Persons Day  Mr. Speaker, October 18, 1929, marks a pivotal moment in Canadian history when women were officially recognized as persons and granted the right to sit in the Senate. This happened through the relentless effort of five women from Alberta. They successfully redefined the word “person” to include women.

Women's History Month  Mr. Speaker, October is Women's History Month. This year's theme is “Because of Her”. We will be sharing the stories of women who had a major influence on our lives. With this theme, we are paying tribute to remarkable women who shaped our history. From the beginning, women have overcome obstacles to build their own life and that of their family, shape their communities, and move society forward in a significant and innovative way.

Status of Women  Madam Speaker, the Minister of Status of Women has begun working on the development of a comprehensive federal strategy against gender-based violence, and we have been travelling across the country to meet with front-line workers, survivors, academics, those people who have committed themselves to this cause.

Status of Women  Madam Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to discuss one of the critical social issues to our country. Gender-based violence represents a significant barrier to women and girls, and other vulnerable groups from reaching full equality in this country. Gender-based violence costs all of us.

Nirra Wellman Fields  Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to announce that a citizen of Lachine was chosen as the new guard for the Phoenix Mercury professional basketball team. Nirra Wellman Fields is only the second Montrealer to be on a WNBA team. Before being drafted, number 21 began her career at LaSalle Elementary Senior, and then became part of the starting lineup for the UCLA Bruins, where she broke many records.

Status of Women  Madam Speaker, having a gender-wage gap in Canada in 2016 is unacceptable. We are committed to working with key partners, provinces, and territories to help close the gap through investments in home care and palliative care, expanding compassionate care benefits, and improving access to child care.

Status of Women  Madam Speaker, having a gender wage gap in Canada in 2016 is unacceptable. Budget 2016 announced a number of important measures that would support women's labour market participation and help address the gender wage gap: the new Canada child benefit, which will be better targeted and more generous than previous benefits; the investment to support early learning and child care; a commitment to explore flexible work arrangements for federally regulated employees.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, the government is marking Gender-based Analysis Plus Awareness Week from May 16 to 20. Encouraging the use of this analysis leads to decision-making that takes into account the needs of all Canadians. As parliamentarians, we can promote equality by applying GBA+ to all projects we undertake on behalf of Canadians.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, as my colleague knows, our government is taking action. The disproportionate rate of violence against indigenous women and girls is a major concern for our government and Canadians. We have launched an inquiry in order to shed light on the high number of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in our country.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, violence is an everyday occurrence for far too many Canadian women and girls. According to statistics, many types of violence continue to affect mainly women and girls. Statistics also show that indigenous women are particularly vulnerable. They are three times more likely to report being victims of violence than other Canadian women.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, as a proud member of the Barreau du Québec, I am pleased to point out that 75 years ago, in 1941, women won the right to practise law in Quebec. This did not happen overnight. In 1915, Annie Langstaff was the first Quebec woman to obtain a law degree from McGill University.

Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case  Mr. Speaker, this morning the Governor General handed out the 2015 Awards in Commemoration of the Persons Case to five remarkable Canadian women. Those women are here with us today: the Honourable Monique Bégin, a respected politician, activist, and professor; Marie-Thérèse Chicha, a professor and advocate for gender equality; Dr.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. I was honoured to be part of the Canadian delegation at the UN Commission on the Status of Women. I am proud to have had the opportunity to work with other nations to give women and girls all over the world the tools they need to reach their full potential.

Vaisakhi  Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate Vaisakhi, the first time the Sikhs were baptized. One of the important aspects of this day is the reaffirmation of the equality of the sexes, as proclaimed by the first guru. When the 10th guru of the Sikhs, Guru Gobind Singh, created the holy baptismal nectar, a woman was also involved.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, last week, I was proud to be a part of Canada's delegation to the 60th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, led by the Minister of Status of Women. Canada was clear about the empowerment of women and girls; the equality of indigenous women and girls; the elimination of gender-based violence; the health of women, children, and adolescents, including sexual and reproductive health and rights; and the elimination of early forced marriage.