Great. Thank you, Minister.
I agree that men should be speaking up as well. As you know, I'm a good supporter of the “Be More Than a Bystander” program. I think that's a great initiative.
We know that aboriginal women and girls are the Canadians most at risk of violence, and that the Government of Canada developed a five-year national strategy aimed at enhancing the response of law enforcement and the justice system to cases of missing and murdered aboriginal women and girls, and supporting culturally appropriate victim services.
But these are not the only issues faced by aboriginal women. Access to services and leadership opportunities for women and girls living in these remote communities is limited, and programming more difficult to access.
I've heard you speak passionately about the need for an extension of matrimonial property rights for first nations women living on reserve. Could you speak to the need for programming that addresses the needs of these at-risk and rural populations, as well as the importance of addressing issues of matrimonial property rights, as part of our efforts to end violence against aboriginal women and girls?