Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, as has been mentioned in the House before, there have been over 40 studies completed. I will give members a quote. This is a quote from Bernadette Smith, one of those individuals who has a sister who is missing. She said: This Action Plan is something that our families have been waiting for.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, as I have said many times today, there are a number of initiatives this government is taking to make sure women are protected and supported. Whether that be matrimonial property rights on reserve or whether that be the victims bill of rights, we are very focused on making sure the victims of these crimes, as well as women experiencing domestic violence, are supported and are able to transition into new opportunities, as opposed to the opposition, whose focus, actually, has been to vote against some of these actions that I think will truly benefit these women in need.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, there are a number of initiatives we have already taken that the opposition has not supported. Whether that be matrimonial property rights, actually the opportunity for a women to stay in her own home, with her children, because she has the right to be there and be protected in that circumstance, or whether it be the family violence program we supported to make sure they receive the support they need when they are in shelters, which has just been augmented by our new initiative, tabled here in the House of Commons on September 15, to support aboriginal women, we are moving forward to make sure they are well supported, unlike the opposition.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, I guess my question would be, why will the opposition not support the action plan we have put in place that would take action today for aboriginal women, as opposed to waiting for several years? Our focus is making sure that the women who are experiencing these violent crimes receive support, help, and protection today.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, I guess I would beg to differ with the member of the opposition. Whether it be the Native Women's Association of Canada, whether it be individual aboriginal Canadian women who have come to speak with me personally, or whether it be the friendship centres across the country, they have endorsed our action plan and have asked others to join us in making sure that we are protecting and supporting aboriginal women.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned before in this House, violence against women and girls is something the government takes extremely seriously. Whether that be support for shelters on reserve or off, or whether that be support for programming to make sure victims of crime are supported, we are focused on making sure we are taking action today to make sure these victims of crime are supported.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, the government is taking significant action to make sure that women and girls are safe. Whether that be our movement forward on cyberbullying and cyberharassment, the victims bill of rights, the focus we have had on punishing criminals, making sure that those who have committed serious crimes no longer have the ability to have a pardon, or better protecting youth and young women, these are things we are focused on.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, as I have already mentioned, this week is a time to remember that crime that took place at the Polytechnique 25 years ago, in fact a Canadian tragedy. We will continue to support those victims as well as punish criminals. As I have mentioned already in this House today, there are a number of initiatives that this government has already taken, whether they be the victims bill of rights act or making sure we have safe streets and communities.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, as I have mentioned in the House already today, the government takes extremely seriously violence against women and girls and condemns these acts. Whether it be my work with Plan Canada on International Day of the Girl or recent announcements with the YWCA of Canada or whether it was just this last Friday when I did an announcement with the White Ribbon campaign and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, this government is focused on local, community actions to make sure we are improving the areas where we know it is required.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, any allegations of violence, of harassment, whether it be in a workplace, at home, or otherwise, must be taken extremely seriously. Our government has taken significant action, as I have outlined in this House today, to better protect Canadians, particularly women and girls.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, the massacre at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal was a Canadian tragedy. This week we remember the crimes that took place 25 years ago. While I would never think we could make sense of why those crimes took place that day, we must continue to ensure this never happens again in Canada.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, our government has been committed to preventing violent crimes and violence against women and girls. Let me list some of the things we have done, and I would encourage the members opposite to participate in supporting these initiatives: the victims' bills of rights act; the creation of a DNA-based missing persons index; passing new laws to protect victims who have been harassed by those who have committed crimes against them; eliminating pardons for serious crimes; and better protecting youth from adult sexual predators.

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, as I have said in the House many times, having gone out and met with families and spoken to them, what they want is action. Whether it be Bernadette Smith, who lost her sister and who has been unable to find her sister since 2007, or numerous other families, they want action now.

Aboriginal Affairs  Mr. Speaker, let me start by talking about the things this government has done and that the opposition has not supported. There is the victims bill of rights, a DNA-based missing persons index and new laws to protect victims from being harassed by those who have committed the crimes against them.

Status of Women  Mr. Speaker, let me be very clear. On this side of the House, we actually have taken action, whether it be the Safe Streets and Communities Act; whether it be our new bill, looking at zero tolerance for barbaric practices; or whether it be what we have done to ensure that victims are supported with a victims' bill of rights.