Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My name is Yves Lessard. I am from Quebec and I am a member of the Bloc Québécois.
I would like to begin by saying how admirable and extraordinary I find it that organizations like yours play a role that should normally be played by the government. I sometimes tell myself it is good that you are there, but in a way, that amounts to saying that the role is yours alone, but that is not the case.
When she described the situation, Ms. Wilson said she had the impression she was watching the genocide of part of the population. It is even more disturbing to see that to a large extent, poverty hits aboriginal communities even harder.
I reiterate that the federal government is responsible for aboriginal communities. The approach that is currently being taken is relevant, and your input is important. As far as the status of women is concerned, I think that we should rise up against situations like the one you are describing for us this morning. We should be horrified that such situations still exist today.
Ms. Hache, you spoke to us about the women who would come to see you at your centres. You said that they displayed courage and strength and often looked at their situation with a touch of humour.
Am I to understand that you do not encounter women whose courage is gone because of their situation? My conclusion from what you said is that some of those women will always go unnoticed. They have no contacts and no means and have even lost the ability to go where help is available. Is there any word about these women?
Ms. Gillis, we see that the gap between men's and women's income is quite striking. Men earn an average of $45,000, while the average for women is $34,000. I cannot imagine what the difference is for persons with disabilities who find a job, if they ever do.