Evidence of meeting #22 for Status of Women in the 41st Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was startup.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Wai Young Conservative Vancouver South, BC
Hang on. The provinces are given money. You cannot say “if” the provinces—
Conservative
Wai Young Conservative Vancouver South, BC
The provinces get their transfer payments every year. Certainly through the Department of Health, we've increased funding for the last number of years, and it's at its highest level. In the Status of Women programs, again it's at its highest level. As a federal government, we have funded these things. My question is: where's the lowest-hanging fruit?
Maybe you need to think about that a bit and we'll move to Victoria because I'm running out of time.
NDP
The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc
There's just one minute for the answer, so please Ms. Cattari, continue if you could with what you were saying.
NDP
NDP
Djaouida Sellah NDP Saint-Bruno—Saint-Hubert, QC
I would like to remind my colleague that she should focus her question more on the prosperity of women than on transfer payments. The purpose of this meeting is to learn about the challenges that women entrepreneurs are facing.
Conservative
Wai Young Conservative Vancouver South, BC
I think the witness made a statement that I just wanted to clear up. I have asked her a very specific question, so please answer—
NDP
The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc
Ms. Young, there's a minute left to be able to answer. I think what you were mentioning is what maybe the witness would like to say is that some fund could be earmarked and maybe—
Conservative
Member, Board, Canada Without Poverty
I will agree with earmarking. Low-hanging fruit is equal opportunity and expanding educational access. In my case, I do run a small business, but I do need a post-secondary degree in what I'm currently pursuing to actually make a consulting fee that can get me out of poverty.
Conservative
Wai Young Conservative Vancouver South, BC
So it's more support for skills training, and obviously education, right?
Member, Board, Canada Without Poverty
Without the barrier of full-time employment.... I will always be ill, for the rest of my life, so to have a part-time business would be helpful if I could access programs like that.
Conservative
Wai Young Conservative Vancouver South, BC
Jim Flaherty's disability fund, all of that sort of thing, would be very helpful.
Conservative
Wai Young Conservative Vancouver South, BC
Thank you so much.
Victoria, I don't know if we're out of time.
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Startup Canada
Really quickly, I'll go back to the women's entrepreneurship mentorship program, which can be coordinated through an organization like Startup Canada. It's low-hanging fruit—low cost, high impact, high visibility, good for everybody. That's number one.
As it relates to health care, given the context you just provided us with—it's nice to be reminded of that—I think even looking at each of the provinces and a one-pager on how they're each dealing with health care would empower us with that information and would allow us to then mobilize at the provincial level.
NDP
The Chair NDP Hélène LeBlanc
Thank you very much.
I would like to thank Ms. Thompson, Ms. Cattari and Ms. Lennox for being here.
The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 7.
The subcommittee will now meet.
The meeting is adjourned.