Year of Aboriginal Women Becomes Official

Year of Aboriginal Women Becomes Official

Tuesday, February 22, 2005 at 15:00

Provincial cabinet ministers Maynard Sonntag and Joan Beatty used their presence at the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations’ winter assembly today to officially declare 2005 as the Year of First Nations and Metis Women.

The measure was approved by the government late last year.

Sonntag and Beatty presented copies of the proclamation today to the women’s commissions of both the FSIN and the Prince Albert Grand Council.

The PAGC’s Women’s Commission was the group that first proposed the idea last year following a damning report from Amnesty International about the violence perpetuated against Aboriginal women.

A government release says the province is “working to develop and implement policies and invest resources in initiatives that will result in First Nations and Metis women and their families living more secure and healthy lives”.