This story contains mention of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Those in need of support can call the Ottawa Distress Centre Crisis Line: 613-238-3311 or the 24/7 National MMIWG Support Line: 1-844-413-6649.
Families and supporters gathered on Parliament Hill on Oct. 4 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Amnesty International’s No More Stolen Sisters report and to demand action from the federal government on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG).
Amnesty International’s report examined the historic marginalization of Indigenous women through government policies. It further addressed the lack of support offered by Canadian police forces to protect Indigenous women and girls from violent crimes. Two decades later, the report outlines that these issues are ongoing and families are still looking for change.
“We need truth, accountability and justice,” said Bridget Tolley, a vigil organizer and co-founder of Families of Sisters in Spirit.
The vigil honoured and commemorated the missing and murdered Indigenous women, as well as those whose cases remain unsolved. Families grieved by sharing their experiences and stories in tears and frustration, some of them stating they have repeated the same story for years.
Tolley, whose mother was killed in 2001, said “it hurts” to repeat their stories and families are currently seeking action from the federal government.
A prayer and land acknowledgment commenced the vigil. Families burned sacred medicine and smudged throughout the ceremony.
As an offering and to bring awareness to those who have passed, Tolley’s granddaughter, Ava Carle Tolley, braided and cut her grandmother’s hair.
Colleen Hele Cardinal, a speaker and co-founder of the Sixties Scoop Network in Ottawa, said she has lost two family members from this “epidemic.”
She said her sister was robbed and killed in Edmonton by a male acquaintance, who was found assaulting another woman in Calgary shortly after. Cardinal’s sister-in-law was missing for two years when her body was found in a ditch in Edmonton. Cardinal said the case was not investigated.
“We want justice and we want to amplify the voices of families who have loved ones who are missing, murdered or not investigated properly,” Cardinal said.
Cardinal said she believes change begins on the individual level by having difficult conversations around the house, as well as, listening and having empathy toward impacted families.
Cardinal said Canadians should help fund events to bring awareness to these issues and offer support to families who are in search of their loved ones.
“Canadians need to unlearn their stereotypes and their biases and help us,” Cardinal said.
Patty Hajdu, Indigenous services minister and Liberal MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North, spoke about her experience working for the government while overseeing these ongoing issues.
“I do feel the shame, sometimes, about the actions of the federal government,” Hajdu said.
Hajdu expressed how politicians refer to colonialism as the “terrible legacy” and the “dark past,” suggesting that colonialism no longer exists.
“Colonization continues in Canada and its effects have dehumanized Indigenous women,” Hajdu said.
Hajdu recalled the first time she learned about MMIWG through the Full Moon Memory Walk in Thunder Bay during her early 20s. She reflected on how Indigenous women must be cautious in their daily lives by not going out alone at night, not wearing certain clothing and having “a safe place.”
“It is hard to convince . . . people who don’t understand the power of patriarchy just how disabling that fear that [women] are taught from a very little child is,” Hajdu said.
Hajdu did not directly comment on the federal government’s future commitment to addressing MMIWG cases.
Rachel Lim, a student at the University of Ottawa and youth activist for Amnesty International, said she hopes this vigil offers healing and preservation of Indigenous culture to ensure families can overcome these traumas and tragedies collectively.
“I am hoping that [this vigil] still promotes healing as well as reconciliation,” Lim said.
Featured Image by Josefine Lukaszek/The Charlatan.
