Thank you very much.
I want to thank you so very much for coming today. Some 30 years ago I worked in the downtown eastside as a native youth and family counsellor. It was when one of my youth got raped that I decided to become a foster parent. I took her home, and subsequently I fostered seven different children in my home. I just give this to you as context for where I'm coming from.
I only have five minutes, as you've heard. I would love to spend hours and hours with you instead. But very specifically, we've been touching a little bit on the legal system, which is huge because of its complexities and difficulties. Certainly I've done it on the children side, getting them out of the home and all of that sort of thing.
Over the past 30 years, would you say that has changed or become better? Are there any best practices? Can you make some recommendations regarding the legal system while you're here? After all, we are in Ottawa, and this is where we can maybe effect some change in the future.
I'll start with you, Sharlene, because of your 30 years of experience as well; that's something that we can perhaps share later on.
I will give you this example. Years ago we used to take the women and children out of the home. Maybe about 10 or 15 years ago there was a change to that, where we took the offender out of the home, leaving the women and children in the home. Has that effected a change? Is that a best practice? Should we be following up on that, and doing a study on that, to look at how that has been better?
I mean, the answer perhaps is not to build more shelters. The answer perhaps is to keep women safe in their homes with their children, if you know what I mean.
Can you give a response to that?