Red Dress Day was inspired in 2010 by Métis artist Jamie Black based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She hung hundreds of empty red dresses in public places to represent missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and to bring awareness to the issue. On May 5th, people all across Canada will try to give a voice to those who no longer have one and honour the thousands of Indigenous women and girls, and two-spirit people who have gone missing or who have been murdered.
According to a report published by the RCMP in 2014, 1,017 women and girls who identified as Indigenous were murdered between 1980 and 2012 — a homicide rate roughly 4.5 times higher than that of all other women in Canada. When the report was released, the minister for the status of women and the Native Women’s Association of Canada both said that due to a lack of data, the number was likely closer to 4,000. Fast forward to 2020, the murder rate for that year was more than five times higher for Indigenous women compared with non-Indigenous women, according to a report by Statistics Canada.
In 2016, the Canadian government launched the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The inquiry released its final report on June 3, 2019 titled Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. In total, 231 calls to justice were developed from the inquiry to help change the situation, including pathways to make sure police respond more quickly and conduct more thorough investigations. In June 2020, the RCMP issued a statement reaffirming its “commitment to improving relationships with Indigenous communities, supporting survivors and families, and ensuring that investigations are robust, professional and result in justice for the victims and their families.”
OPSEU believes it is our responsibility as labour activists to raise awareness, advocate for change and amplify the calls to action by Indigenous leaders and their communities. We must hold our elected leaders and all levels of governments accountable to implement the full 231 Calls to Justice immediately. Walking the path of truth and reconciliation requires action. Together, we will continue to fight for accountability and demand justice.
