Anniversary of National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Women and Girls
Marking Five Years Since the 231 Calls to Justice Were Issued
A ceremony was held on Parliament Hill at noon on June 3 to mark the fifth anniversary of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, its report released in June 2019, Reclaiming Power and Place, and its 231 Calls for Justice. The event was organized by the Urban Indigenous Action Group, Sisters in Spirit, the Assembly of Seven Generations, Women of the Métis Nation and the Ottawa Coalition to end violence against women.
The ceremony began with a round dance and a song in honour of murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people, followed by speeches from the main organizers as well as by dignitaries, including the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, Gary Anandasangaree.
One of the points made in the Report is that steps are needed "to end and redress this genocide" and that these steps "must be no less monumental than the combination of systems and actions that have worked to maintain colonial violence for generations." Several organizers said that it was easy to evaluate where things stood as far as government progress was concerned; -- one just has to look at where things stand on the ground, in real life, in communities such as Winnipeg where families are still demanding to search the landfills to find their missing mothers and sisters.
One of the Calls for Justice is addressed to all governments, that they "establish a guaranteed annual livable income for all Canadians, including Indigenous Peoples, and to meet all their social and economic needs." The spokesperson for Urban Indigenous Action Group referred to this as she called for increased investments in housing and social programs, access to health care, food security and a guaranteed livable income.
Yet another Call for Justice is addressed to all Canadians, "to help hold all governments accountable to act on the Calls for Justice, and to implement them according to the important principles we set out."
The same day, the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations issued a statement entitled "Government of Canada makes progress in addressing the Calls for Justice to end national crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and Gender diverse people." In spite of the glaring lack of any kind of "progress," still the report reads: "We must work together urgently to make communities safer, to bring justice to survivors and families, and to dismantle the long-standing, systemic racism, misogyny, and discrimination created by over a century of colonization that has led to this tragic crisis in Canada." Only an institution with no sense of shame or responsibility could call the government's response "progress."
Far from "dismantling" the colonial legacy, the ruling elites are in fact taking all sorts of measures and passing new laws to consolidate their control so as to further marginalize the people of Canada and Quebec and the Indigenous Peoples, and to further suppress their struggles.
The people of Canada and Quebec and the Indigenous Peoples are fighting for new arrangements based on a definition of rights established by the people themselves through their affirmation that our security lies in the fight for the rights of all and rejection of the legacy of British colonial rule which recognizes rights only for a privileged few.
This article was published in
Volume 54 Number 5 - June 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/M5400512.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca