Canada’s unions support the call for immediate action to end violence against Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people
Canada’s unions are calling the long-awaited report on the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls the necessary and long overdue blueprint for immediate action.
The report, released today, follows three years of painful testimonies from 2000 affected individuals and their families, shared during dozens of community meetings across the country.
“The final report calls what is happening to Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people a ‘genocide’,” said Marie Clarke Walker, Secretary-Treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).
“Indigenous women remain six times more likely than non-Indigenous women to experience gender-based violence in Canada,” noted Walker. “This report must be the blueprint for an urgent action plan to address this national shame.”
Canada’s unions are calling on the federal government to:
- develop an action plan to implement the report’s recommendations;
- fully implement S-3, An Act to Amend the Indian Act; and
- pass Bill C-262, An Act to ensure that the laws of Canada are in harmony with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The report offers sweeping recommendations, including the immediate transformation of Indigenous policing, review and amendments to the Criminal Code to eliminate definitions of offences that minimize the culpability of the offender, and other crucial solutions to make this country a safer place for Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit people.
“Canada’s unions will continue to consult with their working groups and community partners to develop an internal strategy and plan of action to support Indigenous communities,” added Walker.
The CLC and many of its affiliates have been closely monitoring and engaged with the inquiry’s process since its launch in 2015.
