Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today to speak about our government's actions to address violence against aboriginal women and girls.
Our government remains committed to supporting better outcomes for aboriginal women, girls and families on reserve. In fact, we offer a number of programs and services that directly support this goal. These include funding for family violence prevention, for child and family services, as well as programs that encourage economic security and prosperity through skills and training, housing and education.
We also understand that the federal government cannot solve the tragic and intricate problem of violence against women on its own. That is why on February 27, 2015, the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development, the Minister of Status of Women, representatives of provincial and territorial governments, national aboriginal leaders and family members attended a national roundtable here in Ottawa. All participants discussed better prevention, safety, policing and justice measures to address violence against aboriginal women and girls across Canada.
Our government is taking concrete action and will continue efforts with our partners in the provincial and territorial governments, aboriginal organizations and communities. For example, our government's action plan to address family violence and violent crimes against aboriginal women and girls responds to all 16 recommendations outlined by the Special Committee on Violence Against Indigenous Women. Many of the recommendations speak to supporting communities on reserve.
The family violence prevention program provides a refuge for victims of violence, raises greater awareness of the issue of family violence and provides families and communities with tools to help them deal with the issue of violence. The family violence prevention program has a budget of $30.4 million to support the day-to-day operations of 41 shelters and to fund community-driven proposals for family violence prevention projects on reserve.
As of April 1, 2015, an increase to the program's budget will begin to fund similar violence prevention activities for aboriginal women who live both on and off reserve. Ongoing family violence prevention program funding will provide stability for prevention activities and will allow communities to deliver longer-term projects.
Our government knows how important it is to keep our streets and communities safe and to create environments where aboriginal women and girls are empowered, respected and safe.
Many Canadians are not aware that because of a legislative gap posed by the Indian Act, until recently, women living on reserve did not have access to basic matrimonial rights and protections in their communities. These are rights that are afforded to every other Canadian living off reserve, and rights that our government believes should be afforded to those living on reserve as well.
To provide these women and children on reserve with access to basic rights and protections, our government passed the Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act. To assist first nation communities with the implementation of the act, a Centre of Excellence for Matrimonial Real Property, operating at arm's length from the federal government, was established.
Beyond establishing these rights for women and girls living on reserve, our government also repealed section 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. This ensures that aboriginal peoples in Canada have full access to the protections of the Canadian Human Rights Act. This step opened a door to human rights justice that had been blocked for over three decades.
We are committed to working with all our partners in order to bring an end to the cycle of violence and to ensure families have the support and protection they need in times of crisis. One way to do that is by helping to provide women in first nation communities with the skills and opportunities they need to earn an income. This enables them to better support themselves and their families.
Helping to create opportunities, including providing women with employability and self-reliance, informs every step our government takes. In fact, our overall policy focus aims to create the very conditions that are necessary for healthy, prosperous and safe communities.
For example, we have invested $241 million to provide first nations youth who are currently on income assistance with personalized skills and job readiness training. This provides them with the right tools to enjoy the benefits of a good job and paves the road toward financial security.
We have also improved the urban aboriginal strategy to help aboriginal peoples living in urban centres get the support they need to participate in the local economy.
These are steps that our government has taken. They are steps that will have a profound impact on the lives of aboriginal women and girls. I find it perplexing that members of the opposition have consistently opposed these measures.
These steps are just the beginning. We know that more needs to be done. Economic action plan 2015 proposes to provide $20 million over five years, starting in 2015-16, to help support first nations achieve better education outcomes, including building partnerships with provincial school systems. This funding would build on our existing investment of $500 million over seven years for first nations school infrastructure.
Our Conservative government is committed to working with first nations partners toward our shared goal of ensuring that first nations students have access to quality education. Being a committed partner in first nations education reform means that our government will continue to look for opportunities to work with first nations that are interested in pursuing education reform.
All parties that are involved in preventing heinous crimes know that to reduce violence, more prevention and awareness is needed. That is why in the week prior to the national roundtable on missing and murdered aboriginal women our government announced a 10-year investment of $100 million to prevent, detect, and combat family violence and child abuse. The Minister of Health also launched a call for proposals for organizations to submit applications to advance community-based projects that support victims of domestic violence and child abuse, and those at risk of these forms of violence. Through Health Canada's first nations and Inuit health branch, we will focus on how to help communities and health professionals improve the physical and mental health of victims of violence and help stop intergenerational cycles of violence and abuse.
Our goal throughout all of this is to prevent, detect, and combat family violence. These projects will be community-led because we believe that change starts at the community level. Those working at the community level know what the specific needs are in their communities and they know the way to create real change in their communities.
These are just some of the key initiatives that our government is working on right now to address this issue. Our government looks forward to continuing to work in partnership with aboriginal groups, provincial governments, and territories. We know that the federal government has a role to play in addressing violence against aboriginal women and girls. We also know that the violence experienced by aboriginal women will only stop if we continue to take concrete action.
Now is not the time for more talk or for more study. It is time to work together with willing partners to end violence against indigenous women, and that is exactly what this government is working toward. I would encourage all members of the House to get on board with that philosophy and with the actions that we are taking.