Mr. Speaker, on this first day of Gender Equality Week we need to face reality: In Canada, one woman or girl is killed every 48 hours, most often by an intimate partner or a former spouse.
These femicides are not headlines. They are the most brutal symptom of a power imbalance and a misogyny which, far from disappearing, is making a big comeback, sometimes even unabashedly. We thought we had made irreversible progress but now the fact is we are losing ground. Gender equality begins with a fundamental right: the right to live without fear.
I want to pay tribute to the survivors, the frontline organizations, the shelters and all those who fight against gender-based violence. Faced with this resurgence of hatred, we must name, denounce, and act. Equality cannot be decreed: It must be defended, every day.