Government Services Committee — Department of Justice and Public Safety's community-based committee addressing Violence Against Women and Girls, Minister Coady chairs a committee of ministers – of which I sit on that committee – representing multiple departments to simultaneously address this serious issue. addition to violence prevention work, the Women's Policy Office has many ongoing initiatives to enhance woman's economic and social security; for example: requiring gender equity and diversity plans and women's employment plans for large-scale resource development projects; supporting Indigenous women to find culturally appropriate responses to violence against women, mental health, homelessness and reconnecting elders and youth in their communities; and developing an equity profile for public service policy and program development specialists on the status of women in Newfoundland and Labrador to assist in the development of gender-inclusive policies, programs, services and legislation. Despite the many advances we have collectively made over the past year, many barriers still exist to women's equal participation in both private and public spheres. The harsh reality is that women remain underrepresented in leadership roles in Newfoundland and Labrador. Research on leadership confirms that men greatly outnumber women in all types of leadership roles, including managerial positions in the labour force, in politics and on all types of boards. While women represent 49 per cent of the labour force in our province, they only hold 38 per cent of management positions. This means that while women enter the workforce, there are many barriers that prevent them from entering leadership roles at the same rate as men. Our government remains committed to addressing these barriers in order to allow the province to avail of valuable insights, talents, expertise and experience. Through Budget 2018 , I am happy to inform that the Women's Policy Office has earmarked $50,000 for the