You know, as far back as I remember.... I think I was born when Helen Betty Osborne went missing--the violence against an aboriginal woman in northern Manitoba. Then of course there was an inquiry as a result of it.
So violence against aboriginal women isn't new. It's always been on the agenda. I think it's gotten louder as a result of aboriginals standing up.
Prior to that, in terms of media attention and so forth, aboriginal peoples weren't getting that very much--unless you wanted to prove a stereotype--i.e., “Look how sick these people are. You think you've got it bad? Check out this.” There were those kinds of things and attitudes, right?
I just think that maybe the Conservative government is just now open to hearing about it, because violence against aboriginal women has always been on the agenda. It has always been very, very present. This is how—this is how—Canada was built. You had to oppress us. You had to kill us.