With the greatest of respect to this committee, I would suggest you change the focus of it. As we discussed, shelters are important and they play a role, but they are a band-aid. Shelters, especially for women fleeing violence, should not be seen as a solution. They should be seen as a step along the way. In terms of providing shelter for women fleeing violence, I would hope this committee would really focus on how we provide that ongoing access to safe affordable housing in the long term.
I know in many communities here in Ottawa, and I think in others, there have been some significant debates about shelters and about space for shelters in the communities. That's all fine and good, but some of these debates have missed that bigger picture question: Are shelters the right answer? Increasingly, I hope that people are concluding that they're not. They're temporary. They're a band-aid. We need to find the permanent fixes. Rather than trying to treat the disease, let's cure it. We do so by providing that access to safe, affordable housing and increasing the supply of it alongside the supports to it.
I hope that this committee will recognize in your final report that that's really what the solution needs to be for the long term.