We are calling for a national plan mostly to make sure that women all across the country can have access to the same level of services. A woman in Thunder Bay must have access to the same services as a woman in Toronto. Accomplishing that would be very significant.
If we really want violence against women to be reduced and eventually stopped, it must be a project for society as a whole. Our system has various levels of government and we must be able to work together. If we have to get into the sandbox together and play nice, as Sharlene just said, let's do it.
This is a society-wide project. It is not something that lasts only as long as a political mandate. It will take a number of years to achieve.
In federal policies related to violence against women, the women seem to have become invisible, in a way, because of the neutral terminology. The words “violence against women” are being used less often, and everyone is basically being placed in the same boat.