Strong Voices Calling for Action

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit individuals is an ongoing crisis throughout Canada. For far too long these individuals have been at a significantly higher risk then any other demographic, Indigenous women make up roughly 4% of Canada’s female population, yet 16% of all women murdered between 1980 and 2012 were Indigenous. A number of movements have come out of a need for change, and many of these are being led by strong, Indigenous female voices.

Jamie Black-Morsette

Jamie Black-Morsette is a Red River Metis artist, activist, and the founder of the REDress Project. This movement was founded in 2010 with a powerful art installation that used red dresses, often hung in trees and displayed in public places to represent the thousands of Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit individuals who are missing or have been murdered across Canada and throughout North America. At its core, the project is meant to make the absence of these individuals visible to those who may not feel the loss the same way the family and community do. The colour red is very important to this project, chosen intentionally because it is believed in many Indigenous cultures that red is the only colour spirits can see.

Jamie Black-Morsette stated “Red is really a calling back of the spirits of these women and allowing them a chance to be among us and have their voices heard through their family members. The dresses are empty so that they evoke the missing women who should be wearing them. People notice there is a presence in the absence.”

Lori Campbell

Lori Campbell is a Two-Spirit, Cree-Métis advocate, educator, and Associate Vice President of Indigenous Engagement at the University of Regina. At just 14 months old, Lori Campbell was separated from her family, culture, and community when she was placed in foster home during what is now widely known as the Sixties Scoop. In 2018, Lori Campbell was the director of Indigenous Initiatives at the University of Waterloo during the final year of the mandated inquiry into the MMIWG2S crisis.

This mandate of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was to investigate and report on the systemic causes of all forms of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in Canada. It was first established in 2016 and was expected to produce a full report with recommendations to honour victims and enhance safety within these communities. This report ended up being published in June of 2019 but in 2018, with less than a year left in the mandate’s timeline, many were beginning to question if they would ever see a final report.

Included within those questioning the outcome of this mandate was Lori Campbell. She referred to the process of the inquiry as being “…set up to be run in a basically colonial system” and that it was “counter to Indigenous ways of doing things.” Throughout the entire process, Lori Campbell was a voice ushing on the inquiry while also highlighting the shortcomings she witnessed throughout the process.

She can be quoted as saying “The chances are that if you know an Indigenous person, they're related to someone who's gone missing or murdered, that's how common this is.”

Dr. Pamela Palmater

Dr. Pamela Palmater is a Mi’kmaw member of the Eel River Bar First Nation; she is a practicing lawyer who chairs the Indigenous governance at Ryerson University. She is globally recognized public speaker who is also a well-know Indigenous podcaster, documentary filmmaker, and YouTuber focused on illuminating Indigenous issues.

Dr. Pamela Palmater is a prominent voice in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit individual crisis, initially speaking out about the topic during a Pine Tree Talk at Trent University, the lecture was entitled Genocide in Canada: Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls. Dr. Pamela Palmater started with calling out the lack of attention paid by the media on this ongoing crisis, Canadian media dismissing the genocide of Indigenous women. She spoke on the stereotypes and misinformation that skew the population’s opinions on this crisis, that paired with the lack of data that Dr. Palmater argues that the government is withholding or neglecting to collect on purpose, making accurate statistics difficult to calculate. Dr. Palmater can be quoted as saying “This issue around missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls didn’t just crop up a couple of years ago... this has actually been a problem since contact.”

Her expertise has been used to help shape the trajectory of policy change and pivotal inquires, like the National Inquiry for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. She has dedicated her life to being a defender of Indigenous rights and social justice, she inspires, empowered and educates people around the world.

The Takeaway

There are more than these three voices calling for action on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit individuals crisis, and if you’re interested in learning more about the ongoing initiatives, you can click here. If you’re looking to support the REDress movement, you can learn more about the project here.

Gen7 is committed to supporting awareness and action around the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit individuals. We recognize that this is not just statistic, but an ongoing reality that continues to impact Indigenous families and communities across Canada. By amplifying initiatives like The REDress Project and prioritizing respectful, informed dialogue, Gen7 aims to contribute to greater understanding, visibility, and accountability. We believe raising awareness is a critical step towards meaningful change, and we are dedicate to standing alongside Indigenous voices in the pursuit of justice and healing.