Thank you very much for the question.
Our new call for proposals does focus on the three areas that Status of Women Canada...and what we heard across the country about where it is that women thought we should focus.
The first is mentorship. That is what I hear the most about, making sure there's an individual there to aid you in starting your company, maintaining your company, and growing your company, not just domestically but also internationally. In addition, champions, sponsors.... There is a difference between the two and I can say this, having been championed in my two professional careers by two different people—the last time I checked, Dr. John Wedge was not a parliamentarian and Jim Flaherty was not a surgeon. Having a champion at the table who is willing to put your name forward and provide you with opportunities is extremely important. So that's the intent behind our call for proposals and also the economic action plan 2014's program.
As I mentioned before, we're open to ideas and I'm doing cross-country consultations on building the most robust program on this. It's making sure that we are providing women with that mentorship and sponsorship.
The second is the focus on financial preparedness and it's not just financial preparedness for the woman who's starting her business or the woman who might not know the basics of financial preparedness. I've heard from many women across the country that they have a small business with eight or 10 people working for them and there is great potential for expansion but they don't necessarily know what all those component parts are that are required for financial literacy and where to focus for growth. So we are making sure that those tools are made available to them to help them grow their businesses, which I think provide great opportunities for Canadians across the country. It will increase the number of jobs available.
Also, and I think importantly, we know that women-led businesses employ more women, disproportionately, and that provides a great opportunity for more women to be employed in the economy in areas that they may find of substantive interest.
Our last area is focusing on professionalism and various professions, including as I mentioned the skilled professional trades, and making sure that women who are interested in those areas have the skill sets they need to be successful. So looking forward to this, I encourage all parliamentarians and Canadians across the country to please apply. This should be an excellent opportunity for Canadians to benefit.