By day, Larry Morrissette and Mitch Bourbonniere talk about ways to teach young native men to lead productive lives.

At night, starting next month, they'll be walking the streets with some of those men, patrolling the community as the Bear Clan Patrol to keep their neighbourhoods safe.

"Speaking for myself as an aboriginal man, I'm (violence) free. I don't believe in any type of abuse in any way. I try to live my life in that way and I try to teach that to my kids and (to) the young people I work with," said Morrissette.

His experience flies in the face of figures being used by Canada's aboriginal affairs minister.

In a closed door meeting with Alberta chiefs last week, Bernard Valcourt reportedly told them that indigenous men are responsible for 70 per cent of the murders of indigenous women, a statement sparking controversy.

“(For) a high ranking politician to come out and actually, say, ‘Oh, it's aboriginal men killing aboriginal women,’ it's just another layer of racism," said Bourbonniere.

The RCMP, meanwhile, have not backed up Valcourt's claim. In an email, the Mounties said among most of the solved cases of murdered native women, up to 70 percent of their spouses, family members or acquaintances are responsible for their deaths.

But critics said that doesn’t necessarily mean all of those are native men.

"We all know that that number is not backed up by any of the RCMP reports. So will the minister stand in this house and release the data based on which he made his claim? Or will he get up and tell us he made this number up to suit their discriminatory agenda?” asked Manitoba MP Niki Ashton last week during question period in Ottawa.

“I don't disclose specifics of closed door meetings. I can assure the honourable member that the discussions were productive,” replied Valcourt.

Criminal justice experts would like to see the numbers too.

By not releasing them, Kevin Walby said the government is fostering negative stereotypes and making overgeneralizations about statistics.

"It's quite regrettable when a minister continues make those kind of statements and not provide broader context," said Walby a University of Winnipeg assistant professor of criminal justice.

Morrissette and Bourbonniere said they'd like Valcourt to see what they see - vulnerable girls who need protecting and native men standing up for them.

CTV tried to contact Minister Valcourt's office Tuesday, but he wasn't made available to comment.