Debates of May 2nd, 2023

Red Dress Day

[Blake Desjarlais, NDP, Edmonton Griesbach, AB]

Mr. Chair, I want to thank the hon. member for Nanaimo—Ladysmith for her consistent advocacy. I had the opportunity to visit her community to speak directly with indigenous folks who are experiencing many of the difficult issues she has spoken about, particularly some of the issues related to murdered and missing women.

What she spoke about just now is a sad and terrible truth. For 21 years, this woman has been missing. I was there, and I was able to feel her spirit in the people's advocacy with posters and signs. Her name was spoken daily in Nanaimo—Ladysmith when I went to visit. However, the solutions need to be solutions of accountability when it comes to ensuring that our sisters are found.

The police need to take an honest and clear look in the mirror to understand what their obligations are. As a matter of fact, we need a national inquiry into the conduct of police when these things happen.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Chair, as always, it is an honour and a privilege to rise on behalf of my community of Peterborough—Kawartha as their voice in the House of Commons.

This evening we are participating in a take-note debate on Red Dress Day. For those tuning in at home who may not know what a take-note debate is, it is type of debate that allows members of Parliament to debate a matter of public policy without any decisions being made. It does sound a little frustrating, but it is also very important to highlight key things that are happening in this House and things that need to be done.

Red Dress Day, also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People, is observed on May 5. The day honours and brings awareness to the thousands of indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people who have been subject to disproportionate violence in Canada.

Red Dress Day was inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black's “REDress Project” installation, in which she hung empty red dresses to represent the missing and murdered women. Red dresses have become symbolic of the crisis as a result of her installation.

The stats on our current state of affairs on this issue speak for themselves. The 2019 general social survey, or GSS, on victimization, along with Statistics Canada data indicated that indigenous women were more likely to experience intimate partner violence than non-indigenous women. During a study on sex trafficking of indigenous peoples, experts said 52% of human trafficking victims are indigenous, 52%. The average age of exploitation of an indigenous girl was 12 years old.

Although the indigenous population up to the age of 14 makes up 7.7%, almost 8%, of all Canadian children, they represent 52% of the children in care. Studies have highlighted that having been a child in the welfare system was the most common denominator among women and girls who entered prostitution.

In December, I stood in this House during a take-note debate on the serial killer in Winnipeg and the failure of the Liberal government to protect vulnerable indigenous women and girls despite having the tools to protect them. What are these tools I speak of? They are the 231 calls to action outlined in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls report which was released in 2019. These 231 calls are specific to help stop the murder of indigenous women.

Here we are four months later with very little change. Former Commissioner Robinson said it best about the Liberals last April in an interview for Aboriginal Peoples Television Network:

They must do more than show you the budgets that they’ve spent and the line items attached. They must be prepared to show you how it has affected people’s lives. You must learn to understand and they must demonstrate how their actions, decisions, have informed and enhanced the lives of people.

We have learned success cannot be measured strictly by government dollars spent or programs created. Meaningful reconciliation involves more than just photo ops and take-note debates with no decisions. It requires partnership and collaboration with indigenous communities across Canada.

Recently I had the opportunity to tour the new state-of-the-art facility across the river in Gatineau at the Native Women's Association of Canada. This pin is actually from there. It is a beautiful pin. Anybody watching should take the time to visit this unbelievable building, this social enterprise. This Friday, on Red Dress Day, May 5, they are going to be open from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. People will not be disappointed by the incredible knowledge that is in that building. It is also visually incredible and has the rich history. It is definitely worth the time. It is just over the river in Gatineau.

In June 2022, the Native Women's Association of Canada released their annual scorecard on Canada's missing and murdered indigenous women action plan. This is an annual report outlining the federal government's progress on implementing the commitments made in the plan. I would like to quote a few of their findings in the report:

It becomes clear, when assessing the government’s National Action Plan goals and the actions deemed necessary to achieve them, that little headway has been made over the past 12 months toward ending the violence. Few of the promised actions have been completed, some have seen a little progress, but far too many remain untouched. This lack of urgency is especially concerning given the fact that the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry are legal imperatives dictated to end a genocide. For that reason, this report grades the government’s performance, one year after the release of its National Action Plan, to be a FAILURE.

It is another F, another fail, by the Liberal government under the leadership, or should I say the lack of leadership, of this Prime Minister. I know there are lots of colleagues across the way who care. I do put a lot of this responsibility on their leader because leadership comes from the top down. There is an ability to change. There is the power the Prime Minister holds and we have not seen that power executed.

There is so much more work to be done to protect the lives of indigenous women and girls across our country. This starts with the federal government's implementing its portion of the 231 calls for justice, including a standardization of protocols for policies and practices that ensure that all cases are thoroughly investigated; establishing a national task force to review and, if required, to reinvestigate cases across Canada; and ensuring that protection orders are available, accessible, promptly issued, and effectively serviced and resourced to protect victims.

“Implementation starts tomorrow.” That was the quote from the former Crown-indigenous relations minister, Carolyn Bennett, in 2021 with the announcement of the missing and murdered indigenous women national action plan—

[The Chair, Conservative, Chris d'Entremont]

Order. Members cannot mention the name of a member who is in the chamber.

The hon. member for Peterborough—Kawartha.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Chair, here we are, two years later, and tomorrow still has not come.

This is an issue that hits home in my community. I have talked about this in the past, but it certainly warrants repeating. Cileana Taylor was 22 years old when she was assaulted in September 2020. Her brain injury left her in a coma for five months. She died in February 2021. The man who assaulted Cileana was not charged with murder and he is currently walking free on the street.

What happened to Cileana and what continues to happen in this country to indigenous women is an injustice. It is shameful and it rests solely on the backs of the inaction of this Prime Minister and the Liberal government's failed catch-and-release bail system. Indigenous women's and girls' lives matter. Cileana's life matters. The calls for justice are not photo ops and they are not optional. They are necessary to create the substantial and systemic change necessary to end the ongoing violence.

There is something we can do today. It is a simple, actionable item. We have an Amber Alert and it helps find children quickly by leveraging technology. A red dress alert can do the same. It is a simple, actionable item that every single member in this House can get behind. While we wait for these actionable items to be put into place, why not try something tangible that we can put in place today? A red dress alert would stop indigenous women from being murdered and going missing. It seems pretty simple.

Enough is enough. We need action. I stand in solidarity with all the members in this House tonight to say that a red dress alert is something we can get behind. We need to stop indigenous women from going missing and being murdered.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, what a pleasure it is to work with my hon. colleague on the status of women committee. We are in different political parties, yet we strive to find common ground on so many issues to fight for women.

Former Prime Minister Harper, at a time when we had to fight for a national inquiry, indicated in this House it was not on his radar when women were coming forward sounding the alarm around the ongoing genocide of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls. That sparked my motivation to start, along with Rain Hamilton, the We Care campaign to fight for a national inquiry and to get allies on board to fight to put in place a national inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women and girls.

It is very nice to see the member from the Conservative Party supporting our calls for justice regarding a red dress alert. I encourage other members of her party to share her enthusiasm and compassion when it comes to trying to understand and address the crisis of murdered and missing indigenous women and girls.

The crisis continues. One of the areas we know contributes to violence, which is something we talk about a lot in the status of women committee, is the need to implement a guaranteed livable basic income. All gender-based violence organizations have unanimously supported this call. If we want to deal with gender-based violence head on, then we need to implement a guaranteed livable basic income. That is something everybody seems to recognize.

We know there is a direct correlation between poverty and violence. We know that indigenous women and girls and trans women are some of the poorest in this country as a result of violent colonization and violent dispossession.

Does my colleague agree with me? Would she support a guaranteed livable basic income as a means to tackle gender-based violence in the country?

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Chair, the member across the way is a wonderful colleague to work with and teaches me lots. I enjoy working with her. We definitely see things differently when it comes to universal basic income. I know that is a big passion of hers.

There is something that would be amazing, and I believe her colleague touched on it when he talked about healing circles. We recently had a witness in the status of women committee on human trafficking. She was brought here as a Hungarian immigrant and she was trafficked. She spoke about solutions they have to help women get back into real life and the supports they need. It is not just giving them housing or money without supports, but giving them the tools to relearn things that were taken from them.

There is some value and we can learn from that model. I think there are workable models. My colleague and I could find common ground on this in terms of how we support and help give back autonomy to the life that has been taken from so many of these women who have been victims of violence.

[Jenica Atwin, Liberal, Fredericton, NB]

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague for the very inspiring speech this evening and for taking part in tonight's debate. I thank all members in this chamber.

I think about some of the indigenous-led solutions in my home riding that are really making an impact and difference, like our wonderful Under One Sky Friendship Centre.

Can the member speak to the important role friendship centres play in this as well?

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Chair, that is a really great question and it is clearly a very important role when we look at truth and reconciliation, but also giving back autonomy. There is a great saying, and it would be great if it was implemented: Nothing about us without us. Friendship centres are imperative. A lot of the indigenous people I know were taken from their homes, their culture and their roots. It is a journey to get back to who they were and what they were. I find extreme value in the friendship centres.

[Jamie Schmale, Conservative, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock, ON]

Mr. Chair, I do appreciate the opportunity to participate in this very important discussion. One of the things the member talked about in her very passionate speech was not only to end the violence that is occurring, but also to create opportunities and supports for those in need.

Can the member expand on that? I think that was an important part she touched on and it is something that adds real value to this conversation.

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Chair, one of the things that I think is really critical in this discussion is giving back the power that was taken away. When we look at victims, the biggest thing is that power is taken away.

We were actually studying Bill C-35 in committee, which is is on child care, and we just wrapped it up today. My colleague for Winnipeg Centre put forward an amendment looking at free, prior and informed consent and giving indigenous peoples the choice to choose what is best for their children, and I could not agree more.

I think that is what we need to do as leaders in Parliament: give back power and autonomy to the indigenous communities. They know what to do. They do not need the government to tell them what to do or how to do it. They know exactly what their people need, and they should be in charge of deciding what is best for their people.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Mr. Chair, one of the issues the member raised was about indigenous children who have been brought into care, and far too many of them have. In fact, in my home community of Vancouver East, our community call this the modern-day residential school where indigenous children have been taken into care. What is worse is that when they come out of care, they have zero support whatsoever, and many of them do not have access to housing. In fact, in British Columbia, 15% of the homeless population are youth. This is not acceptable.

In the the “Calls for Justice” report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, there were 231 calls for justice, and housing was mentioned in that report numerous times.

My question to the member is this: Should we not now have a dedicated approach on a for indigenous, by indigenous housing strategy that targets indigenous youth, particularly those who are coming out of care and those who are from the LGBTQ2+ community as well?

[Michelle Ferreri, Conservative, Peterborough—Kawartha, ON]

Mr. Chair, that is a great question.

We had the opportunity, through the status of women committee when we were recently doing a tour studying human trafficking, to go to Sault Ste. Marie, and we visited a centre that oversaw indigenous care. It was an incredible facility, and speaking exactly to what my colleague was just asking about, it has increased indigenous children in care, which was up an extreme amount. However, with the money that was being spent, there was no housing. So, the member is extremely on point in terms of having access to the tools that are needed, housing and supportive housing.

One of the things we do not talk enough about in this House of Commons is that housing is fine, but when we are dealing with people who have never been given the tools or knowledge, especially young children who have never been loved in the way they were supposed to be loved by no fault of their own, the parents' own, they need supports, they need connections and they need a lot of wraparound support. I definitely think we need to be focusing on that.

To tie back to what I said earlier, we need to listen to the people who are dealing with these children on what their needs are so that we can make sure that we are giving them the right resources that they need.

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth]

Mr. Chair, I will be sharing my time today with the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Before I begin, I also wanted to take a moment to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe nation.

It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to rise tonight for this important debate and to have the opportunity to speak on behalf of my riding of Kanata—Carleton.

May 5 marks the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and Two-Spirit People. This day, of course, we all know is known as Red Dress Day. On this day each year, red dresses are hung in public places across the country: in windows, on monuments and on trees. They are a stark and visual reminder of the indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people who have not come home to their families and communities.

Every year on this day, we come together across the country in rallies and in ceremonies, uniting in grief and in resolution to do better and to be better. On May 5, we are reminded that we must do more to protect the lives of indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

As we remember those who have been victims of gender-based and racialized violence, we must also acknowledge the reality that indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people continue to experience violence, no matter where they live. Although indigenous women represent only 5% of the female population in this country, they continue to experience disproportionate rates of violence. Indigenous women and girls are five times more likely to be victims of homicide than non-indigenous women and girls in this country.

The lived reality behind this data is made evident in the news. We continue to have too many reminders of how much work remains to be done. Too many families, communities, children and friends are left to mourn their loved ones. The death of indigenous women in such tragic and horrific circumstances is not just a loss to their families and friends; it is a loss for us all.

To move reconciliation forward, everyone across Canada must walk this path together.

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was an important step in bringing this national crisis to the forefront of public awareness. As we all know, the national inquiry's final report contained 231 calls for justice from governments, institutions, social service providers, industries and all Canadians. It has also called for the creation of a national action plan.

The Government of Canada released the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People, its contribution to a national action plan. The pathway outlines the government's efforts to end gender-based violence and the systemic racism responsible for missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

To support the federal pathway, the government announced over $13 million in 2019 for women and gender equality to support 100 commemoration initiatives across the country, to help honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

In addition, we announced $55 million through budget 2021 over five years from WAGE to bolster the capacity of indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention and programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+people.

So far, we have announced funding to regional organizations in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan and British Columbia to support their GBV programming, and we also launched the national action plan to end gender-based violence. The action plan serves as a federal-provincial-territorial framework for a Canada free of gender-based violence.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, I have the pleasure to work with my colleague on the Standing Committee on the Status of Women. She was talking about funding announcements.

I want to remind my colleague, with all due respect, of the announcement of cutting $150 million from shelters in September. We know rates of gender-based violence are increasing. Although the reasoning was emergency funding during the pandemic, the pandemic may be shifting, but the crisis of gender-based violence has been increasing and this cut is going to cost lives.

We talk about $55 million over five years. We know it is inadequate. I mentioned it to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. I know it is inadequate because people, indigenous women, girls, two-spirit, diverse-gendered individuals and trans women, continue to be murdered and go missing at crisis levels.

Just this week, we found out about a little child who had been murdered in Samson Cree Nation. Another woman in Sandy Bay, from the Roulette family, I found out has been murdered. This is a daily occurrence.

For the government to praise its investments makes me feel, as an indigenous woman, that we should be satisfied, when we clearly should not be satisfied. We are yelling in the streets of Winnipeg that we are not garbage. Can one imagine? This is not a time for celebration.

Although I really appreciate working with the member across the way on the status of women committee, I hope at the very least we can admit in this House the government and all governments have failed in investing to protect indigenous women and girls and diverse-gendered folks in this country. Can we please at least acknowledge that truth, because we are dying?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Kanata—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, I thank my colleague across the way for her advocacy. It is a pleasure working with her on FEWO, and like was said by another member across the way, continuing to learn from her as well.

It is fair to say we will continue to walk the path of reconciliation with indigenous people. Women, children, 2SLGBTQIA+ and two-spirit individuals are at the centre of the work that the ministry and I continue to do.

With respect to funding specifically for shelters, what I would like to point out is that undoubtedly our government stepped up when COVID hit and additional funds were put in place to ensure women had a safe place to land.

Further to that, where we are now, I am quite happy to say we have now an agreement on the national action plan to end gender-based violence with the provinces and territories. That is $539 million we are putting in their hands to help direct those resources to the shelters and to the communities and resources that need it most.

I do believe by working closely with community, with indigenous people, this money will be spent in the best possible way to ensure women, girls, 2SLGBTQIA+ and two-spirit individuals have a safe place to land.

[Jenica Atwin, Liberal, Fredericton, NB]

Mr. Chair, could the hon. member further elaborate on the national action plan to end gender-based violence and some of the concrete steps that might impact indigenous women and girls across the country?

[Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Kanata—Carleton, ON]

Mr. Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for her advocacy and ongoing work.

I mentioned the national action plan to end gender-based violence and that we were able to announce an agreement in principle with the provinces and territories a few months back. As I said, this is almost half a billion dollars being invested back into our communities to help women, girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. We are working with the provinces and territories directly on their priorities and projects so they are able to ensure women and girls have a safe place to land at the end of the day.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health]

Mr. Chair, I would like to start by acknowledging that we are on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.

May 5, Red Dress Day, is a day to reflect, mourn and recommit to our continued work together to put an end to this ongoing national tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

On Red Dress Day and every day, our hearts are with families and survivors as we mourn and honour missing and murdered indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

Jaime Black, as the Minister for Northern Affairs reminded us, began The REDress Project, where we saw empty red dresses blowing in the wind from trees and hanging on lampposts. We wear red dresses on this day to support families and survivors and to honour all the lives lost and those whose lives have been ever changed by violence toward indigenous women and girls and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.

Canada's colonial past, along with sexism, ableism, racism, homophobia and transphobia, and the unacceptable actions and inactions of past governments, have created systemic discrimination. These systemic inequities must end for indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to be safe wherever they live.

For decades, families, survivors and communities have been demanding justice, healing and concrete actions to stop this tragedy. It has been that way since the death of Helen Betty Osborne in 1971. That was over 50 years ago.

I remember that one of my first meetings here on the Hill, probably not knowing very much about this situation, was with Bernie Williams and Gladys Radek, who crossed this country seven times in their walk for justice. That was 20 years ago, and I learned much from these truly inspirational people about the need for justice, healing and concrete actions to stop this tragedy.

It was the tragic death of Tina Fontaine that galvanized the nation and the long-standing calls for a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. We launched the national inquiry in 2016, and its final report in June 2019 recommended concrete actions to end violence through systemic, substantial and transformative change. We recommend that all Canadians read or reread “Reclaiming Power and Place” and the calls for justice to raise awareness, broaden understanding and then take action.

The national inquiry called on all governments, federal, provincial, territorial and indigenous, to work together to build an effective and responsible national action plan.

We were truly inspired by the work done with families, survivors and over 100 indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people to develop the regional, first nations, Inuit, Métis, urban, two-spirit+ and data components of the whole-of-Canada action plan to respond to the calls for justice. Incredible indigenous leaders like Diane Redsky and Sylvia Maracle helped to ensure that the action plan reflected the urban indigenous perspectives and the unique lived experiences of indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people from across the country.

We know that much more work needs to be done. Budget 2021 invested $2.2 billion over five years. Building on that is more than $2.7 billion in funding to support housing in indigenous communities. Budget 2022 invested another $4.3 billion to support housing in first nations and Inuit communities.

We are determined to continue our ongoing work in co-operation with our indigenous, provincial and territorial partners in order to put an end to this tragedy.

As the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, I pledge to ensure indigenous-led, trauma-informed, culturally safe care for all first nations, Inuit and Métis across this country. We will fight for reforms in child and family services, indigenous policing, indigenous housing and all the social determinants of health so we can end this terrible tragedy.

[Lori Idlout, NDP, Nunavut, NU]

Uqaqtittiji, I thank the minister for her intervention. I know she has been a minister for many years, and I know she has heard from many first nations, Métis and Inuit over her time as a politician in many different portfolios.

I am sure she has heard from families, survivors and advocates who are calling on the federal government to declare the continued loss of indigenous women and girls and two-spirit people a Canada-wide emergency. Indeed, that is what the motion calls for. I wonder if the minister supports this call.

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Toronto—St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Chair, I thank the member for her ongoing advocacy and her always eloquent and heartfelt interventions in this House.

I remember the terrible debate on the convoy and how diligent the member was in fighting for justice and fighting for the feeling of safety that had been lost in this town.

I think we are fighting an ongoing tragedy across this country and it is an emergency. However, it means that everybody has to see themselves in the solutions. It means that everybody has to know to call out discrimination and deal with it every day of their lives, not just on May 5 or October 4, but every day of the year.

[Taylor Bachrach, NDP, Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC]

Mr. Chair, I was reading through the calls for justice from the national inquiry, and I just want to cite one of them:

3.2 We call upon all governments to provide adequate, stable, equitable, and ongoing funding for Indigenous-centred and community-based health and wellness services that are accessible and culturally appropriate, and meet the health and wellness needs of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people. The lack of health and wellness services within Indigenous communities continues to force Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people to relocate in order to access care.

Representing a remote area of northwest British Columbia that I know the minister is familiar with, I know this issue affects so many people. There are not enough wellness facilities for the people who need the help. People are forced to travel to faraway communities, often to the Lower Mainland of B.C. Those services are not accessible enough.

The Northern First Nations Alliance has a vision for a healing centre that would provide culturally appropriate care in communities in northwest B.C. They are struggling to get the funding support they need to provide this help to people in northwest B.C.

My question to the minister is a very simple one. Can they expect financial support from her government in a timely way to ensure this facility gets up and running as soon as possible?

[Carolyn Bennett, Liberal, Toronto—St. Paul's, ON]

Mr. Chair, I thank the member for his ongoing commitment to his community, to fairness and to the culturally safe, indigenous-led approach that leads to durable solutions.

In the budget and in the February 7 announcement of the Prime Minister, we were very pleased to see not only $200 billion ongoing for 10 years, but $25 billion for serious action plans from all the provinces and territories on the four pillars, and the extra $2 billion for indigenous-led health and social services.

I look forward to working with the Minister of Indigenous Services to do whatever it takes to build those bottom-up solutions not only in remote and rural areas but in urban centres as well.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Chair, it is so important that we are all gathered here today as we are discussing this issue. I would like to thank all of the speakers prior and all those coming after me.

I am looking at some of the speakers and notice many members of the status of women committee speaking on this important topic tonight. I think it is wonderful. I guess if we need to get it done, we will just take it to the status of women committee, right ladies?

The murdered and missing women and girls issue in Canada is a well-known phenomenon that has been plaguing the country for decades. The issue gained notoriety in the country's consciousness in recent years, but it has been an ongoing problem for indigenous women and girls for much longer.

According to the Native Women's Association of Canada, there have been over 1,200 indigenous women and girls reported missing and murdered between 1980 and 2012 in the country. However, this number is believed to be much higher since many cases had gone unreported or were misclassified as non-indigenous, which actually limits the accurate documentation of the issue.

The previous research done for the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls issue has revealed that the problem has a complex and multi-faceted root, including colonization, the residential school system, systemic violence and oppression, and ignorance about indigenous culture and heritage. The horrors of the residential schools that indigenous people experienced have had a traumatic effect on generations of families and individuals.

This brings me September 30 and the importance of gathering together from all walks of life in our communities to meet with those persons who were representing indigenous communities. We know that a lot of time has passed, but we have a lot of things that we must go forward on in working together. Reconciliation is about the communities all coming together, as I said, from all walks of life, to ensure that we build these links and bridges that we have lost.

The issue of missing and murdered women and girls has been exacerbated by a lack of accurate data, a poorly equipped legal system and limited accountability for perpetrators. Indigenous women and girls experience gendered and racialized violence at a much higher rate than non-indigenous women, and this is due to the history of colonization, which deeply entrenched systemic inequalities. The history is compounded by a lack of government interest in this issue, and the belief that indigenous women and girls are unworthy and not to be considered as first-class victims of violent crimes.

I want to stop here, because I think this is something we hear all the time. I heard multiple times from the member for Winnipeg Centre, who came forward and had to share some of the tragic stories of things that are happening in her own community. The fact is that these young women and girls are not seen as worthy. I have heard time and time again members from the community talk about the unworthiness and of people feeling second class.

However, it is up to us to change that. It is up to the members of Parliament and all Canadians to work together. This is is part of the reconciliation. It is recognizing that when people are being treated as second-class citizens, they are being treated like objects. They are being treated like they are garbage to throw away. The words that the member for Winnipeg Centre said before, unfortunately, I do believe ring true in some cases, that people do not understand that these are women's lives, these are daughters, sisters, mothers and aunties. These are women's lives, and they deserve to be fought for, they deserve to be found and they deserve to see that this never happens.

Furthermore, the societal displacement and dislocation that indigenous women and girls experience has made them more susceptible to violence and harassment. It occurs not only outside indigenous communities, but with both non-indigenous and indigenous men who target them as lower status.

When we are talking about missing and murdered indigenous women, regardless of all of the data, and we know that there is a lot of information there, it really comes down to societal change where we say that indigenous women matter. It comes back to the whole thing that is to love, to matter and the mental health pieces, which are lacking for so many of the women who have lived on reserve and have not had proper housing or proper care. They see their job is to be there and, in some cases, their job is to be the object of violence. We know this to be true, and we know that with intergenerational trauma over the years, there is difficulty for that perception to change. For all the generations that were there, it takes time to go back as well, and there is a lot of undoing that we must do.

We look at the unethical treatment in the justice system. This is something that we can talk about, recognizing the number of people who are in prisons and looking at those numbers. We have to also understand the justice system. The missing and murdered indigenous women and girls report talked about the bias. It talked about the bias of the justice system.

I recall when I was growing up, as I think we all do, some of the slang words that were used. I have heard them sometimes from people in the chamber and outside the chamber. When we start disrespecting people and, as we say in this House, when we start calling people names, we are not valuing those people. We have seen that time and time again with our indigenous population, specifically the women and girls who deserve to be recognized, deserve to be loved and deserve to be standing among every single person in Canada as an equal.

However, we have not seen this. The missing and murdered indigenous women and girls report released in 2019 pointed out that the systemic bias is there. It is real. We see it in our police. We have seen it in law enforcement with some of the different issues that happen. This comes with training. This comes with recognizing the past and building those bridges.

Over time, all of that has been broken. Not only the government but all Canadians need to work to rebuild those bridges. We need to work with our police force to rebuild those bridges. We need to make sure that when people go into the criminal justice system, they are going to be treated fairly and there will not be bias. Unfortunately, that is part of the issue. They are going into something they feel they will already fail in.

We are looking at the red dress alert system as the key issue here. In my bedroom when I hear the beep that goes off here in Ontario letting us know that a child is missing, I know there is a call to action. There is a call to action from the people who live in Canada, or live in Ontario specifically, that we need to be on the lookout. That is something I make sure to share. That is something I am watching for.

There have been some transient people in my community. We want to make sure everybody is safe. We want to make sure everybody is accounted for. When looking at this, we need to make sure this is also extended to women. There are indigenous women and girls who have been lost and who have been buried in landfills. This is not acceptable at all. We have heard about young women in garbage bins. No person's life belongs in a garbage bin. That is why we need to work together on this.

When it comes to the red dress alert, I will be fully supportive of it. We need to make sure that it is done by the people themselves, that it is done by the community, that it is done by the indigenous people ensuring their communities are safe. We are working to make sure that the resources are available for them.

It is not just the red dress alert that we need. There are multiple things that we need for those living on reserve and those living off reserve. When it comes to indigenous women and girls, we need to make sure they have the assistance they need. This includes assistance in going to a shelter when fleeing violence, and medical care when living on reserve when the only way to get to a doctor is by getting on an airplane. We need to make sure they have that care and those resources, and that they are accessible.

Unfortunately, we have not seen that. I have heard members across the way talk about those resources not being available in communities. We need to make a dedicated promise that we are not going to break. I have heard people talk about governments now and before. It is all of us who need to work together. We have all made mistakes in the past, and it is time that we work together to fix this.

[Leah Gazan, NDP, Winnipeg Centre, MB]

Mr. Chair, I cannot say how touched I am tonight, because this is about being seen as human beings. I am sorry; I am emotional. It is a non-partisan issue. It is a human issue. Talking about funding announcements detaches the government from us, as indigenous women, girls, transwomen and non-binary people, as loving human beings.

I want to thank my colleague for being such a marvellous chair on the status of women committee. I really appreciated her talking about how we have all made mistakes in this place and how we have to unite together to deal with this Canada-wide crisis, because it is a crisis. Our community is in a constant state of grief, because we are losing children, sisters, aunties and mothers. It is not a funding announcement. There are kids growing up without mothers. Can members imagine? We have kids aging out of care onto the streets, because society has deemed them disposable even though they are worthy of the same human rights.

I wonder if my colleague can expand on how she thinks we can work together as parliamentarians to deal with this Canada-wide human rights crisis.

[Karen Vecchio, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Mr. Chair, I thank the member for teaching me to become a person who understands this a lot better. Seeing it through her eyes or sharing the experiences that she shares with her own community makes us all better people. It makes us all recognize what a job we can do. That is how we work together, by sharing who we are.

Earlier today, I texted a lady asking where she was, and she responded by asking if I was okay. She was worried about me, for goodness' sake. When people work together and build relationships, amazing things can happen. I thank the member for all the hard work she is doing. I have her back and I know she has mine.