Thank you, Madam Chair.
It's been fascinating hearing from people who have done some research into it. Primarily our witnesses have been from groups and organizations that are providing assistance to women who find themselves in situations like this, and I believe it's probably the first time....
My sense, through all the hearings we've had, is that we're somehow spinning our wheels. It was saddening to hear that that really isn't the case, that violence against aboriginal women is in fact on the rise.
I'll come to my question. It was touched upon that we can't use the cookie cutter approach and we can't necessarily take non-aboriginal solutions and transplant them into aboriginal situations. If a lot of these organizations are specialized in dealing with violence against aboriginal women, for instance, and shelters and counselling, where do you see the disconnect?
We're obviously losing ground. I don't necessarily believe that these organizations are trying to take non-aboriginal approaches and use them to solve the situation in the aboriginal community, but somewhere along the line there's a disconnect. Additional funding--just throwing money at this--maybe isn't the answer, because it's patchwork. These organizations aren't in sync. There isn't a national strategy, and they're just stopgap measures.
Can I have your comments on that?