Thank you, Madam Chair.
To the witnesses on this panel, thank you for your expertise in this area.
Dr. Gill, hello from a fellow New Brunswicker. I know that you've written extensively on this. I'll get right into my questions, as time flies in this format.
You talked to CBC last May about the unique situation we're in now, where persons are living in an environment where they're suffering domestic violence but now being told to stay home and stay safe. In Nova Scotia their slogan is, “Stay the blazes home”. We're all being told to stay home, and that it's safe at home. You touched on this, that governments are telling Canadians that the safest place for them is in their homes, but for individuals in an abusive relationship, that's certainly not the case.
I know we're having a broader discussion around this bill, but I think one reason we're studying it right now is in the context of COVID. Could you comment on what you have seen in your research over the last year with lockdowns and people spending more time at their homes due to COVID?