Federal, provincial and territorial ministers of women and gender equality have gathered in Winnipeg to discuss emerging issues in their file.
However, stealing some of the spotlight from women and gender issues was a political battle that led to what was effectively a counter-conference in the same downtown hotel.
Canada’s women’s minister Marci Ien and Manitoba’s minister for gender equality, Nahanni Fontaine, are co-chairing the Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) gathering, bringing voices together in Winnipeg from across Canada.
But who wasn’t at the table this year is at issue.
The Congress of Aboriginal People (CAP) has attended the meetings since they began two decades ago. But its national chief, Elmer St. Pierre, said that streak has abruptly ended.
“We were invited and our CEO… was part of organizing it. Then we’re in a board meeting two weeks ago, and we got a letter saying that we’re no longer invited,” he said.
CAP is a federally recognized group representing urban First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.
Instead of accepting the rejection, the organization’s members held their own meeting on a different floor of the same hotel.
“We’re sitting here in Winnipeg right now and they’re excluding us from meetings when we should be included, and it’s just not right. You know, we fight hard for our people,” said CAP’s national vice-chief Kim Beaudin.
The floor where the WAGE conference was held was blocked off by security on Tuesday.
Government communications staff would not speak to Global News about the infighting but sent us a statement later, saying, “Yesterday, Minister Ien met with representatives from the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples to discuss emerging issues.
“Women and Gender Equality Canada has a longstanding relationship and continues to work with the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and other Indigenous partners.”
Many of those at CAP’s gathering have accused Ien and Fontaine of letting politics get in the way of important issues.
“We’re doing the same thing. We’re doing working towards our missing and murdered women. We’re working towards wage equality, and different things like that. We should be working together, not being separated,” said Freda Lepine with the Indigenous Peoples Alliance of Manitoba.
A ministerial spokesperson with the Manitoba government said invitations to the event are best explained by the federal government, and that the province is pleased to co-host the conference with Ien.
Those gathering at the WAGE meeting shared information, and will collaborate to empower women and gender diverse people, address systemic barriers, and influence change on current and emerging issues related to gender equality.