Mr. Speaker, this gives me an opportunity to reiterate that gender equality in Canada is an important focus of this budget. Canada has probably never had a budget more focused on gender equality.
I simply want to remind my colleague of three extremely important measures that we have implemented and that will be developed in the coming years. We are investing 1.7 billion to drive the economic advance of women. We want women to start and grow their businesses and to export more from these businesses. This money is earmarked specifically for them, and we are very proud of this.
There are women entrepreneurs in my riding working in various sectors, from farming to industry, and they want to see these changes implemented quickly. I also want to remind my colleague of the additional EI benefit weeks for women, which should help ensure a smooth return to work after pregnancy.