Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you for coming here today.
I want to start off with a couple of things first before I ask my question, to correct the record.
On the money, the $5 million, the members from the government side are saying that it was understood all along that it was going to be redirected. First of all, that's not true. It was in the budget. It was a direct cut. The minister mentioned that for the first time yesterday. From what she said today, it would go to the front line and not to the organizations that are here today.
I want to read into the record what the minister did say, in fact, when she appeared in front of this committee:
After over 30 years of existence, Status of Women Canada must deliver real, measurable results directly affecting women and their families. Through our expenditure review, announced early last week, the new government has concluded that $5 million can be saved through greater efficiencies in administrative operations at Status of Women Canada. The women's program's grants and contributions will have the same annual budget of $10.8 million.
There was no redirection there at all from her own statement to this committee at this time. So let's not go on about how we all understood that. I just want to make that very clear.
The next thing I want to talk about, Madam Chair, is that we have had some discussion here today, but what I want to go to are the specifics. In addition to the cuts and the closing of offices, and now I understand that the money is being redirected--that's good--it still leaves the fact that the mandate of the department has been changed and the criteria have still been changed. The previous mandate of the department clearly stated there was financial support to women's organizations and other partners seeking to “advance equality for women by addressing women's economic, social, political and legal situation”. The equality, political, and legal status are gone. We know that, so I think that's important to say.
The objectives talked about “to facilitate the involvement of women's organizations in the public policy process”--so we're talking about advocacy--and “to increase public understanding in order to encourage action on women’s equality issues”, and so on. I won't read all of the stuff, because it's all here. That's all gone. What's left is two little paragraphs that talk about very generic and not-for-profit and what have you.
The fact of the matter is that those provisions are gone. My question to you then is this. It's great that the money is going to be redirected, and in fact there should be an increase. But on the actual changes to the criteria, how will that impact? In effect, any organization that works to advocate, to research, to try to inform women to fight for their rights is no longer there. How will that affect your specific organizations with the elimination of those criteria specifically?