Our catchment area, the area we serve, consists of approximately 26,632 aboriginal people on and off reserve, with females making up over 50% of the population. It is fair to say that 8,000 to 9,000 are aboriginal women.
Aboriginal women in northwestern Ontario are the poorest of the poor in Canada. They are isolated because their communities are so remote. They have very little income and they live in conditions of poverty. We've heard in the news about all the different issues.
Aboriginal women experience abuse in many forms, and yet they are expected to be the main caregivers of the children and the elders and to somehow hold the household together. Aboriginal women become victims of violence and are virtually powerless to contend with some of the policies that do more harm than good.