Cabinet ministers set to discuss sexual abuse on reserve: Bellegarde – CP

Source: The Canadian Press
Dec 5, 2016 13:56

OTTAWA _ The national chief of the Assembly of First Nations says he will be meeting soon with three federal cabinet ministers to discuss the issue of sexual abuse within indigenous communities, following an investigation by The Canadian Press.

Bellegarde says the discussion will include Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett, Health Minister Jane Philpott and Status of Women Minister Patty Hajdu.

First Nations leaders, set to gather for an annual meeting beginning tomorrow in Gatineau, Que., have also faced pressure from Bellegarde to have the courage to publicly confront sexual abuse and incest on reserve.

He says chiefs must come together to discuss the issue because it is not confined to one particular region.

During a months-long investigation by The Canadian Press, a number of leading indigenous experts including former Truth and Reconciliation chairman Murray Sinclair have flagged alarming levels of sexual abuse in some communities and links to the suicide crisis among aboriginal youth.

Some victims have also cited deafening silence about the issue, which they consider widespread.

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