Thank you, Chair.
I would like to thank all of you for being here and speaking with such strong and brave testimony. I just want to preface my comments by saying that I was present twice for my wife's births, and I can't think of a more vulnerable time for any human being than when a woman is preparing to deliver her child. I can't think of a worse crime than for someone to take away from someone, without their full, prior and informed consent, the right to choose their fertility.
I'm going to be directing my questions in a different area.
Does the federal government care? It's not whether Canadian society cares. When this story first became public, we heard some very, very passionate and profound comments from the Minister of Health and from others decrying this and acknowledging that this is a form of torture, saying that it has no place in society.
That's the political statement that has been made by the government. Now I have some questions to see how that's manifested in practice.
Ms. Lombard, first, to get some facts out, how many women are members of your class action right now?