Status of Women committee  May I just say something?

Status of Women committee  Thank you. Ottawa is home to a coalition of women's groups and every day, members receive newspaper articles from around the country. When the last federal budget was being drawn up, all of the union and women's groups, along with a large number of economists, called for changes to the EI program similar to the ones that we are discussing today, but nothing came of it.

Status of Women committee  Are you referring to the day care program?

Status of Women committee  Receiving $100 a month isn't nearly enough to cover the cost of day care, especially if you have two or three small children. It isn't even enough to cover the cost in Quebec where day care services are available for $7 a day.

Status of Women committee  Day care costs $35 a week in Quebec. Elsewhere the cost is almost $300 per month per child. So then, $100 doesn't get you very far. What's needed is a national day care program, like the one in Quebec, and a national EI program for women, like the one in Quebec. If we use Quebec as an example—a very good example, I might add—such programs are already in place.

Status of Women committee  Not governed by employment insurance?

Status of Women committee  Obviously, each time the government spends money, especially during a crisis, our debt load increases. Choices must be made. Personally, if I had to choose between expanding benefit entitlements by five weeks, a measure that may not help many people either because the economy may have rebounded, or people may have lost their jobs before the measures actually takes effect, and extending these benefits to women, I would opt for the latter.

Status of Women committee  Our arguments were the following: according to Statistics Canada, small business is the fastest growing segment of the business sector in Canada. Within this sector, the growth of women-owned businesses is the fastest growing, with women launching businesses in Canada over the past decade at a rate twice that of men.

Status of Women committee  The Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs has been around since 1930. Our mission is to develop the professional and leadership potential of women in Canada through education, awareness, advocacy and mentoring within a supportive network. BPW Canada was a founding member of our International Federation of Business and Professional Women, which has clubs in more than 90 countries, and which has Category I Consultative Status at the United Nations.