Status of Women committee  The tuition fees are the same for both men and women, but because women are facing different economic barriers, the point I was trying to make is, because the cost of post-secondary education is so expensive, many women, and male students as well, are forced to take on loans and then accumulate a very large student debt.

Status of Women committee  Okay. Very quickly, in that case, I would say that universities are certainly in a tough situation in the sense that they've been chronically underfunded for a very long time. The means by which they promote opportunities for students are limited, so it is very difficult on campuses for universities to adequately promote all of the opportunities that are available.

Status of Women committee  As the president of the student union at the University of Ottawa, I represent 35,000 undergrad students. We manage a big budget. We have a $15-million turnover that includes payments to our health plan and to the U-Pass program, which we also manage at the student union. We have about 150 to 200 staff who work at the Student Federation.

Status of Women committee  As I mentioned in my speech, education is certainly the key to advance a lot of women to getting successful and meaningful employment and therefore getting a good-paying job. The two biggest recommendations that I would present to the government is, first of all removing the cap to the PSSSP to ensure that all aboriginal students can access post-secondary education, but also create more grants.

Status of Women committee  I think that many institutions have failed because they are very concerned, as I mentioned earlier, with their image and the PR strategies that come around scandals relating to sexual violence. Also, institutions don't have very much of a proactive approach. That's one of the fights I'm fighting currently at the University of Ottawa.

Status of Women committee  Yes. I think one thing's for sure: she will face challenges throughout her time at the university. Sexism takes many different forms, misogyny and rape culture as well. I would encourage her to continue fighting and hold her head up high, despite some of the barriers that she might face on campus.

Status of Women committee  Yes.

Status of Women committee  I think that when we're talking about.... I first want to address the comment about advice for staying safe. I think it's a little bit problematic when we talk about rape culture and wanting to challenge it and go to this narrative that puts the onus and responsibility for staying safe entirely on a woman.

Status of Women committee  Universities are definitely sometimes hard to navigate, so it's certainly good when we see grants from the government that encourage youth to go into entrepreneurship. However, one of the challenges students often talk about on campuses when talking about their future and wanting to start up businesses is that student debt is a big deterrent.

Status of Women committee  Thank you. In terms of the challenge of making my voice heard, I would say that all women face certain prejudices, even if sexism is sometimes subtle. Yes, I have faced certain obstacles. In meetings, for example, we are regularly interrupted by men. We always need to fight a little harder, yell a little louder to be heard.

Status of Women committee  I think that would certainly be important. Along with an action plan to specifically address violence against women, I also think if the government were to adopt a national vision for post-secondary education that could also be something they integrate into a national vision. I definitely think that proposal would be a step in the right direction.

Status of Women committee  With the rise of social media, that's certainly a reality for a lot of young women. It can certainly be intimidating to see that kind of violence and problematic comments around you personally on your social media. Nobody likes logging onto Facebook and having problematic language about them in their newsfeed.

Status of Women committee  Thank you for the question. My experience last winter was traumatic. It was very problematic. I think this kind of violence, rape culture showing up on campus, is a reflection of our broader society. I don't think young educated students are showing up on university and college campuses and learning about rape culture.

Status of Women committee  To clarify the question, are you asking if there's a recommendation that I would make to the committee?

Status of Women committee  I certainly think that it's important for women to keep fighting and try to make their places in society. I think, however, it's undeniable that there are challenges and barriers that women face which men don't face. Despite that, I think it's very important for women to continue to carve their place in society and make great efforts to find meaningful employment.