FEWO Committee Report

Dissenting report by the Conservative Members
of the Standing Committee of Status of Women

The Conservative Party members of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women recognize that the workforce of tomorrow will have an increased presence of women in non-traditional occupations. They also recognize that there will be some difficulty in transitioning to this new equilibrium. This is why certain recommendations of the report raise complex issues of implementation and require asking further questions.

As the measures taken by the Minister of Finance show, the Conservative government is working on growth and employment in several areas, while maintaining the economic strength of Canada. Thus, it was very interesting to meet witnesses and discuss the equality of women in all spheres of activity. It is therefore very important to work closely with all partners including the provinces, territories and civil society of Canada.

Our Conservative government is well aware that women play a leading role in revitalizing the economy, and account for 47.2% of the workforce. Women create twice as many businesses as men. That is why we invest proactively in some projects that encourage the work of women. Many witnesses have explained the importance of mentoring programs. That is why we have already commenced this analysis and have already implemented initiatives in this area.

In addition, in June 2010, our Government co-chaired with Ontario the meeting of Ministers responsible for Status of Women. An important theme of that meeting was the economic security of women, especially those of women entrepreneurs and women in jobs traditionally held by men.

While respecting the jurisdictions of other levels of government, it is important to emphasize that our government is working with partners to find the best solutions to increase the presence of women in non-traditional jobs. It is important to highlight that women want access to these spheres of activity by striking the right work- family balance.

The current Conservative government is sparing nothing in its efforts to help women who want access to non-traditional jobs. It provides mentoring projects that can help women to have role models and extend their education to perform activities traditionally held by men.

The Conservative committee members believe in the importance of looking thoroughly into various aspects of these issues and have certain reservations about the recommendations in this report.

The recommendations interfere in the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories. It is important that the government should ensure it is not careless in overstepping its jurisdiction. It is crucial for our government to respect the different governmental and territorial jurisdictions.

The Conservative members of the Standing Committee on the Status of Women support the government in its efforts to assist women in accessing non-traditional occupations and eagerly await the government's response to this report.