Madam Speaker, I have listened with interest to the minister's speech and I would like to ask her a question.
Like her, I realize that the government is doing a number of things for the women of Canada.
For example, we have come forward with an agreement for equal pay for work of equal value. We have the gun control legislation that is being supported by women. We have the prenatal nutrition program. We have the court challenges program that has been reinstituted, centres of excellence on women's health and a number of others.
There is simply a larger proportion of women who are poor, a larger proportion of women in society who are victims of violence and abuse, and a larger proportion of women who are single parents. Women still earn less than men.
Despite various initiatives that have been undertaken by government and because of certain decisions that have been taken-my colleague has addressed one of them-are we assured that we will continue to make progress on these fronts?
I tried to raise a question previously with respect to the importance of research on those fronts. I have a bias, I must admit. I think research on those issues is of critical importance to ensure that we continue to move forward because there are serious problems in society that affect women disproportionately.