Status of Women committee  If I could just add one point there in terms of the cost of disposal and the disposable with regard to the bathroom, the facilities.... These are not flushable. I'm talking about the non-reusables, the single-use products. The cost of waste management really doesn't come into acc

Status of Women committee  I can speak about the example of a menstrual cup, in particular the Bfree Cup, which can be used for upwards of, and sometimes over, 10 years. Compare that to the purchase of traditional products—let's say tampons or pads—that are available from multinationals. At about five or s

Status of Women committee  Yes, it's a great question, and it's a great point that you see a lot of ads for Poise for incontinence, as well as ads for pads and tampons, those particular ads on TV. It's very expensive. We're small and medium-sized enterprises, and we're looking at ways that we can properly

Status of Women committee  Right.

Status of Women committee  I can speak to a recent project in Malawi, actually, that was conducted by the Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief. There were adolescent girls, but then it was their mothers who wanted access to the cups. It was wonderful to hear the feedback from them, asking, “Where was thi

Status of Women committee  I can speak to product innovation and the support that we have received through NSERC alliance grants. Historically, we've received a number of grants, and they have helped to develop the product and the continuation of new product developments. Again, speaking to the team Canad

Status of Women committee  No, that's okay. The menstrual cup is a kind of bell-shaped product worn internally. It collects as opposed to absorbing. When it's removed, you can empty it out. You can just wipe it with tissue or rinse it with water, and then reinsert it. It can be left in place for upwards

Status of Women committee  In regard to menstrual health and normalizing the discussion around menstruation, it's time. The stigmas and taboos.... Yes, I understand the discomfort, but it's—

Status of Women committee  We educate them as well.

Status of Women committee  I can speak about the work on the ground in schools in Uganda, for example, and how welcoming the schools and the schoolmasters are. We train the boys on puberty and menstrual health, as well as the girls, using an entertainment type of delivery. It has been very effective. We'

Status of Women committee  The Bfree Cup is made from 100% medical-grade silicone.

Status of Women committee  Yes. The development of the Bfree Cup was very specific to the lack of clean water in slums and refugee settlements. It's easy for us to turn on our tap, have a pot and whatnot. We don't know the situations that Canadian women and girls have at home. It is assumed, because the i

Status of Women committee  Thank you. That's a wonderful question. I do a fair bit of work in Kenya with partners—the Kenya Girl Guides Association—as well as some policy-makers. Kenya is the first country to have a stand-alone menstrual health management policy. With that, the intention was to provide me

Status of Women committee  It is, definitely. Getting a haircut as a woman is more expensive than for a man. That is something that I think is broader than this issue and that we definitely have to be working on, just like communicating on menstrual equity, talking about it more and really bringing it to t

Status of Women committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Hello. I'm Leisa Hirtz, founder and CEO of Women's Global Health Innovations, a Canadian social enterprise researching, developing, manufacturing and currently distributing our innovative Bfree Cup globally. As a Canadian social entrepreneur and innovato