Bill S-219

National Ribbon Skirt Day Act

An Act respecting a National Ribbon Skirt Day

This enactment designates the 4th day of January in each and every year as “National Ribbon Skirt Day”.

National Ribbon Skirt Day Act

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Madam Speaker, it is my honour to rise today in support of Bill S-219, an act respecting a national ribbon skirt day.

I want to echo messages shared by NDP colleagues, including the MP for Nunavut, who said in the House that this is an important opportunity to recognize indigenous cultures and the prominence of indigenous women.

I also want to make clear that while we in the NDP support this bill, we are also keen to put forward amendments to further improve it. That is something I will get to in a few moments.

It is important to recognize that ribbon skirts are a symbol of strength, pride and hope. They symbolize a direct connection to Mother Earth and her sacred medicines. Ribbon skirts have become a symbol not just of indigenous women's empowerment but also of the struggle for justice for missing and murdered indigenous women.

I think of the many young women, young indigenous women, first nations and Métis, here across our region in Manitoba who make their own ribbon skirts, who gift ribbon skirts, who sell ribbon skirts and who wear them to ceremonies and to powwows. They wear them as a symbol of pride and, I would say, resilience, but also of reclaiming culture and traditions that were forcibly taken away by colonizers. It is important to recognize the empowering elements of the ribbon skirt symbol and find ways to make sure that it is a formal part of our national narrative.

We also need to be clear that if we are going to talk about reconciliation, yes, we need to be looking at symbols but we also need to go much further than that. As we talk about the importance of female empowerment and indigenous female empowerment, we must also act in concrete ways to support indigenous women across Canada.

I have the honour of representing 41 first nations. I have the honour of working with indigenous women, leaders, activists, advocates, elders, young people and indigenous women who hold up their communities, who hold up a region and who, day in and day out, in the face of immense challenges, do everything they can to keep their communities moving forward.

In order for them to continue to do that work and to do that work effectively to meet the needs in their communities, there is no question that we need a federal government that is willing to step up and support that work. Unfortunately, we do not have that in the current Liberal government.

Let us take one of the biggest crises that indigenous women, indigenous communities and, I would say, Canada faces, that of missing and murdered indigenous women, which truly is a national tragedy.

There is not one community, first nations, Métis or urban, here in our region that has not been devastated by the loss of an indigenous woman or girl. As others have said, it is unconscionable that, in a country as wealthy as Canada, we see on a regular basis notices on social media and in our communities of yet another indigenous woman or girl who is missing or who has been taken.

We know that somewhere between 1,600 and 4,000 indigenous women and girls have been lost in this country in the last 20 years. We also know that this did not just happen. The historic inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women uncovered many of the contributing factors. Thankfully, it also made very clear what we need to be doing to put an end to the tragedy that is missing and murdered indigenous women through their 231 calls to justice.

I want to speak to some of those key areas that we need to be pursuing if we are going to talk about ending violence against indigenous women and empowering indigenous women.

We need to put an end to the housing crisis that exists in first nations and urban centres, which indigenous women face disproportionately. On reserve here in our region, it takes the form of third world housing conditions. I have spoken in the House about women and their families that live in remote first nations here in northern Manitoba, in homes held together, in a way, by tarps in the middle of winter.

I have talked about homes that are overcrowded and mould-infested, homes that are making people sick, and homes that have devastating mental, physical and emotional impacts. We know those impacts are disproportionately felt by women. We also know that housing insecurity can contribute greatly to gender-based violence and can prevent women from leaving abusive relationships, even though they would like to. We need to get serious about dealing with the housing crisis that exists in first nations and indigenous communities across the country, and the Liberal government is not doing that.

We also need to be very clear about the fact that indigenous women face disproportionate levels of poverty. I acknowledge the important work of my colleague, the member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre, who has called for a basic annual income, not only for indigenous women, of course, but for Canadians who are on the margins. However, we know that many indigenous women are disproportionately facing poverty in our communities.

There are many ways that we can empower indigenous women and indigenous communities economically, but right now we are not taking that seriously. I would say the investments that are necessary to create jobs and opportunities in indigenous communities across our region are simply not being taken advantage of, despite the fact that many first nations are very clear about the ideas they would like to bring forward to create jobs and opportunities in their communities.

There are also other areas where the federal government is woefully inadequate in terms of action, such as addressing addictions and the need for treatment and healing supports for indigenous women in indigenous communities. Some time ago, I was in touch with the minister about yet another first nation in the region, God's Lake Narrows, which issued a state of emergency calling for federal action to deal with the addictions crisis and the suicide crisis in its community.

A few weeks before that, I spoke out on behalf of Red Sucker Lake First Nation, which also called a state of emergency because of the suicide crisis it is facing. Red Sucker Lake is a first nation that for some time now, along with other first nations in the Island Lake region, has been calling for a treatment centre that the federal government, while it acknowledged it, has done nothing to make happen.

Red Sucker Lake is also part of the Island Lake region, a region of over 13,000 people, a remote region accessible only by plane throughout the year, that also does not have a hospital, forcing people to go out for relatively basic medical care. Again, we know that reality has a disproportionate impact on women.

If we are speaking about infrastructure, a clear way to empower indigenous women is to make sure that they have access to the services and the kind of infrastructure that many take for granted outside of indigenous communities: proper schools, post-secondary opportunities closer to home, proper hospitals and health centres that can provide the services that are required.

Looking beyond that, I would say tracking with the reality, many first nations are disproportionately now impacted by climate change, further isolating first nations, rendering crisis situations more and more serious. I have worked with first nations that have been rocked by wildfires and flooding, clear results of the climate emergency that we are facing. These are communities that have little capacity, if any, to deal with the climate crisis. As research has pointed out, this has a disproportionate impact on indigenous women as well.

It is clear that the federal government needs to move beyond symbols and commit to action when it comes to reconciliation and empowering indigenous women.

I briefly want to share that we are keen to make amendments indicating that indigenous women not be put in a generalized category and recognizing that first nations, Métis and Inuit women have different ways of affirming each other's strength. Also very importantly, this bill needs to include indigenous persons whose identities are outside the gender binary and who choose to symbolize the importance of wearing ribbon skirts. Inclusion and creating a safe space for gender discussions for indigenous peoples must be a priority, and I point to the work of Dr. Alex Wilson, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan, who has devoted her career to understanding two-spirit identity.

There is much work to be done to recognize the strength of indigenous women, but certainly concrete action is necessary to truly respect indigenous women and empower them as they are pursuing—

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The parliamentary secretary to the government House leader.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons]

Madam Speaker, if I may, just at the onset, recognize Senator McCallum and the member for Fredericton, our colleague in the House of Commons, who have ensured that today we are debating this piece of legislation, which I suggest should receive unanimous support of the House. I anticipate it will.

I listened to the former speaker. I think it does not matter what political party one comes from, as we all understand and appreciate the true value and meaning of the legislation that is before us. There is no political party, whether Conservative, Liberal or, in fact, NDP, that has conducted itself purely over the years when it comes to indigenous issues. However, when we have legislation like this before us, it provides us the opportunity to come together and recognize the true value of what is being proposed.

Recognizing national ribbon skirt day on January 4 of every year would be a very powerful thing to do for a number of reasons. We often recognize special days in the year and talk about the benefits of doing so. This is something that is very tangible. It is tangible because all 338 members of the House of Commons talk about the issue of reconciliation. A part of reconciliation is recognizing the truth. It is recognizing that mistakes were made, and there are things that we can do to make life better and make our society better. What we have before us today, national ribbon skirt day, is an opportunity for us to rectify, at least in part, in a symbolic way, a grave injustice.

I want to very briefly read something about how Senator McCallum was inspired to sponsor this bill. Senator McCallum heard about an experience of Isabella Susanne Kulak from the Cote First Nation in Saskatchewan. On December 18, 2020, which was not that long ago, when she was about 10 years old, Isabella went to elementary school wearing her ribbon skirt to a formal day, but was told by a teacher's assistant that her skirt was not formal or appropriate for the day.

Out of that particular incident, a great deal of courage and an understanding by many, we now have before us legislation that recognizes the meaning of a ribbon skirt. It was not that long ago that the House passed a piece of legislation to recognize a statutory day of truth and reconciliation. When we did that, it highlighted an annual event, which has occurred twice now. The first year I was in a walk from the Forks in downtown Winnipeg to St. John's Park along Main Street. This year it went from downtown to the convention centre. Those who have participated in those walks, as I did, will know that there were many women who were wearing ribbon skirts.

The ribbon skirt is more than just a symbol. It is something that is a reflection of life in many ways. It is also intergenerational. We may see a red ribbon on the dress, which I understand is a reflection on murdered and missing indigenous women and girls. We need to recognize that, even though we actually have a red dress day, when we see red dresses in Manitoba hanging from trees, in windows of homes or, obviously, being worn.

These are opportunities. I suspect it is only a question of time before we see some form of programming taking place, whether it is in our schools, in community centres or in the workplace, and there will be opportunities for individuals to become more aware of why the ribbon skirts are so important. One time it was explained to me how a ribbon skirt can be very meaningful in different ways. I was able to do a bit of research this afternoon in anticipation of having the opportunity to see this bill pass. I recognize very much that at the end of the day, statutory holidays matter. Days of recognition also matter.

In fact, when we recognize those days when there is no statutory holiday, it affords another type of opportunity that might not necessarily be there during a statutory holiday. It is what the community wants to make of it. I fully believe we will see opportunities for indigenous and non-indigenous people, for people of all backgrounds, to be engaged and participate directly or indirectly in national ribbon skirt day.

We see it with the national Red Dress Day. In fact, a lot of residual carries over. I know of at least a couple of places where I still see the red dresses up virtually year-round, and there is a message there. I had an interesting discussion with a group of young ladies regarding the red dress and the issue of missing and murdered girls and women. I do not know to what degree people really appreciate the fact, but there are still indigenous girls and women who are disappearing and being murdered.

It is just like we have Orange Shirt Day, which somewhat coincides with the statutory holiday and talks about residential schools and the thousands of students, and I believe it is well over 100,000 over the years, who were taken out of their homes and put into residential schools, and the impact it had.

Culture and heritage means everything. We are very proud of our Canadian heritage, and our Canadian heritage grows virtually every day. Our indigenous heritage, our first nation, Métis and Inuit heritage, is what enables Canada to be a diverse country and adds to its value second to no other community, because it is our first community. We all have a responsibility to understand and appreciate that.

That is why the idea of a national ribbon skirt day is a positive thing, and I would like to compliment all those who were involved in making this legislation possible. I give a very strong shout-out to the young person, Isabella Susanne Kulak, for having the courage to do what she did.

[Rachael Thomas, Conservative, Lethbridge, AB]

Madam Speaker, it is truly a pleasure to have the opportunity to stand in this place to speak to Bill S-219.

As mentioned, the bill calls for national ribbon skirt day to be declared as a part of our commemorative activity on January 4 of each year. It is an opportunity for so much more than just giving importance to a piece of clothing. It is what that piece of clothing or that article points to. It is what it symbolizes. It is what it represents. It is the power within, so it is that I wish to speak to today.

I believe that to gain an appreciation for the bill, we really have to understand a bit of history. There is a recent past, there is a distant past, and then there is today and a way forward. If members will bear with me, I would like to just go through a few of my reflections on those items.

A few years ago there was a young girl by the name of Isabella Kulak. She was a young girl from Cote First Nation, which is in Saskatchewan. She was a riveting young woman and continues to be, and she wore a ribbon skirt to school one day. Unfortunately, an educator commented negatively and told this young women that it was an inappropriate item to wear on what was called “formal day”.

This girl, who was about eight years old at the time, I believe, was berated and shamed in front of her peers and her teachers, which is devastating for a young girl to experience, especially not just the action of the berating and the shame but the fact that it was so deeply attached to her culture, her history and her way of life. The fact that she would be attacked on that, of course, had an impact on this little girl's heart. Her parents very bravely took this story and, with courage, shared it on social media. From there, it spurred a movement.

It captured the attention of not just a few within her city or neighbourhood, but it actually managed to capture the attention of a country and a nation. What is so powerful, and why I am perhaps brought to tears a bit with this story, is that this young girl demonstrated courage and, supported by her parents, she was able to draw attention to something that is so important in our country right now, which is the disadvantage indigenous folks find themselves in and the fact that there are still these persisting inequalities within Canadian society.

As much as it is a ribbon skirt, it is so much more that we would be commemorating through the bill before us and its call for January 4 to be declared national ribbon skirt day.

I wish to share the words of Isabella with the House today and with the Canadian public. She wrote a letter to the Senator from whom the bill originated. Isabella wrote:

My name is Isabella Susanne Kulak and I would like to start off by telling you what the ribbon skirt means to me. The ribbon skirt represents strength, resiliency, cultural identity and womanhood. When I wear my ribbon skirt I feel confident and proud to be a young indigenous girl.

When I was 8 years old I was gifted my very own ribbon skirt from my auntie.... I wore it with pride and honour to my traditional ceremonies and pow wows. On December 18, 2020 it was formal day at Kamsack Comprehensive Institute where I attend school, so I chose to wear my ribbon skirt just like my older sister Gerri. When I got to school a teacher assistant commented on it and said it didn’t even match my shirt and maybe next formal day I should wear something else like another girl was wearing and pointed at her. Those words made me feel pressured to be someone I am not. I eventually took off my skirt as I felt shamed.

Today I no longer feel shamed and I feel proud and powerful enough to move mountains because I know that people from around the world are standing with me. I am very grateful to be Canadian, to be Indian and to represent my people by wearing my ribbon skirt proudly! Thank you to Senator McCallum and to all the people who supported me from around the world, from Canada and from all the First Nations across the nations of the earth.

Sincerely Isabella

It is so important to read her words into the record. I could stand here and talk about the importance of this day or the significance of the skirt, and I will comment on that to some extent, but what is so much more important are the words of this girl who initiated the movement.

To Isabella and many indigenous women across this country, the ribbon skirt serves as a powerful declaration of what it is to be female, what it is to hold a feminine spirit: the strength, the power, the beauty, the resilience, the ability to give and maintain life. These are all parts of what it celebrates.

The ribbon skirt is about indigenous culture, tradition, history and a way of life. The skirt's meaning, yes, does vary from person to person and, of course, the way that it is put together and the colours that are used also vary from person to person. It is meant to be just as unique as the individual who wears it. Because of Isabella, other young girls and women of all ages are now once again able to wear the skirt as a declaration of their power, their resilience and their cultural identity. That is something that is incredibly powerful.

I would like to talk about the more distant past, and it is again with some sorrow that I do because Isabella's actions are particularly powerful when considered against the backdrop of what has happened in this country. In 1885, the potlatch ban was put in place. It actually prevented indigenous folks from being able to wear ribbon skirts. The fact that this eight-year-old girl bravely put one on and wore it to school is profound. Ribbon skirts, along with ceremonial items, were outlawed in that original ban. For us as a culture to once again be able to embrace that and say with a united heart that we accept them and celebrate them is so important today.

While national ribbon skirt day is an important opportunity to celebrate indigenous women and their incredible strength in the face of colonialism, more has to be done. It is one thing to commemorate culture, history, a way of life and the power that is within women, but it is another thing to take concrete action. In this place, we have heard the government talk a lot about missing and murdered indigenous women and, in fact, three years ago a report was done. It is significant. We are missing an integral part of our population in this country. What action has been taken?

Further to that, we have folks in this country who are living without potable water. The members opposite enjoy talking about throwing money at the problem, but getting it resolved has not happened. We have a housing issue in this country. Up north, there are 15 people living in a household. There is mould growing up walls. There are conditions that are not okay. What are we doing about that?

Furthermore, there are so many mental health concerns that have been expressed by indigenous communities. They are asking for assistance. They are asking for treatment with regard to addiction. These folks are also asking for a commitment to moving forward in reconciliation. It takes so much more than just promising funding or delivering good talking points.

As much as this bill is about the ribbon skirt, as much as it is about the courage of Isabella, as much as it is about celebrating culture, history and identity, it is also about calling this place to a way forward, a way forward that allows for economic prosperity among indigenous folks in Canada and allows us to move forward truly reconciled and united toward a vibrant future.

[Jenica Atwin, Liberal, Fredericton, NB]

Madam Speaker, I want to first recognize the unceded Anishinabe territory that we are gathered on this evening, because for the Anishinabe people everything is interconnected, and it is a good reminder that the work we are doing in the House has a ripple effect outside of these walls on the lives of every Canadian. I am proud today and every day of our collective commitment to making Canada more inclusive and culturally safe.

I want to thank everyone who took part in this debate, shared their thoughts and, most importantly, told Isabella that we are listening, that her advocacy matters and that she has the full support of the members of the House. It is indeed a positive message for all indigenous women from coast to coast to coast.

I also want to recognize the member for London West for seconding the bill. I forgot to recognize that the first time I was able to speak to this legislation, and I am grateful for it.

I want to celebrate the member for Halifax West for her intervention in this debate, and the personal commitment she has made in her own riding.

I thank the member for Manicouagan for her passion and grace, and the members for Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock and Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River for their support and excellent work at the indigenous and northern affairs committee. I look forward to further studying this bill there.

I thank the member for Lethbridge, who just gave a very emotional address and asked for better for indigenous people across this country. I want to echo that.

I thank the member for Nunavut for her leadership and collaboration and the member for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski for speaking about missing and murdered indigenous women and wanting to put forward amendments, which I am certainly open to discussing.

I thank the member for Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou for her meaningful intervention this evening, and the members for Kitchener Centre and Saanich—Gulf Islands for their support and friendship.

This is truly a team effort, and these are the good days when we get to be united on something that is so very important and so meaningful.

I want to thank, once again, Senator McCallum for giving me the honour of being the voice of this bill in the House of Commons. She is an inspiration, and I am forever grateful for the privilege of bringing forward her work. I look forward to studying this bill in committee and seeing if there is any way for it to be improved.

As a final note to Isabella, meegwetch. She is an inspiration. Look what she has done; look what she has accomplished. I think she should be so proud. Again, it is an honour to carry her voice in this amazing place.

January 4 is just around the corner, and I am hoping that this day will be enacted in time to celebrate it for the first time in 2023.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

Is the House ready for the question?

[Some hon. members]

Question.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

The question is on the motion.

If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division, or wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

[An hon. member]

On division.

[The Assistant Deputy Speaker (Mrs. Alexandra Mendès), Liberal, Alexandra Mendes]

(Motion agreed to, bill read the second time and referred to a committee)