Thank you for your question.
I appreciate your question. I hope I can give you a fuller understanding of this.
Just even out of the provincial ministers' meeting that was held today in Toronto, I understand there was an observation made at the meeting that the Status of Women has been in existence for 25 years. There was also observation made that there have been many studies, and we all share in those studies. The results those studies show, I think, have identified what the challenges are, what the situations are.
We recognize that women, in their place in Canadian society, have not had the equal opportunity to participate as employees, as employers, as part of the social and civic activities of our country. What we are saying now is that recognizing what the studies have told us, recognizing what we know from 25 years of advocacy, it is now time when we must take action.
I must say that we are not saying, certainly, that they are advanced enough. We are not saying that they are not equal. In fact, because we believe they're equal we believe that we have to help them face the challenges they are facing, so they can express their equality and can participate equally in all facets of life.
In fact, I guess the portrayal that has been made is the removal of one word out of the terms and conditions. If you look further into the terms and conditions and into the application form, it recognizes that every project must reflect the place of women within the Charter of Rights, within employment practices that are fair and equitable, and those things are all within the program guidelines and the application forms--