Status of Women committee  Thank you very much. Questions on funding or federal government plans for future expenditures must really be addressed to those people who look after this area. As government officials, we are responsible only for those plans and programs that are currently in effect. This is why I cannot talk about specific future plans.

Status of Women committee  I'll ask Cathy to respond.

Status of Women committee  Thank you so much for your question. It really does draw attention to some of the challenges associated with gathering statistics as a whole. I say that from the perspective of public health information. In the context of public health professionals, as I said, information starts with being able to recognize the signs of abuse and being able to track that abuse.

Status of Women committee  Thank you so much, Madam Chair and members of the committee. I'm very pleased to be here with you. My name is Marla Israel. I am the director general, acting--this is day seven for me on the job--for the Centre for Health Promotion at the Public Health Agency of Canada, and Cathy Bennett is acting director.