Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you to all the witnesses. I think you are definitely our heroes for helping women, so thank you for that.
I'm going to speak with Sunder. I have visited your organization on several occasions. I know you've been the executive director since 2005, advocating for women, seniors and newcomers. I also know that you help over 4,000 individuals each year, and that there has been a 45% increase in annual visits—up to over 14,500. You support almost 15,000 seniors each year.
I also know that you have a program to educate girls and women about human trafficking. A testimony from one individual you have helped is a testament to what your organization does, and I want to read this testimony: “I am a mom of a beautiful girl and recently came out of a violence relationship. I knew nothing about the law or anything in Canada. A good friend of mine with the same experience referred me to EHCW. As soon as I called them, I got a wonderful worker named Sona on the phone. Right away she met me through a zoom meeting and took the time to listen to me and promised to help me....”
This particular individual was able to escape the violence she was accustomed to, I guess, if you want to call it that.
Sunder, I know that you've requested some assistance for additional shelters. What does the government need to do to ensure that the perpetrators are kept behind bars and that survivors feel safe? As well, how can we as a government put rules in place so that the shelters are there to help women?