43. Emphasises the fact that the strengthening of policies to place women’s access to property in developing countries on an equal footing with that of men is necessary; takes the view that this must be taken into consideration in the country programmes and must be accompanied by the requisite financial support mechanisms (such as savings, credit, grants, micro-credits and insurance); believes that these strengthened policies will result in the empowerment of women and NGOs and promote women’s entrepreneurship; considers that they ...[+++]will improve women’s legal and financial literacy, support girls’ education, increase the dissemination and accessibility of information, and establish legal aid services and gender-sensitivity training for financial services providers;

Promoting the development of sustainable smallholder agriculture and livestock-keeping through ecosystem-based, low carbon and climate-resilient secure access to technology (including information and communication technologies), through the recognition, promotion and reinforcement of local and autonomous adaptation strategies with regard to climate change, and through extension and technical services, rural development schemes, productive and responsible investment measures, in accordance with international guidelines, sustainable land and natural resource management, protection of land rights of the population in its various form and ac ...[+++]cess to land for local populations, protection of genetic diversity, in an enabling economic environment;

58. Notes that women have an essential role to play in the development of the Sahel region, particularly in terms of nutrition, food security and food production, as they are the ones principally engaged in agriculture, although they still have almost no access to ownership of the land they cultivate; calls on the Commission to recognise the fundamental role of women, as smallholder farmers, in food security, and to invest in programmes which specifically support them; insists that the EU strategy should also focus on actions intend ...[+++]ed to ensure that the most vulnerable people, especially in rural areas, are able to benefit from agricultural training opportunities, education on nutrition, good health and working conditions, and a safety net in times of need; emphasises that in order for smallholder farmers, in particular women farmers, to be able not only to farm sustainably but also to develop their productive capacity, they need to have increased access to microcredit loans so that they can invest in better seeds, fertilisers and irrigation methods, and obtain the tools they need to protect their crops from pests and disease;

I think if we get that sector going, together with the automotive sector and the other sectors of our economy in terms of the home building and the programs that we have in terms of home ownership, the cumulative effect and the cumulative impact of those different programs kicking in will make our economy more vibrant and psychologically lift the spirits of Canadians.

The Bloc Quebecois is calling for the immediate reintroduction of the co-op housing program, for the creation of a rental housing rehabilitation assistance program, for assurances that the poor will not have to spend more than 25 per cent of their income on housing, and for wider access to home ownership through the co-op movement (1710) We are asking the Canadian government to embrace the social philosophy of other countries such as Great Britain and the Netherlands, where social housing accounts for 70 per cent of all rental housing ...[+++], and Sweden, where this proportion is 55 per cent. In Canada, in 1991, social housing amounted to 10 per cent of all rental housing.

The first-time homebuyers program has already established a precedent for using RRSP savings—with strict repayment provisions—to help purchase a first home.