I'd like to build on that and incorporate it into responding to the earlier comment.
At the end of the day, there are community-based agencies and workers, certainly at this table as well, working front lines in communities, who on an every-day basis are working with the most vulnerable in our community.
What makes our kids and our families vulnerable? We need to look at it holistically, in the bigger picture. In the bigger scheme of things, we need to solve poverty in a real way; we need better housing.
As a result of these two things, a number of kids are in care. In the province of Manitoba, there are 7,000 children in care—5,000 in the city of Winnipeg—and 80% are aboriginal kids. Rather than jumping in and protecting, we need to focus on working with systems to look at prevention and intervention strategies and at building communities from the inside out.
To me, working with the community-based agencies is the answer that will solve it all. We have a wealth of knowledge and experience and we know everybody in the community. We know what works and we know the kind of help we need. Having the opportunity to participate in building strategies and identifying resources is going to make a huge difference when it comes to the programs and services within our neighbourhoods that will be addressing the issue and giving us the resources and tools we need to protect our kids and our families.
At this point, we struggle as organizations to do piecemeal whatever we can. We work 18 hours a day to have these partnerships in place. But it's like pouring money into a bucket with a big hole in it, and going on and on. We need to be able to come together with all levels of government and with the community to fill that hole. And once we do that—