Thank you so much.
I think the discussion about the dehumanization of indigenous women is really critical here. I think a lot of people still don't realize that indigenous women in real time, today, under the Indian Act, never mind not having the same rights as men, still don't have the same rights as other women. It's why this study is so important and why I am so grateful to the committee for being open to these really difficult discussions.
My question is for Madam Kang or Madam Varley.
You spoke a little bit about safe transportation. I was horrified when Greyhound bus services were cut. The MMIWG Coalition, which your organization was part of, identified the critical need for “safe, affordable and reliable” transportation and noted that its absence would lead to an increase in “hitchiking, which is directly correlated to the ongoing crisis of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls across the country.”
I can only think of the Highway of Tears in B.C., where you're from, and the tragic stories and unsolved stories that we've heard.
Could you please share how safe, affordable and reliable transportation would make a difference in keeping indigenous women and girls, 2SLGBTQ+ individuals safe in rural and remote areas where resource development projects frequently take place?