I want to thank my colleague for joining us in New York and for all the ways in which she's worked to advance gender equality in Canada under different governments and different value systems.
On pay equity, as you know, there was a committee of the House that did really great work around pay equity, and the government is on board. I know that some members of that committee are around this table. My colleague Minister Hajdu and I are committed to making sure that the legislation we introduce in 2018 is thoughtful. We know that it's a complex issue that's going to have various consequences, much of which is going to be positive, but we need to make sure we get it right. That's what we're committed to. I know that the work we do will be transformative.
As far as the violence against women focus is concerned, with the gender-based violence strategy, we know that there are provinces and territories out there—you were there for the presentation at the UN with our colleague from the Yukon—that are leading the way. They've had to step in and take the lead. They're doing really good work. Part of the strategy that we will be working on together will allow us to work with them, to learn from them, and to share those best practices around the country.
We know that what we heard across the country over and over again, and what you've heard, is that the federal government plays a really important role in coordinating its own services across departments. Right now, as we've walked through, there's a silo effect happening, where different departments are working towards the same noble goal but those efforts aren't always coordinated. We're going to be getting our own house in order. I think that's really important.
We also know, as we heard over and over again from stakeholders, that governments can play a critical role in data collection and gathering the evidence that is so badly missing right now. This evidence, this focus on research in this centre of excellence and sharing best practices across the country—a one-stop shop, if you will—will be laying the foundation for the work we have to do to get to that place where no woman or girl or anyone of a different gender has to struggle with gender-based violence.
There's a lot of work to do, but I know that $100 million isn't the only way that we're going to address and prevent gender-based violence. The investment you saw, the $11 billion in housing, is going to be fundamental. For example, we know that one of the reasons why women don't leave abusive relationships is the fear of losing that safe roof over their heads. On the child care focus, I know that it's not everything, but $7 billion over 10 years is significant, and it's going to make a positive impact—