Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls

FEBRUARY 2016 Lorelei Williams left the first roundtable on missing and murdered indigenous women in tears after families who had lost loved ones fought to be one of the four people allowed to speak.

JANUARY 2016 Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett will begin meeting with the families of missing and murdered aboriginal women in Yellowknife and Whitehorse this week, to consult on the nature and scope of the upcoming public inquiry.

FEBRUARY 2016 A Canadian government minister has suggested that as many as 4,000 indigenous women have gone missing or been murdered over the past three decades. Patricia Hajdu, minister for the status of women, said research from the Native Women's Association of Canada put the figure much higher than the 1,200 mentioned in a 2014 report by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

FEBRUARY 2016 Ahead of a forum for the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, family and friends gathered Wednesday in Churchill Square to honour those lost. "This is really healing," said Kirsten Threefingers, 17. "It feels amazing that we are all here together honouring our sisters, ones who have been stolen or missing...

SEPTEMBER 2013 The legacy of the residential school system has had a profoundly negative impact on Aboriginal people that will be experienced for generations to come. It is indisputable that Aboriginal peoples have suffered as a result of the residential school system imposed to eradicate their cultures and rights.

JANUARY 2016 The Public Service Alliance of Canada is pleased to see that the federal government is taking the issue of violence against Aboriginal women seriously by launching an inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

OCTOBER 2015 Conservative leader Stephen Harper isn't budging on his refusal to hold a federal inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.

NOVEMBER 2015 Saskatoon police Chief Clive Weighill says cases of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls cannot be solved by police alone. "This is a big social systemic issue. We have to stop treating this as a crime issue," Weighill said in an interview Monday. His comments come as Saskatoon's police board prepares to discuss the department's...

SEPTEMBER 2015 In a news release, NDP have condemned comments made Kootenay-Columbia Conservative MP David Wilks for suggesting it's "not fair" for Canadians to expect government action on missing and murdered Indigenous women.While responding to questions about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in an interview with The Free Press on Aug.

JANUARY 2016 A two-day summit in Winnipeg was held to discuss the next steps forward in tackling the critical issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Families of missing and murdered indigenous women, representatives from police agencies, the criminal justice system and victims services were among the 200 participants at the Justice Practitioners' Summit on Murdered and Missing...

OCTOBER 2015 Sitting on the front step of her home smoking a cigarette, Maxine Goforth takes time to reflect on her life. Although it has been two years, the emotions are still raw. Tears slide silently down her face as she recalled the day the police confirmed her worst fears that her 21-year-old daughter Kelly was dead.

​OCTOBER 2015 CUPE stood in solidarity at vigils to honour the memories of missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls, and to call for action to end the epidemic of violence. More than 100 events took place across the country on October 4.

JANUARY 2014 Statement The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) supports the calls for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women originating from the Assembly of First Nations, the Native Women's Association of Canada, other First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples associations, the families of the missing and murdered, and the Premiers of Canada's provincial and territorial governments.

FEBRUARY 2013 Human rights commissions call for nation-wide legislation and greater accountability to ensure rights of persons with disabilities are respected OTTAWA, December 15, 2015 The Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies (CASHRA) welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with all involved in implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's Calls to Action.

This backgrounder highlights some of the main issues currently faced by Aboriginal women and their supporters, along with a brief synopsis of some remedial options under discussion.1 It should be noted at the outset that there is great diversity among Aboriginal women, including status and non-status First Nations, Inuit and Métis, reflected in the diversity of issues they face. Nor are any of the issues stand-alone; rather they are inextricably interconnected and indivisible from the systemic and pervasive nature of Aboriginal women's inequality in Canadian society.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett says she doesn't have enough data to judge whether the number of missing and murdered indigenous woman far exceeds the estimate of 1,200 given by the RCMP, but that there is "anecdotal evidence" that it could be much higher.

Candlelight vigil for families of #MMIW in Edmonton. Check out our photo gallery for more photos by Brad Crowfoot. A collection of opinions and perspectives on the issues impacting you. Postings are from a variety of sources including our staff or other media.

A report released by the RCMP earlier this year marks the first time that police in Canada have attempted, at the national level, to identify how many First Nations, Inuit or Métis women and girls have been murdered or have gone missing.

Indigenous leaders and advocates say dozens of cases where police found no evidence of foul play must be included in a federal inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, following a CBC News investigation calling those findings into question.