to take on additional care responsibilities, reducing the time they can spend on their business. After a year when so many women have been so significantly impacted, I expected a significant sign of support from our feminist government.
The stated objective of the women entrepreneurship strategy announced in budget 2018 was to double the number of women entrepreneurs by 2025. By launching this strategy and announcing this goal, the government encouraged women to take the personal and financial risk of becoming an entrepreneur. When an unexpected global disaster struck two years later, where was the support for these two-year-old businesses' owners? Where is the support now to rebuild and recover those businesses?
When one of those business owners has to claim personal bankruptcy and the corporation shares or the sole proprietorship net assets are sold as part of the bankruptcy, will the government intervene? When that woman's personal credit is reset to the lowest score, and securing housing or an automobile is a challenge, let alone achieving her entrepreneurship and business ownership goals, what is the government's responsibility to support that individual?
We are seeing women close their doors or walk away from their businesses at rates we cannot accept. I challenge the government to take action, to do better and to support these business owners.
Thank you.