Hon. Anita Neville (Winnipeg South Centre, Lib.): 

     Mr. Speaker, not only does the Conservative government refuse to call a public inquiry into the shocking number of missing and murdered aboriginal women but it has lost the support of the Native Women’s Association of Canada.

     NWAC has said that the government’s recent funding announcement is not specific to aboriginal women and that it reinvents and conducts work that has already been done by Sisters in Spirit.

     Will the Conservative government address the real issue, call a public inquiry and recommit to Sisters in Spirit?

Hon. Rona Ambrose (Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, CPC): 

     Mr. Speaker, we have an obligation and a responsibility to protect vulnerable women, and that is exactly what we have done with our new program.

     We have committed, now, to creating a new RCMP centre for missing persons and improving our law enforcement databases to investigate missing and murdered women, and we created a national website for public tips to help locate missing women. In fact, Elizabeth Bastien, from the Native Women’s Association of Canada, was there the day of the announcement. She said that this is a significant investment, one that could go a long way to addressing the challenges experienced by women and families in our communities. We appreciate her support.

Hon. Anita Neville (Winnipeg South Centre, Lib.):

     Mr. Speaker, it is certainly not what NWAC’s president said.

     It is beyond offensive to hear the current government congratulate itself when so little money is going to victims and their families. We are talking about 600 missing and murdered First Nations, Inuit and Métis women.

     Does the government want to be tough on crime? Then fund Sisters in Spirit.

     Does the government want to be tough on crime? Then call an inquiry so we can know why so many have gone missing.

     That would be real justice, the type of justice we would give to any other group in this country.

     Why the double standard?

Hon. Rona Ambrose (Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, CPC):

     Mr. Speaker, there is definitely no double standard. In fact, this $10 million program was created specifically to deal with the issue of murdered and missing aboriginal women. When it comes to support for victims, on this particular program, let me tell the House what Sue O’Sullivan, the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crimes, said. She said: