June 3, 2024

Today marks five years since the release of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Final Report, and three years since the release of the National Action Plan on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People and the Federal Pathway on MMIWG2S+. Despite these significant milestones, the implementation of the 231 Calls for Justice remains dangerously slow, perpetuating the ongoing genocide against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit and gender diverse people. Action now is needed.

The National Family and Survivors Circle Inc continues to advocate for urgent action to implement the 231 Calls for Justice, emphasizing the importance of establishing a National Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson and a National Indigenous and Human Rights Tribunal (Call 1.7) and an independent annual reporting mechanism (Call 1.10). On May 30, 2024, the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Gary Anandasangaree, welcomed the Ministerial Special Representative report on the creation of the Ombudsperson. Governments must demonstrate political will by immediately identifying next steps and associated timelines, and work in direct partnership with impacted families of MMIWG2S+, survivors of gender- and race-based violence, and Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, NFSC Inc Chair/President, states: “It is crucial that we recognize and uplift Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit and gender diverse people as individual rights holders. They are not mere statistics or victims of violence; they are leaders, caregivers, knowledge keepers, and cultural bearers within their communities. They have the right to safety, to autonomy, to self-determination, and to live free from fear and discrimination. They have the right to be heard, to be respected, and to be valued for who they are, including at decision-making tables.”

Accountability mechanisms for implementation of the 231 Calls for Justice are critical because of the slow progress of implementation. Impacted families of MMIWG2S+, survivors of gender-based and race-based violence, and Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, whose relentless fight for justice brought about the National Inquiry into MMIWG and most recently the need for a Red Dress Alert System, are still experiencing harms. Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, NFSC Inc Chair/President states, “The current lack of oversight mechanisms is unacceptable and undermines the urgency of this critical issue. The international community must hold our governments accountable and ensure that the rights of Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit and gender diverse people are respected and upheld.” Accountability now is needed.

The National Family and Survivors Circle’s contribution to the National Action Plan on MMIWG in 2021 called for the prioritization of implementing Call for Justice 1.7 and the establishment of the National Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson before June 3, 2022. In the interim and while the office of the Ombudsperson is being established, the NFSC also called for Canada to engage international bodies, and identified various potential, relevant United Nations Committees to play an oversight role in Canada’s implementation of the Calls for Justice and the NAP. The NFSC Inc calls for United Nations oversight now.

Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, NFSC Inc Chair/President, calls upon all Canadians to join in today’s call for action now, accountability now, and United Nations oversight now, stating, “Together let us commit to taking meaningful, decisive steps towards a more just and equitable society. Let us ensure that the sacred promises made by the Prime Minister when he accepted the sacred bundle carrying the National Inquiry Final Report are transformed from words into a living reality for all Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit and gender diverse people.”

 

 

We understand 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. This service is available in English, French, Cree, Anishinaabemowin (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 Metis women from diverse backgrounds who use their lived expertise to advocate for centering the voices of families of MMIWG2S+, survivors of gender- and race-based violence, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, in the implementation of the 231 Calls for Justice, the National Action Plan on MMIWG2S+, and the Federal Pathway.

Media Inquiries: info@familysurvivorscircle.ca