Mr. Speaker, it is my duty to present, in both official languages, the first report of the Standing Committee on Status of Women in the 41st Parliament. The work on this report began in the early spring of 2010 and was initiated by the committee of the 40th Parliament because of its profound concern related to the tragedy of nearly 600 missing and murdered aboriginal women. The loss and abuse of our sisters compelled us to look at the root causes, depth and possible solutions for the violence experienced by aboriginal women.
While the committee was unable to complete its work before the May 2011 election, the committee submitted a draft report with the promise that the committee of the 41st Parliament would complete the work and make recommendations to the government in regard to the solutions brought forward by aboriginal women themselves to the great harm that such violence perpetrates.
I would like to thank the clerk, Michelle Tittley, and the analysts, Havi Echenberg and Laura Munn-Rivard, for their commitment to helping the committee complete this challenging report.