Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Rosedale for raising this important issue in the House. I too have been involved with this issue for some time now and have been very interested in it. I had some discussions in my own riding and across the city of Toronto on the issue.
While financial issues around the CPP are certainly of concern to all Canadians, our ultimate objective is of course to ensure the well-being of individuals in their retirement years.
We know how important the Canada pension plan is for women. Women on average live longer than men, earn only 70 per cent of a man's dollar and have less access than men do to private or employer sponsored pension plans. As a result, their retirement income is limited.
Particular features of the CPP such as the child rearing, drop out and survivor benefits provide recognition of the essential and invaluable but unpaid work contributions that women make to our society.
Women's full economic contribution must be recognized. Women are now the main breadwinners in 25 per cent of families and their income is increasingly important to all families. In addition to this paid work however, women continue to perform the majority of unpaid child care, elder care and household work; work that no society can do without.
As the Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women stated in her original response, the government is aware that women and men have very different patterns of employment and earnings. For that reason Status of Women Canada with the Caledon Institute held a round table to specifically look at the gender implications of CPP reform. This round table was held as a part of the consultation process led by the hon. member for Winnipeg North Centre and the findings were conveyed to federal, provincial and territorial finance ministers who are responsible for the Canada pension plan.
This is part of the government's policy of undertaking gender based analysis as set out in the federal plan for gender equality. Our commitment to gender equality means equally valuing similarities and differences between women and men and the varying roles which they play.
The minister is very committed to ensuring that gender analysis is done and that it is considered and taken into account when the final results on the CPP are announced. I hope this helps the hon. member and I look forward to discussing the issue with him.