Message from the National Family and Survivors Circle’s

“The Path Forward – Reclaiming Power and Place” is the National Family and Survivors Circle’s contribution to the 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People. A summary of key components is provided in this National Action Plan document. It is available in full at our website at https://familysurvivorscircle.ca. “The Path Forward
– Reclaiming Power and Place” highlights our advocacy and guidance to the National Action Plan development partners.

Message from the Core Working Group

The Core Working Group is collaborating with the National Family and Survivors Circle and Contributing Partners to co-develop a National Action Plan that will drive transformative change to end systemic racism and violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. Survivors and family members are central in the development and implementation of the Plan.

The National Action Plan is meant to be an overarching framework which connects the work of the National Family and Survivors Circle and the Contributing Partners but recognizes each of their different paths and priorities. Therefore, the National Family and Survivors Circle, Contributing Partners, and provinces and territories are developing their own strategies or action plans.

Our work is not done – the 2021 National Action Plan is a first step towards ending all forms of gender- and race-based violence. It is a living and evergreen document which lays the way forward and is adaptable so that changing needs can be incorporated. The next step involves preparation of an implementation plan with in-depth descriptions of short-, medium- and long-term priorities, and the identification of those responsible for implementation of each action, as well as milestones and required resources.

The National Action Plan also responds to the report entitled “Métis Perspectives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and LGBTQ2S+ People”, released on June 30, 2019, by Les Femmes Michif Otipemisiwak (LFMO).

Short-Term Goals Priorities

The National Action Plan identifies 23 short-term priorities under the following 7 goals, identifying the Themes and alignment with specific Calls to Justice:

1. Achieve transformative changes in attitudes, behaviours, and knowledge within the broader society to prevent and end the root causes of systemic racism, inequality, injustice, and violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people in Canada
2. Keep families and survivors at the centre of the process and provide concrete support to survivors and families of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people
3. Support the delivery of programs and services by Indigenous organizations, including at the grassroots level, to address all forms of gender- and race- based violence
4. Address the broader root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people
5. Develop a national Indigenous human rights accountability mechanism focused on Indigenous human rights that include inherent, Treaty, and Constitutional rights. This mechanism will create shared accountability for upholding the human rights of Indigenous Peoples regarding gender-based violence
6. Support a paradigm shift in policies and systems across Canada which defines transformative change in justice, health and wellness, human security, culture, and Indigenous human rights that include inherent, Treaty, and Constitutional rights
7. Establish a culturally appropriate Indigenous data infrastructure reflective of Indigenous and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, based on Indigenous data sovereignty and culturally rooted and distinctions-based indicators

Immediate Next Steps

The National Inquiry’s Call for Justice 1.1(i) called for development and implementation of a flexible and distinctions-based National Action Plan, including regionally-specific plans with devoted funding and timelines for implementation, rooted in local cultures and communities of diverse Indigenous identities, with measurable goals and necessary resources dedicated to capacity building, sustainability, and long-term solutions. This 2021 National Action Plan lays out guiding principles, goals, short- term priorities, immediate next steps, and a strategy/action plan from the National Family and Survivors Circle, Contributing Partners, and provinces/territories. As discussed below, an in-depth implementation plan for the National Action Plan will be developed with more specific information on the short-term priorities, as well as the identification of medium- and long-term priorities. In addition, it will include funding, timelines and who is responsible for implementation.

The National Action Plan is not intended to be a final plan but one that is evergreen and requires monitoring and reporting on progress, as well as further co-development and course correction as required. It also needs to be flexible to address the needs of remote, rural, and urban communities. On the path to ending violence, reclaiming power and place, and restoring the roles and responsibilities of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, some of the 231 Calls for Justice and 62 Calls for Miskotahâ can be implemented fairly quickly. However, others will require careful planning to achieve the desired results.

The National Inquiry’s Call for Justice 1.1 calls upon federal, provincial, territorial, municipal, and Indigenous governments, in partnership with Indigenous people, to develop and implement a National Action Plan to address violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. The following are immediate next steps that governments and representative Indigenous organizations will focus on over the next 12 months to implement the National Action Plan.

1. Immediate Support Services for Survivors and Family Members
   • Provide funding to establish accessible healing and support services for survivors and family members of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people wherever they are.
   • Develop a comprehensive approach for providing support to Indigenous and 2SLGBTQQIA+ victims and families/ friends of Indigenous missing or murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
2. Continued Involvement of Survivors and Family Members in the Implementation of the National Action Plan
   • With adequate funding, the National Family and Survivors Circle will develop and implement an engagement strategy that provides further opportunity for family and survivors to provide insight and input into the National Action Plan’s next steps.
   • The Contributing Partners will continue to complete their Action and Implementation Plans built upon their engagement with survivors and family members.
3. Create an Oversight Body
   • Creation of an oversight body which represents the interests of families, survivors, and Indigenous communities by investigating and addressing complaints of mal-administration or a violation of right.
4. Public Awareness and Training
   • Begin immediate work on the development of a public education/ awareness campaign on the issues Indigenous people experience and to challenge the acceptance and normalization of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
   • Implement trauma-informed training for those who work with Indigenous people, on topics such as history, culture, issues, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-homophobia, transphobia, etc.
5. Immediate Development of an Implementation Plan
   • Develop an Implementation Plan for the National Action Plan that includes the short-term priorities identified in the National Action Plan, as well as medium- and long-term priorities that will lead to real systemic change.
   • Each priority will include specific actions, expected outcomes, timelines, and resources.
   • Determine mechanisms and processes for national independent oversight and coordination of the National Action Plan, that includes Contributing Partners and governments with financial support.
   • Continuance of Contributing Partners to continue to develop their implementation plans.
   • Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of all governments (federal, provincial/territorial, municipal, Indigenous) and Indigenous organizations to implement the 231 Calls for Justice and 62 Calls for Miskotahâ.
   • Develop an accountability/results structure for the National Action Plan.
   • An Indigenous and gender-based analysis plus (GBA Plus) lens will be applied to the implementation plan.
6. Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Federal-Provincial/ Territorial Table
   • Create a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Federal- Provincial/Territorial Table to provide a specific forum to consider and coordinate intergovernmental collaboration and discussion on various areas such as administrative issues, policy, resourcing, resolution of interjurisdictional responsibilities, and processes that emerge from the implementation of the National Action Plan.
7. Create Accountability Mechanisms for the Reporting on the 231 Calls for Justice and the 62 Calls for Miskotahâ
   • Create broad accountability mechanisms rooted in Indigenous data sovereignty focused on truth-telling to ensure the National Inquiry’s 231 Calls for Justice and LFMO’s 62 Calls for Miskotahâ are implemented by all governments (federal, provincial/territorial, municipal, Indigenous) and organizations, and their outcomes are measured for effectiveness in creating transformative change and achieving decolonization. This could be part of the responsibilities of the independent committee or working group.
   • Create data accountability mechanisms rooted in Indigenous Data Sovereignty.
   • Create an independent web portal to post annual reports which track the progress on responding to the Calls for Justice and Calls for Miskotahâ.
   • By June 2022, publish the first annual report on progress in responding to the Calls for Justice and the Calls for Miskotaha

https://familysurvivorscircle.ca/wp-content/uploads/NFSC-NAP-CONTRIBUTION-2022.pdf