Thank you very much.
I'd like to thank each of the presenters. I think we've heard some excellent comments today. I don't think it's anything we haven't heard; it's the same issue coming forward.
I am particularly interested in the rural aspect of things. I have been highly involved in rural issues. I come from a rural riding and have been in municipal politics at the local level for 26 years. You can't be involved in municipal politics without being involved in the pulse of the community. We're fortunate because we've always had women involved in politics in Lambton County, so maybe we're a different dynamic.
We had a pilot project for the best start program for the child care program in Lambton County--the rural pilot project. I was warden of the county when that took place, so I was very involved in initiating that program and getting it up and running. I watched it very closely. Although it was funded by federal money, it was negotiated with the province. The program was put together by the province and the county, not the federal government.
In checking with the director of that program last week, all of those spaces are still being created, and it is certainly going ahead. They were very proactive and renegotiated with the province, because the dollars are still going to the province. That project is still happening. So it can happen, but it takes collaboration and cooperation.
I know that things like isolation, lack of services, lack of transportation and job opportunities, and the welfare payment levels are all particular challenges in a rural community. They're challenges that you don't see in other communities. I don't have the answers for them. I was involved in trying to set up a transportation network in a rural community, and it's a huge challenge. So I really commend you, Colleen, on what you're doing, because it's a huge issue. We've had some success in my community, but you need to have a lot of cooperation. It requires cooperation and collaboration from all of the groups involved. So I have a bit of interest and background in that, and I know how hard you're working.
Do you have any particular suggestions about how we can do better down the road for women who are living in poverty in rural areas? Is there something we can put in place to give them some type of security when they become seniors? They won't have pensions because they don't have income. How can we start addressing that?
I know we need to address it at a younger level so they have some security once they become seniors, so where do we start with that? Is it follow-the-child funding, if they have children? Is it a payment or reimbursement for staying home and working at home on the farm and raising a family?