Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to bring recognition to the Moosehide Campaign Day, which is now in its 10th year since it began, to bring awareness to stand up against violence toward women and children. Violence against women and children in the North is 10 times the national average, and that is only what has been reported. Many instances go unreported for many reasons. The root cause of this violence against women comes from various impacts of colonialism, residential school trauma, lack of employment, housing, adequate health and mental health supports, education, addictions; I could go on. There are things my colleagues and myself have raised in this House during every sitting. Women and children in the North cannot seem to escape this trend. I am positive every one of us in this room, at some point in their life, has been witness to, knows someone, or even experienced it themselves.
Mr. Speaker, it is so common in Indigenous communities, it's almost considered normal. I would like to be loud and clear. This is not normal. We need to speak up for ourselves, for our women, and for our girls.
The Moosehide Campaign, as I mentioned, is to raise awareness, and its goal is to end violence towards women and children. Those who wear the moose hide square are taking the pledge to stand up and speak out against violence towards women and girls, to support each other as men, and to hold each other accountable, to teach our young boys about the true meaning of love and respect, and to be a healthy role model for them, to heal themselves as men, and to support their brothers on their healing journey.
Mr. Speaker, the Moosehide Campaign supports any effort to raise awareness and bring an end to gender-based and domestic violence across all sectors of society. I encourage everyone to take the pledge. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.