Mr. Speaker, recently several Campbell River realtors donated part of their commissions to the Campbell River and North Island Transition Society.
Stephen Grant, Deanna Collins, Heather Parker, Doug Marie, Andre Rivett, Vanessa Hird, and Deb Gyles together donated $9,900 to support women and children fleeing violence. I want to acknowledge their generosity.
I also want to thank the executive director of the transition society and all of the amazing staff and volunteers who do such tremendous work. These people save lives. Their dedication and hard work is so appreciated.
Sadly, this issue continues to be so real and concerning across Canada. In fact, recently the United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women said that due to the lack of shelters or second-stage housing facilities, many women who have fled from domestic violence are subsequently forced to return to their homes, exposing themselves to the risk of facing further violence.
I ask the government to listen to the cries of women and children across this country and to the special rapporteur and raise the much-needed funding for these facilities. Women and children—