Good morning, honourable committee members, and thank you for inviting NWAC to speak to this important bill.
First I would like to acknowledge that we are gathering on unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin nation. I feel very comfortable here today, because it is my homeland.
Bill C-29, an act to provide for the establishment of a national council for reconciliation, is an important bill and one that NWAC has been waiting for. However, we are disheartened to read that indigenous women have not been included in the bill. Clause 10 indicates that the national council for reconciliation includes three national indigenous organizations, as opposed to five. NWAC is disappointed to be excluded.
This bill established a national council for reconciliation as an independent, non-political, permanent and indigenous-led organization whose purpose is to advance efforts for reconciliation with indigenous people. The bill responds to Truth and Reconciliation calls to action numbers 53 to 55. These calls to action are essential, since they will legislate implementation of all 94 calls to action.
As you know, implementation is the most important part of any measures intended to redress harms. The key areas for reporting under calls 53 to 55 are areas in which residential school abuses and colonialism are reflected in intergenerational trauma.
NWAC has a unique role to play as a member of the national council for reconciliation. For example, NWAC offers a missing and murdered indigenous women and girls lens. We offer specific expertise, tool kits such as culturally relevant gender-based analysis that accounts for intersectionality.
At NWAC we are custodians of programs such as Safe Passage. This is a community-driven, trauma-informed and survivor-centred initiative created by NWAC that tracks cases of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit, transgender and gender-diverse peoples. This project is the first of its kind, led by indigenous people for indigenous people. NWAC is a unique, inclusive representative voice that ensures the MMIWG lens is applied.
Though Canada recognizes five national organizations, including NWAC, only three will be mandated to form the board of directors. Excluding NWAC from national discussions on the implementation of reconciliation is a significant rejection to the organization, as we are recognized experts on matters related to indigenous women and girls. The people represented by NWAC face high rates of institutional betrayal, incarceration, violence and abuse, all issues that should be central to discussion of reconciliation. An NWAC representative on the board of directors of the national council for reconciliation will ensure the process is inclusive and that the voices of indigenous women and gender-diverse people are considered. We are valued leaders, decision-makers and knowledge keepers in our families, communities and governments. Without our perspective, discussions are unlikely to consider gender-based solutions to ongoing systemic discrimination caused by colonialism and patriarchy. This is about equity and claiming matriarchal leadership.
In the Canada-NWAC Accord, Canada committed that they shall consider the distinct perspective of indigenous women and girls and indigenous gender-diverse people. Not including indigenous women in this instance will set a devastating precedent for this country and globally against the current backdrop of a proven genocide against indigenous women and girls.
Honourable members, NWAC is therefore requesting that the bill be amended in clause 10 to include one director for NWAC on the board of the national council for reconciliation. If the bill remains as is, the Government of Canada will have continued to entrench marginalization of indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, transgender and gender-diverse people in legislation.
With that, I'd like to thank you. Chi-meegwetch.Merci.