On Wednesday, National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, the federal government announced $740,000 towards further researching the feasibility of searching the Prairie Green landfill in Winnipeg where the remains of Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran are believed to be.
When explicitly asked if the federal government will commit dollars towards funding the search itself, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said these dollars are “the next step in that process.”
And while the funding is welcomed, Gena Edwards, president of the B.C. Native Women’s Association said it comes too late.
“This is good news for the women in Manitoba, but it shouldn’t take till Oct. 4 to make this announcement, it should have been done when it was first asked,” she said.
The announcement also comes one day after Manitoba voters elected First Nations premier, NDP leader Wab Kinew who campaigned on searching the landfill.
The National Day of Action for MMIWG was established by the Native Women’s Association and sees vigils take place all across the country.
“It’s a day where we honor the lives of women, girls, two-spirit, transgender and gender-diverse people,” said Edwards. “On this day we prioritize healing and the Calls for Justice.”
The Calls for Justice were released in 2019 in conjunction with the conclusion of the National Inquiry into MMIWG. The Calls for Justice “are aimed at ending genocide, tackling root causes of violence, and improving the quality of life of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people.”
So far its been difficult to track which calls have been completed, but advocates say there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done.
In British Columbia, Edwards said there are many gaps.
“We’re seeing funding gaps to support women who have been affected and there’s also a big communication gap,” she said. “There’s also healing gaps. We need more places and opportunities for our women and families to heal … just look at the highway of tears.”
The Highway of Tears is a 700-kilometre stretch of highway between Prince George and Prince Rupert where more than 40 women and girls, mostly Indigenous, have gone missing or been murdered since 1969.
Edwards said today, people can come together and support the National Day of Action.
“People can show their support and honour the lives of those who have been taken, attend vigils or just being kind, because that’s one of our seven grandfather teachings, kindness,” she said.
“You can hang something red outside your house, read the 231 Calls to Justice.”
In Vancouver events are being held at the Vancouver Art Gallery and Grandview Park.
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