In Ontario, between 1995 and 2003, in order to move people off the welfare rolls—there was this welfare wall they talked about getting in the way—instead of making it more attractive to get work and keep your benefits they reduced the contribution for those who had no work. It was punitive. We need to get our heads around what works and what doesn't.
I want to ask Nyingje about the work you do and this whole issue of violence against women. More and more as we hear from people we see that violence against women drives women into poverty, if they're not already there. And if they are there, it drives them into deeper poverty.
This seems to be another layer of focus for the government. How do we create the kind of massive change that's needed in terms of attitude and education, and ultimately working with men to stop them from doing that? I know it has caused me some concern in terms of my political career back home, because I live in a riding that's half rural.
The events in Montreal—the anniversary is coming up in a few days—created a greater awareness, and the government came forward with a proposal to register guns. I looked at the numbers because I really had to think my way through this in order to take a position back home. I initially thought the gun registry was simply an imposition against farmers and hunters and people like that. But I looked at the statistics after a few years of its existence and I listened to the police talk about what gives them a level of comfort when they're called to a domestic situation, which is often a man beating up his wife or his children and sometimes using a weapon.
We, as a Parliament, are about to do away with that registry. I would like you to talk a bit about the impact that will have. You live in a area where there's hunting, trapping—maybe not so much farming, but I'm sure there's probably some. Guns are used to feed oneself.
It's probably difficult, but what is your position be on that be in terms of this question of violence against women?