Mr. Speaker, every Valentine's Day for 16 years, hundreds of people gather in the heart of Vancouver's downtown east side to join in the annual Women's Memorial March.
Women from the community, especially aboriginal women, sisters, brothers, mothers, daughters and sons, march in memory of the hundreds of women who die each year from violence.
This year is particularly sad and difficult for the families and friends of the women whose murders are before the courts and who are daily reliving those tragic events. The Highway of Tears, in northern British Columbia, is further evidence of the appalling situation facing aboriginal women.
Members of the federal NDP caucus stand in solidarity with the family, friends and activists who are speaking out on this issue. We demand that all levels of government commit to end the cycle of violence against women, to improve the safety of women in the sex trade and to provide desperately needed housing and income support.
Too many women have suffered and gone missing across Canada. It is time to act.