Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'd like to begin by thanking our witnesses for being on the panel today and for the incredible work they do in their communities to help those in need.
Of course, every single session we've had with panellists has been very difficult to hear, because we know to what extent Canadians are feeling pressure right now and are experiencing mental health issues.
I'm going to ask my first question of Dr. Whitney.
You mentioned that there is twice the rate of suicidal hospitalizations in the north and that 78% of people experience childhood or adult trauma in the north. Obviously, the need is greatest there, yet there are fewer resources there than anywhere else. You also said that, during the pandemic, things got a little bit better because you were able to speak to more than one person at a time. You did sessions and you were able, within an hour, to help heal up to 12 people—I don't know if you gave a number—but this obviously created a barrier to accessibility for a lot of people who don't have an Internet connection, and this is another really big problem.
Can you speak to the importance of getting Canadians in the north Internet connectivity, as well as the infrastructure that needs to be in place in order to get people from place to place more quickly in order to get these services faster if they're not going to be in their communities?