I think funding mechanisms are part of the problem. I think we need to rethink our funding approach. I talked about funding projects for the long term, recognizing that new, innovative programs take about 18 months to two years to get designed and even start to be tested. Then there's the attachment of evaluation and research dollars to the program to ensure that it's being captured in a way that can then be tested, and potentially going through maybe a randomized control trial and so forth.
There needs to be extensive dollars long term and guaranteed funding for five, seven, or 10 years. My colleagues in Nova Scotia spoke about how their employees have one-year contracts. They're year to year. That does not give people in the human service sector stability, the ability to plan, or the desire to stay in this sector because there's no job security.
I think those are significant issues and that the federal government and provincial governments could be doing some major changes around the funding mechanisms and approaches. Just those in themselves could make a significant difference to the women's community and agencies that are serving women and children.