October 4, 2023

This National Day of Action on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people (MMIWG2S+), the National Family and Survivors Circle, Inc., (NFSC Inc) remembers and honours those who were tragically taken and are missing. We hold in our hearts the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people and survivors of gender- and race-based violence.

On this National Day of Action, the NFSC Inc. reminds all governments, including Indigenous governments, as well as agencies, organizations, institutions, and all Canadians, that the 231 Calls for Justice, including the Inuit, Métis, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Calls for Justice and the 21 Calls for Justice for Québec, are evidenced based and rooted in Indigenous rights, including Inherent and treaty rights, Indigenous laws, and human rights laws. They are therefore legal imperatives, meaning that they are not merely suggestions but are binding on all governments and government actors because they are rooted in legal instruments.

Today, the NFSC Inc. also reminds those with obligations to implement the Calls for Justice that they must recognize and meaningfully involve Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, families or MMIWG2S+, and survivors of race- and gender-based violence, as self-determining rights holders of inherent Indigenous rights and human rights.

The autonomy of Indigenous women, girls, 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, families, and survivors to think, speak, and decide for themselves as rights holders based on their own worldview, beliefs, faith, lived experience, expertise, aspirations, and self-determination, with dignity, must be evident all decision-making tables when it comes to implementing the Calls for Justice and taking action to end the violence and genocide.

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, NFSC Inc. Chair, states, “An elder once said, by being born Indigenous and female, you are born political as your rights are denied from birth. As Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, families of MMIWG2S+, and survivors of gender- and race-based violence, we are born with the inherent right to be who we are and to be in spaces where decisions are being made about our lives. We honour and accept our role and responsibility in building pathways for the safety and security of generations of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to come.”

The NFSC Inc., calls on all governments to exercise their political will and demonstrate leadership on ending the genocide of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. Inaction and ineffective political leadership results in the ongoing murder and violence of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. Consistency, equity, and sustainability are needed to ensure meaningful input, outcomes, impact, and success in the collective effort for a transformed Canada where Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people can live the full cycle of life with dignity, safety, and security.

 

We understand that this subject matter is difficult for many people in our community. If you require immediate support, please contact the national, independent toll free 24/7 support line at 1-844-413-6649 to speak to a counsellor. The service is available in English, French, Cree, Anishnaabemowin (Ojibway), and Inuktitut.

 

About the National Family and Survivors Circle, Inc.

The NFSC Inc. is a legally incorporated, non-profit organization comprised of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis women from diverse backgrounds who use their lived expertise to advocate for centering the voices of families of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, survivors of gender-based violence, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in the implementation of the 231 Calls for Justice, the National Action Plan on MMIWG2S+, and the Federal Pathway.

NFSC Inc website: https://familysurvivorscircle.ca/

Media Inquiries: info@familysurvivorscircle.ca