Madam Speaker, I rise in the House today to address a question that was raised on October 7 in this honourable place. At that time the question concerned the 520 cases of missing and/or murdered aboriginal women and girls. During that question I called upon the government to launch a full, public, national, independent investigation into these particular cases.
This call for a national investigation has been supported by aboriginal women's groups, women's groups generally, Amnesty International, NWAC. It is supported by myself and my colleagues of the Liberal Party, and so many more throughout this country.
We also are at a time when we are memorializing the memory of École Polytechnique and the violence against women, when 14 women were gunned down. We are in the midst of 16 days of activism against gender violence. Just a couple of months ago we had the fourth annual Sisters in Spirit vigils across this country. They were held in small towns and in large cities, and at each and every one of those vigils, they called for the government to launch an independent national investigation.
There are 520 cases of murdered and/or missing aboriginal women and girls. I ask in all seriousness and all sincerity, where else in this world would we have this astounding number of documented cases and the federal government does not rise and see it as a national tragedy, a blot on our reputation, and take appropriate action to deal with it?
It is a matter of sexualized and racialized violence. It is a matter of discrimination. The government has answered each and every time that we have invested in Sisters in Spirit. No doubt Sisters in Spirit has done tremendous work, research work. In fact, Sisters in Spirit has been pivotal in identifying the 520 cases of murdered and/or missing aboriginal women and girls.
However, such a tragedy requires more. I ask any Canadian out there to just look at the response when a non-aboriginal, middle-class, dare I say white person, goes missing in this country. The response is appropriate and it is always tragic. We see cars, helicopters, police forces and special agents out searching.
Has anyone heard about Maisy Odjick or Shannon Alexander, two aboriginal young women who went missing approximately a year ago? Did anyone see helicopters flying? Special agents out? Police cars? I bet people do not even recognize those names. They are among the 520 murdered and/or missing aboriginal women. Just pause for a moment and think why are the responses different. That hits the heart of the matter.
I ask the government once again and this is not the first time the question has been asked. It has been asked many times. Can we have a national investigation?