Thank you very much.
I want to start by acknowledging, as somebody who has been an advocate for the work to end gender violence for a long time, that I'm really pleased we are thinking about a public health...an ecosystem approach. There's a role for everybody here: police, the legal system, women's organizations, men and boys. Everybody has to do their part as we try to create safety for communities. That's what I think our response, in terms of Bill C-14, is really emphasizing. It's both stronger laws and stricter bail, as well as investing in prevention and social supports in the community.
As my colleague Madame Ménard was mentioning today, we made an announcement and a strong commitment to the national plan to end gender-based violence, which really will create stability for women's groups over the next number of years. I wanted to have a bit more reflection on what that means for the ecosystem to have reliable, stable funding for prevention work in addressing gender violence in this way.
I'd like to hear from Ms. Riendeau and other witnesses who support the system.