Thank you so much, Chair.
Thank you to all of the witnesses for being here.
I understand that I'm supposed to call you “Mr. Boisvenu” now, not “Senator Boisvenu”. Whatever it is, I want to thank you so much for your service to this country and for all the work you've done as a senator.
I want to start by clarifying something.
I'm certainly not here to defend Parole Board decisions, because the Parole Board is independent from the government. However, I have seen that the Parole Board is reconsidering having the families appear in person, which, in my opinion, is a good decision.
That's enough about that.
Ms. Auger-Voyer, I have a few questions for you.
You mentioned the need to make sure that any definitions are inclusive. I remember listening to a podcast by Julie Lalonde during the pandemic. It was about how senior women are always left out of programming. There was a silent pandemic, at the time, of gender-based violence against senior women. They are often more at risk because of finances and being financially dependent on their husbands.
I wonder if you have any comments on that. Is there any research you might be able to share that speaks about seniors? They seem to be left out of a lot of the work we do when it comes to gender-based violence.