Province to annually honour murdered and missing indigenous women

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This article was published 24/05/2017 (2526 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba is poised to become the first province to set aside an official day to honour murdered and missing indigenous women and girls and their families.

Bill 221, The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Honouring and Awareness Day Act, was passed unanimously in the legislature Thursday morning. It is expected to come into effect by the end of the legislative session June 1.

The bill, introduced by NDP MLA Nahanni Fontaine (St. Johns), would set aside Oct. 4 each year as an official day to honour and bring attention to Manitoba’s missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, and raise awareness of the systemic levels of violence against them.

More than 1,200 indigenous women and girls have been reported missing or murdered across Canada since 1980, Fontaine said. Oct. 4 is a traditional day for vigils across the country for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.

“An official day will bring greater recognition of the crisis of violence against indigenous women and girls,” Fontaine said. “It is one small step toward honouring those whose lives were tragically lost and it recognizes the deep and ongoing anguish felt by the surviving family members of these women and girls.”