Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, scientists around the world marked International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This prestigious day was formally adopted by the UN in December 2015 as a way to demonstrate the continuing resolve of member states, including Canada, to eliminate gender inequality in the sciences.
Right now, only 22% of people working in STEM fields are women. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. We can and must do better.
Our government is committed to improving that number. The Minister of Science has taken a series of concrete actions that address gender imbalance in research, including reinstating the university college academic survey, making changes to the Canada excellence research chairs program to increase equity provisions, and launching an advertising campaign to encourage women and girls to pursue STEM careers.
The minister's actions build on our government's commitment to diversity, to equality, and to providing opportunities for all Canadians.