Thank you very much.
I represent a rural riding. There is a farm women's union that is currently fighting for the recognition of their role as a financial partner; they want the fact that they work alongside their husband and contribute to the farm to be acknowledged. Over the years, they have managed to gain official positions in various agricultural unions in Quebec.
For a number of years now, farm women have been fighting for access to maternity leave benefits. There have been improvements to parental leave provisions in Quebec. Thanks to federal transfers, we have been able to develop a rather acceptable system of parental leave.
The problem is that farm women, because they are self-employed or are considered spouses, are not eligible for parental leave benefits when they have a child. This often leads to financial hardship for the family because, after the child is born, the woman must hire someone to do the work that she would normally be doing on the farm.
I am well aware of what Quebec farm women are doing to fight for this change to the Labour Code so that they will be recognized and will be eligible for parental leave, and so they will not incur any type of financial penalty for having children.
I don't know if the situation is the same in other provinces, but what is strange is that the father is eligible and is entitled to five weeks of parental leave, while the mother has no right to any parental leave whatsoever. The woman gives birth to the child and the man is given leave! That is the struggle that Quebec women are engaged in. I think they will succeed, because these women have never been shy about speaking out.
Does your research show that women from other provinces are experiencing the same type of thing? Have they told you that having children makes them poorer?