I was on a roll when I was interrupted, but I know where I was.
I am going to read an excerpt from the testimony given by Martine Jeanson, who said:
If my former spouse had been wearing an electronic bracelet, I would have been shielded from his attempted murder and all his other victims would have been informed.
And others had said it before her.
The way things stand, it's impossible to protect ourselves properly from a violent ex‑spouse, because we have no warning that he is coming. The group of 100 women we worked with on the project consists exclusively of spousal violence victims, at least half of whom endured an attempted murder. We all agree that the only thing that might protect us is an electronic bracelet, because there is nothing to protect us right now. Over the past 20 years, I've worked with hundreds of women who needed help. There is no way to hide them. Men can track them down at their place of work or through their family. They can follow children to school or to their friends' homes. The man will never stop stalking them, following them, harassing them and harming them. Until wearing an electronic bracelet is required, women and their children will never be protected.
The two witnesses who spoke to us are women who were stalked by their spouses for years. What they told us is not just that we have to adopt Bill S-205, but that we have to adopt it as it stands, with no amendments.
I will conclude by saying that Senator Boisvenu is not a hothead; he is a poised, calm, very moderate and very progressive person. He experienced the murder of his daughter and he came, with evidence and statistics, to beg us to support this bill.
How can it be argued today that it is not a good idea to support Bill S-205, when it also includes everything that has been mentioned, including therapy and revision of section 810 of the Criminal Code?