Maison L'Esther, located in Laval, has 12 shelter spaces, and the occupancy rate is always over 95%. According to the statistics over the past few months, two women out of three are turned away from shelters. That's a lot.
I'm also president of the Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale. Addressing the acute shortage of emergency spaces is a major priority for the Regroupement. As I said earlier, if women cannot find a safe haven in our homes, where will they go? That is the big question. That is among our priorities, and it is why we have participated in a study and consulted all the shelters. The reality of the Laval, Outaouais and Montreal regions is really a priority for us. We are trying to document the issue and negotiate with our provincial partners, but we would clearly need to engage in discussions with the federal government in order to be able to support women who need safety.