I certainly do not mean to speak on behalf of and for first nations women, aboriginal women, living on reserve. I would invite Valerie Phillips, who is legal counsel with our legal advisory service and has been engaged in...we're conducting aboriginal women round tables as part of our access to justice, meaning access to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the complaint process, and the provisions of those services. It's through the course of that process that we hear of the conditions and the challenges facing first nations or aboriginal women living on reserve, and these would include lack of awareness, the fear of reprisal for speaking out, general safety and security, issues of trust with leadership, and of course many first nations women, aboriginal women, following a marriage breakdown, may be, together with children, required or forced in many circumstances to leave the community, whether because of lack of adequate housing or for other reasons.
Many aboriginal women face issues of lack of education and job skills, and they find themselves alone in a community without the necessary resources and no support services. Again, I would address the issue of the lack of domestic shelters in first nations communities and the lack of counselling and support services.