Status of Women committee  I will give you a very simple example. At the Olympic games, when the Canadian women's hockey team won, the media made a big fuss. So the public started to think that it was scandalous. I really think the media have a role to play in this.

Status of Women committee  It is a long journey, but given all the progress that women have made in recent years, I think we can get there.

Status of Women committee  If I may, our Option gagnante program was very successful in allowing women to try out trades. I say “was” because we were not able to get more funding. Unfortunately, the program ended. The results were excellent. Women left with a good idea of the trade they wanted to work in a

Status of Women committee  There was no more money.

Status of Women committee  From Emploi-Québec. That was provincial.

Status of Women committee  Yes, of course, more funding would make it easy to get the program going again.

Status of Women committee  In terms of work-life balance, women who already have children often will not consider a non-traditional job so they can have time for their family and children. But, when it comes to women who are already in non-traditional jobs, if they ever leave the job for good, it is due to

Status of Women committee  I think the challenges are similar to those that existed a few years ago. In fact, in Laval, the status of women in non-traditional jobs is about the same as it was in 2000. There has been very little progress, and, in certain fields, the opposite has happened. There are even few

Status of Women committee  I cannot give you up-to-date statistics on pay. But what we have seen is that, for a given position, the duties are separated between men and women, and the less important duties are given to women, which justifies the fact that they are paid less than the men. What else can I t

Status of Women committee  I think employers need information. Prejudice comes from a lack of understanding of female-male work teams. Something can be done on that end, as well.

Status of Women committee  Right now, in Quebec, there is only one guidance counsellor for a school with approximately 2,000 students. Clearly, that is not enough to inform students of all their potential career choices. Another long-term strategy would be to diversify extracurricular options.

Status of Women committee  Primary school, okay. Thank you.

Status of Women committee  I think that children are exposed to stereotypes from a young age, be it through the stories we tell them or the activities we encourage them to take part in. It goes back to day care, before they are even old enough for school. One corner is set up for girls and another is set u

Status of Women committee  If you permit, I will answer this question in French. We think that, in the short term, the Employment Equity Act and the Pay Equity Act need to be reinforced so that employers respect the rules and so that a women with the same skills as a man receives the same working conditio

Status of Women committee  Good afternoon. My name is Jacinthe Guay, and I am from Dimension Travail. We are honoured to be invited to appear before the committee, and we thank you for the opportunity. I am very happy to be here. Our approach is more hands-on. We work directly with women, supporting them