Mr. Speaker, since 1989, December 6 has been a date to remember Canadian women whose lives are affected by violence and, in particular, the 14 young women who tragically lost their lives in Montreal at École Polytechnique.
December 6 has come and gone, but we must continue to fight violence against women and remember those who are affected every day, not just one day a year.
I am proud to be part of a government that has made significant changes in the justice system to reflect the impact of these crimes, not only on the victims, but on society as a whole. We have legislated gun control. We have eliminated self-induced intoxication as a defence for violent crimes like sexual assault and just last June our government announced a $32 million a year national crime prevention initiative aimed at developing community based responses to crime, with the emphasis on women, children and youth.
Our government is committed to ending violence against all people in Canada. We hope these measures will help make our society safer.