Thank you, Madam Chair.
Committee members,
I am pleased to be here today.
First, I would like to take a moment to commend the standing committee on its recent work, including your studies on employment insurance and pay equity on behalf of Canadian women and women around the world. Given the number of meetings you have held and the studies you have undertaken, from my point of view and from my past experience sitting around this table, this committee still seems to be the busiest on the Hill.
I am pleased to be here today to outline for you the Government of Canada's priorities to advance equality for women and their full participation in the economic, social, and democratic life of our country. I am also here on the government's main estimates and the report on plans and priorities for Status of Women Canada.
Since coming into power, our government has made numerous positive changes to Status of Women Canada. These changes include the creation of two funds within the women's program, the women's partnership fund and the women's community fund. As well, to support the initiatives of the women's program, we increased funding to Status of Women Canada by 42%, bringing its current funding level to the highest level in Canada's history.
These positive changes were recently reviewed in the departmental performance report released this spring. In fact, the departmental performance report noted that the changes to the women's program had allowed Status of Women Canada to widen its reach and to have a more open and competitive funding program. The changes also saw a significant increase in the uptake of its funding and greater diversity among the funding recipients.
I was pleased that many of these changes have made a real difference in the lives of Canadian women from coast to coast to coast. The DPR noted that in 2007-2008, the number of organizations that had received funding from the women's program had increased by 69%. Of those organizations that were receiving funding, 41% had applied for funding for the very first time; as a result, in the last fiscal year alone, projects funded by the women's program directly benefited 100,000 Canadian women and indirectly benefited one million women.
The report also noted the many accomplishments Canadian women have made over the years. For example, since 1971 the number of women aged 15 and over with a university degree increased from 3% to 18%. In May 2008 women increased their labour force participation rate to 62.4%, a record high level of participation.
Canadian women are making important advances in Canadian society, and I am pleased with the important role Status of Women Canada is playing in improving women's participation in all aspects of Canadian life.
The report on plans and priorities further highlights the positive work of our government in addressing women's equality. It noted that my appointment as the first minister of state solely dedicated to the status of women will ensure that Status of Women Canada will not only have increased visibility but also a stronger voice. It also noted that our changes to Status of Women resulted in enhanced accountability on gender equality, a wider program reach, and an improved ability to develop strategic partnerships and leverage resources. I'm proud of our changes and I'm very proud of the positive response that our changes have garnered.
While our government has made progress in enhancing women's participation on a wide range of issues by developing supportive policies and measures to address critical challenges and by providing the resources to help deal with them, around this table we all know that there is more work to be done.
That is why the federal action plan for women is key for our government. I am currently wrapping up the consultation process, and engagement sessions are still taking place throughout the country on the plan's pillars of promoting economic security and prosperity for women, seeing an end to the violence against women, and encouraging women's democratic participation and leadership in key decision-making bodies. There will also, of course, be an aboriginal component in this action plan.
Our government recognizes the important role grassroots organizations are playing in providing support and services to Canadian women. That is why our increased funding and the greater number of groups receiving funding are so significant. Our government is supporting grassroots organizations across the country because they best understand the unique situations that women are faced with and they know the solutions for women in their areas.
Projects that Status of Women Canada is supporting will achieve concrete results, such as providing women with skills and training as well as developing culturally relevant tools to help organizations assist victims of violence from diverse communities and to help older women in rural communities to plan for their retirement.
Over the last year, through the women’s partnership fund of Status of Women Canada, numerous partnerships have been created that I am very proud of. For example, Status of Women Canada has a partnership with Equal Voice, which I know you're familiar with. They will be engaging 5,800 young women and girls to take on leadership roles within their communities. I know that each of you recognizes the significance of this. I believe that at my request my staff has brought along some of the brochures for each of you.
Also, our partnership with WEConnect Canada will provide opportunities for women business owners to access supplier diversity in markets worldwide. This is something I became aware of when I was the secretary of state for trade, and I was very excited to have the opportunity when I came to Status of Women Canada to fulfill that goal. The partnership, also with CATA WIT, is one that will encourage young women's involvement in technology, and our partnership with the Association of Manitoba Chiefs will raise awareness around the issue of human trafficking and its impact on the aboriginal community. This is something I know Ms. Neville is supportive of.
In these times of economic uncertainty, the Government of Canada remains committed to advancing equality for women and their full participation in all aspects of Canadian life—social, economic, and democratic. I am also happy to tell the committee that we will be announcing a call for proposals under the women's community fund in the coming weeks.
I have also been very busy representing Canada internationally. Status of Women Canada plays an important part in representing Canada in international forums, and it has been a pleasure to be a part of that process.
In November, on behalf of the Government of Canada I signed on to the UNIFEM campaign to say no to violence. This is an international effort to raise awareness about the issue of violence against women.
In March I led the Canadian delegation to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. There, I had the opportunity to deliver the Canadian head of delegation speech. I also had several bilateral meetings with my counterparts from around the world, participated in round tables, and addressed the panel on women in Afghanistan. Speaking to colleagues around the table who attended with me, I appreciate your having been there.
In March I also had the opportunity to travel to Washington, where I met with Valerie Jarrett. Of course, Valerie is senior adviser and assistant to the President. She was also recently appointed chair of the White House Commission on Women and Girls, which is new. Ms. Jarrett and I discussed a number of issues of importance to women across our countries, but I have to say that it truly was an honour to have Ms. Jarrett commend Canada for our gender machinery in government and our leadership in having a cabinet minister solely dedicated to the status of women. I look forward to continuing discussions with her and further sharing of best practices. I will have some announcements on that in the future.
In April we also had our annual federal-provincial-territorial meeting. My counterparts and I had a very productive meeting, discussing issues of violence against women and aboriginal women. One issue we were all particularly interested in around the table was regarding the potential of women in non-traditional occupations, a topic that I understand this committee is hoping to study at some point. There is a huge potential for Canadian women to contribute to Canada's economy in non-traditional jobs.
I look forward to your report on this. I encourage you to study it and to look at specific industries that you would not have thought of in the past, such as the automotive sector, in which I know we don't see a strong representation of women. I think we could look to it as well, as we build for the future, and maybe at solar energy, and of course technology. Of course, it is your decision as a committee around this table to decide whether you would like to study it.
My provincial counterparts and I also joined together to commend the Prime Minister's stand on addressing the sharia law in Afghanistan. We had a unanimous decision to support the Prime Minister's position on this very important issue. I believe it is a testament to the Prime Minister and this government's commitment to women at home and around the world.
The release of the Auditor General's spring report earlier this month, and in particular its chapter on gender-based analysis, I'm sure was of great interest to every one of you around the table. I also look forward to tabling our government's response to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women's study entitled Towards Gender Responsive Budgeting: Rising to the Challenge of Achieving Gender Equality in the coming weeks.
The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of including gender-based analysis in the development and the assessment of policies and programs. Steps have been taken to implement gender-based analysis frameworks, and the government will continue to enhance the practice of GBA across all departments and agencies.
I feel it is important to highlight our government's commitment to this implementation of GBA. Since we formed a government in 2006, in the elements of the budget it is responsible for the Department of Finance has in fact conducted gender-based analysis. This process has continued in our recent economic action plan. Also, under the leadership of the Prime Minister, since 2007, in order to obtain funding from Treasury Board, Treasury Board submissions require evidence of gender-based analysis, which is something we put in place. In 2008 our government took further action, to ensure that all memoranda to cabinet included gender-based analysis. These are all very significant political decisions.
Currently, Status of Women Canada provides training to departments so that they can conduct gender-based analysis within their own department. The agency is also available to answer questions and provide directions on issues that are related to gender-based analysis.
In our economic action plan in Budget 2009, our government set out a plan that takes a very balanced approach to stimulate economic growth and restore confidence and support for all Canadians, including women and their families. The plan will benefit all women, including the most vulnerable and those who are hardest hit by the recession. By having an economic action plan that balances stimulus with support, our government is working to ensure that Canadian women and their families emerge from this current economic downturn faster and stronger.
But while it is important to celebrate progress towards equality for women and their full participation in Canadian society, we have to reflect on the challenges and the barriers that still remain. We have to consider the future steps to achieving equality for all women in all aspects of their lives. I can assure you that our government will continue to focus where the need is the greatest, so that we can make a concrete difference in the lives of women. We will continue to invest in projects that touch women directly and impact their lives in key areas.
Thank you very much, committee members.
I look forward to your questions.