Thank you, Madam Minister.
I'm hearing from local organizations about the flexibility we have now with a lot of these different programs and they are able to apply. Also, working closely with the province, in our case, Ontario, has really been a blessing to a lot of the local organizations, so thank you for your leadership in engaging all levels of government on that.
Madam Minister, you have a dual role. You're the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and also the Minister of Rural Economic Development, which is a really interesting and appropriate link to your testimony today. We have a study on the effect on women in rural areas. We heard a lot from witnesses about the challenges of the Internet, the challenges of social services, and the link to making sure that we keep women safe in rural Canada.
I want to give you the opportunity to explain a bit more about our new program that we've launched. It's historic funding—it's never been given by a federal government—for a universal broadband fund. How is that helping organizations and women's organizations all over Canada, especially in rural areas?