Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
I am a little flabbergasted with everything I am hearing. You said that the criteria have been changed. Here, it shows: eliminating violence against women, improving economic security and prosperity, encouraging women and girls to take on positions of responsibility and decision-making. Each of you has said that your organizations met those criteria when you submitted your applications.
I am not sure whether someone from the government side can help me to understand what I am having trouble grasping. Normally, when an investment is made, by the government or the private sector, you look for stability and accountability. Now you are being asked what you have done and where you are going. You have been congratulated for doing a great job for all those years. But today, unfortunately, no one is telling you why they have refused to fund your programs.
I want to add that the women's struggle is a fragile thing in our society. I think that everyone around this table is aware of that. If we look at the principal struggles that you have been involved in, we see that they are important ones. We just have to think about women's right to vote; that is important. When I look at the criteria and the work that you have done, I wonder how it all can be completely ignored, all the money that has been spent, all the millions of dollars that have been invested in a number of organizations to get where we are today.
I would like to hear what you have to say, especially about the stability of your programs and the results that have been achieved at the end of the day. Have there been contacts with the department about your programs, have you been criticized, your militancy aside. I know that women have had to struggle; being militant is not a sin, in my opinion, it is normal. But have you done anything untoward in the course of your work?