Madam Chair, I would like to begin by offering my sincere condolences to the friends and families of the seven women who were killed in Quebec over the past seven weeks. These women were loved by their families and will be missed by their communities and their loved ones.
I would like to share a bit of a quote about one such victim. Her name was Rebekah Harry. She lived not five minutes away from me, five minutes from where I am sitting right now. To never know what is happening behind somebody's closed doors, how desperately somebody could need help, is the most tragic and heartbreaking thing.
I would like to share a quote about what her life was about to some of her family members.
Rebekah Love Harry was born on January 28th, 1992. ... Her mother gave her the middle name LOVE of the fact that she was already loved so much by everyone. From a very young age, this angel would serenade the family in song and spread love everywhere she went. Little would they know that Rebecca would embark on a fight of her life. At just 2 years old this angel was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a rare kidney disease, that she was able to combat with the help of her supportive family. This early battle must have instilled a superpower in her because from that moment on Rebekah became unmatched and lived life vicariously. Anyone who had a chance to be in her presence could feel something special.
These are the women, our sisters, who get murdered through domestic violence, through hatred. As we mourn the loss of these women, sadly, they are not the only ones whose lives have been taken as a result of gender-based violence.
We also remember the lives of at least 160 women killed in Canada in 2020, the thousands of our missing and murdered indigenous sisters, and most recently in the U.S., the Asian women killed in Atlanta. These are alarming tragedies that should have been avoided.
For too long, gender-based violence has devastated individuals, families and communities in Canada. Femicide happens at an alarming rate everywhere in our country, and it needs to end. Between 2016 and 2020, there were approximately 760 women killed. Another alarming statistic is from a 2020 study done by the CBC, which estimates that approximately 19,000 women and children were turned away from shelters across the country every month because shelters were full. After a decade of underfunding, the women's movement is making up for lost time in order to provide the support these women and their children need.
Widespread reports from across the country show that movement restrictions, loss of income, isolation, overcrowding and stress, stigma and anxiety have increased the incidence and severity of some forms of gender-based violence, especially for those who face intersectional barriers.
Gender-based violence is one of the most pervasive, deadly and deeply rooted human rights violations of our time, and is a significant barrier to achieving gender equality.
The pandemic has brought on unprecedented challenges and has had an impact on the health and safety of people in Quebec and across Canada. It has widened the gaps, intensified persistent inequalities and exacerbated the rates and severity of sexual and domestic violence.
We must work in partnership with stakeholders and counterparts in the other orders of government to put a definitive end to this, but work is under way and progress has been made. The Government of Canada is working and acting now to end gender-based violence in all its forms.
From day one of the pandemic, the governments of Canada and Quebec have taken measures to limit the impact on women and girls. The governments of Canada and Quebec signed agreements in the spring and summer of 2020.
I would like to end by saying that women who feel unsafe at home should use resources that are available to them to remain safe. Support lines are available in all provinces and territories across Canada. They exist to help find solutions. Please reach out.