I am pleased to rise to speak about the Nova Vita women’s shelter.

Domestic violence is a horrific form of intimate partner violence that affects roughly 100,000 Canadians each year. Domestic violence has devastating effects on a victim’s physical health and mental well-being. Often, the effects of domestic violence can seriously disrupt a victim’s social and economic well-being as well.

That is why the Nova Vita women’s shelter has dedicated itself to fighting to end interpersonal violence and abuse by supporting individuals and families who have experienced domestic violence.

Nova Vita was founded in the Brantford-Brant community in 1982, and it has flourished into a beacon of hope for everyone affected by domestic violence.

In 2003, Nova Vita renovated their emergency shelter, which is open 24/7 and provides a safe place for women and children experiencing abuse or homelessness to eat, sleep and meet with Nova Vita workers for support.

Nova Vita continues to engage in evaluative research of its many programs and services, in partnership with a variety of educational institutions, to ensure that those who rely on their services for support are receiving the highest-quality care.

I am proud to represent a community that takes care of its own.

On behalf of Brantford-Brant, I want to extend my thanks to Nova Vita for protecting the most vulnerable in our community.

Nova Vita, keep up the great work.

I find that response profoundly disappointing to the policy discourse directed at women’s health and gender equity. Six million Ontarians have access to public funding contraceptives? The vast, vast majority of those six million Ontarians are men, children and seniors.

While I recognize your numbers are provided by staff, let me be clear that only a fraction of the six million you mentioned are women and gender-diverse individuals that need these barriers removed. It’s not the time for coached language.

Speaker, through you, with two days until the debate, we need you to be crystal clear that you commit to universal contraception access—that means everyone who needs it can get it.

Interjections.