Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I want to thank our witnesses for appearing before us.
This is obviously a very sensitive issue. This bill does not address an inexistent problem. The problem does exist. It exists in our communities right across the GTA, certainly across this country. We've heard many witnesses speak to the need for the legislation, the need for an additional tool for law enforcement to go after those who perpetrate violence, against women in particular.
The title of the bill that a few of you have taken exception to, “the zero tolerance for barbaric cultural practices act”, is calling a spade a spade, if I might take a couple of words from Mr. Aspin. They are barbaric practices, and they are rooted in culture in some communities. The bill does not specifically highlight a particular ethnic group or culture. I believe this happens in many cultures. In fact, in my office and in my life, I have been the recipient of information from people who have been abused many times, and I've tried to guide them the right way to get a resolution to their plight.
Certainly any comment or insinuation that the title of the bill incites some kind of a fervour against particular cultural groups is a stretch at best. These are barbaric practices; they're barbaric cultural practices.
I would argue that when a young girl is born in Toronto General Hospital today—or 14 years ago—and finds herself in a situation where her family says, “You're going to be married to the person I have promised you to when you're 14. That's our culture; that's our way, whether you like it or not”, that is barbaric and unfair to the young lady.
I don't know how I'm doing for time here. Am I almost done?