I'm a farm woman, specializing in assistance to women and their families in regard to immigration and settlement services, employment, finance, education, and health care. This kaleidoscope of experience in itself demonstrates that farm women often have to become chameleons to survive in the long term. These examples demonstrate the utmost necessity of multitasking, along with an evolution of career changes. I feel I can talk the talk because I have walked the walk.
The 2009 federal budget presented by finance minister Jim Flaherty on January 27 will provide billions of dollars for infrastructure such as rural high-speed Internet, bridges and roads repair, replacement of community sports and recreation complexes, and upgrades for colleges and universities. These funds will generate a plethora of jobs and opportunities for women and their families throughout their regions. I have seen many women managing the offices and involved in the administration as well as the day-to-day operations of the construction companies and other businesses required to build this infrastructure. Many construction companies and sub-trades, especially in rural areas, are owned and operated by families. Women and their spouses and families are the net benefactors of this budget stimulus package.
This federal government has been working to advance the contribution of women entrepreneurs to the Canadian economy. To ease the start-up challenges of new businesses, the federal government has taken steps to promote initiatives that assist women entrepreneurs. This has been achieved by granting employment insurance coverage for the first year of business start-up—and in some cases longer—to help overcome the initial challenges of new businesses. For example, I have recently been working with a woman who had been employed with a kitchen manufacturing firm. As a direct result of the EI coverage, coupled with a business start-up plan, she has been able to start her own home design and decorating business.
I know of teachers, nurses, estheticians, chefs, and others who have benefited from the 15 weeks of employment insurance coverage for maternity leave and the 35 weeks of parental benefits through the EI program. This financial assistance is invaluable for women and their families, and spouses sometimes share part of this time off from work to help with the needs of a newborn and a growing family. The universal child care benefit, the $100-per-month allowance per child under the age of six, is a welcome income for mothers who choose to stay at home to raise a young family.
A young immigrant mother I know, who is a graduate-degree nurse in her home country, decided this monthly income would enable her to stay at home to raise her two children while also brushing up on her studies to write her nursing exam in Canada when the children were old enough to attend school and she would be ready to return to work. In the economic action plan, the government will provide $50 million over two years for a national foreign credential recognition framework. From my experience in working with settlement services, I cannot fully express in this short time how helpful this funding will be.
For example, while working with immigrant women, I encountered many women who had professional designations in their country of origin and who needed to have their credentials recognized in Canada. In the action plan, the government will increase, from $400,000 to $500,000, the amount of small business income eligible for the reduced federal tax rate of 11%.
I have worked with an immigrant woman who has set up a small business as a support to help other immigrant women and their families with the immigration process, resource referral, and various ongoing supports. Since this business is somewhat difficult to quantify in actual financial projections, financial institutions were reluctant to make any business start-up loans or operating loans, resulting at times in a cash deficiency. In instances such as these, the increased level for the reduced tax rate frees up operating capital needed to continue in business, thus giving small businesses a better chance to succeed. In ways such as these, the federal government is recognizing and enhancing the strength of small business contributions to the very backbone of the Canadian economy.
In my experience, providing EI to self-employed workers is a bit of a tricky issue. First, it is extremely difficult to determine whether or not somebody has been laid off, because the employer and the employee are the same person. This situation has posed a policy issue for many countries.
Another issue is that many self-employed workers would much rather put their money into other resources than into an EI insurance program.
Also, our government has made some exciting changes to the Status of Women. One of those changes is increased funding to the women's program. We've increased funding by 42%, bringing it to the highest level ever. This announcement was just made two weeks ago.
Another change that I feel is very exciting to the women's program is the shifting focus to provide funding to grassroots organizations across the country. Over $1.3 million in funding has been allotted to groups in Alberta and British Columbia, and these groups have the expertise in the specific issues that uniquely offer assistance to women in their communities. I would like to advise that these groups assisting women would be fortified in other areas, coming further west, of Alberta and British Columbia for women who have their fingers on the pulse of what's happening in their communities.
Also, through the strategic training and transition fund, the government is increasing funding to provinces and territories for training and support measures that help individuals who do not qualify for EI training, including the self-employed.
Under the labour market agreements, Canada's government will invest $500 million annually over the next six years—$3 billion—to increase the quantity and enhance the quality of Canada's labour force. The investments will focus on supporting skills development for unemployed and low-skilled employed individuals who are not eligible for training assistance under the employment insurance program. In my line of work experience, I have seen many women who wanted to be retrained. With this funding, they will now have the resources to actually be retrained.
The World Health Organization has stated that with improved access to education for women, their children are much more likely to grow up achieving a higher education, better jobs, and an improved standard of living, ultimately resulting in decreased crime and an increased hope for the future. Innovation and learning have been identified as priorities for this federal government, as evidenced by their allocation of a portion of the billions of dollars in the recent federal budget for universities and colleges. There is an at-home grassroots awareness, where I come from, that over half—60%, to be exact—of the funding for colleges comes from the federal government. A continuation of the federal flow of resources for colleges and universities demonstrates the budgetary commitment of this federal government to post-secondary education.
In ways such as these, the federal government ensures that rural women are full participants in Canada's post-secondary education, business innovation policies, research and development, and technology agenda.
I have also had some involvement with rural immigrant women, as well as Canadian women, who have been or are currently recipients of employment insurance benefits while in the process of a career change for the duration of their full-time, day-program course. This system has proven to be invaluable to assist women and their families to regroup from within the throes of a financial upheaval as a result of a necessitated career change. Quite simply, employment insurance coupled with post-secondary education temporarily serves as a hand up, while facilitating the regaining by women and their families of their financial footing for the duration of laying the groundwork for a new career, thereby greatly increasing the marketability of their skills.
There is an old Chinese proverb that states: if you are thinking a year ahead, sow a seed; if you are thinking 10 years ahead, plant a tree; but if you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate the people. By sowing a seed, you will harvest once; by planting a tree, you will harvest tenfold; by educating the people, you will harvest one hundredfold.
In short, what this federal Conservative government is doing to support the unemployed is investing in the future of Canadian women and their families. The steps they are taking to help families during this difficult time are certainly good news indeed.