Government Commitments to Preventing Violence Against Indigenous Women

“Walking Together: Ontario’s Long-Term Strategy to End Violence Against Indigenous Women“. Main focus areas: Support for:

• Children, youth and families: $80M over 3 years
• Community safety and healing: 15.75M over 3 years
• Policing and justice: $2.32M over 3 years
• Prevention and awareness: $1.15M over 3 years
• Leadership, Collaboration, Alignment and Accountability: $500K over 3 years
• Improved Data and Research: $750K over 3 years

$200M over 5 yrs

Investments from Quebec’s 2020-21 budget to implement initiatives that will support Indigenous women and girls and improve access to services that are culturally adapted and thus meet the needs of Indigenous people. The Regroupement des centres d’amitié autochtones du Québec (RCAAQ) believes  that the Government of Québec will consider the observations presented in the report of the “Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous peoples and certain public services” regarding piecemeal and discontinuous government actions. “The Native Friendship Centres play a key role in Indigenous wellness. It is our hope that, with this budget, the current administration will continue to recognize existing inequalities and the need to create and consolidate front-line services in the Friendship Centres to meet our members’ needs.”

NationTalk: FREDERICTON (GNB) – The Missing Persons Act was proclaimed today, making it possible for police to launch a missing persons investigation sooner.

The new legislation can help law enforcement find a missing person when no criminal investigation is underway.

“As any police officer will tell you, seconds count when it comes to finding a missing person,” said Public Safety Minister Kris Austin. “The Missing Persons Act has the potential to literally save lives. I would like to thank my colleagues Aboriginal Affairs Minister Arlene Dunn and Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace, who is also minister responsible for women’s equality, for bringing this important issue to my attention.”

When law enforcement agencies begin a missing person investigation, they often have no reason to suspect a crime has been committed. Before the legislation was proclaimed, they could not compel people or corporations to release personal information about the missing person, which might result in stalling or halting an investigation.

Under the act, once a person is established as missing, police officers can request information contained in a person’s records with an emergency/urgent demand, an order for the production of records, or a search warrant. The following information can be requested:

• records related to signals from a wireless device that may indicate the location of the device
• cellphone records
• all forms of instant messaging
• global positioning system tracking records

The legislation stipulates that access to this information would have to be granted by the courts. This provision is intended to ensure a proper balance between enabling law enforcement agencies to investigate and protecting fundamental privacy rights.

Dunn said the legislation fulfils one of the recommendations from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and is another important step in keeping New Brunswickers safe.

“I am so pleased that this important legislation is finally being proclaimed today,” said Dunn. “Indigenous women and girls in Canada are disproportionately affected by all forms of violence, and government has a responsibility to do everything in their power to prevent this violence and to improve the safety of Indigenous women and girls. The new Missing Persons Act is a good step forward in our commitment to doing that.”

Media Contact(s)

Judy Désalliers, communications, Department of Justice and Public Safety, judy.desalliers@gnb.ca.

Addressing Gendered Violence against Inuit Women: A review of police policies and practices in Inuit Nunangat

Pauktuutit Inuit Women Canada and Dr. Elizabeth Comack Department of Sociology and Criminology University of Manitoba examined the role of policing behind the following statistics around Inuit women in Inuit Nunangat:

Violent crime = 13 x higher than national average

Sexual assault = 12 x higher than prov./terr. average

The report issued recommendations in the following areas:

• Culturally competent policing
• Inuit Advisory Committee
• Trauma-informed policing
• Vicarious trauma
• Gender-based Violence Training
• Gender-based Policing Protocols
• Female Officers
• Gendered Violence Prevention Liaison
• Community Integration
• Duration of Postings
• Inuit Civilian Positions
• Police Accessibility
• Community Education
• Community Engagement
• Federal Government Responsibilities

Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada and the RCMP Commissioner meet to discuss police practices relating to Inuit women

 $4.3M: $350K Regional; $500K National

Proposed projects will engage women and a range of community partners in working together to create lasting change to improve economic conditions for Indigenous women. Projects will:

• Identify issues, strengths and opportunities affecting Indigenous women’s economic security and prosperity;
• Expand community understanding of these issues, strengths and opportunities; 
• Take action, together with partners, to identify effective, community-specific mechanisms and solutions; and
• Implement these solutions

$6.15M

Support the construction and renovation of off-reserve shelters and transitional housing for families fleeing family violence. Includes $1.9M for Mountain Rose Women’s Shelter to increase capacity

Joint Working Group on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

The Alberta government has appointed three Indigenous community members and three members of the legislative assembly to inform a government action plan that responds to the calls for justice of the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The joint working group will support the government’s actions by:

• Advising on options to address issues of violence and the calls for justice.
• Making recommendations on how to work with Indigenous communities, other governments and the private sector to leverage actions to combat violence against Indigenous women and girls.

Providing input and making recommendations on the government’s action plan.

Canada’s National Observer: Winnipeg will finally establish a 24/7 shelter for Indigenous women and gender-diverse people thanks to funding from the federal Ministry of Indigenous Affairs. It’s a victory for community advocates who have been working for decades on the project.

Velma’s House, as the shelter will be called, will be run by Ka Ni Kanichihk, an Indigenous service provider, which can now hire at least 10 staff members, project manager Amy Graham said in an interview.

Velma’s House first opened in 2021 after receiving startup funding. But the new cash — $6.9 million over four years — will allow it to move to a new location and operate 24 hours a day, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu said in an interview.

Much of the advocacy work that mounted the successful push for a 24-hour shelter was done by survivors who knew first-hand the need for the space in the community, Graham said.  It’s been an emotional journey for many of those advocates, who after working towards this moment for years feel that it was “about time,” Graham said.

“It’s so needed,” she added. 

Velma’s House expansion to 24-hour service will save lives, said Leah Gazan, NDP critic for Women and Gender Equality and an MP for Winnipeg Centre.

Last spring, Gazan asked the government how much had been spent of the $742 million allocated for preventing violence against Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse peoples. Only two per cent, or $12.6 million, had been spent.

Velma’s House has been pushing for more money to allow it to operate day and night since the fall of 2021, but the funding wasn’t approved until now.

Many of the women who visit Velma’s House experience gender-based violence, some every day, Graham said. After 4:30 p.m., once all the resources shut down, many have to return to places that aren’t safe.

Velma’s House, as the shelter will be called, will be run by Ka Ni Kanichihk, an Indigenous service provider, which can now hire at least 10 staff members, project manager Amy Graham says. 

“Better is always possible,” Hajdu said when asked about the criticism around how fast funding was getting out the door.

Velma’s House could move to the new space and expand operating hours in as little as two weeks — or as soon as possible, Graham said.

“The expansion ensures that there’s always a space,” she said.

A women’s society formed in Ulukhaktok last year is set to receive almost half a million dollars in federal funding as it works to create a shelter and more supports for Inuit families.

Cabin Radio: Janine Harvey, executive director of the Tahiuqtiit Women’s Society, said the funding was a “massive accomplishment” for the community and could help to reshape how Inuit women and families are protected.

The society will receive up to $490,000, the federal government announced on Thursday.

Harvey told Cabin Radio the money will help her society draw up policies and procedures that help Inuit fleeing family violence, with the ultimate goal of creating a shelter for the fly-in Arctic coastal hamlet.

She hopes the society’s work will be adopted by other Inuit communities and used to create shelters that offer an alternative to approaching RCMP or social services for help. “We’re going to give this information back to the government,” she said of the planned research, “to say these are the proposed recommendations for Inuit women and people who use these services, so that we’re not working in a colonized way, we’re taking care of our Inuit rights.”

Harvey added: “I’m hoping, with the cooperation of Housing NWT, we can open [a shelter] sooner than later.

“It’s a need for the community – not only a shelter but one that has programming, resources, and advocacy for people in Ulukhaktok to access. A shelter where you don’t have to jump through hoops. We all know, in the NWT and throughout Nunavut, there are a lot of hoops we have to jump through.”

‘On the map for funding’

The Tahiuqtiit Women’s Society is calling its project Tungasugit, or Welcome, the federal government stated.

Harvey grew up in Ulukhaktok, moving to Yellowknife in the late 1990s where she said she had worked at the likes of the Centre for Northern Families, the YWCA and Alison McAteer House. She helped create the city’s Housing First program, she said.

Moving back to Ulukhaktok three years ago, Harvey said she heard community members asking for “a shelter, a place to cook, a place to do your laundry.”

“For a fly-in community with no road access, it’s really difficult to get supports. I’m hoping, through this, we can create a safe place for victims of violence to have a shelter with 24-hour access,” she said on Thursday, thanking the society’s board and its partners for their work to date.

“I’ve lived this and I’ve been through this before. Women are traumatized time and time again, and we want to make sure we have those supports. “Communities that don’t have road access are always left out. I want to make sure we are on the map for the proper funding.”

A health research centre in Iqaluit will also receive a similar sum, the federal government said in a news release. The money comes from a $600-million fund announced last year to combat gender-based violence.

“The projects announced today will address the root causes of violence while giving better support to those who survived it, charting a path toward building safer communities,” NWT MP Michael McLeod stated.

“Based on relevant data and culturally informed practices, these organizations and initiatives will build a better future for everyone living in Canada.”

Anti-Human Trafficking Community Supports Fund

$46M over 5 years to increase community-based and Indigenous-specific supports for child and youth victims of sex trafficking. The Fund will prioritize early intervention and increased protection for victims of sexual exploitation and dedicated survivor supports. focus on areas such as:

• Trauma-informed programming developed and delivered by survivor-led organizations,
• Dedicated services for victims under age 18, including residential placements and treatment, peer mentoring, as well as education and employment training programs;
• Culturally-appropriate, Indigenous-designed supports for First Nations, Inuit and Métis victims, families and communities;
• Targeted supports for sexually exploited boys, individuals with developmental disabilities, LGBTQ2S individuals, and racialized and newcomer populations;
• Specialized programs for children and youth involved in or transitioning out of child welfare or the youth justice system.

http://nationtalk.ca/story/ontario-expanding-services-for-young-victims-of-sex-trafficking

Senior Crown Attorney Ms. Josie McKinney, the first Crown attorney dedicated to the prosecution of human trafficking offences is Mi’kmaq and Maliseet and an alumna of the Indigenous Black and Mi’kmaq Initiative at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada: Support line for those affected by missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people

For immediate emotional assistance, call 1-844-413-6649. You can also access long-term health support services such as mental health counselling, community-based emotional support, cultural services, and some travel costs to see Elders and traditional healers.

Berens River First Nation, Berens River, MB— Crown−Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

Today, leaders from the Berens River First Nation and the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations, launched the Chief Elsie Bouchie Cultural Camp. The Government of Canada will provide $2.85 million towards the camp through the Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities Program.

The Chief Elsie Bouchie Cultural Camp is named in honour of Berens River First Nation’s first female Chief who served her community in many roles—from cook to band councillor. Anishinaabe thought, practices and ways of being will be at the core of the camp’s approach to supporting women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people on their journey as they restore, reclaim and strengthen their identity. The camp’s programs will be based on principles of safety, fairness, and inclusiveness to create a living legacy that builds community health and well-being.

Investing in cultural spaces is crucial to addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals. This transformative program will also support Indigenous Peoples in reclaiming their identity as part of their journey towards self-determination, which is a crucial step in advancing reconciliation and building relationships with Indigenous Peoples, governments, and all Canadians.

Quotes

“As our community continues to grow, it is crucial to have the infrastructure in place to be able to gather as a community for recreational, social and cultural opportunities. Our members must have access to a safe environment that fosters healing, sharing, and reconciliation at all levels. The Chief Elsie Bouchie Cultural Camp will ensure the infrastructure needed for a healing journey that is reliable and safe, allows us to stay connected, and supports our members dealing with missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. This important project will ensure the longevity of Berens River First Nation and will foster a vibrant and thriving community for years to come. Thank you to the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations, for your partnership and support.”

Chief Norman McKay
Berens River First Nation

“Culture is a powerful tool that can transform lives and uplift people. Our government will continue to support the construction of projects like the Chief Elsie Bouchie Cultural Camp, where women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people will be able to experience the life-changing effects of immersing themselves in their culture. I would like to congratulate the leadership and members of the Berens River First Nation on this important initiative.”

The Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations

Quick facts

• The Government of Canada continues to work with provinces, territories, Indigenous organizations, families, Survivors and communities across the country to make progress on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People National Action Plan.
• Budget 2021 invested $108.8 million over two years for the Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities Program. This investment is part of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People, the Government of Canada’s contribution to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People National Action Plan and supports the response to Call for Justice 2.3.
• The National Action Plan was co-developed by
  • the National Family and Survivor Circle
  • representatives of First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Indigenous grassroots organizations
  • Indigenous, provincial and territorial governments
  • Indigenous urban and 2SLGBTQI+ leaders.

Associated links

• Berens River First Nation 
• Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities Program
• Backgrounder: Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People
• The Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People 
• Budget 2021
• 2021 MMIWG and 2SLGBTQI+ people National Action Plan
• Support for the Wellbeing of Families and Survivors of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People Contribution Program

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

Aïssatou Diop
Press Secretary and Communications Advisor
Office of the Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations
aissatou.diop@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca

CIRNAC Media Relations:
Email: RCAANC.Media.CIRNAC@sac-isc.gc.ca
Phone: 819-934-2302

Councillor Glen Boulanger
Berens River First Nation
Phone: 204-619-4616

$291,243 from the Status of Women Canada.

Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network Inc. is receiving funding for a 36-month project focused on increasing Indigenous women’s reporting of domestic violence, and improving access to culturally-relevant support services within the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Release of “Calls for Justice. MMIWG. A Preliminary Status Report for the Government of PEI” by the PEI Government with updates in actions taken in response to Calls to Justice in:

• Human and Indigenous Rights and Governmental Obligations (4)
• Culture (6)
• Health and Wellness (12)
• Human Security (13)
• Justice (30)
• Education (6)
• Social Work and Child Welfare (8)

https://docs.assembly.pe.ca/download/dms?objectId=620ce46b-68e1-4282-8eef-2d07e2c8ae53&fileName=Premier.King.06192020.Missing and murdered indigenous women and girls status report.pdf

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada: Today, Chief Lynn Indian from the Big Grassy First Nation and the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown−Indigenous Relations, announced $1.8 million in funding provided through the Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities Program, for the construction of a new cultural space building.

The new Big Grassy First Nation Cultural Space and Shelter for Women Building will be used as a shelter for those in danger, a healing space, and a gathering area for the community to host cultural and language programs. The gathering and healing areas will be used for prayers and land-based teachings, and will have a training area for courses and a display area for local artists. The building will also provide a shelter for persons at risk to stay, in the short or long-term. The site will be secure and will provide 24 hour emergency access for members experiencing domestic violence and other forms of trauma that require an immediate response.

Investing in cultural spaces is crucial to addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals. This transformative program also supports Indigenous Peoples in reclaiming their identity as part of their journey towards self-determination, which is a crucial step in advancing reconciliation and building relationships between Indigenous Peoples, governments, and all Canadians.

Quotes

“The cultural space will provide opportunities for the women of Big Grassy to nurture, develop culturally specific initiatives and provide a safe and inclusive space free from potentially violent and harmful situations.  Our community is grateful for the funding made available by the government of Canada to help address the needs of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people.”

Chief Lynn Indian
Big Grassy First Nation

“This is another meaningful step in responding to the MMIWG Calls for Justice, which call upon all governments to prioritize safe and meaningful access to culture and languages for Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Through the construction of a new cultural building, Big Grassy First Nation will create an inclusive and safe cultural space to continue the work of healing and revitalizing language and culture for generations to come.”

The Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations

Quick facts

• Big Grassy First Nation is an Ojibway community of 277 residents in Northwestern Ontario.
• The Government of Canada continues to work with provinces, territories, Indigenous organizations, families, Survivors and communities across the country to make progress on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan.
• Budget 2021 invested $108.8 million over two years in the Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities Program. This investment is part of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People, the Government of Canada’s contribution to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan and supports the response to Call for Justice 2.3, which calls upon all governments to prioritize safe and meaningful access to culture and languages for Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people to restore, reclaim and revitalize identities.
• The National Action Plan was co-developed by:
  • the National Family and Survivors Circle;
  • representatives of First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Indigenous grassroots organizations;
  • Indigenous, provincial and territorial governments; and
  • Indigenous urban and 2SLGBTQI+ leaders.

Associated links

• Big Grassy First Nation 
• Cultural Spaces in Indigenous Communities Program
• Backgrounder: Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdere Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People
• The Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People
• 2021 MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people National Action Plan
• Support for the Wellbeing of Families and Survivors of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People Contribution Program

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

Tim Archie
Project Director Big Grassy
Email: projectdirector@biggrassy.ca
Phone: (807) 488-5614 Ext. 1003

Aïssatou Diop
Press Secretary and Communications Advisor
Office of the Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations
aissatou.diop@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca

CIRNAC Media Relations:
Email: RCAANC.Media.CIRNAC@sac-isc.gc.ca
Phone: 819-934-2302

NationTalk: The Government of Yukon congratulates the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) on the site blessing and groundbreaking ceremony for the Family Preservation Wellness Centre.

The ceremony took place on May 17, 2023 at 10 Eldorado Drive in Whistle Bend. The future site of the Family Preservation Wellness Centre is close to playgrounds, walking trails and the new Whistle Bend School. The Centre will have 15 apartments (32 beds) divided by high and lower barrier areas to safely meet the needs of women with children and women who require more support.

The Family Preservation Wellness Centre will be the first Yukon First Nation-led Centre in the Yukon. It is designed to offer an environment that celebrates Indigenous culture and promotes women’s self-determination. When completed, the Family Preservation Wellness Centre will be a safe place to call home for First Nations women and children who are survivors of violence and provide culturally appropriate supports and services.

Housing that meets the needs of vulnerable Yukoners is needed and important for the safety and health everyone in our community. It is exciting to see many years of work coming to fruition and I applaud the tenacity and dedication of CYFN to see this project realized.

Premier and Minister responsible for Yukon Housing Corporation Ranj Pillai

Congratulations to the Council of Yukon First Nations on bringing key partners together for this important project, which will provide safe housing and support for women and children in our community. The positive impacts of the Centre will extend far and wide, promoting stability, empowerment and improved well-being for those in need.

Minister of Justice and Minister of Health and Social Services Tracy-Anne McPhee

Quick facts

• The Government of Yukon transferred the land for $1 to the Council of Yukon First Nations and completed the land transfer in August 2022.
• Ketza Construction Corporation and Walker Home Construction have been awarded the construction contracts by the Council of Yukon First Nations.
• The construction phase of the project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2024.

Contact

Jordan Owens
Cabinet Communications
867-332-0615
jordan.owens@yukon.ca

Laura Lang
Communications, Yukon Housing Corporation
867-334-7164
laura.lang@yukon.ca

Project will help fill gaps in current system, CYFN says

CBC News: The Council of Yukon First Nations is planning to build a new shelter in Whitehorse’s Whistle Bend neighbourhood, specifically for Indigenous women and children. Shadelle Chambers, executive director of the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN), presented the plans to Whitehorse city council on Monday evening. 

In her presentation, Chambers noted there isn’t an Indigenous-led women’s shelter in Whitehorse. “We recognize and know that Kaushee’s [Place] has been in operation for a number of years, and is named after an Indigenous woman and serves a lot of Indigenous women as clients,” Chambers said. “However, it is not Indigenous-led.”

The plan is to build a one-storey facility with 15 supportive housing units, or 32 beds. The shelter would have both a high-barrier section, for women with children, and a low-barrier section. “We recognize right now that there are shelters that don’t allow for women who might be experiencing homelessness specifically, or mental health or addictions challenges,” Chambers told CBC News. “So we’ve developed five units to address that.”

There will also be common areas for programming space in the facility, and 24-hour wraparound supports available on site. The shelter will be designed for temporary stays, Chambers explained, and though the exact length of stay is yet to be determined, it will likely be less that 90 days.

Need in the community

Michelle Parsons, executive director of the Yukon Women’s Transition Home, says more shelter beds in the city would be welcome.

The transition home runs Kaushee’s Place, which currently has 15 beds for women and children fleeing violence or abuse. Parsons said there’s so much demand for beds that the shelter is sometimes operating at 150 to 200 per cent capacity. “We’re often double-bunking women who we offer services to with each other,” Parsons said. “There’s definitely a need in the community. That number is just steadily increasing.”

Kaushee’s Place provides temporary housing, and Parsons said the intended length of stay is 30 days. But, she said, the organization is frequently getting requests for extensions because there aren’t enough permanent housing options in Whitehorse for clients to transition into. Parsons says the shelter tries to accommodate those requests when it can.

Sofia Ashley, executive director of the Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre, said her organization sees the need for more shelter space every day.

“We see people falling through the cracks all the time,” she said. “People need somewhere safe to go when they’re in an emergency situation. They need somewhere safe and calm to be when they’re rebuilding their lives after they’ve lost everything.”

Federal funding to cover bulk of project

CYFN is receiving funding for the project through an initiative between the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Indigenous Services Canada. Funding from CMHC, which amounts to $9.28 million, will help cover capital costs. Indigenous Services Canada will put in $1.22 million in annual operating and maintenance costs.

The Yukon government has already donated a parcel of the land for the project, which is located on Eldorado Drive in the Whistle Bend neighborhood. CYFN is also looking to other sources, like Jordan’s Principle and the Yukon Department of Health and Social Services, to help cover additional operations and maintenance costs, Chambers said.

The hope is to open the shelter for occupancy in summer 2024. CYFN has issued a public tender for the project.

• Yukon’s new social housing policy works against the most vulnerable, critics say
• Former Whitehorse hotel to house 20 people until end of June

Request to city

CYFN has also applied to the City of Whitehorse for development incentives for the project. Those include a waiver of development costs and a grant to help cover taxes on the building for ten years. Additionally, CYFN has requested a cash grant for over $88,000 from the city to help cover other permitting and inspection fees.

City staff have recommended approving the incentives, but suggested the city provide $20,000 in grant money, not the $88,000 requested. $20,000 is the maximum amount available for non-profit housing incentives.

Council will vote on the funding request on Monday.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Leslie Amminson, CBC News

Leslie Amminson is a reporter for CBC Yukon based in Whitehorse. She previously worked as a journalist in Newfoundland and Labrador and Nova Scotia. You can reach Leslie with story tips and ideas at leslie.amminson@cbc.ca.

Federal Government announced $50M in COVID-19 related funding including for up to $10 million to support organizations providing services related to gender-based violence to Indigenous people off-reserve

NationTalk – President Rebecca Kudloo and RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki discussed police practices as they relate to Inuit women, and the possibility of creating an MOU between Pauktuutit and the RCMP. Brian Brennan, RCMP Deputy Commissioner of Contract and Indigenous Policing, also took part in the conference call. Specifically, Commissioner Lucki expressed her support for the Inuit-specific Calls for Justice, as outlined in the 2019 MMIWG report, as well as the importance of investing in related community supports, such as access to emergency shelters and mental health services. She also spoke about the RCMP’s current work in recruiting and training a much greater number of Inuit police officers.

http://nationtalk.ca/story/pauktuutit-inuit-women-of-canada-takes-part-in-constructive-dialogue-with-rcmp-commissioner-brenda-lucki

Dollar amount ‘really only the beginning’ in process to locate women’s remains, victim’s daughter says

WARNING: This story contains distressing details.

CBC News: The federal government says it will provide $500,000 to determine whether it’s possible to recover human remains from a landfill near Winnipeg, after months of calls to search there for the bodies of two victims of an alleged serial killer.

The money from Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada will go to the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, which has been overseeing efforts around a feasibility study on a search at the Prairie Green landfill. 

The funding will support the organization in working with families, experts and community organizations, along with other entities including various levels of Indigenous and non-Indigenous governments, the Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller’s office said in a Wednesday news release.

• A timeline of what we know about 4 slain Winnipeg women and alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki

Ottawa is also working with Indigenous leaders and organizations, provincial and municipal governments and police to offer support and healing services to families and communities, the release said.  That money will provide much-needed resources to conduct a proper feasibility study of the landfill site, Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Cathy Merrick said in the news release.

Calls for search

Calls to search the Winnipeg-area landfill began after police announced in December that a man previously charged with first-degree murder in one woman’s death had since been charged in the killings of three others.  Police said the remains of two of those women, Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, were believed to have been taken to the Prairie Green site in May.

At the time, police said they had determined it wouldn’t be feasible for them to search there by the time they determined the bodies were taken there in June. That decision sparked calls from community members, including family members of the victims, for the landfill to be searched for the women’s bodies.

Weeks later, the federal government said it would cover the cost of a study on whether remains could be recovered through a search of the site. 

Last month, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said it had learned no garbage had been dumped in the targeted section of the landfill since June.

• No garbage dumped since June in area where Manitoba women’s remains may be, AMC says

The partial remains of Rebecca Contois, the first victim whose death Jeremy Skibicki was charged in, were discovered at Winnipeg’s Brady Road landfill in June, after some of her remains were discovered near a North Kildonan apartment building a month earlier.

Police have not yet been able to identify or determine the location of the remains of the fourth victim, whom community leaders have named Mashkode Bizhiki’ikwe, or Buffalo Woman. 

‘Only the beginning’

Among the loudest voices in the call for a search of the landfill has been Cambria Harris, whose mother Morgan Harris is one of the women whose remains are believed to have been taken there. For Harris, Wednesday’s update provided a bit of relief, “but it’s really only the beginning.”

She said she’s continuing to push for a second feasibility study on also searching the city’s Brady Road landfill, where she said an encampment called Camp Morgan will remain for the foreseeable future.

“While they believe that my mother is in the Prairie Green [landfill], there is still a chance of them not finding her there,” she said on Wednesday. “And if they are not able to find her there, then I want them to at least search the Brady [landfill] as well — for her and Buffalo Woman and any and all women that are believed to be there or could be there.”

Next steps

Leah Gazan, an NDP MP in Winnipeg Centre, said in an emailed statement the announcement was an important first step that wouldn’t have happened without the efforts of families and advocates. Gazan, the NDP’s critic for women and gender equality, also called for more funding from Ottawa to implement all 231 calls for justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Miller said the funding announced Wednesday is “not the end of the efforts, by any stretch of the imagination.” “It will give the team that’s there the financial resources necessary to be doing that work over the course of the winter and most likely the spring. This is something that will take some time,” Miller told media in Ottawa.

​​​​​​The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs previously said it expects to complete the Prairie Green feasibility study by March 31.

• Almost a fifth of Winnipeg’s homicides this year involved Indigenous women. These are their stories
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Indigenous Service Minister Patty Hajdu said the money is a signal of Ottawa’s commitment to support provincial and Indigenous leaders in “making sure that [no] stone is unturned to help families who are grieving in an unimaginable way.”  “This is a really solemn time for those families, but i think it’s important that we step up and try our absolute best together,” Hajdu said.

Skibicki’s lawyer said his client intends to plead not guilty on all four counts of first-degree murder. His next court date is scheduled for Thursday.

Support is available for anyone affected by details of these cases. If you require support, you can contact Ka Ni Kanichihk’s Medicine Bear Counselling, Support and Elder Services at 204-594-6500, ext. 102 or 104, (within Winnipeg) or 1-888-953-5264 (outside Winnipeg).

Support is also available via Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Liaison unit at 1-800-442-0488 or 204-677-1648.

Mental health counselling and crisis support are also available to Indigenous people across Canada 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Caitlyn Gowriluk, Reporter

Caitlyn Gowriluk has been writing for CBC Manitoba since 2019. Her work has also appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press, and in 2021 she was part of an award-winning team recognized by the Radio Television Digital News Association for its breaking news coverage of COVID-19 vaccines. Get in touch with her at caitlyn.gowriluk@cbc.ca.

• Follow Caitlyn Gowriluk on Twitter

128 delegates from First Nations across the province of Québec. Organized in partnership by Québec Native Women (QNW) and the First Nations of Québec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission (FNQLHSSC), the objective of this forum is to define an action plan to fight the cycle of sexual violence within First Nations by supporting both victims and aggressors in their healing journey. In a spirit of respect for our cultures, our action plan focuses on four main objectives:

• better access to services
• improved collaboration between all local and regional partners
• mobilization of all the First Nations people to break the cycle of sexual violence, and
• a consolidation of tools and mechanisms needed to break this cycle in a safe and sustainable way

Aboriginal Friendship Centres of Saskatchewan

 $304,950

Develop an Indigenous Women’s Economic Framework with local business and economic partners.

Prince Albert Métis Womans Association

$307M over 5 years

A new, comprehensive five-year strategy to combat human trafficking and end child sexual exploitation across the province through a proactive, comprehensive action plan focused on four key areas:

• Raising awareness of the issue by launching a new, province-wide marketing campaign to educate children, youth, parents, and the broader public about what human trafficking is, how to recognize the signs, and where to get help.
• Holding offenders accountable by giving law enforcement more specialized Crown prosecution support for human trafficking cases, strengthening intelligence gathering in the correctional system, and investing in police services to help coordinate anti-human trafficking investigations and expand the Ontario Provincial Police Child Sexual Exploitation Unit.
• Protecting victims and intervening early by investing in specialized intervention teams involving police and child protection services, incorporating human trafficking awareness into the education curriculum, and establishing dedicated, licensed residences to support victims, including those under the age of 16.
• Supporting survivors by investing new funding in wrap-around, community-based supports and Indigenous-led initiatives to make more services available for survivors and by enhancing victim services to assist survivors throughout the court process.

To address the needs of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and organizations, and frontline workers, Indigenous-specific initiatives are integrated throughout Ontario’s new strategy. Examples of these initiatives include targeted public awareness activities, Indigenous-led community-based supports for survivors such as counselling, cultural teachings and healing ceremonies, victim services delivered by Indigenous communities and organizations, and culturally-appropriate supports for at-risk youth.

Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, along with the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, committed to fund the construction and operations of shelters for Inuit women and children across Inuit Nunangat as well as in urban centres. Funding for the new shelters will be part of the $724.1 million for a comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy as announced in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement.

Indigenous Services Canada and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) will continue to work with Pauktuutit and other Inuit partners to determine the locations and define the details of the projects to best meet the needs of women and families seeking shelter.

Government is committed fund the construction and operations of shelters for Inuit women and children across Inuit Nunangat as well as in urban centres. Funding for the new shelters will be part of the $724.1 million for a comprehensive Violence Prevention Strategy as announced in the 2020 Fall Economic Statement. The government will continue to work with Pauktuutit and other Inuit partners to determine the locations and define the details of the projects to best meet the needs of women and families seeking shelter.

CISION – Québec government is increasing the funding for the 2021-2022 call for projects – Sexual, domestic and family violence in Indigenous contexts by $6 million. This raises the total investment for this initiative from $5.4 million to $11.4 million. Launched last August, this call for projects has four objectives:
1. Prevent and counter sexual violence, including sexual assault and sexual exploitation, in Indigenous contexts
2. Prevent and counter domestic and family violence in Indigenous contexts
3. Develop culturally relevant responses that provide a sense of security in dealing with the issues of sexual, domestic and family violence and that include women, men and the Indigenous population as a whole
4. Create structured partnerships between governments and Indigenous organizations, intended to prevent and counter sexual, domestic and family violence in Indigenous contexts

$18M funding to finance a set of measures intended to better adapt police intervention to the realities of Indigenous communities, in particular when it comes to women who are victims of domestic violence or sexual assault. Funding includes:

• $1.2M to combat the sexual exploitation of Indigenous women and girls and countering all forms of sexual violence
• $4M to improve the training of Indigenous police officers to be better equipped when intervening in situations of domestic violence or sexual assault.
• $3.8M giving them access to the services offered by the Québec’s police school. 
• Provide Indigenous police forces with liaison officers responsible for helping them better manage cases of sexual assault and to better inform victims of their rights in the event of legal recourse
• Training on the reality Indigenous people experience in Québec will be designed and offered to correctional service officers, so that they have a better understanding of them. 

$28.5M over 5 years for programs to address domestic violence:

• $10 million has been allocated to help support prevention and intervention services in the field of domestic and family violence in Nunavik.
• $9.8 million will be made available to Indigenous police forces to meet specific needs connected with domestic and family violence
• $6 million for the implementation of the recommendations made by the Viens Commission and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls to support local, culturally relevant services to assist Indigenous men and women, and their close relatives, in the healing process.

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services announced funding to be used by the Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA) to further develop and expand the Aakode’ewin – Courage for Change Program across Ontario, addressing the unique needs of the disproportionate numbers of Indigenous women, youth and girls affected by human trafficking. 

The program supports Indigenous women and girls at risk, currently involved in, or a survivor of human trafficking. It will focus specifically on exploited youth to get them the services and tools they need to exit. The program offers support in a variety of ways, including 24/7 crisis response, harm reduction and safety planning, 1-1 support with referrals to healthcare, counselling and addiction services, and programming focused on capacity building, empowerment and culturally specific healing. Through a multi-sector approach, care and services are provided in a trauma-informed anti-oppressive way, ensuring integration of culture-based practices and mainstream supports.

Other programs:

• Programs for children aged 12 to 18 at the Roberts – Smart Centre in Ottawa that provide mental health supports, residential services, life skills training and mentorship.
• A survivor-led peer mentoring and day program for children and youth at BridgeNorth in Newmarket, which provides supports from early intervention through to stabilization, transition and reintegration.

The creation of a mobile team at Timmins and Area Women in Crisis, which will travel to five remote and 11 rural First Nation communities in the region, providing culturally appropriate and survivor-led programming in preferred languages for vulnerable and underserviced Indigenous communities

$255,844

Identify and respond to barriers affecting the economic security of vulnerable women in Central and Northern Saskatchewan using research, best practices and capacity building.

NationTalk: Caroline Wawzonek, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, tabled the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) action plan in Response to the Calls for Justice on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.

The action plan, Changing the Relationship, aims to dismantle colonialism and racial and gendered discrimination from all levels of government and public institutions. It explains  how the GNWT will work to change the relationship between its departments, agencies, employees, policies, and processes, and their daily encounters with Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse people.

Minister Wawzonek initially introduced the action plan in November 2020 as a draft and committed to engage with Indigenous governments, community governments, other partners, people with lived experience and all NWT residents to seek feedback before finalizing the plan.

Between May 31 and September 13, 2022, the GNWT Gender Equity Division travelled to 12 NWT communities to conduct engagement. The updated action plan reflects the feedback received during engagement, as well as updated information from GNWT departments and agencies. Minister Wawzonek also tabled a What We Heard report detailing the engagement.

Quote(s)

“Starting with the National Inquiry in 2015, the GNWT committed to incorporating lived experience from residents in addressing the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. Guided by our engagements, this action plan fulfills this commitment and outlines the specific actions we will take to respond to the Calls for Justice. The GNWT will continue working with all Northerners and partners across Canada to support the much-needed work to address systemic causes of violence, inequality, and racism, so that indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people feel safe and empowered in our territory and across the country.

– Caroline Wawzonek, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women

Quick facts

• The GNWT’s Action Plan is presented in four parts:
  • Introduction: provides context for understanding the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
  • Acknowledging the crisis: explains the scope of the crisis and the need for an urgent response.
  • Changing the relationship: sets out a vision and objectives to bring about transformative change needed to begin to undo the effects of colonialism and racial and gendered discrimination.
  • Responding to the Calls for Justice: the GNWT’s detailed action plan to respond to the Calls for Justice on Culture and Language, Health and Wellness, Human Security, and Justice.
• The What We Heard report presents the results of engagement activities conducted between May 31 and September 13, 2022, and is organized according to the four key areas of rights violations identified in Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: Culture, Health and Wellness, Justice, and Human Security.

Related links

• Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Changing the Relationship Action Plan
• What We Heard Report

For media requests, please contact:

Todd Sasaki

Manager, Public Affairs and Communications

Department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs

Government of the Northwest Territories

todd_sasaki@gov.nt.ca

NationTalk: Women and Gender Equality Canada – The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls highlighted the underlying systemic causes of ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. The COVID-19 pandemic also created unprecedented challenges for victims seeking help and the frontline organizations that support them.

Today, the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced over $1.9 million for six organizations in Quebec:

• Centre d’amitié autochtone de Val d’Or
• Centre Mamik Lac-Saint-Jean
• Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee Association
• Femmes Autochtones du Québec
• Gookumnouch Advisory Paataksuun
• Projet de Travailleurs de Soutien aux autochtones (PTSA)/Indigenous Support Workers Project (ISWP)

Increasing the capacity of Indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations will enable organizations to address the root causes of gender-based violence and ensure that Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, and their communities, can prosper now, and in the future.

In November 2022, the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers responsible for the Status of Women launched the 10-year National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence. This is a strategic framework for addressing gender-based violence. The National Action Plan includes five pillars: Support for victims, survivors and their families; Prevention; Responsive justice system; Implementing Indigenous-led approaches; and Social infrastructure and enabling environment.

Quotes

“When I meet with Indigenous organizations, I’m heartened by their work to support and protect their community. We know that women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people experience higher rates of violence, and we must continue to prioritize the creation of safer spaces. The funding announced today will help build capacity to address the root causes of gender-based violence and continue to build safer communities, both on and off reserve, in Quebec. This Friday May 5^th we mark Red Dress which reminds us to uphold and honour the memory and spirits of all missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls (MMIWG) and Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, plus (2SLGBTQI+) people.”

The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

Quick facts

• This funding is part of the approximately $601.3 million that the Government of Canada committed through Budget 2021 to increase efforts to end gender-based violence.
• This announcement builds on previous WAGE funding of over $13 million to more than 100 commemoration projects to help honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
• The National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence, particularly Pillar 4, supports Indigenous-led approaches. Further, this funding also represents a key initiative of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People (Federal Pathway).

• The Federal Pathway is the Government of Canada’s contribution to the 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People. It outlines the Government of Canada’s efforts, now and in the future, to end gender-based violence and systemic racism responsible for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
• The Government of Canada has committed approximately $300 million in emergency COVID-19 funding to support individuals experiencing gender-based violence. Since April 2020, the Government of Canada has invested over $278 million of emergency COVID-19 funding in more than 1,400 women’s shelters, sexual assault centers, and other organizations, including 157 organizations that serve Indigenous individuals.

Associated links

• Backgrounder – Funding Supports Quebec–based Indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to Prevent and Address Gender-based Violence 
• National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence
• News release – Call for proposals: Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to further address gender-based violence
• Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People 

Contacts

Johise Namwira
Press Secretary and Issues Manager
Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth
873-353-0985
Johise.Namwira@fegc-wage.gc.ca

Media Relations
Women and Gender Equality Canada
819-420-6530
FEGC.Media.WAGE@fegc-wage.gc.ca

Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada: Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations, announced the appointment of Jennifer Moore Rattray as the Ministerial Special Representative who will provide advice and recommendations, through engagement with survivors, families, partners and organizations, in support of Call for Justice 1.7 to  create an Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson.

Jennifer Moore Rattray is a member of the Peepeekisis First Nation in Saskatchewan and currently holds the title of Chief Operating Officer at Southern Chiefs’ Organization. She is the former Executive Director of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which delivered a final report and 231 Calls for Justice to the Prime Minister and Premiers in June of 2019, and a former Assistant Deputy Minister with the province of Manitoba.

Furthermore, the Honourable Marc Miller announced that Innovation 7, an Indigenous organization, has been chosen to develop recommendations for an oversight mechanism to enhance accountability and progress in ending violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. This represents a tangible step in responding to the calls from survivors and families for greater monitoring and accountability, the National Inquiry’s Call for Justice 1.10 as well as one of the short-term priorities of the National Action Plan.

Today’s announcements reaffirm the Government of Canada’s commitment to meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples and accelerating efforts to end this national crisis and make a difference in the lives of survivors, families and communities.

The Government of Canada continues to work in partnership with Indigenous survivors, families, leaders, and partners, as well as with provinces and territories, to implement the National Action Plan and the Federal Pathway to make the transformational change needed and ensure communities across Canada are safer.

Quotes

“I am honoured to be appointed as Ministerial Special Representative to be undertaking this important work and ensuring the voices of Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people are heard, acknowledged, and reflected in the priorities and recommendations undertaken as a result of this initiative.”

Jennifer Moore Rattray, Ministerial Special Representative

“Accountability is an important element to end violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. As the Ministerial Special Representative, Jennifer Moore Rattray will play a key role in engaging with Indigenous Peoples, survivors and families, and Indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide meaningful recommendations that will accelerate our progress on implementing the Calls for Justice. Her appointment, and its subsequent outcomes, also represent an important step forward in making a difference in the lives of survivors, families, and communities – to put an end to this national crisis.”

The Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations

Quick facts

• The Federal Pathway is Canada’s contribution to the broader 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan developed in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous Peoples, survivors, families, and Indigenous women’s organizations in response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
• Call for Justice 1.7 of the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls calls for the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, to establish a National Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson, with authority in all jurisdictions, and to establish a National Indigenous and Human Rights Tribunal. Call for Justice 1.7 states that the ombudsperson and tribunal must be independent of governments and have the authority to receive complaints from Indigenous individuals as well as Indigenous communities in relation to Indigenous and human rights violations, and to conduct thorough and independent evaluations of government services for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people and communities to determine compliance with human and Indigenous rights laws. Call for Justice 1.7 also states that the ombudsperson and the tribunal must be given sufficient resources to fulfill their mandates and must be permanent.
• Call for Justice 1.10 of the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls calls for the federal government to create an independent mechanism to report on the implementation of the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice to Parliament, annually.
• Jennifer Moore Rattray is an executive with 25 years experience in sectors including non-profit, government, post-secondary education, and media and communications. She holds a joint Master of Public Administration degree with distinction from the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba.
• The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis Line is available to provide emotional support and crisis referral services to individuals impacted by the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals. Call the toll-free Crisis Line at 1-844-413-6649. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Associated links

• Backgrounder: Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People
• The Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People
• 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan
• Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Calls for Justice
• Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Health and Cultural Support Program
• Innovation 7

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

Aïssatou Diop
Press Secretary and Communications Advisor
Office of the Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations
aissatou.diop@rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca

CIRNAC Media Relations:
Email: RCAANC.Media.CIRNAC@sac-isc.gc.ca
Phone: 819-934-2302

Crisis hotlines are a lifeline to survivors of gender-based violence and are critical support services. Rates of gender-based violence in the Yukon are three times greater than the national average.

Today, Jenna Sudds, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced $500,000 to support crisis hotlines across Yukon. Ms. Sudds was joined by the Honourable Jeanie McLean, Yukon Minister responsible for the Women and Gender Equity Directorate, to announce the bilateral agreement.

This funding will help Yukon crisis hotlines serve the urgent needs of Canadians. The crisis hotlines will offer more robust services, resources, and support to prevent the escalation of gender-based violence.

This announcement marks one of the bilateral agreements recently signed with provincial and territorial governments. Over the next few months, the Government of Canada will continue to work with other provinces and territories to finalize similar bilateral agreements.

Further, the Parliamentary Secretary also announced that the Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Council will receive just over $400,000 to provide gender-based violence prevention services and supports.

The announcements build on the Government of Canada’s commitment to provide approximately $300 million in emergency COVID-19 funding to support individuals experiencing gender-based violence. Since April 2020, we’ve invested over $240 million of emergency COVID-19 funding in 1,400 women’s shelters, sexual assault centers, and other organizations, including almost 140 organizations that serve Indigenous individuals.

Quotes

“Providing timely funding for crisis hotlines is a necessity, and in the Yukon where the rate of sexual assault is higher than the national average, it is crucial that we support these services. Through this investment, these hotlines are able to continue providing life-saving services for women fleeing violence. The Government of Canada will remain committed to making Canada safer for everyone from coast to coast to coast.”

Jenna Sudds, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

“Women and girls are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence and we know that the  pandemic has only increased domestic violence across the country. It is important that we continue to provide resources for those experiencing gender-based violence, in particular Indigenous women and girls and those who identify as LGBTQQIA2S+. These crisis hotlines, supported by local organizations, help ensure all Yukoners can talk to someone about their options, no matter where they live in the territory.”

The Honourable Jeanie McLean, Minister responsible for the Women and Gender Equity Directorate

“Gender-based violence is never acceptable. While it disproportionately affects women and girls, every Yukoner deserves to feel safe regardless of their identified or perceived gender. These crisis hotlines provide an essential and accessible resource for individuals seeking help during life’s most difficult moments. I am proud to be part of a government standing alongside our Yukon counterparts to sign another historic agreement to support crisis hotlines.”

Brendan Hanley, Member of Parliament for Yukon

Quick facts

• Funding received by the Yukon Aboriginal Women’s Council comes from the $55 million Call for Proposalslaunched earlier this year.
• This call for proposals is part of the approximately $3 billion over five years that the Government of Canada committed through Budget 2021 to increase efforts to end gender-based violence. This includes $601.3M over five years to advance toward a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.
• Since April 2020, the Government of Canada invested over $240 million of emergency COVID-19 funding in 1,400 women’s shelters, sexual assault centers, and other organizations, including nearly 140 organizations that serve Indigenous individuals.
• Between 2016 to 2021, Yukon led the country in population growth (+12.1% to 40,232). It was also the only sole territory that grew at a faster pace than Canada overall.
• GBV disproportionately affects women and girls. Certain intersectional populations also experience high levels of violence or are underserved in the GBV sector, such as Indigenous women and girls; Black and racialized women; immigrant and refugee women; members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities; people with disabilities; and women living in Northern, rural, and remote communities.
• Crisis hotlines across Canada saw a dramatic surge in calls from June to October 2020, when the COVID lockdown measures first eased.
• Organizations operating crisis lines in Yukon report that the volume of calls increased during the pandemic, as victims of violence and those seeking related services experienced perceived and real barriers to safely accessing services.

Associated links

• Women and Gender Equality Canada 
• Gender-Based Violence Knowledge Centre
• Budget 2021
• News release – Call for proposals: Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to further address gender-based violence

Contacts

Johise Namwira
Press Secretary and Issues Manager
Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth
873-353-0985
Johise.Namwira@fegc-wage.gc.ca

Media Relations
Women and Gender Equality Canada
819-420-6530
CFC.Media.SWC@fegc-wage.gc.ca

NationTalk: FREDERICTON (GNB) – The provincial government introduced legislation today designed to assist law enforcement agencies in locating a missing person in instances where no criminal investigation is underway.

When a missing person investigation begins, often there is no reason to suspect that a crime has been committed. In these situations, law enforcement agencies have no ability to compel individuals or corporations to release personal information about the missing person. This inability can stall and sometimes halt an investigation.

“When a loved one goes missing, their disappearance has serious effects on family members, friends, and their community,” said Public Safety Minister Kris Austin. “This legislation will help ensure that investigations involving missing persons will not be stalled or halted.”

Enacting missing persons legislation was a recommendation of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

“It is a fact that Indigenous women and girls in Canada are disproportionately affected by all forms of violence,” said Aboriginal Affairs Minister Arlene Dunn. “Governments have a responsibility to do everything in their power to prevent this violence and to improve the safety of Indigenous women and girls. The proposed legislation is the right step forward in our commitment to doing that. I wish to take this opportunity to recognize the significant contributions of Indigenous peoples in laying the groundwork for missing persons legislation in our province. One example is a project led by the New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council called Looking Out For Each Other.

“In partnership with Indigenous communities and organizations, we are addressing the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice by identifying key areas for action,” said Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace, who is also minister responsible for women’s equality. “I am happy to see that our government has introduced this piece of legislation that will assist law enforcement in their efforts to investigate missing people in New Brunswick. I am hopeful that this will also bring some reassurance for families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.”

Under the proposed legislation, police officers would be able to request information contained in a person’s records with an emergency/urgent demand, an order for the production of records, or a search warrant. The following information could be requested:

• records related to signals from a wireless device that may indicate the location of the device;
• cell phone records;
• all forms of instant messaging, and
• GPS tracking records.

The legislation stipulates that access to this information would have to be granted by the courts. This provision is intended to ensure the proper balance between enabling law enforcement agencies to investigate and protecting fundamental privacy rights.

Media Contact(s)

Judy Désalliers, communications,
Department of Justice and Public Safety,
judy.desalliers@gnb.ca.

Indigenous Services Canada: Shelters provide protection, services and resources that enable women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people who have experienced gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence and exploitation, to have a safe space to turn and take steps to regain an independent and self-determined life.

Supporting Indigenous-led 24/7 safe spaces, emergency shelters, and transition homes is an important part of the Government of Canada’s Federal Pathway to Address Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.

In Winnipeg, Velma’s House, operated by Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc., was created through the collaboration of community-based organizations serving adult Indigenous women, gender-diverse people, and other women at risk of violence and exploitation, including those who have been trafficked.

Velma’s House provides important services, including access to traditional medicines and cultural ways of healing, hot meals, hygiene and harm reduction supplies, as well as extensive support in helping those in need navigate systems of employment and housing. Due to an increase in operational hours and support, Velma’s House has outgrown its old space and requires an expansion to accommodate more people in need of its services.

Today, the Government of Canada announced over $6.9 million in immediate and ongoing funding that will support Ka Ni Kanichihk and Velma’s House, as well as $1.53 million for Indigenous women’s organizations in Manitoba. The announcement was made in Treaty 1 Territory (Winnipeg) by the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services; the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth; and the Honourable Daniel Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister for PrairiesCan, Minister for CanNor and Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface—Saint Vital.

These investments will allow Velma’s House to expand its capacity to provide life-saving shelter services to those in need on a 24/7 basis, and is part of the Government of Canada’s larger commitment to address the critical need for culturally appropriate Indigenous safe spaces in cities and urban settings across the country.

These investments include:

• $930,000 through the Women’s Program at Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) to provide emergency relief funding to support immediate organizational needs and increase capacity. This funding is in addition to over $1.4 million that WAGE has provided Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc. since 2015.
• $2 million through Indigenous Services Canada’s (ISC) Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund, which will enable Ka Ni Kanichihk to purchase a new building for Velma’s House, allowing for expanded capacity and care of up to 40 people at a time.
• $1 million per year through to 2025–26, totalling $4 million, delivered through ISC’s Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative to support operational expenses and furnishing costs.

Through Women and Gender Equality Canada, $1.53 million will be invested in three Indigenous women’s organizations in Manitoba:

• $499,154 will support the work of Infinity Women Secretariat Inc. to increase the organization’s capacity to address gender-based violence issues more effectively in the Métis community in Manitoba.
• $500,000 will support 2-Spirited Peoples of Manitoba to increase the capacity of 2Spirit Manitoba Inc. to prevent and address gender-based violence against Indigenous 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
• An additional $533,118 for Ka Ni Kanichihk to strengthen their capacity to prevent gender-based violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people through the improvement of partnerships, sharing of information and the development of skill-based tools.

Quotes

“Today speaks to the power of collaboration and of community-led efforts. Credit for establishing Velma’s House goes to those with lived experience who fought so hard to establish this safe space. Thank you to the federal government for listening to the community and supporting their expertise, their knowledge and their solution.”

Yvonne (Dodie) Jordaan
Executive Director of Ka Ni Kanichihk

“Velma’s House is the ONLY 24/7 safe place in the province of Manitoba that supports sexually exploited adult women, the ONLY PLACE. With continued funding we can ensure our women will always have a low/barrier safe space. With supports and resources to help to support them wherever they are at in their journey.”

Isabel Daniels
Advocate for sexually exploited persons
Survivor of gender-based violence

“Everyone in the community is excited to finally have an adequate building to support the women who access Velma’s House 24/7. The women who come here are strong and their lives need to be valued. The new safe space will provide them with more access to culture, programming, resources, and safety. It will allow them to have the supports and guidance that are needed as they walk the red road to healing. It will simply save lives.”

Bianca Moar
Velma’s House Staff
Former Lived Experience Advisory Committee Member

“Velma’s House and Ka Ni Kanichihk provide essential services and a safe space for Indigenous women in Winnipeg. Their work is critical, saves lives and protects the next generation of children. But their services have been stretched and they will be able to do so much more with more space and stable funding. With new investments of just over $8.4 million announced today by the Federal Government, Velma’s House, Ka Ni Kanichihk, and other Indigenous women’s organizations in Manitoba will be able to keep doing their work, increase their capacity and deliver culturally appropriate programs and services to those who need it most. As a former Executive Director of a homeless shelter myself, I know how important and how difficult this work can be. I commend Executive Director Dodie Jordaan and the Velma’s House team for their advocacy and vision to expand their services and continue to serve the most vulnerable women in the community.”

The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services

“We know that Velma’s House is a lifeline for women fleeing domestic and street violence, providing a wide range of culturally safe supports and essential services. I’m pleased to announce that Women and Gender Equality Canada provided $930,000 to keep their doors open 24/7 and, ultimately, save more lives. I’m also pleased to announce that $1.53 million will be invested in three Indigenous women’s organizations in Manitoba to provide long-term support to organizations that are doing the crucial work on the ground. Organizations like these have been at the forefront of efforts to address and prevent gender-based violence, particularly in underserved communities. Our government is committed to continuing our support for this essential work.”

The Honourable Marci Ien
Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

“Together with community leaders and organizations, we are taking important steps forward in expanding access for Indigenous women and children in need of critical services, safety and support, right here in the heart of Winnipeg. Velma’s House is an integral part of our community and a positive and safe space that so many continue to devote their passion and lives to creating and growing. To all the workers, supporters and advocates of Velma’s House, I thank you for the essential work you are doing to provide for, and serve, those who need it most.”

The Honourable Daniel Vandal P.C., M.P.
Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for CanNor, Minister responsible for PrairiesCan and Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface—Saint Vital

Quick facts

• Velma’s House, operated by Ka Ni Kanichihk Inc., is a low-barrier safe space for women and gender-diverse people over 18 years of age. It is a culturally Indigenous safe space in Winnipeg, Manitoba, that offers a wide variety of essential supports and services.
• The Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund supports and invests in the immediate infrastructure needs of Indigenous communities for ongoing, new and shovel-ready projects. The Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative aims to fund services that contribute to the safety and well-being of Indigenous Peoples, families and communities through community services that are developed and implemented through an Indigenous lens.
• Since 2015, WAGE has provided $232.8 million to initiatives that aim to end gender-based violence, and $152.8 million to initiatives that support Indigenous women and girls.
• Since April 2020, approximately $300 million in emergency COVID-19 funding has been committed to organizations supporting individuals experiencing gender-based violence. This includes:
  • Over $235 million provided to date to over 1,400 women’s shelters, sexual assault centres, and other organizations, including 138 organizations that serve Indigenous individuals.
  • This funding has helped ensure the continuity of services throughout the pandemic and is enhancing the capacity and responsiveness of gender-based violence organizations.
  • Because of this funding, over 1.3 million individuals experiencing violence have had a place to go and access to supports during the pandemic.
• In 2021–22, the Federal Pathway provided funding under the Support for the Wellbeing of Families and Survivors of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People Contribution Program for a pilot project to expand operations of Velma’s House to include overnights and weekends.
• In 2022–23, Ka Ni Kanichihk received $1.8 million, under the Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples funding stream, to support the construction of the Ka Ni Kanichihk Cultural Wellness Centre to increase access to wellness, education and training programs.

Associated links

• Ka Ni Kanichihk Cultural and Wellness Centre expansion to receive $1.8 million investment from Indigenous Services Canada – Canada.ca
• Government of Canada investing in youth and families in Winnipeg – Canada.ca
• Velma’s House: 24/7 Safe Space | Ka Ni Kanichihk
• Indigenous Community Infrastructure Fund
• Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative (sac-isc.gc.ca)
• Urban Programming for Indigenous Peoples (sac-isc.gc.ca)
• Family Violence Prevention Program (sac-isc.gc.ca)
• MMIWG (2SLGBTQQIA+) people Urban National Action Plan
• Women and Gender Equality Canada
• Gender-Based Violence Knowledge Centre

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

Alison Murphy
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services
Alison.Murphy@sac-isc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Indigenous Services Canada
819-953-1160
media@sac-isc.gc.ca

NationTalk: CP24 – The House of Commons unanimously backed a motion Tuesday declaring the deaths and disappearances of Indigenous women and girls a Canada-wide emergency — and calling for funding for a new system to alert the public when someone goes missing.

Leah Gazan, who represents a Winnipeg riding, presented the motion to her colleagues in the afternoon. She previously led an effort for the House to recognize the residential school system as a genocide, which it did last fall. “The truth is the truth,” she told reporters after Tuesday’s vote. “It’s one thing to acknowledge truth, it’s another thing to act on it.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said advancing reconciliation with Indigenous people is one of his top priorities since forming government in 2015. In 2019, he accepted the findings of a national inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls, which said the crisis amounted to a genocide.

Trudeau has since been criticized by groups such as the Native Women’s Association of Canada for failing to deliver on his commitments to fulfil the many recommendations directed at the federal government.

Statistics show Indigenous women continue to disappear and to be the victims of violence at a higher rate than non-Indigenous women. Late last year, Winnipeg police announced that the remains of several First Nations women — all believed to have been murdered by the same man — were found in a landfill outside the city. That catapulted the issue back into the spotlight.

Gazan and other advocates have continued pushing for a public alert system that would send a notification to phones, televisions and radios when an Indigenous woman disappears. She said she imagines it operating like an Amber Alert, which is an emergency notification that goes out when a child is missing and believed to be in danger. “There’s no reason why that can’t happen tomorrow,” Gazan said, adding the country also has systems for weather alerts. “It just takes political will.”

Back in February, one of the last times Gazan raised the issue, a spokesperson for Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair’s office said provincial governments operate emergency alert systems and it would be up to them to choose whether to adopt any new systems.

However, Gazan said that she believes Ottawa has a role to play and that she has been working to organize preliminary meetings between the government and advocates to discuss what an alert system could look like. She said the alert would no doubt need to work across jurisdictions and told reporters that some Indigenous communities operate alerts of their own.

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press 

RELATED STORIES

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• Two more employees of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women inquiry resign
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• ‘National shame:’ Groups decry inaction on violence against Indigenous women, girls

$1.4M per yr over 5 yrs

• Investing more into programs, services and supports that will raise awareness, prevention and directly help victims and survivors, with an added focus on Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian communities.
• hire family and victim support navigators for Halifax Regional Municipality, Cape Breton Regional Municipality and the South Shore. These navigator roles will provide additional support to African Nova Scotian and Indigenous victims and survivors
• provide funding to hire a new Crown prosecutor dedicated to prosecuting human trafficking cases and for specialized training for Crown prosecutors on human trafficking issues
• designate six province-wide positions from the Additional Officer Program as dedicated investigators in the areas of gender-based violence, specifically domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking investigators
• the province will also provide funding to re-open the Jane Paul Indigenous Women’s Resource Centre

NationTalk: The Province is providing $8 million to help organizations supporting women experiencing gender-based violence meet an increased demand for their services and address rising operating costs.

“Transition houses, women’s centres and other organizations provide critical support services to women experiencing gender-based violence and their children,” said Karla MacFarlane, Minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. “With additional funding, we are helping ensure these organizations are there to provide the best support to women in need.”

The additional funding will help the following:

• Transition House Association of Nova Scotia is receiving $4 million to support programs focused on women and their families
• nine transition houses and Naomi Society are each receiving a $100,000 one-time increase to their operational budgets, along with $100,000 each to provide more programming for men and boys, victims of human trafficking, cultural responsivity, and improve second stage housing
• Women’s Centre Connect is receiving $1 million to support community-based programs focused on the prevention of gender-based violence and improving access to supports and resources
• Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association and Jane Paul Indigenous Resource Centre are together receiving $250,000 to help with increased operating costs and provide localized programming
• nine women’s centres and Alice House are each receiving $75,000 to help with rising operational costs.

In November 2022, the Province joined the Government of Canada along with other provinces and territories to endorse and announce Canada’s first National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. The plan aligns with the work of Standing Together, Nova Scotia’s commitment to preventing gender-based violence.

Quotes:

Women’s centres across the province work tirelessly to support women and adolescent girls through early intervention, prevention services and public education. Today’s investment is a step in the right direction towards increased resources that will allow us to meet the growing demands we face.
Shelley Curtis-Thompson, Executive Director, Pictou County Women’s Resource and Sexual Assault Centre

Quick Facts:

• today, March 8, is International Women’s Day
• in 2022, 79 per cent of the victims in 1,666 domestic violence assaults reported to police were women
• Nova Scotia has a range of women-serving organizations committed to the safety, well-being and prosperity of women in the province
• the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia and Women’s Centres Connect are umbrella membership associations that provide leadership and support to several transition houses and women’s centres
• the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia includes women’s shelters outside Halifax Regional Municipality

Additional Resources:

National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence: https://femmes-egalite-genres.canada.ca/en/ministers-responsible-status-women/national-action-plan-end-gender-based-violence.html

International Women’s Day website: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Nationtalk: Department of justice Canada – Support line for those affected by missing and murdered Indigenous people:

There is a national, toll-free 24/7 crisis call line providing mental health support for anyone who requires emotional assistance related to missing and murdered Indigenous people. For assistance, call 1-844-413-6649. Supports are also available through the MMIWG2S+ health and cultural support services. Support could include professional counselling with a focus on healing, emotional supports such as listening and referrals to additional services, and culturally specific help centred around traditional healing methods and Elder services.

Increasing access to justice for families of missing and murdered Indigenous people, as well as Indigenous victims and survivors of crime is a priority for the Government of Canada. Indigenous community-based organizations have the expertise and knowledge to support victims in their communities. Ensuring that they have the tools and resources they need helps address the gaps in specialized distinctions-based services and supports for First Nations, Inuit and Métis. Offering distinct supports for First Nations, Inuit and Métis helps to ensure culturally safe and centred service delivery.

Today, the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Gary Anandasangaree, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, Chair of the National Family and Survivors Circle announced $95.8 million over five years and $20.4 million ongoing, starting in 2023-24 to support families of missing and murdered Indigenous people and Indigenous victims of crime. These expanded services now include MMIWG2S+, men and boys. This funding will increase access to culturally safe supports for victims and their families to assist them with their grief and healing journey by providing dignified and responsive supports for Indigenous victims and survivors of crime (or violence) and the families of MMIWG2S+, men and boys. More specifically, this funding includes:

• Family Information Liaison Units (FILUs): $37.3 million over five years and $7.75 million annually on an ongoing basis to ensure that the critical services provided by FILUs to families of all missing and murdered Indigenous people, including men and boys, continue to be available for as long as they are needed, and enable FILUs to expand their operations to address gaps in service delivery and remain responsive to the needs of Indigenous communities.
• Community Support and Healing for Families Initiative: $20.0 million over five years and $4.15 millionannually on an ongoing basis to ensure that all families of missing and murdered Indigenous people, including men and boys, have access to Indigenous-led, community-based supports to assist them with their grief and in their healing journey.
• Access to Indigenous-led victims services and supports: $38.6 million over five years and $8.45 millionannually on an ongoing basis to support a wide range of Indigenous-led and co-developed activities to support and assist Indigenous victims of crime and survivors of violence across Canada.

The final reports of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, among others, have made it clear that the way forward to support Indigenous victims and survivors of crime requires sustainable, collaborative, and Indigenous-led supports and services. These reports have called on all levels of governments to ensure that sustained actions and investments give life to self-determined, grassroots solutions to support the process of decolonization.

This investment also responds to the Government of Canada’s commitment to improve the availability and access to Indigenous-led, culturally safe, and trauma-informed victim services and supports. This commitment was made in the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People, the federal government’s contribution to the 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan. This investment also supports the implementation of Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action #40, which calls upon all levels of government to create, in collaboration with Indigenous peoples, adequately funded and accessible Indigenous-specific victim programs and services.

Quotes

“Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people experience ongoing violence and continue to be murdered at alarming rates in Canada. Building sustainability is a critical step in achieving transformative change to address systemic and structural barriers for the safety, security, healing, and wellness of families of MMIWG2S+ and Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. This funding must provide opportunities for Indigenous-led, culturally safe, and trauma-informed family- and victim-centred approaches. Individuals and families must be able to access services and supports regardless of where they live. The implementation of this funding must be accountable, responsive, and have measurable outcomes to ensure impact is felt on the ground.”

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz
Chair, National Family and Survivors Circle

“First Nations peoples, Inuit and Métis should have access to sustainable, Indigenous-led services and supports. Through these investments, we are answering the call for sustainable funding to support the design and delivery of culturally safe services for all Indigenous victims and survivors of crime so that they have access to the supports and services they need for as long as they need them.”

The Honourable David Lametti, P.C., K.C., M.P.
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

“Families, survivors and communities of missing and murdered Indigenous Peoples have a right to find closure for themselves and their loved ones, and to have access to culturally safe and trauma-informed resources, when and where they need it. The funding announced today will contribute to ensuring that these services are available, as we continue the critical work of implementing the Calls for Justice.”

The Honourable Marc Miller
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

Quick facts

• The level of violent victimization and institutional violence experienced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis in Canada has been well documented. Indigenous people are almost six times more likely to be murdered than non-Indigenous people in Canada, and their experiences of violent crime are more than double. For Indigenous women, as outlined by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, two-thirds of Indigenous women have reported having experienced violent victimization in their lifetime.
• Through Budget 2023, the federal government is continuing to build on the progress that has been made in partnership with Indigenous peoples since 2015 on walking the path of truth and reconciliation. Building on the $2.2 billion provided in Budget 2021, Budget 2023 proposed investments that acknowledge the leadership of families and survivors in this process, and the need to increase accountability and ensure that progress is made. The support announced today is part of Budget 2023’s larger investments to implement the National Action Plan to end the tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous people in Canada.
• The 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan was developed in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous Peoples, Survivors, families, and Indigenous women’s organizations in response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The Federal Pathway is Canada’s contribution to the National Action Plan.
• In the Federal Pathway, the Government of Canada committed to seeking new opportunities to increase collaboration with Indigenous partners and organizations and with provincial and territorial partners to improve availability and access to Indigenous-led, culturally safe, and trauma-informed victim services and supports. Renewed and ongoing support for FILUs responds to this commitment.
• On January 10, 2023, Indigenous leaders and partners and federal, provincial and territorial ministers met at a national roundtable on missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. At the roundtable, federal, provincial and territorial ministers and government representatives had an opportunity to highlight their recent actions to advance work to prevent and end violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. They also committed to pursue future opportunities to collaborate with Indigenous leaders, provincial and territorial governments and other partners to work towards implementing the identified key priorities to support Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQI+ people, survivors, families and their communities.

Related products

• Backgrounder: Budget 2023 investments to increase access to justice and supports for Indigenous victims and survivors of crime and families of missing and murdered Indigenous people
• Backgrounder: Advancing Reconciliation (Budget 2023)

Associated links

• Family Information Liaison Units
• Budget 2023 – A Made-in-Canada Plan: Strong Middle Class, Affordable Economy, Healthy Future
• Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People
• 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People
• Indigenous Justice, Recognition and Reconciliation

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

Diana Ebadi
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
343-574-3446
Diana.Ebadi@justice.gc.ca

Media Relations
Department of Justice Canada
613-957-4207
media@justice.gc.ca

$308,724

Funding from Status of Women Canada for a project

that will increase women’s economic security. This 36-month project will help increase the economic security of women who have experienced domestic violence by providing opportunities for sustainable employment by engaging key stakeholders in the development of an action plan to address barriers faced by women fleeing situations of violence. The main activities include a needs assessment to determine the scope of the issue and the creation of an action plan to develop new business policies and procedures that include accommodation options for women fleeing violence. The project will also pilot the implementation of such options through work experiences for women and provide an evaluation of the initiative.

Indigenous Missing Person’s Helpline

A new helpline will assist families and friends of missing Indigenous people in New Brunswick navigate police, media and justice systems in an effort to find their loved ones and bring them home safely. The helpline is the latest resource developed in a collaboration between UNB law professor Dr. Jula Hughes, the New Brunswick Aboriginal Peoples Council and Gignoo Transition House. The project, “Looking out for each other: Assisting Aboriginal families and communities when an Aboriginal woman goes missing,” is seeking ways to prevent victimization and improve outcomes for missing Indigenous people including women, girls and sexual and gender minorities in Eastern Canada.

The program supports Newfoundland and Labrador’s Indigenous governments and organizations in their efforts to prevent violence against Indigenous women and children and to engage Indigenous men and boys in the prevention of violence. $241,500 for 14 projects
Projects eligible to receive funding through the program include initiatives focused on:
• developing public awareness and education materials;
• providing violence prevention training for community members and service providers;
• improving programs and services at shelters for Indigenous women; and
• supporting the transmission of cultural knowledge and language with the objective of reducing violence.

Provincial funds will allow Winnipeg shelter to provide more support to exploited and abused women

CBC News: Velma’s House, an Indigenous-led safe space for women and gender-diverse people at risk of violence and exploitation, will get over $1.5 million in new funding, the provincial government announced Thursday. 

The operating funds for the Ka Ni Kanichihk facility, which provides access to basic needs such as shelter, meals and hygiene supplies, were announced on Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Velma’s House, which first opened its doors in 2021, is one of the only safe spaces for exploited women that operates 24/7 in Manitoba.

“We love you where you’re at. We don’t judge you. We don’t look at what happened in your past and we don’t blame you for anything that is happening to you and the work that you have to do to survive,” Ka Ni Kanichihk executive director Dodie Jordaan said Thursday during a Human Trafficking Awareness Day event at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

Velma’s House currently provides visitors with access to employment counselling, assistance navigating the health-care system and housing support, as well as access to basic needs. The facility is open to anyone 18 or older who identifies as a woman or a gender-diverse person.

The new provincial funding will allow Velma’s House to focus more on daily services rather than on fundraising, Jordaan told CBC. It also will help create a clinic that will offer basic health services, she said.

Staff at Ka Ni Kanichihk , an Indigenous-led organization that uses Indigenous knowledge and traditions to provide healing and community-focused services, expected around 850 visits to Velma’s House in the first year of operation but there were more than 11,000, Jordaan said.

Human traffickers target Indigenous women at disproportionate rates, Jordaan said.

Traffickers are told “Canada doesn’t care about their Indigenous women, so target them. They won’t look for them, they won’t do the work that needs to happen to protect them,” Jordaan said. “The opportunity is greater if you target Indigenous women.” 

• Winnipeg Indigenous-led organization, safe space to expand with $6.9M funding from Ottawa
• Manitoba government pledges $100K for human trafficking awareness campaign

Ka Ni Kanichihk grounds its support and services in Indigenous traditions, knowledges and cultures, Jordaan said, listening to knowledge keepers and guided by the community. “Culture is prevention and intervention,” she said.  Exploring both land-based teachings and colonialism and its impact on Indigenous Peoples also creates pockets for healing, Jordaan said.

Ka Ni Kanichihk received nearly $7 million in funding from the federal government in October to help expand Velma’s House, allowing the service to move to a bigger location and provide overnight access.

The provincial government also promised last week to provide $100,000 to support a sex-trafficking awareness campaign. The money, which went to the Joy Smith Foundation, a Winnipeg-based non-profit organization, will be used to educate young Manitobans about the dangers of trafficking. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chidi Ekuma, Chidi Ekuma is a community reporter at CBC Manitoba.

The Anti-Human Trafficking Act

Introducing the Anti-Human Trafficking Act, which, if passed, would enable individuals to apply for restraining orders against human traffickers and make it easier for survivors to get compensation from those who trafficked them.

$7.65M over 5 years as part of the Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy. Funding for specialized services to support human trafficking victims and survivors as part of the government’s comprehensive anti-human trafficking strategy. A portion of this funding will be directed to Victim Services Toronto, Victim Services of York Region and the province’s other Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario organizations. Programs include

• Victim Quick Response Program+ 
• Victim Crisis Assistance Ontario
• Vulnerable Victims and Family Fund

https://nationtalk.ca/story/ontario-strengthens-supports-for-human-trafficking-victims-and-survivors

Walking Together: Ontario’s Long-Term Strategy to End Violence Against Indigenous Women.

$110M over 3 years

Main focus areas: Support for children, youth and families, Community safety and healing, Policing and justice, Prevention and awareness

Providing more than 200 Indigenous communities with supports and services through the Family Well-Being program, which includes hiring and training more front-line service workers, developing community-based programming and creating safe spaces.

Expanding Kizhaay Anishinaabe Niin: I Am a Kind Man, from five to 26 sites across Ontario to support Indigenous men through healing and violence prevention programming.

The Abegweit and Lennox Island First Nations and Indigenous organizations will each receive financial support to advance the important work from the Calls to Justice of the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). The Indigenous Relations Secretariat will provide annually a total of $250,000, $50,000 to each organization, to help increase their capacity to meaningfully engage their communities on MMIWG priority areas. The advice provided back to the Province will inform future government initiatives to support Indigenous peoples in Prince Edward Island. The Province formed the MMIWG Indigenous Working Group in 2020 with government officials as well as representatives from the Lennox Island and Abegweit First Nations and Indigenous organizations to identify and prioritize work that can respond to the local Calls to Justice. As of 2021, the four priority areas include education, health, housing, and capacity funding for the Indigenous led MMIWG work.

Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous Peoples and certain public services in Québec: listening, reconciliation and progress

Mandate will be to investigate more broadly the discrimination in the administration of public services towards the members of the Indigenous Peoples of Québec. The following public services are targeted: police, correctional, legal, health and social services, as well as youth protection services.

NationTalk: Funding Part of Budget 2023’s $52-Million Violent Crime Strategy: Goertzen, Squires

The Manitoba government is investing $2.1 million to fund dedicated police resources to establish a Manitoba Integrated Missing Persons Response. The investment will reduce the number of missing adults and children across the province and provide co-ordinated inter-agency supports to those that go missing chronically, Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen and Families Minister Rochelle Squires, minister responsible for the status of women, announced today.

“Manitoba has seen high rates of missing persons over the last several years and in 2021, 63 per cent of missing children were runaway girls,” said Goertzen. “This is an unacceptable reality, and our government is taking concrete action to intervene, protect children and families, and ensure the safety of our youth.”

The Manitoba Integrated Missing Persons Response aligns directly with several recommendations of the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, such as the need for better-supported community-based first response and more responsive, transparent, and accountable policing, the minister noted. The investment will require co-ordination of police agencies, support services and community-services providers to assist in identifying and managing chronic missing persons in a responsive and co-ordinated way.

“We know that there are dozens of young people who are chronically reported as missing, and tragically some of these young people fall victim to violent predators,” said Squires. “This response aims to both channel those chronic youth into community-support programs, while ensuring timely law-enforcement engagement on those cases that require it.”

Under the new response, the Winnipeg Police Service and its specialized missing persons co-ordinators would become the centralized intake for the provincewide response.

“Having dedicated missing persons co-ordinators available 24-7 will provide consistent missing persons reporting no matter where you are in the province. The missing persons co-ordinators have the ability to immediately assess the risk, share information between police agencies, and assign the appropriate resources,” said Chief Danny Smyth, Winnipeg Police Service. “This enhanced co-ordination ensures a timely investigation, and an effective way to liaise with families concerned about loved ones who are missing.”

“The Manitoba RCMP receives approximately 10 missing persons reports per day. That is 3,500 missing persons investigations launched per year in RCMP jurisdiction alone—a staggering and concerning number,” said Assistant Commissioner Rob Hill, commanding officer, Manitoba RCMP. “Without a doubt, this new integrated effort will greatly enhance police response to missing persons and help us achieve our ultimate goal: ensuring that missing persons across Manitoba are found quickly and safely.”

Dedicated Child and Family Services (CFS) resources will be allocated within the integrated response unit to allow for a collaborative response, and support the CFS system and police in ensuring appropriate plans and responses are in place for youth in care who go missing. Use of integrated resources between CFS and law enforcement allows for timely sharing of information triaging responses across the two systems, and will ensure response plans are available for youth that are repeatedly reported missing to law enforcement, Squires noted.

The Manitoba Integrated Missing Persons Response is another part of the Department of Justice’s Violent Crime Strategy, which is being supported with nearly $52 million in Budget 2023. Previous investments include $2.1 million for integrated child abuse response resources, $3.2 million for the creation of the Integrated Violent Offender Apprehension Unit to strengthen intensive bail and supervision for serious, violent offenders, and $1.4 million to Manitoba Prosecution Service to increase capacity to address violent crime.

Further measures to support safer streets and stronger communities will be announced in the coming weeks as part of the Violent Crime Strategy and Budget 2023, Goertzen noted.

– 30 –

For more information:

• Public information, contact Manitoba Government Inquiry: 1-866-626-4862 or 204-945-3744.
• Media requests for general information, contact Communications and Engagement: newsroom@gov.mb.ca.
• Media requests for ministerial comment, contact Communications and Stakeholder Relations: 204-451-7109.

by ahnationtalk on May 23, 2023

May 23, 2023

NationTalk: First Gender Equity Manitoba Grant will be Awarded to Pride Winnipeg to Support Permanent Staffing, Expand Pride Activities across Province

In order to provide better co-ordinated services and support to the gender, sexual and relationship diverse community, the Manitoba government will be creating a new Gender Equity Manitoba (GEM) Secretariat, Premier Heather Stefanson and Families Minister Rochelle Squires, minister responsible for gender equity, announced today.

“We recognize that there is an increasing need to provide community-specific services to the 2SLGBTQQIA+ population. This expanded secretariat will have the financial and human resources necessary to ensure there is cross-departmental co-ordination of services to better support the needs of the gender, sexual and relationship diverse community,” said Stefanson.

The new GEM Secretariat, will see the Manitoba Status of Women Secretariat’s mandate expanded with a broader focus and increased budget to co-ordinate cross-departmental work on 2SLGBTQQIA+ issues and support the community with a new granting program.

With an expanded mandate and broader gender equity focus, GEM will be better positioned to respond effectively to issues involving gender and sexual diversity, and will align with an emerging trend in other federal, provincial and territorial jurisdictions which have changed their mandates from a ‘women’s equity’ focus to a broader ‘gender equity’ focus, the premier added.

“I am honoured to transition to my new role as minister responsible for gender equity and ensure there is a coherent cross-departmental strategy for responding to 2SLGBTQQIA+ issues. I look forward to building strong, collaborative relationships with community organizations supporting gender equity across Manitoba,” said Squires. “Our government has made progress, and our work continues to advance the rights and freedoms for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities so that Manitoba can be a place where people are truly free to be who they are. But we also know that 2SLGBTQQIA+ people and families continue to face discrimination, harassment and outright violence in our province, and until that changes, our work is not complete.”

The premier noted the expanded GEM Secretariat aligns with key priorities and recommendations of Manitoba’s Framework: Addressing Gender-based Violence and Reclaiming Power and Peace: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

GEM will also manage a new grant program that provides funding for activities that support the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community including events, funding initiatives, awareness campaigns and research projects, noted Squires.

“Pride Winnipeg is an incredibly important event that celebrates, acknowledges and amplifies the need for equity in the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community,” said Squires. “As the annual festival is taking place over the next week, I am proud to be able to announce they are the first recipient of this new grant.”

The organization is receiving $250,000 in dedicated annual support from GEM to allow it to establish permanent staffing of an executive director and executive assistant, which will support and expand Pride activities across Manitoba.

“After 36 years, it is truly amazing to finally have core funding in place for not only Pride Winnipeg’s future, but for a future for the growing numbers of prides in our province. We have been working towards this goal for over three decades,” said Barry Karlenzig, president, Pride Winnipeg. “This announcement today signifies the importance of prides around the province and the crucial funding they require to provide safe spaces for our 2SLGBTTQIA community.”

Pride Winnipeg sees over 80,000 in attendance annually and has a significant economic impact to Winnipeg’s downtown. The grant from GEM will allow Pride Winnipeg to support the important work being done in other communities across Manitoba.

“Being 2STLGBQIANB+ in small-town Manitoba can be very isolating and lonely. Pride organizations in these communities are immensely important in supporting and helping members of the Rainbow Community connect with one another. In the same way, Pride organizations in small communities can be very isolated. Predictable, stable funding of Pride organizations by the Manitoba government will enable these organizations to connect and thereby support one another in their work on behalf of 2STLGBQIANB+ people in Manitoba,” said Peter Wohlgemut, president, Pembina Valley Pride. “Many of our organizations are relatively young and are staffed by volunteers. This funding will allow us to share resources, expertise, and to support one another, which is what a Pride organization is all about.”

A Pride flag-raising ceremony will take place on May 26 at Memorial Park. The Legislative Building will also be lit with a rainbow from May 31 to June 4 to mark Pride week.

– 30 –

Backgrounder

For more information:

• Public information, contact Manitoba Government Inquiry: 1-866-626-4862 or 204-945-3744.
• Media requests for general information, contact Communications and Engagement: newsroom@gov.mb.ca.
• Media requests for ministerial comment, contact Communications and Stakeholder Relations: 204-451-7109.

Annual since 2013, $ 3M per year. Renewed 2018-20

Created to protect Indigenous women living on reserves in cases where a relationship ended and property division was required. This investment will allow for continued initiatives for safer environments and opportunities for Indigenous women.

Quebéc Native Women Open call for Indigenous women to participate in the Public Inquiry that starts in Val D’Or on June 5, 2017

Minister’s Advisory Council on Indigenous Women’s (MACIW) Giving Voice Program

$689K over 2 yrs. Grants from $2.5K-$16K

The Province is supporting Indigenous communities and organizations to end gender-based violence through 48 unique community-driven projects that support, teach and celebrate Indigenous women throughout B.C. This year’s projects include traditional activities like knowledge workshops and healing circles. It also includes more community-focused projects, such as monthly dinners, guided community dialogues, cultural retreats and workshops on healthy masculinity.

The top justice issues identified by participants were:

• Education and training for justice professionals;
• More resources for Indigenous communities;
• Restorative Justice, including adequate programming for offenders to end cycle of violence; and
• Re-victimization of individuals at various stages of the justice system, including victim blaming and fear of children being removed from home.

Announcement that the House of Assembly is participating in the Moose Hide Campaign (MHC) today. The campaign – launched in 2011 – is an Indigenous-led initiative of men and boys who are standing up against violence towards women and children. This is the third year for the Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly to participate in the MHC.

NationTalk: Women and Gender Equality Canada – The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls highlighted the underlying systemic causes of ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. The COVID-19 pandemic also created unprecedented challenges for victims and survivors seeking help and the frontline organizations that support them.

Today, Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, on behalf of the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, announced over $1 million for the  Artic Indigenous Wellness Foundation and the Northern Mosaic Network.

The funding will be distributed as follows:

$557,880 for the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation for their project Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation Administrative and Governance Policies.

This funding will increase the Foundation’s ability to prevent and address gender-based violence (GBV) against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people, with a focus on individuals impacted by GBV in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon

$443,260 for the Northern Mosaic Network for their project NWT Youth Take Charge: Uniting the Voices of 2SLGTBQIPA+ Northerners and Indigenous People.

This funding will enable the Northern Mosaic Network (NMN) to develop community-informed initiatives to overcome key issues facing 2SLGBTQI+ communities, such as intersectional barriers to equality.

This announcement builds on the endorsement of the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence by the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers responsible for the Status of Women in November 2022. The National Action Plan includes five pillars: Support for victims, survivors and their families; Prevention; Responsive justice system; Implementing Indigenous-led approaches; and Social infrastructure and enabling environment.

Quotes

“The rates of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people are unacceptable. Frontline organizations, advocates, and volunteers are working hard for systemic change, and supporting their efforts is critical. The funding announced today will help the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Foundation and the Northern Mosaic Network build greater capacity to provide GBV prevention programming, aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people.”

Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories

Quick facts

• This funding is part of the approximately $601.3 million that the Government of Canada committed through Budget 2021 to increase efforts to end gender-based violence.
• This announcement builds on previous WAGE funding of over $13 million to more than 100 commemoration projects to help honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.
• Budget 2022 committed $539.3 million over five years to support the provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence.

• This funding is a key contribution under the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence, particularly Pillar 4 which supports Indigenous-led approaches. Further, this funding also represents a key initiative of the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People (Federal Pathway).
• The Federal Pathway is the Government of Canada’s contribution to the 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQI+ People National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ People. It outlines the Government of Canada’s efforts, now and in the future, to end gender-based violence and systemic racism responsible for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people.
• The Government of Canada has committed approximately $300 million in emergency COVID-19 funding to support individuals experiencing gender-based violence. Since April 2020, the Government of Canada has invested over $259 million of emergency COVID-19 funding in 1,400 women’s shelters, sexual assault centers, and other organizations, including 138 organizations that serve Indigenous individuals.

Associated links

• Women and Gender Equality Canada 
• Budget 2021
• News release – National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence
• News release – Call for proposals: Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to further address gender-based violence
• Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People

Contacts

Johise Namwira
Press Secretary and Issues Manager
Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth
873-353-0985
Johise.Namwira@fegc-wage.gc.ca

Media Relations
Women and Gender Equality Canada
819-420-6530
FEGC.Media.WAGE@fegc-wage.gc.ca

Pictou County, Nova Scotia – Women and Gender Equality Canada

Living a life free from violence is a fundamental human right, but gender‑based violence (GBV) continues to be a significant barrier to achieving gender equality in Canada. It is one of the most pervasive, deadly, and deeply rooted human rights violations of our time. Federal, provincial, and territorial governments in Canada are committed to preventing and addressing it. 

Today, on behalf of the Federal, Provincial, Territorial (FPT) Ministers responsible for the Status of Women, the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth and federal co-chair, is joined by the Honourable Karla MacFarlane, Nova Scotia’s Minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women Act, and provincial co-chair, to announce a historic milestone – the endorsement of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

The endorsement of a 10-year National Action Plan to End GBV is a concrete step fulfilling a long-standing commitment of FPT governments to working together towards a Canada free of GBV, a Canada that supports victims/survivors and their families from coast to coast to coast. The National Action Plan sets a framework for anyone facing GBV to have reliable and timely access to protection and services, no matter where they live.  The five pillars of the National Action Plan are:  Support for victims, survivors and their families; Prevention; Responsive justice system; Implementing Indigenous-led approaches; and Social infrastructure and enabling environment.

The National Action Plan was made possible through close collaboration between FPT governments and is informed by engagement with Indigenous partners, victims, survivors, front-line service providers, GBV experts, academics and advocates.

The work to end GBV and achieve gender equality in Canada is far from done. With the adequate supports and services, victims and survivors of GBV are able to fully participate in the economic, social and political aspects of society. FPT governments – in partnership with victims, survivors, Indigenous partners, civil society, frontline service providers, municipalities, and the private sector – will continue working together to implement the National Action Plan in a way that responds to the evolving needs of and emerging issues for survivors and victims of GBV.

Note: Gender-based violence is a priority for the Government of Québec, which has invested significant funds to end violence against women. However, although it supports the overall objectives of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, the Government of Québec cannot adhere to it because it intends to retain its full responsibility in this area on its territory. Through an agreement that respects its autonomy, the Government of Québec expects to receive its fair share of federal funding to support the programs, initiatives, and services to end gender-based violence that it puts in place based on the needs of its territory.

Quotes

“We know that gender-based violence is unacceptable and has no place in Canada. We also know that it’s a significant barrier to achieving gender equality and our government is doing everything we can to prevent it and address its root causes. The National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence gives us the roadmap to address the persistent gaps in care, support and front-line services – bringing us closer to building a safer and more equitable Canada for everyone.”

The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

“Gender-based violence undermines a person’s sense of self worth and their self-esteem. It is deeply rooted in harmful stereotypes and has no place in our country. Nova Scotia is proud to be a part of this historic announcement and to re-affirm our commitment to preventing violence and supporting victims and their families.”

The Honourable Karla MacFarlane, Minister responsible for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women Act

Quick facts

• The National Action Plan to End GBV and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan are closely aligned and mutually reinforcing, with both aiming to prevent gender-based violence; address its root causes; and provide better support for victims, survivors, and their families.
• The statistics are troubling. More than 11 million people in Canada aged 15 and over have experienced intimate partner violence at least once since the age of 15. In 2009, it was estimated that intimate partner violence has an economic cost of $7.4 billion annually, and sexual violence, a cost of $4.8 billion annually. 
• Gender-based violence disproportionately affects women and girls. In Canada, populations that are at risk of gender-based violence or underserved when they experience these forms of violence include Indigenous women and girls; Black and racialized women; immigrant and refugee women; Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and additional sexually and gender-diverse (2SLGBTQI+) people; people with disabilities; and women living in northern, rural, and remote communities. 
• Under It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence (the federal GBV strategy), launched in 2017, the Government of Canada committed more than $800 million over nine years and over $44 million per year ongoing to advancing efforts to prevent gender-based violence, support victims and survivors as well as their families, and promote responsive legal and justice systems.
  • Budget 2022 committed $539.3 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, to support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.
• Over the next few months, the Government of Canada will continue to work with provinces and territories to finalize bilateral agreements on crisis hotlines, building upon the Government of Canada’s commitment to providing approximately $300 million in emergency COVID-19 funding to support individuals experiencing gender-based violence.  

Associated links

• Women and Gender Equality Canada
• National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence 
• Backgrounder: National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence
• Communiqué: Federal, Provincial, and Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women 
• Joint Declaration for a Canada Free of Gender-Based Violence
• Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan
• It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence

Contacts

Johise Namwira 
Press Secretary and Issues Manager 
Office of the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth 
873-353-0985 
Johise.Namwira@fegc-wage.gc.ca

Media Relations 
Women and Gender Equality Canada 
819-420-6530 
CFC.Media.SWC@fegc-wage.gc.ca

Follow Women and Gender Equality Canada:

‘When Inuit women move south, they are at risk’ — Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada president

CBC News: The national organization representing Inuit says it’s ready to start working with the RCMP to protect Inuit from human trafficking networks — especially in southern communities where they are more vulnerable.

Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami (ITK), said something must be done about Inuit who go south for services — such as health care and education — and become targets for human traffickers. Obed said the problem is worst in cities like Montreal and Ottawa, places that have seen a number of high-profile trafficking cases that ended in the deaths of Inuit women.

“This is something that is a very Inuit specific consideration and concern,” Obed said. “We are fortunate that we are going to have the resources to bring together all of the actors within a space and try to make a difference on the ground.”

• Surge in Prairie meth use forces First Nations to find creative solutions
• Tungasuvvingat Inuit’s anti-human trafficking program gets $3M from Ontario government

Obed said he hopes to start that work Tuesday in Ottawa at a human trafficking forum with detachment-level RCMP officers and victim services organizations. It’s the first such forum to be co-hosted by ITK and the RCMP. The stated goal of the forum is to understand the problem better and create mechanisms to stop it. 

More than 60 per cent of Indigenous women have experienced either physical or sexual assault in their lifetimes, according to Statistics Canada. About one-third of non-Indigenous women have experienced the same level of violence. StatsCanada says that almost 40 per cent of Inuit women have reported experiencing physical assault, while 28 per cent reported sexual assaults.

A system designed to send Inuit south

It’s not just the policing services that need to do more to prevent human trafficking, said Gerri Sharpe, president of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada. One solution, she said, would be to address the widespread lack of basic health services like midwifery in Inuit Nunangat, the Inuit homeland consisting of four northern regions.

The system seems designed to send women south for pre- and post-natal care, she said, and most Inuit women have to leave their communities to have a baby. “When Inuit women move south, they are at risk,” Sharpe said. “This is what makes missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls so susceptible.”

Often, she said, pregnant Inuit women who go south are gone for a month before their actual due date arrives. Up until recently, she said, they were not entitled to subsidized travel costs for a companion or escort. In 2017, Health Canada announced it would start subsidizing travel costs to allow Indigenous women leaving their communities in order to give birth to bring a family member or friend with them.

Tackling human trafficking has been a priority for Pauktuutit ever since it learned in 2012 of more than 40 cases of Inuit women being trafficked through Ottawa alone. One-third of Inuit live outside of Inuit Nunangat.

Inuit women who go south often don’t know where to go for help or resources such as housing, or even how to get back home, Sharpe said. “They are more vulnerable,” she said. “They feel more alone. That causes that sense of spiral.”

Pauktuutit is sending representatives to the ITK and RCMP forum, which is closed to media. “The RCMP welcomes any role that it could potentially play in this matter, including through connecting ITK with divisional-level contacts and tapping into the experiences of experts, retired Indigenous members and people affected by this issue,” said outgoing RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki.

Improving relations with the RCMP

Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada and ITK are also both working separately with the RCMP to improve services for Inuit. Sharpe said Mounties need a better understanding of Inuit culture, including the use of body language. She said that among Inuit, for example, something as subtle as widening the eyes can be a sign someone has answered your question.

ITK developed a joint work plan with the RCMP last year to work together on key priorities, including protecting Indigenous women and girls from disappearing or being murdered.

Obed said the RCMP has had a very difficult relationship with Inuit, but individual officers and detachments have tried hard to work with Inuit communities. “The RCMP is really trying to change,” Obed said. “We’re at that point now of building those essential foundational building blocks of a good relationship.”

ITK is working with the RCMP to create cross-cultural training to help Mounties understand Inuit and their culture. ITK and Pauktuutit are also working with each other to create a mechanism to report racist behaviour within the RCMP.

Lucki is the first commissioner to hold bi-annual meetings with Inuit leaders. She said the Mounties are looking to address systemic barriers in Mountie training by, among other things, weeding out biases in the entrance exam.

The goal is to see a significant increase in the number of Indigenous recruits at the RCMP’s training academy by the end of 2023, she said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Olivia Stefanovich, Senior reporter

Olivia Stefanovich is a senior reporter for CBC’s Parliamentary Bureau based in Ottawa. She previously worked in Toronto, Saskatchewan and northern Ontario. Connect with her on Twitter at @CBCOlivia. Story tips welcome: olivia.stefanovich@cbc.ca.

Funds are to support victims and survivors of human trafficking. $14 million will be distributed by Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE) and $5 million through Public Safety Canada.  WAGE’s call for proposals will support organizations that work to prevent and address human trafficking to develop and implement promising practices to enhance empowerment supports for at-risk populations and survivors of human trafficking. The call will remain open until September 4, 2020.

The funding available through Public Safety Canada will support two initiatives. The first is for projects that seek to empower victims and survivors of human trafficking through the provision of supports and services that are trauma-informed and culturally relevant. The second is for pilot projects to establish and test best practices to raise awareness of human trafficking among at-risk youth. The call will remain open until September 4, 2020.

NationTalk: Indigenous Peoples, particularly women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people (MMIWG2S+), experience violence at a much higher rate than other populations in Canada. The disappearance and murder of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada is an ongoing national crisis, which is due to the intergenerational trauma and marginalization caused by colonial policies rooted in racism and discrimination.

Today, Carol McBride, President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), and Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services, are highlighting the expansion of NWAC’s Safe Passage initiative with new online tools, as well as the establishment of the Safe Passage Women’s Safety Council.

Safe Passage is a community-driven, trauma-informed and survivor-centered safety initiative created and led by NWAC. The initiative tracks MMIWG2S+ cases, monitors ongoing safety concerns, provides distinctions-based safety resources, educates the public and media, and commemorates and honours the stolen loved ones of Indigenous people and families.

Last year, NWAC established the Safe Passage Women’s Safety Council, comprised of representatives from NWAC’s provincial and territorial member associations across the country, that will inform NWAC programming to support the safety and wellbeing of Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse people, as well as develop and deliver industry training, monitor ongoing safety concerns, and develop content for educational purposes.

In addition to the establishment of the Safe Passage Women’s Safety Council, NWAC has also expanded it’s Safe Passage web platform to include:

• a new Unsafe Experiences Reporting Tool and Map that enables community members to anonymously share information about unsafe experiences and track unsafe location hotspots;
• a Safe Passage Community Resources Map, which provides distinctions-based safety resources that can be filtered by region and resource type;
• stories shared by survivors and families of missing or murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people, to recenter their voices and perspectives so they can be heard, believed, and valued; and,
• registration for journalists to receive alerts and regular updates to help amplify MMIWG2S+ cases.

This important initiative will increase the safety and wellbeing of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. Indigenous Services Canada supported this work with an investment of $1.2 million through the Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative.

Quotes

“Funding support for this project has helped NWAC to move forward on this critically important project that will ultimately help save lives. Our Safety Council and Safe Passage projects lie at the heart of our advocacy and commitment to ending the MMIWG2S+ genocide and the overwhelming violence experienced by Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender and gender-diverse people, while continuing to centre and amplify the voices and knowledge of those directly impacted by the MMIWG2S+ genocide: families and survivors.”

Carol McBride
President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada

“To end the violence that far too many Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people experience will take sustained efforts from all levels of government and from all communities. The work must include Indigenous-led solutions that are robust and holistic. One such program is the Safe Passage initiative, led by NWAC. Now, with funding from Indigenous Services Canada, NWAC has a Women’s Safety Council and new online tools that include community resources, a way to report unsafe experiences, and registration for journalists who wish to receive alerts to help amplify MMIWG2S+ cases. Every effort to protect Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people matters and the Government of Canada is a partner in ensuring this valuable work can continue and grow.”

The Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services

Quick facts

• The Government of Canada continues to work with provinces, territories, Indigenous organizations, families, survivors and communities across the country to make progress on the Federal Pathway and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan.
• The acronym 2SLGBTQI+ refers to people who are Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and/or intersex.
• The Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative is providing $120 million over 5 years to assist First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities and partners, both on and off-reserve, to implement Indigenous-designed projects to improve community safety and well-being.

Associated links

• Pathways to Safe Indigenous Communities Initiative
• Nation Women’s Association of Canada
• Safe Passage
• The Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

Andrew MacKendrick
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Patty Hajdu
Minister of Indigenous Services
Andrew.Mackendrick2@sac-isc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Indigenous Services Canada
819-953-1160
media@sac-isc.gc.ca

Joan Wienman
Native Women’s Association of Canada
joanweinman@rogers.com

New legislation and amendments to existing legislation to build upon the province’s $307 million Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy.

The proposed changes include two new acts – the Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy Act, 2021 and the Accommodation Sector Registration of Guests Act, 2021 – as well as amendments to the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 and the Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking Act, 2017. Together, the proposed changes would support the government’s response to human trafficking by:

• Supporting a long-term provincial response to human trafficking and emphasizing that all Ontarians have a role to play in combatting human trafficking;
• Strengthening the ability of children’s aid societies and law enforcement to protect exploited children;
• Supporting more survivors and the people who support them in obtaining restraining orders against traffickers, with specific consideration for Indigenous survivors;
• Increasing the government’s ability to collect non-personal data to better understand the impact of the strategy and respond to human trafficking;
• Providing law enforcement with more tools to locate victims and charge traffickers by:
  • Increasing penalties for traffickers who interfere with a child in the care of a children’s aid society;
  • Clarifying how and when police services can access information from hotel guest registries to help deter trafficking and identify and locate victims, while establishing regulation making authority to include other types of accommodation providers.
  • Requiring companies that advertise sexual services to have a dedicated contact to support investigations into suspected human trafficking.

New Tools to Prevent Human Trafficking– The new tools are designed to provide innovative ways to actively engage youth in discussions about human trafficking and provide culturally-specific resources for Indigenous communities. They respond directly to needs identified by frontline service providers, survivors of human trafficking and Indigenous communities and organizations.

• “Speak Out: Stop Sex Trafficking” is an Indigenous-focused anti-human trafficking educational campaign, designed by and for Indigenous people, that provides information about sexual exploitation and human trafficking – how to recognize it, why Indigenous people may be particularly vulnerable to being targeted and where to go for help. Resources include a website, downloadable materials for distribution in communities, and culturally relevant activities to help leaders and caregivers facilitate conversations with youth, to raise awareness and provide support.
• “The Trap” is a Human Trafficking Digital Education Tool designed to raise awareness about sex trafficking among middle and high school-aged children and teens. The interactive tool allows youth to experience what it feels like to be targeted and recruited by a sex trafficker through an immersive chat experience. It features scenarios based on real-life experiences and with the support of an adult facilitator, youth learn the skills they need to stay safe.

The tools released today complement Ontario’s updated Health and Physical Education curriculum for grades 1-8 implemented last September.

NationTalk: Gender-based violence is a complex issue that can happen in any relationship, and it continues to be a significant barrier to achieving gender equality in Canada.

Today, November 9, Nova Scotia joined the Government of Canada and other provinces and territories to sign the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence at the 40^th annual federal-provincial-territorial meeting of the ministers responsible for the Status of Women, held in New Glasgow.

“Gender-based violence undermines a person’s sense of self-worth and their self-esteem. It is deeply rooted in harmful stereotypes and has no place in our country,” said Karla MacFarlane, Minister responsible for the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women. “Nova Scotia is proud to be a part of this historic announcement and to reaffirm our commitment to preventing violence and supporting victims and their families.”

The national action plan signals Canada’s collective commitment to ending gender-based violence and will ensure that the work of provinces, territories and Indigenous partners is aligned as they continue to support survivors and their families, and work closely with service providers, experts, advocates, researchers and across government to address this complex issue.

Quotes:

Gender-based violence is a significant barrier to achieving gender equality, but it is preventable. The National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence is a timely and necessary step to address the persistent gaps that have prevented the end of gender-based violence previously. Canada is now one step closer to building the safer and more equal Canada for all.
– Marci Ien, federal Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

Quick Facts:

• more than 11 million people in Canada have experienced intimate partner violence at least once since age 15
• this year’s federal budget proposed an investment of $539.3 million over five years, starting in 2022-23, to support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the national action plan
• the national plan aligns with the work of Standing Together, Nova Scotia’s commitment to preventing gender-based violence

To view the National Action Plan click oif the following link:

https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/news/2022/11/national-action-plan-to-end-gender-based-violence-backgrounder.html

The report, funded in collaboration with the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services and Minister Responsible for Women’s Issues, provides a pathway for new collaborative and integrated working relationships in Ontario. ONWA has developed 14 recommendations, which ONWA proposes to implement through a six-part strategy rooted in relationships and collaboration:

#safeSPACES.

• Survivor- centred and survivor informed services that are culture and gender based and delivered in a trauma-informed approach.
• Prevention through education, training and public awareness campaigns, both in print and in person, targeting those who are most at risk and those who can respond first to the signs, namely peers, parents and educators.
• Access to safe and respectful spaces at service delivery agencies that offer women only programming so women can speak openly and without fear about their experiences.
• Core supports for transitioning to a new life, including emergency funding for immediate relocation, which is delivered in an expedient and efficient manner to ensure women and girls have no wait times to safety.
• Evidence-based policy and system reform informed by survivor expertise and the successful extraction of Indigenous women by ONWAs multi-partner collaborative network that works across government, disciplines and professions.
• Streamlined supports offered through a barrier free simplified process.

Former commissioner says there’s more work to do to address national inquiry’s calls for justice

CBC News: The more than $100 million in funding the federal government has earmarked for Indigenous women’s shelters is only part of the solution to violence against Indigenous women and girls, says a former commissioner for a national inquiry that investigated the issue.

Federal ministers announced an investment of $103 million on Monday to build and support at least 178 shelter spaces and transitional houses for Indigenous women, children and 2SLGBTQI+ people fleeing gender-based violence. 

Sen. Michèle Audette, a former commissioner for a national inquiry struck to investigate the high level of violence faced by First Nations, Inuit and Métis women and girls, said the money is a step toward fulfilling the inquiry’s recommendations — but only a step. “It’s not just a few places that we will say and mark, ‘Check, we’re OK now,'” Audette said. “For me, it is an ongoing call for justice.”

Federal government announces $103 million for new Indigenous shelters

WATCH | Ottawa announces funding for new Indigenous shelters

Click on the following link to access the video:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/indigenous-womens-shelters-103-million-1.6836034

While the money addresses one of the key recommendations of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’ (MMIWG) — the one on providing long-term, sustainable funding for shelters — Audette said the funding level will still need to be reassessed each year. 

Audette also said she was troubled by the fact that organizations and communities have to compete for funding by submitting proposals — which could require them to hire consultants. “Think about the people who don’t have the capacity to pay for a consultant, to pay for an expert who knows how to write in your own words,” she said. “They don’t have that expertise because they’re far, far away from a city.”

Jocelyn Formsma, CEO of the National Association of Friendship Centres, said it’s good news that Ottawa is recognizing the need to fund shelters and transitional homes in urban areas, where most Indigenous people live.  She said she also has concerns about how the money will be rolled out. 

• On Red Dress Day, Indigenous voices urge timely introduction of proposed public alert system
• ‘We’re doing the best that we can’: Sudbury Women’s Centre scrapes by without stable funding

Formsma said her organization has a proven track record of working with communities but must still reapply for funding constantly. “We’re constantly having to write proposals over and over again,” Formsma said. “That becomes a challenge.”

‘There’s way more that we need to do’

The funding will support 22 projects in 21 communities across the country, off and on reserves, in the north and in urban areas. Indigenous women were almost six times more likely to be killed than non-Indigenous women in 2014, according to data provided by Justice Canada.

Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu used to run a homeless shelter in Thunder Bay, Ont. She said stable funding is critical to giving communities and organizations the confidence to succeed.  “I know that there’s way more that we need to do with housing,” Hajdu said. “But this is a very important piece.”

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is providing $81 million for construction, while Indigenous Services Canada is giving $15 million for operational support and $7.8 million for start-up costs.  “This is a big day,” Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said during the announcement. “This is going to be a game-changer. It is going to save lives.”

‘Things need to move faster’

One of the funding recipients is the Newfoundland Aboriginal Women’s Network, which is building a new six-unit transition house in Stephenville, NL. It applied four times for funding.  “I’m just grateful that it’s happening now,” president Odelle Pike said. “Things need to move faster.”

The building will include two family units and four single units, said Pike. Women will be able to stay for six months to give themselves time to find a new place to live.Pike said the building will offer different programs, a play area and a communal space for women to gather. 

The home is expected to open in May 2024.  “It’s a start,” Pike said. “We are very, very thankful because in our area right now, some women who are fleeing violence have to drive long distances.”

Women in the Port au Port Peninsula in Newfoundland have to drive at least two hours to get to the nearest transition house, which leaves many stuck in dangerous environments, Pike said.

The funding comes out of a $724.1 million envelope from the violence prevention strategy announced in the 2020 fall economic statement. So far, $4.38 million has been dispersed for four projects, according to CMHC. Applications are open for other projects until March 2024. The CMHC is spending $420 million over five years on the work.

The new shelters and transition facilities will be built in the following locations:

• Heiltsuk First Nation, British Columbia
• Dena Tha’ First Nation, Alberta
• Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation, Saskatchewan
• Cross Lake First Nation, Manitoba
• Fisher River Cree Nation, Manitoba
• Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, Manitoba
• Beausoleil First Nation, Ontario
• Pikangikum First Nation, Ontario
• Fort Albany First Nation, Ontario
• Northern Village of Puvirnituq, Quebec (Transitional Home)
• Northern Village of Puvirnituq, Quebec (Shelter)
• Fort Frances Tribal Area, Ontario
• Garden River First Nation, Ontario
• Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, Ontario
• Municipality of Sanikiluaq, Nunavut
• Montagnais de Pakua Shipi, Quebec
• Tobique First Nation, New Brunswick
• Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Manitoba
• Winnipeg, Manitoba
• Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
• St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
• Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Olivia Stefanovich, Senior reporter

Olivia Stefanovich is a senior reporter for CBC’s Parliamentary Bureau based in Ottawa. She previously worked in Toronto, Saskatchewan and northern Ontario. Connect with her on Twitter at @CBCOlivia. Story tips welcome: olivia.stefanovich@cbc.ca. 

Jennifer Moore Rattray appointed to provide recommendations for an Indigenous and human rights ombudsperson

CBC News: Over a year into a national action plan to end violence against Indigenous women, progress is being made to implement two of the calls for justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller announced Tuesday that Jennifer Moore Rattray has been appointed as a ministerial special representative to provide advice and recommendations to create an Indigenous and human rights ombudsperson.

The announcement was made following a national roundtable with federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous representatives on missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQ people.

“We’ve heard from many Indigenous partners, including the National Family and Survivors Circle that was present today that acceleration for Call for Justice 1.7 is critical,” Miller told reporters at a virtual news conference on Tuesday.

• ‘A national shame,’ say advocates about lack of progress on MMIWG action plan

Rattray, a member of the Peepeekisis First Nation in Saskatchewan, is currently the chief operating officer at Manitoba’s Southern Chiefs’ Organization and sits on the board of directors of CBC/Radio-Canada. 

“I am honoured to be appointed as ministerial special representative to be undertaking this important work,” said Moore Rattray in a statement.

Moore Rattray is also the former executive director of the national inquiry, which concluded that violence against Indigenous women and girls amounts to genocide and delivered its final report and 231 calls for justice to the prime minister in June 2019.

‘Her experience and knowledge is critically important to this work,” said Miller.

“Through the engagement with families, survivors and partners, Moore Rattray will provide guidance and advise on how to best address this critical Call for Justice in a way that is both meaningful and relevant.”

Oversight body critical: survivors circle

Call for Justice 1.7 called for federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in partnership with Indigenous Peoples, to establish a national Indigenous and human rights ombudsperson with authority in all jurisdictions to receive complaints from Indigenous people and communities and to conduct independent evaluations of government services for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.

It also called for the establishment for a national Indigenous and human rights tribunal. Both the ombudsperson and the tribunal must be given sufficient resources to fulfil their mandates and must be permanent, according to the report.

The National Family and Survivors Circle (NFSC), which made significant contributions to the development of the national action plan, was critical in June of the lack of progress made on the calls for justice that relate to setting up accountability mechanisms and better tracking of data.

An oversight body, in the form of the ombudsperson, was one of the critical recommendations it said needed to be established before June 3, 2022.

• National inquiry calls murders and disappearances of Indigenous women a ‘Canadian genocide’
• 231 ‘imperative’ changes: The MMIWG inquiry’s calls for justice

Miller also announced that Innovation 7, a First Nations organization based out of Pikwakanagan, Ont., has been chosen to develop recommendations for an oversight mechanism to enhance accountability and progress in ending violence toward Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people.

It’s in response to Call for Justice 1.10: to create an independent mechanism to report on the implementation of the national inquiry’s calls for justice to Parliament, annually. It was also one of the short-term priorities of the National Action Plan announced in 2021.

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis Line is available to provide emotional support and crisis referral services to individuals impacted by the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ individuals. Call the toll-free crisis line at 1-844-413-6649. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ka’nhehsí:io Deer

Journalist

Ka’nhehsí:io Deer is a Kanien’kehá:ka journalist from Kahnawà:ke, Que. She is currently a reporter with CBC Indigenous covering communities across Quebec.

Funding also expands services for men and boys

CBC News: Ottawa is promising more than $95 million to help Indigenous families get information about missing or murdered loved ones. On Monday, Justice Minister David Lametti announced $95.8 million in new funding over five years for the families of missing and murdered Indigenous people, and an additional $20.4 annually to keep support programs running.

“We are baking in the resources so that the resources themselves are not in question,” Lametti said. “They will be there for as long as victims need them.”

• Newlywed couple walking across Canada for missing and murdered Indigenous people
• Family pleads for information about Frank Gruben, missing from Fort Smith, N.W.T.

The money comes from the 2023 federal budget and includes: 

• $37.3 million over five years, and $7.75 million annually, to renew and expand Family Information Liaison Units
• $20.0 million over five years, and $4.15 million annually, to support families with Indigenous-led healing initiatives
• $38.6 million over five years, and $8.45 million annually, for a wide range of Indigenous-led activities for victims of crime and survivors of violence

Meggie Cywink, an advocate for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, called the announcement a good start but said that how the funding is distributed will matter. “How the funds flow to grassroots organizations and families will be critical to its success,” Cywink said.

Support for Indigenous victims of crime to include boys and men, minister says

WATCH | Support for Indigenous victims of crime

Click on the following link to watch the above video:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/missing-murdered-indigenous-people-filu-permanent-funding-1.6858029?cmp=newsletter_Evening%20Headlines%20from%20CBC%20News_1617_1094367

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, chair of the National Family and Survivors Circle, said more funding is needed to address the root causes of violence against Indigenous people. “The funding is a major step in the right direction, but we all know that it’s not enough,” Anderson-Pyrz said. “We will need a lot more funding to address the systemic and structural racism that perpetuates the violence that we experience.”

No more worries about sunset clauses

Funding for Family Information Liaison Units (FILUs) was set to expire this year. The units help families get information about their missing or murdered loved ones from official channels — corrections staff, police, prosecutors, coroners, health and social services and child protection agencies. They’re meant to complement the work of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. 

Sen. Michèle Audette was a commissioner for that inquiry. She said she tested the effectiveness of FILUs when she became senator and found they work better in some regions than others.  In Quebec, Audette said, she couldn’t call to get any answers. She said she had to submit inquiries through a website and it took a while before she got a response.  “It’s important that we support that,” Audette said. “But in some places, it seems like it’s not working. Let’s see why it’s not working.”

The new money from the 2023 federal budget will be used to make the units permanent and offer services to the families of male victims. “People tend to close their mind and say this is only about Indigenous women and girls and the LGBTQ community,” Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said Monday. “That is some willful blindness when we forget about the role that men play in perpetuating the violence in society.”

Men and boys who are abused are more prone to becoming abusers or going missing later in life, he said. 

Aligning MMIWG policy with U.S.

Miller said Canada is trying to align its work on MMIWG with that of the U.S. He said he’s met with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to discuss an issue that doesn’t respect borders. “As we seek to align our positions and actually learn from each other and what we need to do to protect peoples that we have both mis-served for generations, I think it’s important that we do align some of the policy,” Miller said. 

Washington State recently established a unit for reviewing cold cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people – something the national inquiry recommended. Audette said the Call for Justice is “non-negotiable” and she is anxious to hear how the government will respond. “People need to know what happened to their loved one when they went through the system,” Audette said. 

Leah Gazan, NDP MP for Winnipeg Centre, said she wants the government to be more accountable and get the money out the door.  The government has spent only a fraction of the $724.1 million earmarked in 2021 to fight gender-based violence against Indigenous women and girls.

“They’re not investing adequately,” she said. “The federal government has a habit of making these big announcements and then not spending the money.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Olivia Stefanovich, Senior reporter

Olivia Stefanovich is a senior reporter for CBC’s Parliamentary Bureau based in Ottawa. She previously worked in Toronto, Saskatchewan and northern Ontario. Connect with her on Twitter at @CBCOlivia. Story tips welcome: olivia.stefanovich@cbc.ca.

The province has released a strategy developed in collaboration with Indigenous partners that reinforces Ontario’s commitment to act on the Calls for Justice in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls…including the need for better access to stable housing, health care, education and employment. Pathways to Safety: Ontario’s Strategy in Response to the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls includes 118 initiatives organized under six pathways that will help create the changes required to eliminate the root causes of violence and advance meaningful reconciliation.

The Pathways for Action are:

• Pathway to Security – Initiatives that promote safety, healing and wellness through prevention-focused resources, investments and programs, such as access to safe and affordable housing.
• Pathway to Culture – initiatives supporting the education, training, employment and revitalization of Indigenous languages, cultures and identities.
• Pathway to Health – initiatives that will promote safety and improve access to services including mental health supports for Indigenous women, children and justice-involved youth.
• Pathway to Justice – initiatives that will contribute to system-wide transformation in priority sectors including policing services and child welfare.
• Pathway to Responsibility and Accountability – principles that will be upheld to promote ongoing government accountability in collaboration with the Indigenous Women’s Advisory Council and Indigenous organizations.
• Pathway to Identifying and Addressing Systemic Anti-Indigenous Racism and Indigenous Gender-based Analysis – initiatives that focus on addressing anti-Indigenous racism and developing an Indigenous gender-based analysis approach to inform Ontario’s strategy.

As part of Ontario’s strategy, the mandate of the Indigenous Women’s Advisory Council has been extended beyond March 2022. This will ensure that Indigenous voices continue to drive the strategy’s priorities and help build on the province’s progress to date in responding to violence against Indigenous women, children and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

mailto:https://www.ontario.ca/page/pathways-safety-ontarios-strategy-response-final-report-national-inquiry-missing-and-murdered

NationTalk – “Pinasuqatigiinniq (Inuit for working together collaboratively) Agreement” between Pauktuutit Inuit Women Canada and the RCMP MOU. The agreement formalizes the two organizations’ working relationship, and improves the protection and safety of Inuit women, children and gender-diverse persons. The agreement commits each organization to working together towards implementing recommendations from Pauktuutit’s 2020 report, “Addressing Gendered Violence against Inuit Women: A review of police policies and practices in Inuit Nunangat”.

As the first step in this historic agreement, the RCMP and Pauktuutit are implementing a work plan that includes reviewing the RCMP’s cultural competency training, establishing a family violence coordinator in Nunavut (RCMP V Division), and consulting with Inuit women on the RCMP’s Body-Worn Cameras pilot project in Iqaluit. Pauktuutit and the RCMP are committed to sharing information and working together on emerging issues. Regular meetings will occur between the two organizations’ national leadership, as well as with RCMP Commanding Officers in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Newfoundland and Labrador

The steering committee has met five times since forming in April. Through these meetings the committee has identified a number of priority issues including, but not limited to examining:

• the application of Emergency Protection Orders (EPOs);
• alternative means to encourage higher rates of reporting sexual and intimate partner violence, such as third party or anonymous reporting; and
• enhanced mechanisms to monitor and deter perpetrators of intimate partner violence.

Announces that it will no longer be represented by its lawyers at the hearings of the Public Inquiry Commission due to financial realities limiting the organization’s access to legal expertise and the continued refusal of funding bodies in the Quebec government to ensure their access to legal representation.

NationTalk – As part of the RCMP’s Vision 150 modernization strategy and reconciliation efforts, the RCMP is entering into agreements with women’s National Indigenous Organizations to develop collaborative, community-driven and culturally sensitive crime prevention, violence reduction and training initiatives. Through funding provided by the Government of Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, the RCMP developed two courses for RCMP employees on how to use a trauma-informed approach when conducting investigations, as well as helping employees better understand the impacts of culture and personal identity on actions, perceptions, interactions and experiences.

The Winnipeg Police Service will be consolidating its approach to MMIWG. The new model will see a coordination of resources from the Homicide Unit, the Counter Exploitation Unit, the Missing Persons Unit, and the Internet Child Exploitation Unit.

These Units form part of the Investigations Branch of the WPS under the direction and oversight of a Deputy Chief and Superintendent. Each of these units is directly supervised by experienced sergeants with a mandate to readily coordinate and rapidly transition investigations involving the exploitation of Indigenous women and girls, including missing persons investigations and homicide investigations.

NationTalk – A team of researchers from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) have collaborated with Quebec Native Women to examine how the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) responded to the crisis of MMIWG in Montreal?

From these potential solutions, several concrete actions have been identified and these must be undertaken by the SPVM in order to improve its response to MMIWG in Montreal:

1. The SPVM must put forth an approach that is clear, coherent, that recognizes the binding nature of the 2015 Agreement and denotes a sincere and systematic engagement on behalf of the institution.
2. The SPVM must implement a system that permits data analysis and the development of follow-up indicators regarding racial profiling.
3. The SPVM must develop a model of protocols specific to all cases of MMIWG and applicable to any and all interventions with Indigenous women and girls.
4. The SPVM must explore methods that are culturally safe and relevant in an effort to build cooperation, a culture of partnership and to establish a relationship of trust with Indigenous people.
5. The concept of absolute equality and the different shapes that it can take when applied within the context of police intervention, must be mastered by all members of the SPVM.
6. The SPVM must develop an Indigenous liaison team, with adequate Aboriginal representation amongst its members, to effectively distribute the responsibilities and workload amongst several persons.
7. A working task force that involves the SPVM as well as other Indigenous organisations based in Montreal, such as Quebec Native Women, must be created without delay.
8. Continued financial support for Indigenous organisations in Tiohtiá:ke/Montreal must be committed and ensured.

https://nationtalk.ca/story/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-girls-researchers-at-uqam-join-quebec-native-women-in-calling-for-increased-collaboration-with-the-spvm

The Government of Saskatchewan is pleased to endorse the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. This important milestone is a positive step in Saskatchewan’s efforts to prevent interpersonal violence and abuse and support survivors and their families.

The plan was endorsed at the 40th Annual Meeting of Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women in Nova Scotia.

“We’ve long said that we all have a role to play when it comes to ending all forms of violence, including gender-based violence, in our communities,” Minister Responsible for the Status of Women Laura Ross said. “Gender-based violence impacts every province and territory across the country. I am proud to work closely with my federal, provincial and territorial counterparts to advance this initiative forward.”

This National Action Plan is the result of two years of collaboration between the provinces, territories and the federal government which included significant engagement with multiple stakeholder groups, including Saskatchewan Indigenous organizations.

Collectively, the ministries of Justice and Attorney General and Corrections, Policing and Public Safety provide $25.2 million annually in supports and services for survivors of interpersonal violence and abuse.

The federal government is providing a total of $539.3 million over four years in cost-sharing agreements to be negotiated with provinces and territories for implementation of the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

To learn more about government supports, see the attached backgrounder.

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For more information, contact:

Jordan Jackle
Parks, Culture and Sport
Regina
Phone: 306-550-5927
Email: jordan.jackle@gov.sk.ca

Related Items

Action on Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Backgrounder

NationTalk: FREDERICTON (GNB) – Services for survivors of sexual violence will expand to more communities around the province thanks to funding in the 2023-24 budget for Women’s Equality.

Main estimates were tabled recently, totalling $6.4 million – a 37.5 per cent increase over last year.

“Part of the theme for this year’s budget is delivering for New Brunswickers. It is critical that we deliver important services to more people, including survivors of sexual violence,” said Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Tammy Scott-Wallace, who is also the minister responsible for women’s equality. “We must address this issue in our communities; the impact is too great, in the short- and long-term, on the mental and physical health of individuals and on the safety of communities.

“This expansion to more communities will increase awareness and prevention and provide much-needed support to survivors. Changing the culture of tolerance and acceptance will make a difference.”

Community-based sexual violence services will now be available to more people than ever before, with $800,000 allocated to expand specialized crisis support and trauma counselling to Bathurst, Campbellton, Kent County, Miramichi, St. Stephen, Shediac, Sussex and Woodstock.

Those services are already available in Fredericton, Moncton, Edmundston, the Acadian Peninsula and Saint John as a result of investments made during the 2022-23 budget.

More action will be taken this year to address sexual violence on the campuses of publicly funded post-secondary institutions. Over $430,000 will go toward working with those institutions to improve prevention and response to sexual violence.

Other initiatives related to addressing sexual violence include:

• A conference on sexual violence prevention, research and effective practices.
• Co-ordinating and centralizing sexual violence education and training in an online platform.
• Co-ordinating sexual violence services for Indigenous people.

Additional Women’s Equality initiatives planned for this year include:

• Developing a provincial implementation plan in response to the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.
• An operational and service delivery review of domestic and intimate partner violence service organizations funded by Women’s Equality and the Department of Social Development.
• Expanding offerings of Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) training to include GBA+ In Action sessions, giving public servants an opportunity to apply their knowledge to case studies.
• Launching an Equality Profile website, which will provide stakeholders and the public with recent, relevant statistical information about the status of women and gender diverse individuals in the province.

Gender impact assessment

This year was the third year that Women’s Equality collaborated with the Department of Finance and Treasury Board to release the Gender Impact Statement alongside the budget.

The Gender Impact Statement is designed around the core principles of Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+), which is a process intended to reduce systemic inequalities and advance gender equality.

“Applying this lens to the budget planning process takes into account all gender and marginalized realities, and also improves overall accountability and transparency,” said Scott-Wallace. “This has become a valuable process, better illustrating how our decisions affect all New Brunswickers.”

GBA+ Impact Assessments were conducted on 40 budget items this year, compared to just 17 last year, representing an increase of 135 per cent.

Media Contact(s)

Leigh Watson, communications, Women’s Equality, leigh.watson@gnb.ca.

Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI)

CISION – Québec Ministry of Public Security confirming the establishment of a special unit, including certain additional measures, within the Bureau des enquêtes indépendantes (BEI), which function will be to investigate any complaint alleging criminal acts towards a First Nation member committed by a police officer in Québec. These new measures will come into force on September 17, 2018

Support line for those affected by missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people:

There is a national, toll-free 24/7 crisis call line providing mental health support for anyone who requires emotional assistance related to missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. For assistance, call 1-844-413-6649. Supports are also available through the MMIWG2S+ health and cultural support services. Support could include professional counselling with a focus on healing, emotional supports such as listening and referrals to additional services, and culturally specific help centred around traditional healing methods and Elder services.

NationTalk: Department of Justice:Today, the Honourable David Lametti, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, issued the following statement:

“Violence against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Plus (2SLGBTQI+) people in Canada is an ongoing national tragedy that needs to end. Ensuring safety and increasing access to culturally grounded, community-led victim supports for families of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls  and 2SLGBTQI+ people (MMIWG2S+) is a priority for the Government of Canada, along with ensuring that community-based organizations have the tools they need to deliver responsive services for families of MMIWG2S+.

“Today, I am proud to confirm our commitment to renew and provide ongoing support for Family Information Liaison Units (FILUs), so they can continue to deliver critical services to families of MMIWG2S+ across the country. With this support, FILUs will become a permanent resource for Indigenous families in search of information on their missing or murdered loved ones.

“Having up-to-date and accurate information about a missed or murdered loved one plays a significant role in a family member’s healing journey. We know there continues to be systemic, structural and geographic barriers for family members as they seek the information they need. FILUs work with families of MMIWG2S+ to overcome those barriers and ensure that they have all the available information they are seeking from various justice agencies and other sectors, as well as access to all other available supports they may require. Their work is critical to those families in need of answers, support, and healing.

“Since their establishment in 2016, FILUs helped thousands of family members across the country. We know the need for answers has not ended, and we are committed to supporting the continued delivery of their critical supports and services for as long as they are needed.”

Quick Facts

• FILUs are available in every province and territory, and are delivered through victim services and Indigenous community organizations. They work directly with families in a culturally grounded and trauma-informed manner to gather the information they seek from government agencies and address outstanding questions about the loss of their loved ones.
• The 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan was developed in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous Peoples, survivors, families, and Indigenous women’s organizations in response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The Federal Pathway is Canada’s contribution to the National Action Plan. Continued support and funding for FILUs was a priority identified in the National Action Plan.
• In the Federal Pathway, the Government of Canada committed to seeking new opportunities to increase collaboration with Indigenous partners and organizations and with provincial and territorial partners to improve availability and access to Indigenous-led, culturally safe, and trauma-informed victim services and supports. Renewed and ongoing support for FILUs responds to this commitment.
• On January 10, 2023, Indigenous leaders and partners and federal, provincial and territorial ministers met at a national roundtable on missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. At the roundtable, federal, provincial and territorial ministers and government representatives had an opportunity to highlight their recent actions to advance work to prevent and end violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. They also committed to pursue future opportunities to collaborate with Indigenous leaders, provincial and territorial governments and other partners to work towards implementing the identified key priorities to support Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQI+ people, survivors, families and their communities. The value and importance of supports provided by FILUs was raised at this national roundtable.

Associated Links

• Family Information Liaison Units
• Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People
• 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People
• National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
• Indigenous Justice, Recognition and Reconciliation
• Victims and Survivors of crime

Contacts

For more information, media may contact:

Diana Ebadi
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
343-574-3446
Diana.Ebadi@justice.gc.ca

Media Relations
Department of Justice Canada
613-957-4207
media@justice.gc.ca

The Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Status of Women, met with the newly created Indigenous Women’s Circle today to discuss ways of addressing systemic inequalities that disproportionately impact Indigenous women and girls. The Circle will have an advisory role for a two-year term and provide an opportunity for Status of Women Canada to consult with leaders in Indigenous communities on the challenges they face and their priorities for the Government of Canada related to advancing gender equality.

Pillar 4: National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence

Taking action toward addressing Pillar 4 of the national plan was a central topic of discussion at the recent federal-provincial-territorial ministers’ meeting,” said Families Minister Rochelle Squires. The 39th Annual Meeting of Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Ministers responsible for the Status of Women was held virtually in December 2021. The meeting was subsequent to the group’s initial meeting that produced the Joint Declaration for a Canada Free of Gender-Based Violence. The declaration included the shared vision, common goals, principles and pillars for joint action in the development of the Gender-Based Violence National Action Plan, on which the draft plan was to be developed. The ministers will reconvene in July 2022.

Addressing and preventing gender-based violence is a priority for Manitoba with a continued commitment to work with Indigenous leadership and communities to prevent and combat gender-based violence of all forms. The Status for Women Secretariat, working in collaboration with the Department Indigenous Reconciliation and Northern Relations, will create a discussion guide and co-ordinate the engagement process with Indigenous community leaders, noted the minister.

Talk4Healing Helpline by Indigenous Women for Indigenous Women 

Launched on October 19, 2012, Talk4Healing is a 24-hr. helpline for Indigenous women, by Indigenous women’, offering services in 14 Indigenous languages as well as English. The expansion of the helpline that promotes the mental health and well-being of Indigenous women is supported by funding from the Provincial Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.

Currently available only in northern Ontario communities with this expansion Talk4Healing will now be available throughout the province with telephone, text and chat services available to over 129,000 Indigenous women. With this expansion Talk4Healing will increase their call intake capacity ten-fold. Helpline services will continue to be provided by operating partner, Beendingen.

Journey to Safe SPACES: Indigenous Anti- Human Trafficking Engagement Report. Ontario Native Women’s Association

Included cases of sexual abuse, physical abuse and the RCMPs failure to take the complaints of Indigenous women seriously. These allegations highlight the past and present connections between the energy industry, policing, and the ongoing epidemic of violence against Indigenous women in Canada. This is especially evident in resource heavy regions like Manitoba. NWAC calls on Manitoba Hydro and the RCMP to take responsibility for their neglect and active participation in the exploitation and abuse of Indigenous women involved in these cases. Additionally, to ensure accountability, Manitoba Hydro and the RCMP must submit to a collaborative review of their current process.

This is to prevent the continuation of violence, to recognize their failures and to acknowledge how these failures continue to impact Indigenous women today.

Launching with the Ontario Native Women’s Association to support Indigenous-led approaches to end human trafficking. Through the liaison program, ONWA will continue to work with its Indigenous partners to: 

• Support Indigenous communities in providing survivor-focused and localized responses to human trafficking
• Provide advice, training and capacity-building to Indigenous and non-Indigenous service providers 
• Contribute to the design, development and implementation of an Indigenous-Led Initiatives Fund
• Identify trends and targeted populations, as well as gaps in existing services.

Supporting indigenous-led approaches to end human trafficking is one of many steps on Ontario’s journey of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

Québec Native Women – Recommendations on making tracking bracelet for offenders and victim of domestic violence more effective for Indigenous women:
• How will it work in small communities where offender and victim live in close proximity
• How can it be adjusted to work in communities with poor cellular coverage
• How will police re-establish trust in communities