I'd like to call this session back to order.
This is our third panel, and we have four presenters.
This is a parliamentary committee. As I've explained to everyone, a parliamentary committee is a body of Parliament. It reports to Parliament. It's made up of all the political parties, so it's not a partisan body. It's a body that is here to listen, to deal with the particular issue that we're dealing with, which is the issue of violence against aboriginal women.
We're looking at the root causes of violence against aboriginal women. We're looking at the nature of violence against aboriginal women--in other words, what types of violence, and the form that the violence takes. We're looking at obviously the extent of that violence, and we would also like to talk about solutions. We are travelling across the country to listen to communities and groups who present to us. We have already had hearings in Ottawa with many of the national organizations.
I want to welcome you. To begin, you will each have five minutes to present. We have four groups, which means there will be four presenters. I think you will decide who will be presenting on your behalf.
I'd now like to begin the five-minute presentations. I'll give you a signal at one minute to let you know that it's time for you to wrap up. We are on a tight timeline--we have a site visit to go to later on--so I would really like us to try to stick to the time.
We will begin with Kelly Gorkoff, criminal justice professor at the University of Winnipeg. She is presenting as an individual.
Kelly, would you like to begin?