Gender-Based Violence and the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
On June 3, 2019, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls released its final report: Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
The National Inquiry’s final report is the product of extensive work involving the participation of 2,380 people, including:
- 468 families and survivors who provided testimony at 15 community hearings
- 270 families and survivors who provided testimony in 147 private or in-camera sessions
- 750 people who shared testimony through statement gatherings
- 819 people who submitted artistic expressions
- 83 expert witnesses, Elders, Knowledge Keepers, front line workers and officials who provided testimony in nine Institutional, Expert and Knowledge Keeper Hearings
The two-volume 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.” Through testimony from family members and survivors, the report describes a context of multigenerational and intergenerational trauma and marginalization (e.g., poverty, insecure housing or homelessness, barriers to education, employment, health care and cultural support) that surrounds the violence. Experts and Knowledge Keepers described how violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people is rooted in “specific colonial and patriarchal policies that removed women from their traditional roles in communities and governance and diminished their status in society, leaving them vulnerable to violence.”
The final report lists a total of 231 Calls for Justice within four domains, including:
- Calls for Justice for All Governments
- Calls for Justice for Industries, Institutions, Services and Partnerships
- Calls for Justice for All Canadians
- Calls for Justice: Distinction-based (Inuit, Metis, 2SLGBTQQIA) Calls
The final report lists a total of 231 Calls for Justice within four domains, including:
- Calls for Justice for All Governments
- Calls for Justice for Industries, Institutions, Services and Partnerships
- Calls for Justice for All Canadians
- Calls for Justice: Distinction-based (Inuit, Metis, 2SLGBTQQIA) Calls
The final report is available at: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/
Action:
The Manitoba government is committed to taking concrete steps to respond to the recommendations from the National Inquiry’s Calls for Justice:
- One important part of Manitoba’s response is the establishment of the GBVCC to coordinate government actions.
- Initiatives listed in this framework also connect to a number of the Calls for Justice.
- Manitoba will engage with the grand chiefs, grandmother councils, MMIWG Coalition co-chairs and community stakeholders on the Calls for Justice.
- Manitoba will work with its federal, provincial and territorial partners on the MMIWG National Action Plan.
