Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Dr. Guay. That was very helpful.
I recall reading a news article a year a half ago that in the wake of September 11 in New York, if my memory serves me correctly, a swarm of helpful counsellors came in to try to help the many people who were struck by what happened—family and so on—and also in the wake of one of the school shootings; I'm not sure if it was Columbine or another one.
This report suggested very much along the lines of what you're saying. We're amateurs, at least speaking for myself in this area, and it said that sometimes that early intervention, that swarming of help, was more negative. I can't interpret the meaning of that, but you're dealing in a field that is not a cut, not a broken arm; it's a very nebulous, hard to pin down situation. It underscores the importance of our looking at this as a committee, so we appreciate what you're saying.
We had the OSISS people here. They made a good presentation, and it brings me to the question of the balance between the helpful but unprofessional peer counsellors, the families, the friends, those who have gone through a trauma before, who are recovered, versus the professional. It can be helpful or it can interfere, if you have the wrong person in the wrong place at the wrong time with somebody who's experienced something.
Are you able to speak to the balance between the peer or mentor counsellor? We want to be positive about that and use those resources, but at the same time we want to be careful. Can you speak to the balance between the professional and the non-professional?