Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much, ladies, for coming here. I must say, Ms. Matsui, that I was deeply touched by your remarks and that I find you very inspiring.
You spoke a lot of the women that you meet in the course of your work. For once, I do agree with my colleague. We are rarely in agreement, but I think that she is right to say that role models are needed and that these women could serve as good role models for girls. We know very well that before Julie Payette became an astronaut, there were no female astronauts in Quebec, there were none who wanted to become an astronaut nor any little girl who dreamt of becoming one. I think that when we can present images of women other than sitting behind a typewriter, we shall see young women in these fields.
I wonder if a good way to promote these occupations would be to give more visibility to these women. I wonder if to ensure equal pay in Quebec, the government should not impose penalties to businesses that do not respect pay equity rules. We know that money is an important consideration. Would it not be a way to make sure that businesses revised their pay equity policies and that women get what they rightly deserve?
Before you answer my question, I would like to share something with you. You talk a lot about dreams. Last week, I heard someone say something that deeply touched me and I would like to share that with you.
Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk. Martin Luther King walked so Barack Obama could run. Barack Obama ran so our children can fly.
I think that it is exactly like your dreams. Do not stop dreaming, we need people like you, Ms. Matsui.
Thank you very much.