The Environment  Mr. Speaker, it is good to see her back home from Washington. In 1993 the Liberals promised to cut pollution by 20%, but what did they deliver? A 27% increase. In the last election the Conservatives promised to table a law that would reduce pollution, but their so-called clean air act will actually increase pollution.

Government Policies  Mr. Speaker, like the Liberals before them, the Conservatives are proving just as bad at keeping their promises. On patronage, appointments, health care wait times, clean air, income trusts and supporting our veterans, the Conservative government has broken promise after promise in its nine short months in office.

Judges Act  Mr. Speaker, I listened very carefully to the hon. minister. I must admit that I still have some profound concerns. Is the hon. minister not concerned that this bill could compromise judicial independence by virtue of the fact that it does not accept the commission's report?

Questions on the Order Paper  With regard to the $5 million funding cuts to Status of Women Canada, SWC, over the next two years, announced in September 2006: (a) from specifically where within SWC does the government plan on cutting this funding; (b) when will these cuts take place; and (c) will the government provide a detailed timeline for these cuts?

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to the hon. member that the goodwill has run out. We have been waiting for a very long time. His acknowledgement that there are bad actors is certainly true and it is time to address that. There is a comprehensive task force report which was delivered in 2004.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, the proof is in the jurisdictions where pay equity is the law. In the province of Ontario we saw a real benefit to women and their families in terms of respect for the work that they do, their ability to provide for their families, and the ability to provide for themselves in later years when they are receiving pensions.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, certainly, the member has made a point that the things that we value, that are important to us, need to have oversight through commissions and tribunals. I would suggest that is the same for equal pay for work of equal value. I am not sure what a commission or a tribunal would cost, but I do know what not having one has cost.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, very clearly, pay equity is important to all Canadians. It exists now in two provinces, one of them being the province of Ontario. I had the privilege to serve in the Ontario Legislature when we brought forward and ensured pay equity. Very clearly, the problem is that many women are locked into what we call job ghettos.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, as I was indicating to the House, the 570 page report of the task force on pay equity received a less than adequate response from the government. The response was two pages in length and certainly not comprehensive. It is our hope that the situation will be addressed, because the task force report clearly outlines that there is an issue with pay equity in this country and that the current complaints based system is not working.

Committees of the House  Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure this morning to ask my hon. colleagues in this House to concur in the fourth report of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women which essentially is comprised of the motion adopted on May 19 by a majority of committee members, which reads: That the Departments of Justice and Human Resources and Skills Development draft and table legislation based on the recommendations of the Pay Equity Task Force by 31 October 2005 and that the legislation be referred to the Standing Committee on the Status of Women.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I could not agree more. Let us get to the root of the problem. I would suggest that one of the most salient solutions is a national affordable housing program for this country, very much like the one that we had beginning in the early seventies when a minority NDP government pushed the Liberals to bring in a national housing program.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I heard the list but this is piecemeal. I want to know when we will have a national affordable housing program that is cohesive and that actually prevents and helps those who are homeless.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, there are 200,000 homeless Canadians in this country and we need something more substantive than that. I would like to ask the minister about a program in Toronto that I am very concerned about. It is called the PAID program, which stands for Partners for Access and Identification.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I can see I am not getting anywhere with this line of questioning. The minister does not seem to understand that these so-called better programs will not exist if all of the agencies close their doors in December of this year. At any rate, I will continue. The minister has also claimed that she met with homelessness advocates and groups.

Business of Supply  Mr. Chair, I did not ask the minister to divulge anything personal and private. I just asked who these groups were that she met with. I simply want to know if she is talking to the same people that I am talking to because I am getting an entirely different message than what is being indicated here.