Statement made on 15 February 2011 by Senator Lillian Eva Dyck
Hon. Lillian Eva Dyck:
Honourable senators, I find it very interesting that the Leader of the Government is saying that her government is speaking with the Native Women's Association of Canada to support more work into the issue of missing and murdered Aboriginal women. At the same time, the leader has also said that she does not want the Native Women's Association of Canada to continue to use the term "Sisters in Spirit" or the Sisters in Spirit logo, which is well known in Canada and throughout the world.
Why is the leader downplaying the wonderful work that the Native Women's Association of Canada has done with respect to missing and murdered Aboriginal women?
Honourable senators, in the $10 million that has been delegated to this issue, the fear is that only a small portion of that money is actually going to Aboriginal women. The leader talks about missing persons; it was the missing Aboriginal women who brought this issue to the forefront. Will they get the majority of the money or will that be lost like the whole pool of missing persons?
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