Mr. Speaker, during the 7th annual YWCA Week Without Violence, October 20 to 26, YWCAs and YM-YWCAs have organized activities to bring awareness and solutions to the problem of violence.
Violence affects us all, regardless of geographic location, economic class, race or religion. More than 300,000 violent crimes are reported yearly in Canada. In 1999 more than 90,000 women and children were admitted to shelters to escape abuse. The YWCA is the largest provider of shelters for women and children in Canada.
Much can be done to promote peace and safety: a commitment to avoid violent programming and videos; speaking out against racism and hate; and treating everyone with dignity and respect.
Every day there is something violent happening and I am thankful that every day volunteers and workers of the YWCAs and YW-YMCAs in Thompson, Manitoba, and throughout Canada are working for safer communities.
I ask my colleagues to join me in acknowledging their work and thanking them for their commitment.