Madam Speaker, I am pleased to table the Conservative Party's supplementary report for the study on systems of shelters and transition houses serving women and children affected by violence.
The Conservatives are focused on providing a compassionate and determined effort to address the horrific tragedy of gender-based violence with appropriate government policy. While shelters do, in fact, play a very key role in helping women flee abusive relationships and start the process toward wholeness and healing, shelters do not offer a permanent solution, and this should be noted. It is therefore unfair to these women for the current government to pretend there is no need for further assistance in the form of stable housing following time at a shelter.
While the Liberals would like to keep women dependent on the government, the Conservatives believe that women are powerful, intelligent and free to make their own choices and succeed in the world. We believe women should be granted the opportunity to live autonomous lives, while they enjoy the stability of a permanent home.
For this reason, we outlined the importance of giving women this opportunity to move along the entire housing spectrum, including home ownership, which the government is trying to keep out of their grasp.