Thank you, ladies.
My question is for Ms. Bevilacqua and Ms. Brayton.
Other witnesses have told us that cases of abuse often go unreported. You also said that. And when they are reported, they do not necessarily make it to court. But even when they are reported and heard by a judge, the problems do not go away. I have here a statistic saying that 49% of single elderly women live below the poverty line. They can report abuse over and over again, but they still need the resources to pay a lawyer.
The federal government used to help pay for legal aid, but in the 1990s, that funding was cut and eventually disappeared altogether.
I want to know whether you think the federal government should once again help pay for legal services.