Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to also rise in the House today to acknowledge that today the Inuit of Canada, represented by Mary Simon of ITK, declared 2010 the Year of the Inuit.
All Canadians should share in the accomplishments of the Inuit over the last 40 years.
As we host the Winter Olympic Games, we will be sharing the Inuit symbol with the world. We must celebrate this and ensure that we as Canadians see the Inuit as more than just symbolic figures.
There is still much work that needs to be done to ensure Inuit people have the same opportunities the rest of us have.
Today, on this International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we must not ignore the calls from Inuit women to ensure that we give them the support and resources they need to ensure that they can move forward and stop the violence.
All Inuit and especially all Inuit women deserve to feel safe and to be equal participants in Canadian society.