Our government is committed to reducing violence in Newfoundland and Labrador. We are into the third year of our Violence Prevention Initiative. This is a six-year, $9.2-million program to combat violence in this province. It is a government-community partnership to develop and implement long-term solutions for those most at risk of violence in our society.

Early in 2009 we will launch our biggest social marketing campaign to date, which will focus on preventing male violence against women. Violence against women is also the theme of this year�s Violence Prevention Stakeholders� Conference being held here in St. John�s next Tuesday and Wednesday, December 2 and 3. We are expecting over 150 community stakeholders and government partners of the Violence Prevention Initiative to attend, and we have lined-up important and informative speakers on this subject.

We anticipate a powerful and thought-provoking presentation from Brian Vallee, the author of Life with Billy and War on Women, as he confirms this issue as one of international concern and importance.

We are working together with communities to tackle this issue and to spread the message that violence in any form is unacceptable. We anticipate next week�s conference will strengthen these relationships and will go a long way towards ensuring all our partners are equipped with the information they need to create real change in our province.