Ms. Carmela Hutchison at the Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities Committee

Thank you.

Women with disabilities have a 75% unemployment rate. Every program that is servicing people with disabilities must have a gender focus. As well, the medium and sick term disability benefits for EI, as reflected in the Caledon institute report, particularly option two that I presented on in 2009, are also strategies that we embrace.