Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he accepts the finding that Canada's treatment of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls amounts to genocide.
Debate has erupted over the definition of the term after the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls repeatedly used it in its final report released Monday.
But Trudeau says people are wrapped up in a debate over the powerful term, when the focus should be on how to put an end to the issues raised by the inquiry.
He says Canada has repeatedly failed Indigenous women and girls across the country.
Trudeau says the tragedy of not treating cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women as a priority has to end.
The prime minister made the remarks after announcing a $1.4-billion annual investment to advance the health and rights of women around the world starting in 2023.
He was speaking at the Women Deliver 2019 conference in Vancouver on gender equality, telling the crowd the money makes Canada a global leader in funding sexual and reproductive health rights.