Mr. Speaker, I welcome the opportunity to participate in this important debate on the motion before the House today.
First, allow me to provide some context for my remarks in this debate. The member's motion reads as follows:
That the Standing Committee on the Status of Women be instructed to undertake a study on the subject of best practices in education and social programs in Canada that prevent violence against women, and report its findings to the House within one year of the study's initiation.
As a husband and the father of two daughters, this is a critical issue. I intend to vote in support of the motion, because it would give the Standing Committee on the Status of Women a valuable opportunity to look at best practices to help reduce and prevent violence against women and girls. It would also provide helpful insight to the members of the House and all Canadians.
Our government takes the issue of violence against women and girls seriously, and we have taken a multifaceted approach to addressing it.
In terms of legislative actions, we have passed the Safe Streets and Communities Act to improve the safety of all Canadians. We have launched a national action plan to combat human trafficking. We have increased penalties for violent crimes, and we have introduced legislation to give police and prosecutors new tools to address cyberbullying.
At the beginning of this year, our government also launched a national anti-cyberbullying campaign, known as “Stop Hating Online”. It is focused both on parents and youth and is designed to raise awareness of the harmful impact cyberbullying has, especially when such behaviour amounts to criminal activity.
In April, our government also announced the victims bill of rights, a significant piece of legislation that will for the first time in Canadian history create clear statutory rights at the federal level for victims of crime.
In economic action plan 2014, the Government of Canada also committed to investing an additional $25 million over the next five years to reduce violence against aboriginal women and girls. I am also pleased to note that our government has met this commitment.
On September 15, the Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women launched the Government of Canada's action plan to address family violence and violent crimes against aboriginal women and girls. The action plan sets out concrete actions in three areas: preventing violence, supporting aboriginal victims, and protecting aboriginal women and girls from being victims of crime. It includes new funding of $25 million over five years, beginning next year. When added to the range of ongoing investments, the action plan represents a total investment of $196.8 million over the next five years.
This action plan was developed in response to the recommendations identified in the report of the Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women. It also builds on the lessons we have learned from the government's previous investments. Many studies and reports have already been done on this issue, including the RCMP's national operational overview.
I am also proud to say that a number of important stakeholders have endorsed this plan. For example, I would like to quote Chief Ron Evans of the Norway House Cree nation, who said:
This comprehensive Action Plan responds to the needs and recommendations made by stakeholders across the country in developing a concrete and action-oriented plan with significant resources and funding for implementation.
Mrs. Bernadette Smith, sister of Claudette Osborne, who has tragically been missing since 2008, said:
We can't stand idly by and talk about this without taking significant action. This Action Plan will have a direct impact on families and it will help keep our women and girls safe.
We also believe in giving communities the tools to help end violence against women and girls. That is why we have increased funding to the women's program at Status of Women Canada to record levels. Since 2007 we have invested more than $146 million in 720 projects through Status of Women Canada. This includes more than $70 million in projects to specifically address violence against women and girls. These efforts include a number of different calls for proposals for projects in rural and remote communities and in post-secondary campus communities.
Another call for proposals is helping communities respond to cyber and sexual violence, and in that case to date, more than $6 million has been invested in projects through Status of Women Canada.
When it comes to engaging men and boys, we are fortunate in our society. We have moved away from asking why we should work with men and boys to help end violence against women to how we can achieve that goal.
That is why our government has issued a call for proposals that includes the specific theme of engaging men and boys on this issue. That is why we are supporting projects such as the huddle up and make the call program from the White Ribbon campaign and the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts. The goal of this project is to engage men and boys to help reduce violence against women and girls through activities such as in-school engagements, youth leadership development, public service announcements, as well as education within the community and at football games in Toronto.
This project, like the many other actions by our government I have spoken about today, demonstrate a clear focus on eliminating violence against women and girls. As I said before, as the father of two daughters, this is a high priority and it is just the right thing to do. It also helps women and girls achieve their full potential and that can move us closer to equality between women and men in Canada.
It is for these reasons I will be supporting the motion before the House today, and the work it proposes for the standing committee for women in Canada.