Madam Speaker, I hope, and I will give the hon. member the benefit of the doubt, that he is not suggesting that women bring violence against themselves by their own actions.
I will take rather that the hon. member's comments are asking what we can do to assist those families who are having marital and family problems. I suggest we can do a fair number of things.
First, we can put in place economic measures that ensure that we decrease the amount of unemployment. Every study indicates that poverty and unemployment are contributors to violence in our society.
Second, it is absolutely essential that governments at all levels take responsibility for the safety of their citizens both in enforcing those measures already in place in the criminal justice system to deal with those who commit violent offences and to ensure that there is a core group of services available.
One can look for example at what some police forces have done across the country with their family violence prevention units. London, Ontario comes to mind. It has a very progressive program of going to a home where a call has been made, making sure that a social worker is present, that there is an option for ongoing counselling. It is not just a matter of one measure, it is a matter of several.
Finally, the attitude that our society has toward women is key to this. Denigration of women in any field will set the climate for the acceptance of violence. It is incumbent on each of us to ensure that the respect and dignity of both men and women is always in the forefront. In our position as members of Parliament we have a responsibility to ensure equal opportunities for women in every sphere of life.