Thank you very much.
I want to thank our witnesses for coming today. We have been across the country, and we have heard so many things that you have echoed here. You have presented us with some new information that we didn't have, and especially, Kim, your presentation on the incarceration of aboriginal women was extremely moving and extraordinarily tragic and outrageous from my perspective. I did not even know the statistics that you gave us, and it's very sad.
In closing, normally I ask a question, but I think you've covered many of the things, so my asking a question might be redundant. I just wanted to make an observation.
I don't know how many of you know that not too long ago a hundred dogs were culled quite brutally in my province of British Columbia. I was outraged by it, because I think we as Liberals had an animal cruelty bill, which never really got to the fore, that could have addressed our treatment of the vulnerable animals in our society who can't speak for themselves.
However, I wanted to say that while I found that culling a very reprehensible thing, within four days the province of British Columbia asked for an inquiry into the culling of the dogs. For 20 years women have been missing and murdered in that province, and not a single inquiry was called until recently.
We have to ask ourselves—and you pointed that out to us—how as human beings and as Canadians we place priorities, how as human beings and as Canadians we value humans in our society. Aboriginal women, I suppose, can ask that question very validly.
Thank you very much for coming. We will now move on to business. It is not in camera, so the witnesses can take their time to leave.
What we are doing right now is electing a new vice-chair. As you well know, Ms. McLeod is no longer a member of the committee, so we need to elect a new vice-chair. The committee decided last Thursday that we would do it today.
I would entertain a nomination. I'm going to move out of the chair so that the clerk can conduct this and I can have a vote. That's how it's done. The clerk will conduct it.
Go ahead.