NationTalk: (Xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)/Vancouver, B.C.) – On the third anniversary of the release of the National Inquiry’s Final Report and Calls for Justice, the First Nations Leadership Council (FNLC) is deeply troubled by the lack of progress to implement the Calls for Justice. Despite the finding of genocide made by the National Inquiry, and the horrific experiences of systemic discrimination and violence that were brought to light, the Canadian and British Columbian governments’ work on this issue has been marked by a lack of committed resources, poor communication and coordination, and inadequate partnership with First Nations people.
Violence against Indigenous women, Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual (2SLGBTQQIA+) people continues to intensify, including rates of domestic violence against women and girls in what has been termed a Shadow Pandemic by the United Nations since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, we have not seen substantive changes since the National Inquiry to address these growing rates of gender-based violence or meaningful redress to dismantle their colonial underpinnings. Government commitments to address systemic causes of violence, including human insecurity are wholly insufficient. Supports for victims, family members, and communities of those who have gone missing or been murdered also remain in a patchwork state and leave families to navigate a Justice System which has been shown to be racist and discriminatory towards Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, exposing them to (re)traumatization.
Budget 2021 provided for $2.2 billion over 5 years and $160.9 million per year on-going to respond to the Calls for Justice; however, we have yet to see changes on the ground that point toward transformative change. While there were broad commitments to address gender-based violence in Budget 2022, there were no additional funds specifically earmarked to address the disproportionate violence against Indigenous women and girls.
In addition to resourcing and capacity issues, movement on the National Action Plan is hampered by the lack of proper partnerships with Indigenous women, families, First Nations governments and organizations, and front line and grass roots organizations. The FNLC urges renewed action based on true partnership that recognizes the urgency of the situation. Each day where the status quo prevails is one where Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people are at risk, and experience unacceptable violence.
The FNLC calls on the governments of Canada and BC to immediately prioritize ending gender-based violence and to treat the MMIWG2S+ crisis with the urgency demanded to end genocide once and for all in this country as has been mandated by the National Inquiry and UN Declaration. The FNLC urges all members of the public, and companies and organizations in all sectors to become informed about the Calls for Justice and issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, take action, and hold those in power accountable.
The First Nations Leadership Council is comprised of the political executives of the BC Assembly of First Nations (BCAFN), First Nations Summit (FNS), and the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC).