Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for allowing me to speak in French.
Based on everything I have heard this afternoon, I believe that one of the key causes of the violence is the extreme poverty first nations women live in. In my opinion, this extreme poverty is also reflected in the lack of social housing, lack of education and lack of power among women.
Should we not use programs provided by Status of Women Canada related to the empowerment of women? First nations women would gain a lot by participating in these programs and by taking charge of their lives, taking charge of who they are and becoming proud of what they are, becoming proud of being aboriginal women and becoming leaders in their community, as you undoubtedly already are. That way, they could become leaders within the Prince Albert community and within other communities, sit on city councils, hold decision-making positions in order to change the power structure and the way things are done. That is the only way to truly change the situation and stop the violence.
I appreciate that you are all working very hard, but you are going against the current because the violence continues to be a problem. To stop the violence, we must put an end to poverty and we must encourage women to believe in themselves and love themselves. That is how we will put an end to the violence.
Thank you.