Susan Truppe

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, no, we will not support a national inquiry. We have an action plan that was tabled in September, which we support on this side of the House because it helps aboriginal women and girls.

This action plan provides the tools and resources needed for preventing violence and supporting community level solutions. It supports aboriginal victims with appropriate services, and protects aboriginal women and girls by investing in shelters and continuing to improve Canada's law enforcement and justice systems.

On this side of the House, we stand up to protect the rights of aboriginal women and girls. Every time we move to safeguard these rights, the opposition members vote against them.

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, our government has already taken significant action in this area. It is important to remember that many of these recommendations are outside of federal jurisdiction.

Since coming to office, we have passed more than 30 criminal justice and public safety initiatives, as I just mentioned, including tougher sentences for murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, and mandatory prison sentences for the most serious crimes. Again, the opposition votes against them.

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as I have said before, we do not need a national inquiry. We need the action plan that the minister tabled in September. We need the police to catch those who are responsible and ensure that they are punished.

Since coming to office, this government has taken action. We have passed more than 30 criminal justice and public safety initiatives, including tougher sentences for murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, and mandatory prison sentences for the most serious crimes.

It is a shame that the opposition votes against them every single time that we try to do something for women and girls in this country.

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development and the Minister of Status of Women are attending the round table today.

There have been more than 40 studies on the plight of murdered and missing aboriginal women, and now is not the time for studies; it is the time for action. The minister tabled an action plan in September.

Our government has taken strong action to address the broader problems facing aboriginal women. We will continue to listen to those families and deliver programs that help the most. Again, it would be nice if the member opposite would support those initiatives that help women and girls.

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, this action plan brings together many measures to combat violence against aboriginal women and girls.

In addition to the $25 million over five years, it includes support for shelters and preventive activities and a DNA database for missing persons, which represents an additional investment.

This action plan clearly demonstrates our government's commitment to combatting all forms of violence against Canada's aboriginal women and girls. It would be nice if the opposition would support that.

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, I am very proud of our action plan that the minister tabled in September.

We will continue to work with communities to develop safety plans to raise awareness and take measures to empower aboriginal women and girls. We are developing more community safety plans on and off reserve, including regions identified specifically by the RCMP.

This action plan will also raise awareness to break intergenerational cycles of violence, engage men and boys, and will address underlying causes of violence, and it will restructure training initiatives.

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, we will not commit to a national inquiry. There have been more than 40 studies. As I said, if we had a national inquiry it would be one more study sitting on a shelf. The action plan the minister tabled in September is a good action plan and addresses issues that will combat violence against aboriginal women and girls. They opposition should support us.

[Aboriginal Affairs, February 27th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, as members are aware, the Minister of Status of Women and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs are at the round table. However, I would like to make it very clear that we do not support a national inquiry. There have been more than 40 studies on the plight of missing and murdered aboriginal women. Now is not the time for more study; now is the time for action. We need to make sure that the police catch those who are responsible and ensure that they are punished.

Our government is taking strong action to address the broader problems facing aboriginal women, including the introduction of matrimonial property rights for aboriginals on reserve. Both opposition parties voted against that.

[Taxation, February 26th, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, our government stands with and for Canadian families. That is why we implemented the family tax cut and enhanced the universal child care benefit. Under this plan, 100% of families with children will have more money in their pockets to spend on their priorities and their family. The average benefit for each of these families will be around $1,100, with the vast majority going to low- and middle-income households.

Meanwhile, if given the chance, the NDP and the Liberals will impose a job-killing carbon tax and reverse our tax cuts.

This Conservative government is delivering the largest tax breaks in Canadian history, and we are proud of that record.

[Status of Women, February 23rd, 2015]

Mr. Speaker, the measures outlined in the action plan released by the Minister of Labour and Minister of Status of Women on September 15 represent a total investment of nearly $200 million over five years.

This includes new funding of $25 million over five years beginning in 2015-16. There is also ongoing funding of $158.7 million over five years beginning in 2015 for shelters and family violence prevention activities. Starting in April 2015, there will be dedicated resources of $5 million over five years through Status of Women Canada to improve the economic security of aboriginal women and promote their participation in leadership and decision-making.

Our government's investments to address violence against aboriginal women and girls are very significant, and we will continue taking actions like these that help ensure safer communities for all Canadians.

Maybe the member opposite should get on board and start supporting our initiatives. These initiatives would keep women and girls safe in Canada.