Merci, bonjour, kwe. Hello, good afternoon, nidijinikàz Claudette Dumont-Smith. I'm Algonquin from the Kitigan Zibi community, located just 90 miles across the river, directly north. So you are in Algonquin territory. I guess I don't have to acknowledge my people for being on my land.
I'd first like to apologize for not being able to come on Monday when we were first scheduled to appear, but we are very short-staffed and there are just so many things happening. But I'm here now, so I guess that's the good news.
I'd like to begin by thanking you for inviting the Native Women's Association of Canada to come and speak to this committee on matters that are crucial to Canada's aboriginal women, their children, their families, and their communities.
The Native Women's Association of Canada is a nationally representative political organization comprising 13 provincial and territorial member associations, known as PTMAs, from right across Canada. Each is striving to improve the social, economic, health, and political well-being of first nations and Métis women of Canada.
Forums like this one today help us to discuss the role that aboriginal women and girls can play in economic development, which is a major area to address if conditions of aboriginal women and girls are to change for the better.
At NWAC we recognize that positive action and concrete measures must be implemented by governments to ensure that women, as well as aboriginal people with disabilities and single mothers, are able to access a wide range of educational and employment opportunities so that they too can benefit from the economic security and prosperity that we have here in Canada.
Violence against women and girls is a major concern and a key priority for our organization. We're always trying to reduce violence directed towards aboriginal women and girls. In particular, aboriginal women and girls in remote communities often experience higher rates of violence and unemployment, lower quality of life, and less access to health care, social services, and other supports. Providing economic opportunities can help to alleviate this situation.
NWAC continues to raise attention to these issues with government in order to promote economic and social development, including better living conditions, to directly benefit the aboriginal women who live there.
In a meeting with Minister Duncan in February 2011, the president of NWAC, Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, informed him of our organization's activities in the area of economic development. In 2009 NWAC carried out an aboriginal-specific, gender-based analysis of the federal framework for aboriginal development and found that the framework was gender-blind. It had a heavy focus on sectors where male employment and ownership were strong. It overlooked the importance of the creative economy in building sustainable jobs for aboriginal girls and women. There was no recognition that the usual barriers and obstacles to economic development in aboriginal communities are even more pronounced for aboriginal women and girls, and the guiding principles of the framework failed to take into account the different socio-economic conditions affecting aboriginal women. Moreover, it did not recognize the traditional economic roles that aboriginal women had in the past.
In the same year NWAC developed an aboriginal women's comprehensive economic empowerment development plan. And in March 2010, NWAC invited and led a working session with various federal departments to increase aboriginal women's participation through the federal framework for economic development.
Economic security remains a challenge for many of our women. Accordingly, it remains a top priority for NWAC and we will continue to work to advance aboriginal women's economic security and prosperity.
Recently, budget 2012 announced the investments that Canada will continue to make in aboriginal economic development and small and medium sized businesses. Aboriginal women have a strong role to play in building a strong Canadian economy. Economic security and prosperity for aboriginal women and their families is an essential step for improving the lives of aboriginal people and their communities.
The opportunities for economic development and business growth have never been greater than right now. We must support aboriginal women's participation in both the labour market as well as economic development initiatives across the country as an important part of rebuilding our nations within the larger Canadian economy.
With more than 400,000 aboriginal youth projected to enter the labour market by 2020, aboriginal participation in the labour market will continue to be important. More than half of these youth are girls. We must support them in the contributions they can make.
Corporate Canada is working with aboriginal business and communities, and over $315 billion in potential resource development has been identified in or near aboriginal communities. These investments must benefit our women in order to change the future of our communities as a whole. By building on our women's strengths, we can continue to improve the quality of life and the self-sufficiency of our families and communities.
We need to identify concrete measures and targeted investments to support women in order to ensure that aboriginal peoples benefit as a whole. We have also taken other important steps to modernize and improve federal support for aboriginal economic development. We must ensure that the level of education that an aboriginal woman obtains translates into the income she receives. Economic security and prosperity for aboriginal women must be the goal.
It is clear that partnerships continue to grow between Canada's business community and aboriginal peoples. We just need to make sure that these benefit all people. Together we must ensure that no one is left behind. By supporting aboriginal women and youth, this will be the key to Canada's future economic prosperity.
Over the past several years, NWAC has put forward the following recommendations at the federal, provincial, or territorial levels to improve the economic outcomes of aboriginal women and girls in Canada. I'm presenting them again today. The government should develop microfinancing and business development solutions to support the development of communities and women's and girls' participation in sustainable business. Community and economic development requires long-term strategies—