We're very happy to address you from a FAFIA perspective. CEDAW has urged Canada to address income support so women can have sufficient income to attain an adequate standard of living. Of course, that would mean not only benefits such as EI, which are very important in that, but also looking at other forms of income support for women that fall outside EI, such as social assistance.
I've already told you that CRIAW and we are presenting together. I just wanted to make a note before we start that is not directly relevant to EI, but is, and that is that the research capacity of women's organizations like FAFIA and CRIAW is being compromised by the changes to Status of Women Canada. The change I'm talking about specifically is that research is not a funded activity in many cases anymore, and we have lost the community research fund. It means that today we're sitting here with work we have done in the recent past on EI and whatever, but the capacity of contributing community research by women to this type of discussion will be eroded more and more.
If you look at the presentation that has just been set before us, you will see why it is critical to add community research done by women to that piece. We take an intersectional approach. We put women directly at the centre, so you would never be looking at a situation where you're saying women are net EI recipients, and if you do the women-centred analysis, that's because women are into the special program of maternity leave almost exclusively, and it is a contribution not only to their own pockets but to their families and to the other partners in the family who are not taking that benefit. I think it only underscores why we have to look to this type of community-centred research by women to continue.
As we still have access to the materials that are created by CRIAW and other women's organizations, I'm going to pass over to Jane to do the analysis, and then we'll come back to Nancy, who will put forward our joint recommendations.