Madam Speaker, I want to thank the hon. member for Trois-Rivières for her question.
It is a very important one. The minister and I want to reassure the hon. member that the government recognizes the serious nature of the issue of violence against women and, in particular, violence against aboriginal women.
Violence of any kind in our society is unacceptable to the government and indeed to all Canadians. As has been mentioned in the House recently, we have been working closely with the Native Women's Association of Canada on this important matter. We are continuing to pursue discussions regarding solutions to the issues before us. In fact, in the spirit of mutual partnership, trust and respect, there has been and continues to be a great deal of collaboration between this key group and the Government of Canada.
We continue to work together with aboriginal organizations and leaders to reduce the gaps of living conditions that continue to separate first nations, Métis and Inuit from other Canadians. A key measure in these endeavours includes addressing the issues raised by Amnesty International in its “Stolen Sisters” report and dealing with similar issues raised by the Native Women's Association of Canada through its “Sisters in Spirit” campaign.
We commend the Native Women's Association of Canada and Amnesty International for the work they are carrying out in this respect. Through their efforts they are rendering a great service to aboriginal women and to all Canadians.
The Native Women's Association of Canada has participated and continues to participate fully in the initiatives resulting from the Canada and aboriginal peoples' round table. These initiatives began in April of this year.
This organization's members are involved in the planning committee coordinating the follow-up activities of the Canada-aboriginal peoples round table in six key areas, including aboriginal health. They will be actively participating in each of the two day sectoral follow-up sessions scheduled to occur in the coming weeks.
In short, it is clear that aboriginal women's issues are on the national policy agenda. Real efforts to deal with them are underway, working in partnership and collaboration with aboriginal women, which the hon. member said was best. It bears repeating that the work of the round table is but part of the efforts the government and its partners are putting in place to deal with violence in aboriginal communities.
Investment by the government in the family violence prevention program continues. Last year our department allocated approximately $16 million to three priority areas. We provided funding for 35 shelters across Canada, offering assistance to over 4,500 first nations people on reserve. We continue to provide education and outreach programs in order to increase public awareness, provide workshops and offer stress and anger management seminars, as well as support groups and community needs assessments. We provided contributions to the National Aboriginal Circle Against Family Violence, which provides coordination and builds capacity among first nations shelter directors.
In conclusion, the important issues facing aboriginal women are multi-faceted and compelling. As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, I have outlined the concerns and efforts of our department. Other work that responds to these needs is also underway in other departments across the federal government.
I want to assure the hon. member opposite that the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development is committed to continue to work closely with his cabinet colleagues to protect and improve the quality of life for aboriginal women across Canada.