What we would like to see is a much more universal system that would involve a combination of funding sources so that it would be accessible to every adult in Canada.

When the plan is implemented, the demands on the post-secondary system will be even greater than they are presently. It is well recognized that post- secondary institutions are having great difficulty coping with the students they have right now in their present facilities. Faculty in the post-secondary system are accustomed to dealing with a much younger group of students than they will have to teach once paid educational leave is implemented. Both faculty and facilities will be in need of updating.

Bill C-12, in further limiting financing of post-secondary education, will jeopardize the plans presently under way to formalize and legitimize recurrent education in Canada. It will do that by further limiting the ability of beleaguered institutions and faculty to serve as a fundamental resource for this purpose.

Where women students and faculty are concerned, we would like to make the point that neither the present nor the projected system of financing under C-12 does anything to ensure equitable access to or within the post-secondary system. We know that until the federal government is prepared to tie the money it spends on post-secondary education and training to the solid implementation of equal opportunity programs by those who receive the money, that equitable access will continue to be a major issue.

We and other women's organizations are fully aware of this and we will not be satisfied with any federal financing for any program that does not have as a major component compulsory equal opportunity built into it. Women want and need an equitable share of post-secondary resources.

We would like to conclude by stating that our society must make a choice. We can invest in educational resources which we see as contributing to the dignity of the individual; otherwise, these resources will have to go to welfare and other income support means.

It is obvious that you have the authority to decide whether instead of continuing to support education institutions, you are going to spend more and more on welfare programs. We have found that the majority of welfare recipients are women and that it might be better to invest in our education rather than to keep us in this welfare status.

We want to thank the committee very much for having us. We hope we have at least planted some seeds, and that we can continue in some way to have an on-going dialogue about this. We take the point that organizations like ours need to be looking at how national standards, and what national standards can be established for accessibility; we will be working on that. Thank you.