I call the meeting to order.
I want to thank the witnesses for coming today.
We're looking at the issue of violence against aboriginal women from many perspectives. We're looking at the root causes of violence. We're looking at the scope, the extent of violence. We're looking at the types of violence--emotional, physical, etc. We're also looking at it on reserve and off reserve, the differences or different forms of violence and how to deal with it in both of those settings. We're also looking at solutions. So hopefully you'll be able to touch on much of that in your presentations.
As there are only two of you here...I just want to tell the committee that the Women's Centre of Montreal just called and cancelled. Also, the Kahnawake Peacekeepers called and said something had come up and they just couldn't make it. They were going to represent the law enforcement component of it.
So we have two witnesses. Normally, what we do when we start is we give you a bit of time to present. This morning, because there were many people, we did a round table discussion. But given that there are only two of you, I would like you to just make a presentation, and then we're going to ask the committee to introduce themselves and the supporting officers, and then we're just going to go into an open discussion back and forth.
How would you like to begin, Madame Bousquet?