Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll give copies of my notes for the interpreters.
I welcome this opportunity today to introduce myself to the members of this committee and to respond to questions you may have regarding my experience, skills and vision as the newly appointed coordinator at Status of Women Canada as of December 14, 2009.
I am a graduate of the University of Ottawa in political science. I have been a member of the public service of Canada for over 30 years. I've occupied a wide range of executive-level positions in that time, for over 20 years, in areas of horizontal policy initiatives, directing large national contribution programs, strategic communications, and in key liaison roles, such as corporate secretary.
I'm very honoured to have been given this new responsibility and I intend to carry out the duties of my position to the utmost of my abilities and experience. I am also very pleased to be working with the team at Status of Women Canada.
As you all know, our mandate is to achieve equality for women. It is to promote the full participation of women in the economic, social, and democratic life of Canada, in particular by removing barriers for women and for women to participate fully in the economy and our society.
Moving the equality agenda forward is a shared responsibility. Our minister and many of her predecessors have pointed out, many times, that it is not something that any single department or agency of government can achieve on its own. It requires the establishment of solid partnerships and collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders within and outside of government. This includes working with other federal departments and agencies and other levels of government, as well as non-governmental organizations, voluntary sector organizations, and the private sector.
One of my key goals over the coming months and years is to strengthen the influence of Status of Women Canada to strategically advance, in line with our raison d'être, the status of women and girls. We also have a significant role to ensure broader gender considerations are understood and taken into account in federal legislation, policies and programs. I want to build on the work done over the past decades and increase our capacity to influence priority setting at different levels.
In more concrete terms, I want to ensure that we, as an organization, are sitting at the right tables and at the right moment, to influence key recommendations and decisions being made, especially when these decisions can affect the status of women and girls.
Across federal organizations, I want our work to positively influence and challenge what others do, especially on government-wide initiatives and priorities. Given our unique perspectives on a wide range of issues affecting women and girls, and the types of networks we have forged over the years, I see Status of Women Canada as a facilitator and an incubator of ideas to move issues forward. I see our organization helping to bring the right players to the same table. I also see us contributing to the quality of information and analysis needed to make informed decisions.
Gender-based analysis represents one of the most important processes to influence priority setting and funding decisions to support gender equality. But as the standing committee has pointed out over the years, and as the Auditor General found in the spring 2009 audit, GBA has been unevenly implemented across government since 1995.
Building on the GBA action plan, which was tabled with the public accounts committee, I intend to widely promote the use of GBA and its integration into institutional processes. Work is well under way in many departments and agencies. I see Status of Women Canada playing a leadership role and a challenge function, and providing our federal partners with the advice and support they need to achieve results.
I will also continue to work with other GBA champions, in particular those in the three central agencies, to further develop our understanding and expertise of how gender-based analysis is best implemented and monitored.
At the program level, I want to make sure we are effective in achieving our objectives through the grants and contributions program under the Women's Community Fund and the Women's Partnership Fund. In the short couple of months since my arrival at Status of Women Canada, I have already witnessed the high level of interest and commitment of the NGO community across Canada to work with us in removing barriers to women's full participation in Canadian society.
Given that many of the issues women and girls face are horizontal in nature, we will continue to develop partnerships and leverage the efforts of other departments, levels of government, NGOs, and the private sector in the delivery of our programs.
Over the years, I have gained a solid understanding of the machinery of government and of how the decision-making process functions. I have also been placed in positions where I had to play a convening role and work across government departments to advance key files. I know that I can build on my experience and skills to fulfill my current duties.
In regards to values and ethics, I can assure the members that I adhere to the public service competencies expected of a head of agency, which include a commitment to excellence, accountability, and service with integrity and respect.
Thank you for allowing me this brief presentation. I am at your service.
