Statement from Ministers Bennett and O'Regan on International Women's Day 2019

Ottawa, Ontario (March 8, 2019) — The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Carolyn Bennett, together with the Minister of Indigenous Services, Seamus O'Regan, issued the following statement today:

"Today we celebrate the outstanding contributions of women and girls across Canada and around the world.

As Ministers of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Indigenous Services, we have had the distinct privilege to meet and learn from many inspiring Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse individuals from coast to coast to coast.

They are community leaders, doctors, nurses and midwives. They are artists and teachers, matriarchs, wisdom keepers and change makers. They are mothers, grandmothers, daughters, aunties and sisters. Today, we honour them, and we reaffirm our commitment to achieving gender equality for all women in Canada and around the world.

We know our commitment must be backed by concrete action. We are working to end the tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls through the National Inquiry, to end sex-based discrimination in the Indian Act with Bill S-3, and to change culturally biased child welfare practices that result in too many Indigenous children separated from their mothers and families through Bill C-92.

There is much more work to do and we will continue moving forward together in the spirit of partnership, respect and collaboration. On this International Women's Day, we recommit to eliminating the barriers that Indigenous women face, and to continue on the path of reconciliation together."