For some women, they have to be on EI in order to access certain types of training. We're saying that we need to remove that particular barrier.
If our intent is to make sure that women can access and have the opportunities they require to help them integrate, we have to ensure that we are not saying to them, “Oh, you have to work, and you have to get on EI, in order to get this.” What we should be saying to them is, “Here is an opportunity. Make use of that opportunity.”
If they require certain supports, make sure those supports are in place. They might require child care, or child minding. I know that in the LINC program, we do have child minding. In some of the settlement programs, we do have child minding. At the same time, we're seeing in some of these programs a restriction on the ages of the kids who are allowed to participate in these programs.
Take settlement programs as an example. Even though we now have child minding in some of these programs, kids must be 18 months and over to access that child care program. A mom coming in for help and assistance with a child who is six months won't have the opportunity to access child minding.
This is one example of what I call artificial barriers. On the one hand, we're saying that we're creating these opportunities for women. On the other hand, we're making it a bit restrictive in that only certain women can participate.