Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for inviting the department to appear before the committee. It is indeed a privilege for my colleague and me to appear before you as you commence an important study on violence against aboriginal women in Canada.
In my opening remarks, I would like to outline some of the program areas in which Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) supports healthier and safer Aboriginal families. I would also like to share with you the INAC initiatives that specifically target violence against women, and explain how INAC works in partnership with other federal departments, provinces, and Aboriginal peoples in order to contribute to the overall response to this serious issue, particularly on reserve, but also in Aboriginal communities and urban centres.
The department is responsible for two mandates, Indian and Inuit affairs and northern development, which together support Canada's aboriginal and northern peoples in the pursuit of healthy and sustainable communities and broader economic and social development objectives. Indian and Northern Affairs, or INAC, also works with the urban aboriginal people, Métis, and non-status Indians through the Office of the Federal Interlocutor.
As you know, there are a number of ongoing social and economic challenges that make aboriginal women more vulnerable to violence against them. These include factors such as the unemployment rate, family situation, and education levels.
Through INAC's support for child and family services, community development, and education programs on reserve, we work closely with aboriginal, federal, and provincial partners to help address these underlying risks and build healthier and safer aboriginal families.
Provincial governments typically provide or fund services to aboriginal women residing off reserve, and in the north, the Government of Canada provides territorial formula financing to the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut governments. This funding is to support public services such as hospitals, schools, infrastructure, and social services.
The ongoing reform and development of INAC's social programs on reserve is critical to tackling root causes that may contribute to violence against women on and off reserve. For example, a preventative approach in INAC's Child and Family Services program on reserve aims to support parents and keep families together, which ultimately will enhance a sense of security among women who reside on reserve, and can decrease the risk of violence.
The department is moving its income assistance program on reserve to go from solely meeting basic needs towards implementing an active measures approach that will help individuals participate in job readiness and training so they can find employment. As we make progress, this will enable individuals on reserve to become more self-sufficient, and it will ultimately reduce the impact of poverty.
A related program is the department's national child benefit reinvestment project, which is focused primarily on reducing child poverty and strengthening families on reserve in the areas of providing child care, home-to-work transition activities, parental and nutritional support, and culturally relevant programming. The department also targets programs directly to address violence against women. The family violence prevention program aims to ensure that first nations women and children on reserve have a safe place to turn during situations of family violence and supports first nations communities to address the root causes of family violence through a range of prevention activities. In 2007 the department announced an investment of approximately $55 million over five years to support the existing network of shelters, including $2.2 million to support the construction of five new shelters. The department currently supports a network of 41 shelters on reserve and approximately 350 community-based prevention projects for first nations people residing on reserve.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's shelter enhancement program covers the capital costs for construction and maintenance of shelters.
In terms of urban programs, the Office of the Federal Interlocutor (OFI) works to improve the socio-economic conditions of Métis, non-status Indians and urban Aboriginal people who reside off-reserve.
The Urban Aboriginal Peoples Study, released April 6, 2010, found the majority of women surveyed move to the city in order to be closer to family, pursue education and to escape a bad family situation and/or find a better place to raise their children. Ten percent of these women moved to escape a bad family situation.
Through the urban aboriginal strategy, the Office of the Federal Interlocutor partners with the aboriginal community, local organizations, municipal and provincial governments, and the private sector to support projects in three areas of priority: improving life skills, promoting job training skills and entrepreneurship, and supporting aboriginal women and children and families. Since 2007, approximately $7.5 million has been provided for more than 140 projects under this third priority, focusing on areas such as healing and wellness, leadership and empowerment, and harm reduction and violence prevention in some of Canada's largest urban centres. In the area of legislative reform, in such measures as the proposed Bill S-4, Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act, as well as in the changes made to the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Government of Canada is taking steps to provide first nations women protection and rights similar to those enjoyed by other Canadians.
Once enforced, Bill S-4 will provide basic rights and protection with respect to the occupation and fair division of the value of the family home to on-reserve individuals facing the breakdown of a relationship or death of a spouse. The legislation will also provide protection for individuals in the event of family violence.
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada participates with the Public Health Agency of Canada as it leads a broader family violence prevention initiative. Launched in 1988, this is an approach to family violence across 15 federal departments and agencies. The Native Women's Association of Canada, through its Sisters In Spirit initiative, has contributed to an understanding of the extent and nature of violence against aboriginal women. The department also works with such stakeholders as the National Aboriginal Circle Against Family Violence, provinces and territories, and other government departments such as Health Canada, the Department of Justice, Status of Women Canada, and others, on the coordination of family violence prevention programing.
Together, we are working to make a difference and put an end to violence against Aboriginal women and make a difference in combating the factors that place them at risk.
My colleague and I will do our best to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.