Tansi Nîtôtemtik,
This week, we have been highlighting several Indigenous-led commemoration projects, all of which work to raise awareness and promote discussions surrounding missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA peoples in Canada. Today, we turn to highlight the federal government’s Commemoration Fund for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and consider its place among the government’s responsibility post-National Inquiry.
In February 2019, the Government of Canada announced that it was establishing a Commemoration Fund for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.[1] This fund was created in response to the National Inquiry’s Interim Report, which called for the federal government to establish such a fund.[2] The purpose of the Commemoration Fund is to “support Indigenous organizations to work with families, survivors and/or communities to develop and implement commemoration initiatives,”[3] and to “contribute to healing and help increase public awareness, and help honour missing and Indigenous women, girls and LGBTQ2S individuals.”[4] Initially, the government pledged $10 million, but this was later increased to over $13 million following the release of the National Inquiry’s Final Report.[5]
Calls for proposals for commemoration projects were open until March 28, 2019.[6] On June 25, 2019, it was announced that “[o]ver 100 survivor, community and family-led projects” would receive support from the Fund over the next two years.[7] These projects will take the form of “art installations and exhibits, productions such as movies and operas, [and the creation of] safe spaces for women.”[8]
There is, understandably, criticism that follows from the federal government’s Commemoration Fund. A coalition formed by the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action, Canada Without Poverty, and the Chair in Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University has said that the “the endowment shows Canada may not be taking the issues seriously enough.”[9] Pam Palmater, a representative of the coalition, queried: “What will it mean to the families tomorrow who lose their 12-year-old girl to a human trafficker and there’s a new statue in a park somewhere?”[10] While commemoration is in itself important, Ms. Palmater opines that “[i]t does nothing to stop the violence against Indigenous women and that’s where Canada falls down every time.”[11]
Ultimately, the federal government is responsible for more than simply setting up a Commemoration Fund. In order to do right by the National Inquiry’s Final Report, its Calls for Justice, and all the women, girls, and gender diverse persons who have been lost to gendered violence, the federal government needs to establish a national action plan in order to truly combat and prevent the human rights abuses being committed against Indigenous women and girls. The establishment of the Commemoration Fund will likely prove to be the first step of many in the path towards justice for the survivors, family members, and communities of the MMIWG in Canada and in the path to reconciliation.
Until next time,
Team ReconciliAction YEG
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[1] Women and Gender Equality Canada, News Release, “Government of Canada Launches Commemoration Fund for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls” (2 February 2019), online: <www.canada.ca/en/status-women/news/2019/02/government-of-canada-launches-commemoration-fund-for-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-girls.html> [perma.cc/78Z9-3CDH] [“Government Commemoration Fund”].
[2] National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous < Women and Girls, “Interim Report: Our Women and Girls are Sacred” (2017) at 81, online: <www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/publication/interim-report/> [perma.cc/2PRN-NWJY].
[3] Status of Women Canada, “About the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Commemoration Fund call for proposals”, online: <cfc-swc.gc.ca/fun-fin/mmiwg-ffada/index-en.html > [perma.cc/U846-3CTJ] [“Call for Proposals”].
[4] “Government Commemoration Fund”, supra note 1.
[5] Women and Gender Equality Canada, News Release, “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: initiatives will rally communities across Canada to commemorate, heal and advance reconciliation” (24 June 2019), online: <www.canada.ca/en/status-women/news/2019/06/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-girls-initiatives-will-rally-communities-across-canada-to-commemorate-heal-and-advance-reconciliation.html> [perma.cc/RUP5-LALT] [“MMIWG Initiatives”].
[6] “Call for Proposals”, supra note 3.
[7] “MMIWG Initiatives”, supra note 5.
[8] Mark Blackburn, “Projects honouring MMIWG gets $13M in federal funding”, APTN News (24 June 2019), online: <aptnnews.ca/2019/06/24/projects-honouring-mmiwg-gets-13m-in-federal-funding/> [perma.cc/9JCR-WNV6].
[9] Nic Meloney, “Advocates call for national action plan on MMIWG before federal election”, CBC News (7 February 2019), online: <www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/mmiwg-national-action-plan-fafia-report-1.5009286> [perma.cc/4KZ9-3YAZ].
[10] Ibid.
[11] Ibid.
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