Status of Women committee  I can't answer the question specifically, but I have my suspicions. It harks back to the efforts that have been made over hundreds of years to eradicate us as a people, first through confining us in the concentration camps they call reserves and expecting us to die off. There wer

Status of Women committee  That's all right. I'll forgive you.

Status of Women committee  I want to add a couple of words to that. Not all of the people on all of the reserves are dysfunctional, and not all of the families. A lot of the dysfunction that has occurred harks back to the deprivation I was talking about earlier with regard to the loss of economic bases and

Status of Women committee  Do you mean on reserve?

Status of Women committee  We have a seniors residence here that we purchased through Gignul Non-Profit Housing, going on five or six years ago, and presently, thanks to the aboriginal housing trust fund, we're in the process of building a 28-apartment complex that will belong to us. So there is some movem

Status of Women committee  Just to add to that, our report shows that 54% of the registered population is living in urban areas, and that would be 45% on the reserves.

Status of Women committee  If I understand your question, is it that if second-stage housing for women is put in place, that is a good idea type of thing? Is that what you're asking?

Status of Women committee  Yes. This is why I spoke to that. I noticed that there was no mention of it in any of the material I was going through in preparation for this session. There was very little mention of transitional processes, including housing for people, for aboriginal women being released. I th

Status of Women committee  I was trying to be facetious--

Status of Women committee  Yes, it is a very significant problem. Jim, maybe you could say a few words.

Status of Women committee  Madam, in this context, I did leave three copies, so you can have them copied.

Status of Women committee  That's a very hard question to answer.

Status of Women committee  I know. I didn't say you were picking on me--

Status of Women committee  I'm just saying that it's difficult to answer. I grew up on a reserve. Growing up, I didn't see any particularly great amount of violence toward women. There was a lot of violence toward other guys and toward white people, but.... The statistics show that there are increases.

Status of Women committee  Yes, seven generations ahead, and that's not quite the same as something happening right now, a drastic change.