Thank you so much, Chair.
Thank you to all of the witnesses for being here.
I've heard a number of questions during committee. We very often talk about economic prosperity in terms of resource development. I think often in this discussion, particularly in places like the House of Commons, we forget that the prosperity of this country was built upon and continues to be built upon the exploitation of lands, territories and resources. The peoples in indigenous territories...that the reason we suffer from poverty is from development in the absence of lifting up human rights and involvement.
My first question is for Diane Redsky, whom I am privileged to work with in Winnipeg, and know very well. You spoke about sexual predators. One of the reasons this study is so important is the reality that we have many sexual predators who come into our community and work in these industries, and don't have safety checks or criminal record checks. As a result of that, we've seen a lot of sexual exploitation of women, girls and two-spirited, from as young as little kids. I heard a report of a young 13-year-old girl, in fact, in B.C.
Could you please paint a picture about how this sexual exploitation crisis around resource extraction companies impacts the health and wellness of communities? I know I only have six minutes, but I'll start with that and move forward.
Thank you.