Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the comments of the hon. member. I must say I agree with a lot of what he has said.
It is a concern. In the province of Quebec a year or so ago they advertised publicly for women who were being abused to come to the shelters or to the available facilities to receive treatment and help. Within a matter of a few weeks the facilities were so overloaded they had to stop the advertising. That gives us an idea of the problem there.
With respect to assistance, assistance has to be maintained. The Minister of Human Resources Development understands that. I have spoken with him on this matter. I made another suggestion which the provinces could maybe deal with. We have a pilot project in New Brunswick where a thousand or so older members of society who are 55 to 65 years of age but not retired are guaranteed so many weeks work in the community. There is no reason the work in the community could not be with young people, dealing with children at risk. We have people with knowledge of computers and various sports organizations who could perhaps work with some young people in society.
There are ways to do it. If all members of the House come forward with suggestions and we work together we can do it. With the co-operation of the provinces we can make a meaningful contribution.