Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you for joining us this morning. We are delighted to welcome you here.
However, I am not so pleased, Ms. Beckton, when I think about what the Auditor General revealed in her report.
As I recall, you have been on the job for two years and every time you have appeared before the committee, you have reported on all of the efforts made to implement the practice of gender-based analysis in government. You have told us about a number of success stories as well, and about individuals who have championed gender-based analysis. And yet, today, because of the current economic crisis, women are more vulnerable than ever.
How can we explain the discrepancy between what Ms. Fraser is telling us and what you have been telling us over the years?
Mr. Bouwer, you are involved with social development policies and you are a champion at PCO. I understand that the most important policy decisions are made at PCO. How do you account for the fact that there are no provisions in the economic recovery plan specifically designed to give women access to the job market? Many men are able to access today's labour market, either through infrastructure or other programs. However, all that women have access to is training programs.
Ms. Tapley, you are also a champion of gender-based analysis. I have to wonder why you sat back and allowed the pay equity draft legislation to be passed into law. The witnesses whom we have heard from to date on the issue of pay equity all agree that this was not the type of legislation they wanted. Two employers who testified last week were the exception. They were happy with this legislation because now they will no longer be responsible for negotiating pay equity with employees. Would you care to share your views on this subject with me?