Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for her interest and participation in this issue. As the member knows, women and girls represent more than half of our population in Canada. Women play an important role in Canada; not only do they drive the Canadian economy, but they also significantly contribute to our society.
However, they still face barriers and obstacles every day. Aboriginal women are the most vulnerable women in our society, and are victimized more than any other group. Like all Canadians, aboriginal women want to feel safe in their homes and their communities. That is why our government has demonstrated unprecedented support and respect for aboriginal women.
In the most recent budget, we allocated $10 million to protect women by cracking down on crime and addressing unresolved cases of murdered and missing aboriginal women.
We have implemented and continue to introduce new criminal bills to ensure that women are protected from rapists and murderers.
We are protecting children against sexual predators, and we are protecting vulnerable women against sexual slavery.
We will continue to work so that all women can feel safe in their homes and in their communities.
We have also made progress toward ensuring equal treatment for women in the workplace.
Under our government, more women than ever are working in the federal public service.
Women make up more than half of the public service, and 43% of the deputy ministers running the public service are women.
Women are making progress. In the past, they were denied access to executive positions in companies across Canada.
We can be proud of these achievements. As a woman and a Conservative Party member, I am proud of this, and I am very happy to have the opportunity to champion these issues. But we still have a lot to do.
Our government is determined to work with women to continue moving forward.
I would ask my honourable colleague to work with us, to transcend party lines, because women's issues should not be exploited or used for political gain. Together, we can keep moving forward on women's issues.