NationTalk: (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/ Vancouver, B.C. – June 30, 2024) Today marks the 5th anniversary of the conclusion of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (the National Inquiry). The Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) is deeply concerned that independent progress reports by the CBC and the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) evaluating advances made on implementation of the 231 Calls for Justice (C4J) show minimal or no progress on the vast majority of the calls.
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President, stated “Today marks five years since the truth of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit+ (MMIWG2S+) crisis came into broad public knowledge with the National Inquiry’s conclusion, but Indigenous peoples have been living and dying by those brutal realities for centuries. The last five years have been a frustrating start and stop, particularly for the families of the missing and murdered who held out hope that the National Inquiry’s recommendations would be transformative. Despite governments’ failures to take the National Inquiry’s findings and the ongoing genocide seriously, survivors and families have been steadfast. If anything is clear, it is that families and survivors must be recognized at the heart of the work to implement the C4J. UBCIC stands wholeheartedly with survivors and families in the journey for justice for their stolen loved ones and we uphold every effort to heal, create change, and to end the crisis.”
“Government has been swift to point to its progress on addressing the MMIWG2S+ crisis and gender-based violence (GBV), but it’s too early to celebrate,” cautioned Melissa Moses, UBCIC Women’s Representative. “Steps are being taken, but the work is happening across various ministries and jurisdictions without cohesive coordination, creating silos and failing to address the deeply rooted origins of the MMIWG2S+ crisis. By UBCIC Resolution 2024-20, the UBCIC Chiefs Council has called on crown governments to intensify efforts with the creation of a collaborative table which includes survivors and families of MMIWG2S+ and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, First Nations and women’s organizations, to work across levels of government and between ministries to address GBV prevention and implement the Calls for Justice without delay. UBCIC urges all levels of government, as well as political candidates in the upcoming provincial and federal elections, to prioritize ending the MMIWG2S+ crisis once and for all.”
“The sad reality is that violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit+ people and C4J implementation have not been prioritized by crown governments, nor have they been cornerstone electoral issues for political parties vying for a chance in office,” stated Chief Marilyn Slett, UBCIC Secretary Treasurer. “The National Inquiry put forward the C4J as legal imperatives, not suggestions, and any government in power has a duty to move swiftly on implementation. Unfortunately, it’s fallen to First Nations, advocates, organizations and families to track progress on C4J implementation and hold government to account.”
Chief Don Tom, UBCIC Vice-President, concluded “In recent efforts, UBCIC’s ‘More than Opportunity Lost: A Discussion Paper on Creating a MMIWG2S+ Database’, and UBCIC Resolution 2024-30 have called on the federal government to respond to C4J 9.5(v) by creating a National MMIWG2S+ Database to ensure consistent and validated data collection to measure progress and highlight the urgency of the crisis. In a time of increasing misinformation, this data is needed to breathe life into cold cases and ongoing investigations and to refute persistent racist and misogynistic views that downplay the severity of ongoing violence against our women, girls and two-spirit+ relatives.”
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Media inquiries:
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, 250-490-5314
Chief Don Tom, Vice-President, 604-290-6083
Chief Marilyn Slett, Secretary-Treasurer, 250-957-7721
Melissa Moses, Women’s Representative, 778-866-0548
UBCIC is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
For more information, please visit www.ubcic.bc.ca