Mr. Speaker, the Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre has launched a new training project to teach women and girls about personal security and assertiveness.
Called the Empowerment Project, the program will train rape crisis centre staff and others in how to instruct women and girls to avoid and fend off sexual assault.
This project was supported by the National Crime Prevention Strategy, the New Brunswick Department of Intergovernmental Affairs and the Muriel McQueen Fergusson Foundation. It will be used throughout Canada and some parts of the United States.
Frederictonians and indeed all Canadians should be proud of the program's creator, Mary Whiteside-Lantz, as well as Lorraine Whalley and her team at the Fredericton Sexual Assault Crisis Centre for this important work, work that will make a difference in the lives of women and girls throughout North America.