Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs
March 31, 2011

The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly today by the Honourable Patty Pottle, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.

Aboriginal Women Advance Equality

I rise to inform Honourable Colleagues about a recent event that saw Aboriginal women gather to share wisdom and experience while celebrating their valued leadership in our communities.

During the 2011 Provincial Aboriginal Women’s Conference, mothers, daughters and granddaughters came together for two full days of sharing and learning. The theme of this year’s conference: Strong Women, Strong Communities – Advancing Aboriginal Women’s Equality was very fitting; today we see many women in the province taking on leadership roles in their communities and in government. The fact that we have a woman Premier and the two leaders of the other parties are women is a notable example.

This was the sixth annual Aboriginal Women’s Conference, which the Provincial Government is pleased to support financially and through the hard work of our Women’s Policy Office. Myself, and my Honourable Colleague, the Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, had the great pleasure to address delegates.

We were pleased to tell about how, through programs such as the Violence Prevention Initiative, the Poverty Reduction Strategy, and the Northern Strategic Plan, we are working hard to improve the lives of women in the province, including Aboriginal women.

We spoke of how it is essential that Aboriginal women are given every chance to pursue educational, training and employment opportunities, specifically those available in our own communities or in non-traditional occupations such as trades, science and engineering, the world of business or positions of leadership. As a government, we are working to remove barriers so women from all walks of life can fully participate in these growing sectors. The Provincial Government is working with female entrepreneurs and community organizations to create greater business opportunities for women. This is achieved through working with existing and potential women entrepreneurs to identify business development opportunities.

These were just a few of the themes explored during this year’s gathering of Newfoundland and Labrador Aboriginal women.

I am proud to stand with Aboriginal women in this province as we work to improve circumstances for ourselves and for all women in Newfoundland and Labrador.

2011 03 31                                          2:00 p.m.