The men in the construction industry, as I said, are saying that they prefer women because we are not breaking the equipment. Placement rates for the graduates in this program are over 90%, and we are now funding a project to transfer that knowledge to other organizations in all provinces. These are well-paying jobs. They're jobs that women deserve to have an opportunity in and to prosper in.
Partnerships have been created with Equal Voice, which everyone is aware of. It's a multi-partisan organization and represents another opportunity not to be overly partisan. We should be supporting each other, encouraging more mentors, and encouraging young women to get involved in politics and to stay involved.
I've also met with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and I'm supporting some of the work they want to do, particularly for women in rural Canada. These initiatives, as you know, are very key, because increasing the political literacy skills of women will result in more women being elected and more women around these tables.
I'll close with a few comments on aboriginal women.
We have put a very special emphasis on the unique challenges of women who face multiple barriers, and that would be our aboriginal women. The violence against aboriginal women is a major concern for this government. Aboriginal women, as we know, are three times more likely to experience this violence and five times more likely to die as a result of it.
The Sisters in Spirit initiative is designed to increase public awareness. I think everyone around this table would agree that they have done an excellent job in raising public awareness of murdered and missing aboriginal women. They are also doing a multi-research program on getting a better understanding as to the root causes of the racialized and sexualized violence that our aboriginal women are experiencing.
We are working on the next steps and exploring the next options. I am working closely with the Native Women's Association. I appreciate the incredible work they have done. I also appreciate the work that the families have done. It takes a great deal of courage to tell the stories of their lost loved ones, of the lost spirits, in order to help us to make change for the future. I know we will all appreciate their contribution.
Thanks to this initiative, we have seen an increase in public engagement, and that includes questions being raised in the House of Commons. We intend to continue to work with our federal, provincial, and territorial partners to build on the results and to find some good programs that will help to end this violence.
Madam Chair, I do have some more comments, but as you have indicated, there's no time for me to continue to give the members around this table a report on some of the other great things we're doing.