"Sisters and Brothers in Solidarity - A walk for Justice"

We invite you to walk in solidarity with our Native sisters and brothers to bring Justice for Missing and Murdered Native Women in Canada.

The list of missing and murdered Native women in Canada grows:

Out a total of 582 cases, 393 died as a result of murder or negligence. And 115 remain missing.

Only 53% of the cases involving Native women was someone charged, whereas the average rate for charges in a homicide in Canada is 84%.

Lives at risk:

According to a Canadian government statistic, young Native women are five times more likely than other women of the same age to die as the result of violence.

Native women have long struggled to draw attention to violence within their own families and communities. Canadian police and public officials have also long been aware of a pattern of racist violence against Native women in Canadian cities – but have done little to prevent it.


The pattern looks like this:

Racist and sexist stereotypes deny the dignity and worth of Native women,
encouraging some men to feel they can get away with acts of hatred against them.

*In Canada, Native women continue to be targets of hatred and violence based on their gender and their race. They continue to be objectified, disrespected, dishonoured, ignored and killed, often with impunity.

Decades of government policy have impoverished and broken apart Native families and communities, leaving many Native women and girls extremely vulnerable to exploitation and attack.

Many police forces have failed to institute necessary measures – such as training, protocols and accountability mechanisms – to ensure that officers understand and respect the Native communities they serve. Without such measures, police too often fail to do all they can to ensure the safety of Native women whose lives are in danger.

*No excuse for government inaction.

There is no excuse for government inaction.

In fact, many of the steps needed to ensure the safety and well-being of Native women have already been identified by government inquiries – including the inquiry into the murder of Helen Betty Osborne.

All levels of government should work closely with Native women’s organizations to develop a comprehensive and coordinated programme of action to stop violence against Native women.

Immediate action should be taken to implement a number of long overdue
reforms, including: Institute measures to ensure that police thoroughly investigate all reports of missing women.

Provide adequate, stable funding to the frontline organizations that provide
culturally-appropriate services such as shelter, support and counselling to help Native women and girls escape from harm’s way.

“When will the Canadian government finally recognize the real dangers faced by Native women?”

Families all over Canada are wondering how many more sisters and daughters we have to lose before real government action is taken.