Status of Women committee  Sure. Thank you. I think the financial literacy workshops that you're doing are so important. I think that is a key skill that is needed across the country, particularly the work we do with young people through Futurpreneur Canada. I'll tell you that we work with 18 to 39-year-o

Status of Women committee  Absolutely, yes and yes. I think confidence is a key piece in all aspects of our lives. There is a lot of research available that states women are lacking in confidence. We certainly see that within the entrepreneurship world, as I briefly mentioned before, with women not access

Status of Women committee  That is a great question. It's nice to see you again. I have to say that's not an area of expertise for me. It's certainly something though, through my role at Futurpreneur Canada, that we're very aware of and we certainly help to direct entrepreneurs to the resources they need

Status of Women committee  That's another great question. I know what we try to do, again as a guide, is to share opportunities with entrepreneurs, particularly young women. We also have found that hosting small, more informal gatherings.... For example, yesterday morning we hosted a small breakfast in

Status of Women committee  Sorry, my apologies. Was that directed...? We are having a little bit of trouble hearing.

Status of Women committee  Okay, thank you. So a pay gap, and are we seeing that for entrepreneurs as well.

Status of Women committee  As was mentioned, what we're seeing is that more women are starting businesses, but fewer women are growing businesses. Therefore, they aren't maybe realizing the economic benefits of a larger business. I know one thing that we certainly focus on through our work at Futurpreneu

Status of Women committee  Certainly for me one recommendation is further support of our national MoMENTum program. We are seeing more and more people coming to us, particularly women, just seeking the mentorship piece. That is essential. I think we are well positioned because we do partner with other orga

Status of Women committee  That's a great question. Our organization has seen an increase in women turning to entrepreneurship. The national average is about 36% of self-employed Canadians are women. For Futurpreneur Canada, in the last five years an average of 40% of our clients or the young entrepreneur

Status of Women committee  Yes it is. It's a national organization with a head office in Toronto and regional offices in each province.

Status of Women committee  Great. The federal government is doing quite a bit right now, which is wonderful to see. With Futurpreneur Canada's position as a national organization, one of our big pieces is that we really like to partner with other organizations, certainly within each province. We have abou

Status of Women committee  I would say it's absolutely essential. We hear again and again of the need to have that support, especially in the early days of starting a business but I think right the way through, especially for women. They need change and that support and that mentor or champion. We see the

Status of Women committee  That's a great question. If they're looking for funding, which a lot of them are, they come to us. We help them work through their business plan, validate that, finalize that, provide the funding, and match them with a mentor for two years. Some come to us with an idea but they

Status of Women committee  Yes. Absolutely.

Status of Women committee  Sometimes young entrepreneurs in particular don't know what they don't know. I think that's the case for all of us, obviously. So having someone to bounce ideas off on a monthly basis really helps. That certainly increases the success rate. It doesn't work when they don't ask fo