Warning: This story contains details that may upset and trigger some readers. Anyone affected by the issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people needing support can call a national toll free crisis line at 1-844-413-6649.
Dozens of red dresses hung from tents and trees in Abbotsford Friday, honouring countless Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people who have gone missing or been murdered over decades.
Across the country, May 5 is known as Red Dress Day, a day of mourning, remembrance and action on the MMIWG2S crisis that has plagued Canada for generations.
“It’s important, first off, because of all the genocide in our country put on our people,” said Vanessa Fleury, an Indigenous support worker in Abbotsford.
“Now we have a voice, now we can speak, now we can honour these missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls as well as the two-spirited who were taken from us too soon.”
Red Dress Day began in 2010, inspired by Jaime Black’s REDress Project — an art installation and visual reminder of the “staggering” number of Indigenous women who are victims of violence.
In 2019, a national inquiry into the MMIWG2S crisis found more than six in 10 Indigenous women, girls and gender-diverse people have experienced physical or sexual violence. They are also 12 times more likely to be missing or murdered than non-Indigenous women.
A 2014 RCMP report suggested some 1,200 Indigenous woman and girls have gone missing or been killed in Canada, but underreporting and a lack of data means that number is likely inaccurate. Other estimates have since pegged the true number at more than 4,000.
“We all know somebody who is either gone missing or has been murdered,” Kelly Penner, vice-president of the Fraser Valley Métis Association, told Global News.
An important part of Red Dress Day is generating meaningful discussion about what needs to change, and what actions can be taken to break the cycle of violence, she added.
The national inquiry called the MMIWG2S crisis a “genocide,” and released 231 calls for justice from governments, institutions, service providers and individuals that would address its root causes. The calls, described as “legal imperatives,” target governments, institutions, social service providers, industries and all Canadians.
In the nearly four years that have passed since then, as critics — including the Native Women’s Association of Canada — have said little has been done to implement them and the outcomes haven’t changed.
“There’s not enough being done,” said Fleury. “There should be more investigations, it should be more lengthy … I think it stems, honestly, from our system still being systemically racist.”
In June 2021, the federal government released its national action plan for addressing the inquiry’s calls. Creating such a plan was one of the inquiry’s imperatives.
Last year, it released a progress report outlining more than 50 initiatives undertaken, including new laws on Indigenous languages and expanded funding for culturally-relevant violence prevention and health services.
This week, the House of Commons also unanimously backed a motion declaring the deaths and disappearances of Indigenous women and girls a Canada-wide emergency, and called for funding for a new system to alert the public when someone goes missing.
In B.C., dozens of Indigenous women and girls have gone missing or been killed on or near the 725-kilometre stretch of Highway 16 between Prince George and Prince Rupert, known as the Highway of Tears, since the 1950s.
On Friday, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) called on all levels of government to end all forms of discrimination, sexism and violence enacted by justice systems against Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people.
The push comes as disturbing new data from the Vancouver Police Department found that Indigenous girls are the most over-represented group of victims of violent crime, followed only by Indigenous women over the age of 35.
“Family members are continually left to conduct and resource missing person searches alone, all while having to navigate a broken justice system, battling police apathy and jurisdictional mismanagement, robbing them of the space to heal from these immense traumas,” said UBCIC vice-president Chief Don Tom in a news release.
“The UBCIC calls for full capacity supports, high-tech investigative and First Nations-led search and rescue services, justice system navigator positions, and cooperation from justice authorities, police, and governments across all jurisdictions to bring our loved ones home – and further, healing supports, victim and family services, accountability and justice in cases when they do not.”
Battered Women’s Support Services is available to assist those in need with emotional support, safety planning, and legal advocacy at 604-687-1867 or toll free at 1-855-687-1868. Those who cannot speak safely can text 604-652-1867.
The Hope for Wellness Help Line offers culturally competent counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples experiencing trauma, distress, strong emotions and painful memories. The line can be reached anytime toll-free at 1-855-242-3310.