Mr. Chair, I come from British Columbia and when we talk about child care, what we have seen over the last three years, despite the framework and the early development initiative, is that child care spaces in British Columbia have been seriously reduced because of a lack of commitment by the federal and provincial governments.
Also listed as priorities for the department are eliminating systemic violence against women and children and advancing women's human rights.
I have met with national native women's organizations that cannot operate because of federal funding limits and provincial cuts. The minister is well aware, as noted earlier, of the “Stolen Sisters” report by Amnesty International, which outlines our country's failure to protect indigenous women in Canada from violence.
Why after only three years did Heritage Canada cut core funding from the aboriginal women's programs to these essential organizations?