News Release of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
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News Release of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
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National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Enquête nationale sur les femmes et les filles autochtones disparues et assassinées
News Release
National Inquiry calls for transformative change to eradicate
violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA
Missing and murdered crisis rooted in human and Indigenous rights violations
Gatineau, QC, June 3, 2019 -- The National Inquiry’s Final Report reveals that persistent and deliberate
human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates
of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The two volume report,
presented today to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a Closing Ceremony at the Canadian Museum of
History, calls for transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated
Indigenous communities across the country.
Entitled Reclaiming Power and Place, the National Inquiry’s Final Report is comprised of the truths of
more than 2,380 family members, survivors of violence, experts and Knowledge Keepers shared over
two years of cross-country public hearings and evidence gathering. It delivers 231 individual Calls for
Justice directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries and all Canadians.
“Despite their different circumstances and backgrounds, all of the missing and murdered are connected
by economic, social and political marginalization, racism, and misogyny woven into the fabric of
Canadian society,” explained Chief Commissioner Marion Buller. “The hard truth is that we live in a
country whose laws and institutions perpetuate violations of fundamental rights, amounting to a
genocide against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.”
As documented in the Final Report, testimony from family members and survivors of violence spoke
about a surrounding context marked by multigenerational and intergenerational trauma and
marginalization in the form of poverty, insecure housing or homelessness and barriers to education,
employment, health care and cultural support. Experts and Knowledge Keepers spoke to specific
colonial and patriarchal policies that displaced women from their traditional roles in communities and
governance and diminished their status in society, leaving them vulnerable to violence.
“To put an end to this tragedy, the rightful power and place of women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people
must be reinstated, which requires dismantling the structures of colonialism within Canadian society,”
said Commissioner Michèle Audette. “This is not just a job for governments and politicians. It is
incumbent on all Canadians to hold our leaders to account.”
The National Inquiry is simultaneously releasing a report specific to Quebec in order to give particular
attention to the issue of violence against Indigenous women and girls in that province. The report
outlines specific issues such as language barriers, health and social services provide by religious
congregations and interaction with Indigenous and provincial police forces.
Our Women and Girls are Sacred / Nos femmes et nos filles sont sacrées
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Enquête nationale sur les femmes et les filles autochtones disparues et assassinées
”In Quebec, Indigenous women feel isolated from their sisters across the country, there is a language
barrier and institutional violence has ruptured family and community ties. Our present can only be
understood in relation to the past and both must be accepted before we can forge a future with
meaning,” said Commissioner Audette.
“However, violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people is not only an issue for
certain communities or specific individuals,” added Commissioner Qajaq Robinson. “Ending this
genocide and rebuilding Canada into a decolonized nation requires a new relationship and an equal
partnership between all Canadians and Indigenous Peoples.”
The National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice, presented as legal imperatives rather than optional
recommendations, outline transformative actions in the areas of health, security, justice and culture
including:
•
•
•
•
Establishing a National Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson and a National Indigenous
and Human Rights Tribunal
Developing and implementing a National Action Plan to ensure equitable access to
employment, housing, education, safety, and health care
Providing long-term funding for education programs and awareness campaigns related to
violence prevention and combatting lateral violence
Prohibiting the apprehension of children on the basis of poverty and cultural bias
“The powerful historic record created through the National Inquiry would not have been possible if not
for the immeasurable courage and strength of the families and survivors who came forward to share
their sacred truths,” said Commissioner Brian Eyolfson. “For too long, Canada failed to listen to their
stories of loss, anguish and injustice. As we build a new way forward, their voices must continue to
guide us.”
Throughout the Truth-Gathering Process, the National Inquiry put the lived-experiences of family
members of lost loved ones and survivors of violence ahead of others who usually hold the power,
including politicians, governments, and the media. The National Inquiry maintains this approach
continues to be vital for the successful implementation of the Calls for Justice and underscores the
importance of governments proactively seeking out the perspectives and participation of families and
survivors.
-30-
Released by:
National Inquiry Communications
Communications Lead: Catherine Kloczkowski
Email : c.kloczkowski@mmiwg-ffada.ca
Email: media@mmiwg-ffada.ca
Phone: 613.295.5715
Our Women and Girls are Sacred / Nos femmes et nos filles sont sacrées
Enquête nationale sur les femmes et les filles autochtones disparues et assassinées
News Release
National Inquiry calls for transformative change to eradicate
violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA
Missing and murdered crisis rooted in human and Indigenous rights violations
Gatineau, QC, June 3, 2019 -- The National Inquiry’s Final Report reveals that persistent and deliberate
human and Indigenous rights violations and abuses are the root cause behind Canada’s staggering rates
of violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The two volume report,
presented today to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a Closing Ceremony at the Canadian Museum of
History, calls for transformative legal and social changes to resolve the crisis that has devastated
Indigenous communities across the country.
Entitled Reclaiming Power and Place, the National Inquiry’s Final Report is comprised of the truths of
more than 2,380 family members, survivors of violence, experts and Knowledge Keepers shared over
two years of cross-country public hearings and evidence gathering. It delivers 231 individual Calls for
Justice directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries and all Canadians.
“Despite their different circumstances and backgrounds, all of the missing and murdered are connected
by economic, social and political marginalization, racism, and misogyny woven into the fabric of
Canadian society,” explained Chief Commissioner Marion Buller. “The hard truth is that we live in a
country whose laws and institutions perpetuate violations of fundamental rights, amounting to a
genocide against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people.”
As documented in the Final Report, testimony from family members and survivors of violence spoke
about a surrounding context marked by multigenerational and intergenerational trauma and
marginalization in the form of poverty, insecure housing or homelessness and barriers to education,
employment, health care and cultural support. Experts and Knowledge Keepers spoke to specific
colonial and patriarchal policies that displaced women from their traditional roles in communities and
governance and diminished their status in society, leaving them vulnerable to violence.
“To put an end to this tragedy, the rightful power and place of women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people
must be reinstated, which requires dismantling the structures of colonialism within Canadian society,”
said Commissioner Michèle Audette. “This is not just a job for governments and politicians. It is
incumbent on all Canadians to hold our leaders to account.”
The National Inquiry is simultaneously releasing a report specific to Quebec in order to give particular
attention to the issue of violence against Indigenous women and girls in that province. The report
outlines specific issues such as language barriers, health and social services provide by religious
congregations and interaction with Indigenous and provincial police forces.
Our Women and Girls are Sacred / Nos femmes et nos filles sont sacrées
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Enquête nationale sur les femmes et les filles autochtones disparues et assassinées
”In Quebec, Indigenous women feel isolated from their sisters across the country, there is a language
barrier and institutional violence has ruptured family and community ties. Our present can only be
understood in relation to the past and both must be accepted before we can forge a future with
meaning,” said Commissioner Audette.
“However, violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people is not only an issue for
certain communities or specific individuals,” added Commissioner Qajaq Robinson. “Ending this
genocide and rebuilding Canada into a decolonized nation requires a new relationship and an equal
partnership between all Canadians and Indigenous Peoples.”
The National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice, presented as legal imperatives rather than optional
recommendations, outline transformative actions in the areas of health, security, justice and culture
including:
•
•
•
•
Establishing a National Indigenous and Human Rights Ombudsperson and a National Indigenous
and Human Rights Tribunal
Developing and implementing a National Action Plan to ensure equitable access to
employment, housing, education, safety, and health care
Providing long-term funding for education programs and awareness campaigns related to
violence prevention and combatting lateral violence
Prohibiting the apprehension of children on the basis of poverty and cultural bias
“The powerful historic record created through the National Inquiry would not have been possible if not
for the immeasurable courage and strength of the families and survivors who came forward to share
their sacred truths,” said Commissioner Brian Eyolfson. “For too long, Canada failed to listen to their
stories of loss, anguish and injustice. As we build a new way forward, their voices must continue to
guide us.”
Throughout the Truth-Gathering Process, the National Inquiry put the lived-experiences of family
members of lost loved ones and survivors of violence ahead of others who usually hold the power,
including politicians, governments, and the media. The National Inquiry maintains this approach
continues to be vital for the successful implementation of the Calls for Justice and underscores the
importance of governments proactively seeking out the perspectives and participation of families and
survivors.
-30-
Released by:
National Inquiry Communications
Communications Lead: Catherine Kloczkowski
Email : c.kloczkowski@mmiwg-ffada.ca
Email: media@mmiwg-ffada.ca
Phone: 613.295.5715
Our Women and Girls are Sacred / Nos femmes et nos filles sont sacrées