I call this meeting to order.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motion adopted on Tuesday, February 4, the committee will resume its study of intimate partner and domestic violence in Canada.
Given the ongoing pandemic situation and in light of the recommendations from public health authorities, as well as the directive of the Board of Internal Economy of October 19, 2021, to remain healthy and safe, the following is recommended for all those attending the meeting in person.
Anyone with symptoms should participate by Zoom and not attend the meeting in person. Everyone must maintain two metres of physical distance, whether seated or standing. Everyone must wear a non-medical mask when circulating in the room. It is recommended in the strongest possible terms that members wear their mask at all times, including when seated. Non-medical masks, which provide better clarity over cloth masks, are available in the room. Everyone present must maintain proper hand hygiene by using the hand sanitizer at the room entrance. Committee rooms are cleaned before and after each meeting. To maintain this, everyone is encouraged to clean surfaces such as the desk, chair and microphone with the provided disinfectant wipes when vacating or taking a seat.
For those participating virtually, I would like to outline a few rules to follow.
You may speak in the official language of your choice. Interpretation services are available for this meeting. You have a choice, at the bottom of your screen, of floor, English or French. If interpretation is lost, please inform me immediately and we will ensure interpretation is properly restored before resuming the proceedings.
Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. If you are on the video conference, please click on the microphone icon to unmute your microphone. For those in the room, your mike will be controlled as normal by the proceedings and verification officer.
I remind everyone that all comments should be addressed through the chair. When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. When you're not speaking, your mike should be muted.
Before we welcome our witnesses, I would like to provide this trigger warning. We will be discussing experiences related to violence and assault. This may be triggering to viewers with similar experiences. If you feel distressed or if you need help, please advise the clerk.
I would now like to welcome our first panel of witnesses for today's meeting.
For the first panel, we have a witness who has chosen to remain anonymous. She will be referred to as “Witness 1”. I kindly ask that members refer to her as such. She has also indicated she is from the organization grouping sexual assault help centres in Quebec.
I would also like to welcome, from the DisAbled Women's Network of Canada, the executive director, Bonnie Brayton. Thank you so much for joining us, Bonnie.
From the Shield of Athena Family Services, we have Melpa Kamateros, who is the executive director. Melpa, I hope you can help me with my pronunciation.
All of our panellists will begin with five minutes of opening remarks. At four minutes, I will provide you with this beautiful little sign for one minute just to let you know, and then we'll be going on to our members for our first round of six minutes.
I would like to begin today's meeting with Bonnie Brayton.
Bonnie, you have the floor.