Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you for being here with us this evening.
Ladies, I am going to need your help. I have in front of me a table from the Public Accounts of Canada. The table shows that Status of Women Canada has more money than previously. For the 2005-2006 year, the amount is $10,977,184, of which $10,268,852 was used. For 2008-2009, the amount was $17,550,000, which was used in its entirety. In the area of contributions, an amount of $6,600,000 was approved, of which $3,474,197 was used.
My impression is that Status of Women Canada gets a lot of money now. That is a fact. Do you know why it is that its approach has changed all of a sudden? Is it your impression that women have enough equality, that they are sufficiently equal to men and that defending their rights, basic research and lobbying are no longer needed? Could that be the case?
It seems to me that your groups, that have done a very good job, had the support of people working at Status of Women Canada. Am I wrong? Do you work with Status of Women Canada employees? Out of 16 offices, 12 have been closed. Are the employees close to you or a long way from you? Are the people you work with actually Service Canada employees? Could you clarify these things for me?