Mr. Speaker, Canadian women and girls have achieved significant progress in recent decades, and much remains to be achieved.
In our cultural mosaic, Canadian women lead diverse lives, in a great range of different experiences and circumstances. In this diversity, we must build platforms for women to realize their brilliance by ensuring pay equity, while also investing in child care, health care, housing, employment, training, and other areas that influence women's choices and opportunities.
Organizations like the YWCA, in my home town of Hamilton, need long-term, sustainable investments, so that they can continue to offer women and girls reliable supports to help them seize and create opportunities to reach their full potential.
Building a better future for all Canadians starts with recognizing the potential of women and girls, and creating systems that enable them to flourish.