Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I find the motion very confusing. “Now therefore I move, seconded by the honourable Member…that the 17th Legislative Assembly supports the national

Aboriginal organizations’ call for a national inquiry and a national roundtable into missing and murdered Aboriginal women.” So I don’t know; which is it? Every person that has stood up has said they support a roundtable but not an inquiry, they support an inquiry and a roundtable. The motion is very confusing.

I can’t support the motion because I am absolutely opposed to a national inquiry. I would totally support a roundtable on this subject, and I believe there have already been roundtables taking place. I believe that when the Premiers got together that was a roundtable, but now they want to step it up to a higher profile, they want to invite the Prime Minister into it and they want to have those discussions.

Every jurisdiction in Canada has statistics and social indicators which is a very clear picture of what we need to address. Spending the money that we should be spending on addressing those challenges and those issues and those social conditions on a national inquiry is not an acceptable response. I think that a national inquiry… Well, I have seen many national inquiries over the years,

and many of them come out with recommendations that are never acted upon. Who benefits from a national inquiry? All you want to do is quantify the problem. I think the problems and the challenges and the social issues are well quantified.

What we need to do is put more money towards the restoration and towards the reconciliation and toward supporting people who are affected by this statistic and this demographic. That’s what I am in favour of.

So, like I said, I find the motion confusing and for that reason and I cannot support it because I will not support a national inquiry into this topic.

I do appreciate the work that is done at the Native Women’s Association, at the Status of Women, of all organizations that try to be a support to those who are in need and who are, unfortunately, the victims that represent these statistics. That’s where I want to see the money go. If we have extra money for an issue like this, let’s not spend it on a national inquiry. Let’s spend it on the front line with people who are effecting change, who are out there in the trenches every day. We need safe homes; we need shelters; we need mentorship programs; we need so many things within that social network of supports and help to people who are at risk and that’s where I support the money going.

Because this is complicated and I don’t want to be looking like I support a national inquiry, I will not be supporting the motion. Thank you.