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News Release

Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls: Speech from the Throne

June 4, 2011

Ottawa, ON - Today, the Honourable Rona Ambrose Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women issued the following statement:

 "Since 2006, our Government has been committed to addressing the problem of violence against women and girls. As Minister of Status of Women, I will work tirelessly to deliver on our commitment from the Throne Speech.

Our government has no more fundamental duty than to protect the personal safety of our citizens. We will continue to protect the most vulnerable in society and work to prevent crime.

Violence against women affects us all. It destroys families and weakens the fabric of our society. As a population, it takes a heavy toll on our communities and our economy.

Since 2007, the Government of Canada has invested more than $30 million in projects to end violence against women and girls in communities across the country, in addition to $10 million over two years for a strategy that addresses the alarming number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women.

I'm proud to be part of a Government that is committed to ensuring the fair, equitable and respectful treatment of all citizens, and to taking further action against acts of violence against women and girls.

I look forward to working with Canadians across the country to develop the solutions necessary to deal with this important issue."

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For more information, please contact:

Michelle Bakos
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and
Minister for Status of Women
819 997-5421

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

Ce texte est également disponible en français.

Background

The Government of Canada has taken significant steps to protect our communities and help ensure the safety of girls and women, including:

  • increasing the funding for women's programs under Status of Women Canada to its highest level;
  • increasing the penalties for violent crimes;
  • appealing an Ontario Superior Court decision to strike down Canada's prostitution laws;
  • improving the availability of testimonial aids for vulnerable adult victims/witnesses, including women who have experienced violence;
  • ending the use of house arrest for offences involving serious personal injury;
  • introducing legislation that would increase penalties for the sexual abuse of children, and strengthening the peace bond provisions concerning persons previously convicted of sexual offences against children;
  • raising the age of sexual consent from 14 to 16 years to protect young people, including girls, from sexual exploitation by adult predators;
  • launching a $10 million strategy to help address the disturbing number of missing and murdered Aboriginal women, with measures to include improved tools for law enforcement, enhanced victim services, and support for community-based public safety and awareness efforts;
  • building on its Budget 2006 investment in the Federal Victims Strategy, providing $6.6 million over two years in Budget 2010 to enhance support to victims of crime; and
  • taking action against human trafficking that results in the exploitation of women.

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Date Modified:
2011-06-08