THUNDER BAY -- Ontario is making a $100-million investment toward ending violence against Indigenous women.
Premier Kathleen Wynne announced Walking Together on Tuesday, a three-year plan that will inject new money into justice supports, police training, public education and anti-trafficking initiatives,
Eighty per cent of the program's financial resources will be used to introduce the Family Well-Being Program the government says will support Indigenous families in crisis and help communities to overcome intergenerational violence and trauma.
"For too long, Indigenous cries for justice went unheard by governments and mainstream society, but that silence is finally broken," Premier Kathleen Wynne wrote in the document's preamble.
"Now we can begin to break the cycle of violence and build the Ontario we want for our children and grandchildren."
Nishnawbe Aski Nation Deputy Grand Chief Anna Betty Achneepineskum issued a release welcoming the provincial announcement as a strong commitment towards protecting vulnerable women and girls.
"This is a positive step that we hope will help prevent further violence against Indigenous women and reduce its impact on youth, families and communities before the launch of the national inquiry that will fully determine the scope of these disappearances and provide accountability and justice for the families affected," she said.
