Indigenous activists urge Ottawa to act

Crown-Indigenous relations minister says his government is failing to protect women and girls

The arrest of a man accused of killing four women, all believed to be Indigenous, shows vulnerable women and girls are subject to the dangerous outcomes if governments don’t work together to end gender and race-based violence, Indigenous advocates say.

Several Indigenous groups are urging governments and other institutions in power to fulfil the 231 Calls for Justice outlined in the final report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, released in 2019.

“The political will of all levels of government is required to end this ongoing genocide,” the National Family and Survivors Circle said in a statement Friday.

The group said Indigenous women are disproportionate victims of violence in Canada due to “unchecked racism and misogyny.”

Winnipeg police on Thursday charged Jeremy Skibicki, 35, with first-degree murder in the deaths of Morgan Harris, 39; Marcedes Myran, 26; and an unidentified woman. Their bodies have not been found.

Skibick was arrested and charged May 18 with first-degree murder in the death of Rebecca Contois, 24. Her partial remains were found in a garbage bin near an apartment building and police later found the rest of her remains in a Winnipeg landfill.

Contois, Harris and Myran are Indigenous and police said they believe the fourth victim is Indigenous as well.

“Their deaths serve as horrific proof that serious actions must be taken to stop these crimes,” the Native Women’s Association of Canada said in a statement.

“They explain why the government cannot just hold an inquiry and say job done. The inquiry was just the first step. Now it is time for serious action.”

The federal government released its national action plan last year, on the second anniversary of the release of the final report, which some criticized because of its lack of devoted funding, timelines or measurable goals.

The Native Women’s Association released its own report card on the government’s progress earlier this year and found little progress had been achieved.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller said the federal government is failing in its responsibility to protect Indigenous women and girls.

“It’s a legacy of a devastating history that has reverberations today,” he said. “No one can stand in front of you with confidence to say that this won’t happen again, and I think that’s kind of shameful.”

The federal government released its action plan last year, which some criticized because of its lack of devoted funding, timelines or measurable goals