Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to all the witnesses for being here. This is an important topic, and I'm so happy to have the opportunity to ask some questions.
I'm going to start by sharing a story with you. I'm part of the AODA. I volunteer for our township. I'm proud to say that our township was recently inspected, and we received 100% satisfaction, which makes me happy.
Here's the issue. One individual on our committee has a disability. She is dependent on her service dog. Her husband passed away a few years back, and she has had to rely on public transit to ensure that she is able to get to her appointments in the city. She has the problem that one municipality, one region, doesn't communicate with the other municipality or region, so it takes about four hours for her to get to her doctor's appointment, which, in my point of view, is unacceptable. She's a huge advocate for individuals with disabilities. I think, as a government, we need to analyze this situation.
My first question would go to you, Bonnie. How can the federal government work with provinces and territories to improve the infrastructure in our country so that women with disabilities can ensure that their economic prosperity has the ability to flourish as it does for women without disabilities?