Thank you for being here with us today, Madam Minister. As you were a founding member of the Committee on the Status of Women, I am sure that the matters that we have to deal with are close to your heart.
Turning to important values, an important value for women is surely the family. Although Employment Insurance is not directly under your department, what role could you play there? Women returning to work need daycare spaces for their children. That is where you could be involved. How would you respond to that?
You also mentioned that there was a much greater demand on your programs, 69% greater, in fact, and the supplementary estimates provide $773,000 for human resources. This funding is supposedly for women employees who are affected by restructuring in their organizations; it takes the form of salaries, training, counselling or relocation. On April 1, 2007, the staffing level at Status of Women Canada went from 131 to 70 full time equivalents. Can you tell us about the effect of this restructuring on the employees of Status of Women Canada? Can you tell us if Status of Women Canada plans to increase its number of employees and in which areas the new employees will work?
Security remains very important for women. The supplementary estimates allocate a significant amount of money to operating costs. This funding is supposed to improve women's economic security and to eliminate violence against women. Can you explain to us in detail how Status of Women Canada will go about improving women's economic security and eliminating violence against women and girls?