44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 7, 2022 02:00PM
- Dec/7/22 7:25:41 p.m.
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Madam Chair, my question is on the conversation we have been having regarding a number of unlevel playing fields when it comes to indigenous communities. Specifically, what I would like to talk about now is policing.
From testimony and studies in committees, there are indigenous police services operating in their communities, but they do not have the same power as the regular police services we have out there. In some circumstances, there is a crime that takes place that indigenous police services should or could have the ability to handle, but under law they are not able to. Therefore, another jurisdiction is called in, like the RCMP, to make that arrest.
Would it not be better to have a level playing field with indigenous police services whose members often live in those communities? They live on the nation and know the situation probably better than an outside service. They are able to adapt better to the situation and understand the real problems going on with a particular individual in a particular situation.
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- Dec/7/22 7:26:53 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on the Status of Women is examining the impact of resource development and violence against indigenous women and girls. We are looking at how disproportionate the impacts still are in 2022 and the extent to which indigenous women are also the victims of a form of modern slavery, of human trafficking. In this study, there will likely be a recommendation made about the issue of police powers in such cases. We are going to look at that. We have to see what police forces can intervene under what circumstances. We need to look into that because, according to what we heard in committee, it is a major problem. I completely agree with my colleague.
I looked at what is happening with the RCMP because I stood in for my colleague on the Standing Committee on Public Safety, which was examining the impact on indigenous women, how they are treated differently by the RCMP and how they are overrepresented in prisons. That is unacceptable. I was discussing that issue with the friendship centre representative that I was speaking with a few minutes ago. All of that has an impact. Beyond police services, how can we intervene to help these women? There are also a lot of indigenous women who end up on the streets and potentially at the mercy of pimps. They are victims of sexual exploitation.
It is 2022. What happens to them? Once again, police forces will have to work together. To come back to my colleague's question, I will see what the report says, but this issue will certainly need to be studied so we can take the appropriate action to ensure the safety of indigenous women.
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- Dec/7/22 7:28:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I am always amazed by how passionate my colleague is when it comes to defending the status of women.
I want to come back to something we commemorated this week, the Polytechnique. I remember very clearly that, immediately after the tragedy, there was some denial. Some people denied that women were targeted. In the case of the serial killer in Manitoba, we heard a similar denial from the police, who said that indigenous women were not targeted, that there was something else going on.
Is there any explanation for why people would deny that women and indigenous women are being targeted?
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- Dec/7/22 7:29:30 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I wish I could understand.
If I get emotional, it is because I have a 10-month-old daughter. It changes one's perspective. This year, as I was reflecting on the Polytechnique tragedy, I realized that I see feminism and advocacy differently now. Clearly, we will have to be feminist as long as we need feminists, and it is obvious that we still need to be feminist in 2022.
Consider the Polytechnique tragedy. It took place in 1989, 33 years ago. Women were killed because they were women. In 2022, there is still denial of violence against women. Indigenous women were victims of a serial killer, and there was an attempt to deny it. This is unacceptable. It makes me wonder. Yes, we are making gains, but there is so much more to be done.
It is 2022, but, unfortunately, in every single study that I have been a part of at the Standing Committee on the Status of Women, indigenous women are always overrepresented in conversations about violence and poverty. Some communities do not, even now, have access to clean drinking water. There are still so many addiction and mental health problems. No matter what issue the Standing Committee on the Status of Women is studying, we always have to deal with the fact that indigenous women are overrepresented. When we talk about feminist issues, I hope to be able to advocate for indigenous women soon.
I hope we can keep working together across party lines. There has to be political will. We have studies, we have reports on missing and murdered indigenous women, we have calls to action. Recently, I asked some witnesses what it would take. It is going to take political will. There are suggestions and recommendations galore. Enough. It is time to put words into action.
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- Dec/7/22 7:31:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by acknowledging that the Parliament of Canada is located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
I cannot begin to imagine the pain and anguish that the family and friends of the four women who were found are going through today. I am so sorry for their pain and for their loss.
Winnipeg is where I grew up, and Winnipeg will always be my home. It is where I raised our four children. It is where my three granddaughters are currently living. It is a community very close to my heart. It is my community, and I know that many people in my community in Winnipeg, my city, and for that matter all across Canada, are suffering tonight. My heart goes out to absolutely everyone who is impacted by this horrible, senseless tragedy.
This has to stop. It simply must stop, this hatred and senseless violence. The racism is absolutely brutal. It has no place in Canada.
We all—the federal government, provincial, territorial and municipal governments and, of course, indigenous governments—have a role to play.
I would like to thank the members of the House for their participation in this evening's debate, which is taking place the day after the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Each and every Canadian has a responsibility to speak out against anti-indigenous racism and misogyny when we witness it. It is going to take every single one of us to stop this senseless violence.
The calls for justice clearly tell us what we need to do. The final report on the national inquiry speaks to the factors that lead to the ongoing tragedy of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. We have a responsibility to address those contributing factors if we hope to make any progress at all.
We need safer neighbourhoods, where indigenous women and girls, gender-diverse people and everyone can live and thrive. Supporting indigenous-led, 24-7 safe spaces, emergency shelters and transition homes is a very important part of the Government of Canada's federal pathway to address violence against indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
This October I joined the Minister of Indigenous Services and the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth in support of Velma's House and funding for indigenous women's organizations across Manitoba.
Velma's House is a 24-7 safe space in Manitoba to support victims of sexual exploitation. It was created through the collaboration of community-based organizations serving indigenous women, gender-diverse people and other women at risk of violence and exploitation. It provides extremely important services, including access to traditional medicines and cultural ways of healing, hot meals, hygiene and harm-reduction supplies, as well as extensive support in helping to navigate systems of employment and better housing. It does such incredible work, and I thank its staff for their incredible and tireless efforts.
However, there is still a lot of work to be done. That is why we are making investments to address the factors that contribute to the disappearance and murder of indigenous women, namely in housing, education and fundamental changes that must be made to police interventions in first nations, Inuit and Métis communities.
Precarious housing conditions put indigenous women and girls, as well as 2SLGBTQQIA people, at higher risk of violence. The work we are doing with partners to co-develop the 10-year national first nations housing and related infrastructure strategy is absolutely key to all of this. The Assembly of First Nations chiefs endorses this strategy, and we continue to work with the Assembly of First Nations to advance this.
We are also working directly with Inuit and Métis partners to implement co-developed housing strategies based on their needs and priorities. As we have stated in the House before, federal budgets have invested in indigenous housing every single year that this government has been in power. We work very closely with other federal departments to ensure alignment of our various initiatives and efforts.
We fully recognize that an important contributing factor to addressing this issue is education. The calls for justice call upon all governments to ensure that equitable access to basic rights such as education is recognized as a fundamental means of protecting indigenous and human rights.
Education that is equitably funded and rooted in first nations, Métis and Inuit culture provides indigenous people more choices and more power. Nine regional education agreements have been concluded and signed across this country. The regional education agreements are designed jointly with first nations communities. They reflect the visions and priorities of first nations education systems to provide high-quality, culturally appropriate education for first nations living on reserves.
Another area we are focusing on is indigenous leadership's continuous call for fundamental changes to how police services are delivered in their communities. This includes calls for legislation that recognizes first nations policing as an essential service that must be funded accordingly. We are also investing in support of culturally responsive policing in indigenous communities through the first nations and Inuit policing programs. The money will also be used to expand this program.
To address the overrepresentation of indigenous women in Canada's prisons, Justice Canada is introducing an indigenous justice strategy to address systemic discrimination and the overrepresentation of indigenous people in the justice system.
Another priority is ending racism towards Canada's indigenous people. We must provide real support to indigenous people and communities who have expertise in fighting various forms of racism and discrimination. The strategy recognizes the different experiences of first nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, which lets these peoples express their viewpoints and make decisions about the initiatives that best meet their needs.
These are just a few concrete actions that the government is taking to address the root causes of violence against indigenous women and to correct long-standing systemic inequities. Communities across Canada are also taking action locally.
I recognize that this provides absolutely no relief from the ongoing pain that Canadians are experiencing or the suffering and trauma that the news of these horrible murders brings. There are no quick solutions to resolve the deep-rooted, systemic inequalities and racism that lead to the intimidation, violence and murders of indigenous women and girls. Creating systemwide changes to address this national tragedy is something I know this entire House recognizes must happen for today and for future generations, for my kids and for my grandkids.
I offer my sincere condolences to the families and communities that have lost their loved ones. I am so deeply sorry for their loss.
Meegwetch, qujannamiik, marsi.
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- Dec/7/22 7:41:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we can tell the words from the minister were straight from the heart, and I respect the work he and his department do on a daily basis.
It is definitely a very tragic situation we are dealing with. I know it is not specifically the minister's department, but he referenced in his speech the 231 calls for justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. I am looking at a few headlines and, unfortunately, there are advocacy groups that are calling the government's progress on those 231 calls for justice a national shame. Specifically, the Native Women's Association of Canada stated, “Today, we are seeing the sad results of the government’s weak response to the crimes being committed against Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people.” That was the organization's CEO. She went on to say, “The National Action Plan, as it was drafted, was actually a recipe for inaction, and the people represented by our organization are paying the price.”
I would like the minister to comment on those very disturbing remarks based on the continued situation we are dealing with.
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- Dec/7/22 7:47:47 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I listened closely to the speech by my colleague from Saint‑Boniface—Saint-Vital. Obviously, what I got out of his speech is that he wants to eliminate all forms of racism against Canada's first nations.
There is something I would like my colleague to tell me. Is he prepared to abolish the Indian Act? The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations said over a year ago that it is unacceptable that this legislation still has not been abolished. It has been several months. It has been over a year and there is still nothing. This legislation proves that there is racism towards the first nations. We have to replace it with a mutual agreement. There needs to be some reflection with the first nations, in a spirit of respect, obviously.
I would like my colleague to answer the following question. Should we not abolish the Indian Act and use new legislation to considerably reduce racism against the first nations?
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- Dec/7/22 7:48:54 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that good question.
I would like to abolish racism, not just against the first nations, but also against the Inuit and the Métis. I am certainly prepared to sit down with the member to try to find ways to achieve that goal.
As for his question on the Indian Act, I am prepared to sit down with the member, but also with the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations to try to find a way that makes sense in order to work first with the first nations on replacing the Indian Act with something better.
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- Dec/7/22 7:49:57 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I wonder if the minister can provide his perspective. He said that there is more we can do here in Ottawa. Would that same principle apply, generally, to provincial and municipal governments, to indigenous leaders and to Canadians as a whole? We all have more that we need to do collectively. Could he provide his perspective on that issue?
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- Dec/7/22 7:50:31 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, first of all, the systemic violence and racism that we are seeing manifest itself today in the murders of four women has its roots in the colonial values that Canada had at its beginning. Our first Indian Act policy was the civilization of first nations, then the Christianization and ultimately the assimilation, thereby erasing the Indian out of the Indian person, which was clearly a racist policy. However, that was 150 years ago.
Today, there is more that everybody can do, including the federal, provincial, municipal and indigenous governments and the community. We all have a spectre of influence in our lives and in the communities where we live. I think that is what reconciliation is about.
There is more that everybody can do, including institutions, governments and individuals. We must come together to look for solutions. We must call out racism when we see it and hear it. We need to work with indigenous nations, person to person and government to government.
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- Dec/7/22 7:52:15 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I will be splitting my time with the member for Winnipeg North.
In our country, there is a genocide against indigenous women that has happened and continues to happen. We have a government that continues to fail to do anything about it. That is the reality.
I just spoke with an indigenous woman who works with the National Association of Friendship Centres. She said that as an indigenous woman she is afraid to walk the streets. She is a young woman. She is a president. She carries a strong role in her community and a strong role with that association. She just wants to walk in her community without fear. That is what we want.
The fact that indigenous women do not have the ability to walk freely without fear in our communities is a shame on this country. The fact that, knowing how serious this is, the government continues to fail to act is a greater shame.
Indigenous leaders have laid out a clear path. The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and two-spirit people, laid out a clear path with calls for justice that would save lives. Every single day that these calls for justice are not put in place, are not acted on and are not implemented means more lives are lost.
Indigenous people should not have to beg or plead to be able to live with dignity and respect. They should not have to beg or plead with elected officials or with police to do their work. However, that is what is happening. Indigenous people have to beg the police to do what they are supposed to, which is to do their jobs. They have to beg elected officials to take their lives seriously. That is the reality of what we are up against.
I want to acknowledge the recent horrific events coming out of Winnipeg. I want us to realize that when we talk about these horrific incidents, we sometimes dehumanize the lives. We lose track that these are real people. These are daughters. These are sisters. These are loved ones who have been stripped of their lives.
Let us remember their names: Morgan Harris, 39 years old; Marcedes Myran, 26 years old; Rebecca Contois, 24 years old; and Buffalo Woman.
These are lives that were ended. These are lives that were lost. Government inaction continues to put lives at risk.
I want to acknowledge the incredible courage and strength of our colleague, friend and champion for people, the member for Winnipeg Centre. She has, in the face of a very difficult time, shown incredible courage, and I want to acknowledge that. She wants it not to be about her but to be about the families who are here today, the families across the country who are reeling from the violence against their loved ones and the families who are living in fear.
I want to acknowledge that the member for Winnipeg Centre called for an emergency debate, because this is an emergency. This should be deemed a national emergency. The fact that lives are being stolen from us this way is a national emergency. The purpose of having an emergency debate is to shape our response to it, to put some urgency into the fact that we need to see action and that the federal government has a responsibility to act.
One specific point that the member for Winnipeg Centre continues to raise is that hundreds of millions of dollars remain unspent. That is money that should be going toward protecting and providing safe spaces for indigenous women and girls. The member for Winnipeg Centre has raised the fact, multiple times now, that the Liberal government has not spent money on building new shelters. No additional funding was announced in this last budget, and this is wrong.
We need concrete action. We need to acknowledge the pain. We need to move beyond that acknowledgement to actually doing something about it. We have the power to do something today.
It is undeniable that there is a genocide of indigenous women in our country and we must take action. Every day that the federal government does not act, the lives of more indigenous women are in jeopardy.
We must implement measures to protect the community. We must address this genocide. It is our duty and our responsibility.
New Democrats are using our power and using our voices to stand in solidarity with indigenous communities, doing whatever we can to stand with them in the fight against violence against women.
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- Dec/7/22 8:00:00 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think the member rightly highlighted what is a very legitimate and fair criticism. The fact is that it has been more than three and a half years since the calls for justice were laid out very clearly. I remember at that time the effort, work and pain that went into that work to lay out the path. At that time, the elders in the community did not expect the calls for justice would just be tabled and never implemented, just referred to without anything happening.
What the indigenous communities have been saying is that they want to see all 231 calls for justice implemented and they want that done now.
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- Dec/7/22 8:00:49 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as a white woman who has raised indigenous children and has indigenous grandchildren, I always think about the day one has to tell their children and grandchildren how to be safe in a world that really wants to destroy them. I think that is a hard part of the reality of indigenous communities. They have to make those decisions.
When their granddaughters go to bigger cities, they have to make sure that all the aunties and uncles are watching them to keep them safe because they are that afraid. Then we get that call and we know what that means, not only for our own family but for our whole community in a country that continues to perpetrate genocide upon these beautiful precious bodies that we need home with us.
I think of my cousin Jeannine and her good friend Carla, who bring indigenous women together, and they bead. They bead earrings and monuments for indigenous women. They are called the Lil' Red Dress group. Do the members know what they do? They sell all of those so that they can put up signs when indigenous women and girls go missing. They fundraise to save the lives and to call for help because no one else will do it.
I am wondering if the leader could talk to us about how wrong it is to have indigenous people fundraising to save their families when the government does nothing.
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- Dec/7/22 8:02:24 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for the powerful words.
I think it is abhorrent. It is horrific. It is such a failure of leadership that indigenous communities, indigenous women, need to fundraise to save their own lives and protect their own communities. That is an example, an indictment, of the government's failure to do what is necessary and what is right to protect indigenous people, to follow through on the calls for justice and to act immediately to tackle and to end the genocide against indigenous women.
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- Dec/7/22 8:08:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I find it horrendous to hear the member say how much work the Liberals have done in this regard. The member must have missed the response from indigenous leaders on the failure of the action plan to implement the 231 calls for justice. The member must have missed the fact that again and again the government missed its timeline. Consequently, we see in our communities the lives that are lost. Members are coming into the House baring their souls yet again to demand action and families show up with so much hurt, and the member for Winnipeg North has the audacity to say how much work the government has done.
If the member is so proud of the government's work, will he agree to an independent oversight body of the government's action on the implementation of the 231 calls for justice for the missing and murdered indigenous women and girls?
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- Dec/7/22 8:13:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight with a really heavy heart to take part in this take-note debate. Unfortunately, the issue of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls is extremely prevalent throughout northeastern Alberta. One does not have to look very far to find way too many heartbreaking stories.
Here we are in the aftermath of hearing of more senseless deaths of four indigenous women from the Winnipeg region. I will read their names because we must not forget them. Rebecca Contois was 24 years old. Morgan Beatrice Harris was 39 years old. Marcedes Myran was 26 years old. Buffalo Woman was an unidentified loved one.
It is so difficult to sit here and hear that more women are going missing, more people are going missing, and we still do not have concrete action from the government. How many more people need to lose their lives before the government takes meaningful action? The government seems to be at a bit of a stalemate.
There is a lot of talk. There are a lot of grandiose statements. When push comes to shove, I do not see a lot of action that follows that. I tried to find online how many of the calls for justice were in progress. I could not easily find that. If members opposite have that information, it would be useful. I could not find it today. That goes to show there is not much progress on it.
As the member of Parliament for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake, my riding is situated on the traditional lands of Treaty 6 and Treaty 8, the territory of the Cree, the Dene and the homelands of the Métis people. This issue of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and 2S+ people is a major concern throughout my riding.
I want to honour and acknowledge all the mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, granddaughters, aunties, people and friends who are no longer with us because they unfortunately lost their lives. My heart goes out to all the family, friends and community leaders who have come together to share their stories, share their trauma, simply to demand action from our institutions and from the government.
The indigenous name for the Fort McMurray region is Nistawoyou. Since 2004, nine indigenous women from Nistawoyou have been reported missing or murdered. For the second time in this Parliament, I am going to read these women's names into the record: Elaine Alook, Shirley Waquan, Amber Tuccaro, Janice “Jazz” Desjarlais, Shelly Dene, Betty Ann Deltess, Ellie Herman, Audrey Bignose and Sherri Lynn Flett.
I take this opportunity to read their names because it is so critically important that we all remember we are not here talking about stats or something that happens distantly far away; these are people.
When I was a little kid, my mom was a hairdresser. She had a hair salon and barber shop in downtown Fort McMurray. Fort McMurray was sometimes a pretty rough and tumble place in the boom days. She would take us to her salon on Mondays. Her shop was always closed on Mondays, but she would often open up her salon on Mondays to serve indigenous community members who could not otherwise afford a haircut.
She would go down to the river and cut people's hair for free because she said, “If you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good, you're more likely to get a job. And do you know what? People are people.” My mom taught us from a really young age that if we treated people like people, they would act like people. That is a lesson that has stuck with me. My mom has been gone for about 13 years and that is something that I carry with me every single day.
We sit here and keep seeing women going missing because people are not treating them like people. They are treating them worse than they would treat animals. I am here begging the government to do more. It needs to use its voice and make a change. We all have this power.
This is a massive problem, and it is going to take every single one of us, but I challenge them to use the voice they have to make this a thing. I question why we are here doing a take-note debate and not an emergency debate. I do not know the answer to that, but it bothers me that this is the second time in six months that I have had the opportunity to speak in a take-note debate on an issue that is such a crisis in our country.
It has been more than three and a half years since the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls delivered its final report. It has now been one and a half years since the national action plan was released, yet we are here having another take-note debate. I am not quite sure what actions the government has been able to take in the six months since the last time we were here. I am not saying that as if it is somehow all the government's fault and therefore not ours, because it is every single person's responsibility to do everything they possibly can, but I really do think this is something that we need more action on.
The initial report concluded that indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing than members of any other demographic group in Canada, and 16 times more likely to be killed or disappear than white women. Those are staggering numbers that should give pause to anyone in this chamber. They are 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered.
I want to read one particular story. It happened as I was an adult coming into my space, and it really hit me because she was almost my sister's age. Amber Tuccaro was 20 years old. She had a 14-month-old son. She lived in Fort McMurray and she was a Mikisew Cree First Nation member. She flew down to Edmonton, like so many people from Fort McMurray do, just to have a bit of a vacation, get away, get to the big city and maybe do some shopping.
She flew down with her son and a friend to go to Edmonton. Unfortunately, she was last seen on August 18, 2010. Fast forward a couple of years to when her remains were found by a few people out horseback riding. The case is still unsolved. Today, they still do not have any more answers than they did then. Her family has been actively pushing this issue, as so many families all across the country do.
It is left to the families to pick up so much of this, to bring these cases and these stories forward, to share their trauma and the worst situation they could ever imagine happening. It is left up to them because our institutions have failed. Our institutions are not protecting people. We are not allowing people to live in the dignity with which they were created to live in. There is more that each and every one of us can do, but specifically the government because it does have that ability and that power.
Therefore, I would like to give space to all of those who are struggling right now because they have just lost a loved one, a friend, a community member, someone they saw on the street, or someone they saw in their community coffee shop or just out and about. Perhaps it was someone they did not even know but who is close in age to them or close in age to someone else. As I was doing my research for this take-note debate, I could not help but reflect on the fact that some of these women who were murdered and who are gone were almost my age, they were younger than me or they were the same age as my siblings. That is a tough, tough space.
I really hope that six months from now we are not here doing another take-note debate, with no more action on this file, and simply here trying to do our best, as opposition, to bring more attention to this issue. With that, I would like to thank all the families for being so brave in sharing their stories.
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- Dec/7/22 8:23:52 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think that is a valiant effort. I know, for myself, that it has been a tough space.
I had the opportunity as a MLA, when I was a provincial member, to sit on Alberta's joint working group for missing and murdered indigenous people and 2S+. In that work, I got to sit and chat with a lot of elders and a lot of community members from all across the province, hearing about how this issue impacted the Alberta landscape. That spurred more conversations with local leaders and hearing some of the stories, which is really a challenging space to be in.
I have participated in marches and had different conversations along those lines. I appreciate what one is able to do locally, but I do believe that we do have a space and an opportunity for the government to start doing more when it comes to the calls for justice and showing us where we are in the progress of them because, quite frankly, having 231 calls to justice and no website one can go to in order to see how many have been completed is a failure.
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- Dec/7/22 8:25:14 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, settler colonialism, land displacement, genocide, missing and murdered indigenous women and the ongoing processes of resource extraction are all along a continuum. They are all linked. I think that the hon. member for Fort McMurray—Cold Lake raised the connection between her proximity to “man camps” and the frequency of violence against indigenous women.
I want to give the hon. member the opportunity to reflect on ways in which we can reduce this gender-based violence, this ongoing genocide, against indigenous women and the ways in which it remains inextricably linked to resource extraction in the country.
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- Dec/7/22 8:28:58 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, words do matter, and I want the hon. member to have the opportunity to clarify whether or not she believes, based on the study that just happened at the status of women committee, that proximity to resource extraction, in particular the oil and gas sector, has a higher propensity of violence against indigenous women.
These are not opinions. These are facts that have been borne through the House of Commons time and time again, so I want the hon. member to stand to clarify whether she agrees that resource extraction, oil and gas, being in proximity to northern indigenous communities, leads to a higher propensity for missing and murdered indigenous women.
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- Dec/7/22 8:31:09 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I think one of the things that is really important is that we have more education. That is one of the pieces the red dress alert would provide. It would give an opportunity for more information to go out quickly, and study after study has shown that, the faster people get information, the more likely a person is to be found and to be found alive.
I think that is so critically important, as well as having better information for our police officers. One of the interesting pieces we have implemented in the Fort McMurray region, and it has already happened in Calgary as well as Edmonton, is having more awareness around human trafficking, what that can look like and how that plays such a huge role in missing, murdered and exploited indigenous people.
There are different pieces, like #NotInMyCity, which is an initiative by Paul Brandt that brings forward more awareness around human trafficking. That can play a very important role in dealing with this, and that education factor would teach a variety of different people what human trafficking does and does not look like, how to intervene safely and that there is a safe space to go to.
In the Fort McMurray airport, YMM, there are stickers that say how to spot human trafficking, and if someone suspects they see human trafficking, how to get in touch with the staff who have that training. I think that is so critically important, because if we can intervene early, we have a better chance of having a positive outcome.
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