JOINT STATEMENT BY MINISTERS NICHOLSON AND AMBROSE ON THE FIFTH ANNUAL SISTERS IN SPIRIT VIGILS

OTTAWA, October 4, 2010 – The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and the Honourable Rona Ambrose, P.C., M.P. for Edmonton-Spruce Grove, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, made the following statement today on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the series of vigils honouring the Sisters in Spirit:

“The Sisters in Spirit vigils commemorate missing and murdered Aboriginal women - women from all walks of life and from all across Canada.

“Each of these women was a unique individual. Many of them died in a horrifying manner, leaving behind grieving families who have our deepest sympathies today. However, what these women all had in common was the fact that they all deserved better from the systems which should have been protecting them.

“The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that all women in Canada, including Aboriginal women, are safe and secure regardless of the community in which they live. Ending this type of violence and bringing to justice those who have committed crimes is a shared responsibility of all levels of government. This responsibility also cuts across many different sectors, including the justice system, public safety and policing, gender issues and women's rights, and Aboriginal affairs.

“This is a serious matter, which affects a far greater number than the women who have gone missing and their families. We must all take steps to ensure that Aboriginal women, and indeed all women, are better protected from violence in its many forms.

“The Government of Canada will continue working in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, Aboriginal people, and other stakeholders to develop more effective and appropriate solutions and to mount collaborative responses to this pressing matter.”

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Ref.:

• Pamela Stephens
  Press Secretary
  Office of the Minister of Justice
  613-992-4621

• Media Relations
  Department of Justice
  613-957-4207

• Rebecca Thompson
  Director of Communications
  Office of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women
  613-956-9549

• Nanci-Jean Waugh
  Director General, Communications and Strategic Planning
  Status of Women Canada
  613-995-7839