Mr. Speaker, the goal here is to protect the victims, and obviously the actions of the government are not addressing that.
As of 2010, the largest portions of on-reserve shelters were emergency shelters. The number one reason women require these shelters if for spousal abuse. Aboriginal women are twice as likely to report spousal abuse as non-aboriginal women.
In 2009, about 15% of aboriginal women with a partner reported they had experienced spousal violence. Comparatively, the number is 6% for non-aboriginal women.
Instead of access to adequate, culturally sensitive healing opportunities, these women are met with barriers like overcrowding and limited access, and obviously these facilities have limited funds.
Clearly, we need a long-term commitment to women's shelters, so that women in abusive relationships can take control of their situations without fearing things like housing insecurity.
For aboriginal women living on reserve, this is all the more pressing, as shelters are often their only option to escape abusive relationships and receive the care they need.
With that in mind, I repeat my call for the government to commit to increasing core funding for on-reserve women's shelters.