Good afternoon, mesdames. I am pleased to see you here.
Knowing and understanding what is going on is a real concern for us. We must admit something unfortunate: I agree with Ms. Demers when she says that, as white women, we don't really know the situation of aboriginal, Innu and Metis women.
I've been a parliamentary secretary for nearly three years. I have had the opportunity to meet with a number of groups. However, I am not used to doing this, but I'm going to correct the perception. Ms. Demers was experiencing what I call a hormonal crisis. We have invested the $10 million amount because we believe in it.
In my view, everyone around the table absolutely wants to know and do one thing... I'm not done. I've been attacked personally. Today I want to understand why women... Women have to get together, not against each other, to understand what is happening to aboriginal women who have disappeared.
I'm going to repeat what I said, Ms. Demers. I repeat so that you will be present. I merely said that I wanted to correct a perception. I didn't know how to say it exactly; I used the words “hormonal crisis”, but she knows me and knows that's not what I meant. I wanted to correct the perception because I think we want to understand here why this happens to aboriginal women.
If Ms. Demers were here, she could respond and Ms. Neville as well. One day, aboriginal women came. On the first page of the newspaper, we saw the picture of a white woman with blue eyes and blond hair who had disappeared. The photograph of an aboriginal woman was on another page, not far from the sports page. I remember it because it made me angry. I'm white and I don't know the situation of aboriginal, Innu or Metis women.
However, I would like to know this. You said a little earlier that you weren't getting any help from the police. What should the committee do to try to help you the best way possible, by working together to help aboriginal women and especially to understand what happens in the field? How is it that we get no more information on disappeared women?