We have seen an erosion of the status of women from an intersectional point of view during COVID-19. We've seen an escalation in violence in a number of ways. That is borne out in terms of the ongoing and persistent numbers of indigenous women and girls who have gone missing, and also those who have been killed during the last two years.
As you mentioned, this is not a new problem. This is not something that hasn't already been identified quite comprehensively through the national action plan on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. We as an organization were a party with standing during the inquiry process, and what is wonderful about that plan is that it is one of the most comprehensive documents that we have, I dare say, that looks at the root causes of violence across a number of different aspects, and also at solutions.
We have in front of us a platform, a remedy, a way to take action, and I think there are some important tweaks that can be made. One thing that's profoundly and deeply important right now, and it's something we're working on way out here in the west, in British Columbia, is the “by and for” approach to service delivery. We are resourcing, ensuring that there are the capacity and resources for indigenous-led, indigenous women-led organizations, in order to develop, design and deliver services that make sense for the communities in all of the complexity—because this is at the heart.
If we really understand that the making of Canada as a nation has bathed in a very specific kind of subjugation that is unique and horrifying in terms of the way that it's been targeted against indigenous women and girls, in order for us to remedy that, we must prioritize indigenous women-led solutions all across these lands. That includes of course Inuit and Métis, and first nations on reserve but also in urban settings, because as we know it's a very complicated landscape in which the violence occurs.