Status of Women committee  Of course. It's certainly a priority for the minister to see more and more women in decision-making positions in Canada. Absolutely. We are working closely with Privy Council Office employees responsible for advising the Prime Minister's Office on appointments in council, to ensure that applications from women are submitted.

Status of Women committee  In decision-making positions, I would say that pay equity is much more a reality. In the Public Service of Canada, for example, there is no difference between the responsibilities of men and women. There is a very high representation of women in deputy minister positions and in manager positions in the Public Service of Canada.

Status of Women committee  Let me ask Mrs. Savoie to discuss it, since she chaired the evaluation committee.

Status of Women committee  I would add that, during the federal-provincial-territorial ministers' meeting in June, Hon. Rona Ambrose considered it a focus area. We encouraged our colleagues in the provinces and territories to look at the initiatives taken at their level, as well. We showed that we were open to working with them to try to widen the opportunities for women in these areas.

Status of Women committee  I don't think it would be appropriate for me to be suggesting legislation, but many of the movements that have now begun in various sectors and from various stakeholders are certainly promising. We're seeing it from corporations, particularly multinationals, which are being influenced by what is happening in some European countries and the U.S., on how organizations are seeing the value of increasing their representation of women on their boards.

Status of Women committee  You'd have to invite my colleagues at the Department of Finance to come in to speak to that question, but I know they have a gender-based analysis expertise that they've institutionalized within Finance. I know it is being practised as one of the special lenses the budgetary proposals would go through.

Status of Women committee  I would say that the report by the public accounts committee is a very forceful mandate on the part of organizations. All central agencies, Finance, Treasury Board Secretariat, and PCO have instituted measures to ensure that gender-based analysis is mainstreamed. As part of the action plan, we had seven organizations that, as an obligation, had to participate in implementing the action plan.

Status of Women committee  Certainly, Status of Women Canada believes that capturing data and having relevant information on unpaid work is extremely important. We have worked with Statistics Canada, and they have assured us that the general social survey on time use cycle will be able to provide us with accurate and relevant information in order for us to be able to continue the work with “Women in Canada”.

Status of Women committee  Absolutely. We can certainly provide copies of the original action plan to the clerk of the committee. It is also on the Status of Women Canada website.

Status of Women committee  I dealt with that question when I appeared in May, I believe. But definitely the source of information and data we work with come from a multitude of sources. We continue to work with many of the authors of previous research that was done through that program. We continue to have the ability to fund research within Status of Women, not as a program but as an operating expenditure within our organization, and we have been getting other departments to join in on that.

Status of Women committee  Absolutely.

Status of Women committee  Absolutely.

Status of Women committee  We've been doing a lot of work with Public Works and Government Services. Of course, we have a particular affiliation with them now, sharing the same minister. We're working closely with them to reach out to women business owners. They've been doing some outreach sessions to women-owned businesses across the country to help them access public contracts.

Status of Women committee  We marked the 25th anniversary. The 40th anniversary isn't seen as a particular landmark. The 50th anniversary would be the next opportunity for us to put a light on it. We will definitely be marking it on our website. It was an extremely important milestone in the work on gender equality, and we will certainly make sure that information about it is posted on the website.

Status of Women committee  It's coming up soon. Thank you.