Question Period Note: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

How is the Government of Canada addressing the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls?

• The Government of Canada is working to end the ongoing tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex and Asexual Plus (2SLGBTQQIA+) people.
• Understanding how violence is amplified in the lives of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people across the country is essential to the development of national policy and program responses.
• On June 3, 2021, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Core Working Group released the 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.
• The federal government’s contribution to the 2021 National Action Plan is the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People.
• In addition to Budget 2021’s investment of $2.2 billion over five years and $160.9 million ongoing to respond to the tragedy of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, WAGE is leading a $55 million initiative to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide gender-based violence prevention programming.
• This builds on WAGE’s past funding of over $13 million to more than 100 commemoration projects to help honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.
• WAGE is also developing a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, to address the root causes of gender-based violence and ensure that supports are available to victims, survivors and their families, no matter where they live.

• Despite only making up 4% of the Canadian population, Indigenous women and girls represent 28% of homicides perpetrated against women in 2019 and are 12 times more likely to be murdered or go missing than non-Indigenous women in Canada.
• In June 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission made 94 Calls to Action. In response to Call #41, the Government of Canada launched the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in 2016, with the mandate to inquire into and report on the underlying causes and systemic issues that contribute to the high levels of violence against Indigenous women and girls.
• In November 2017, the National Inquiry released its Interim Report, Our Women and Girls Are Sacred. As part of the Government of Canada’s response to the Interim Report, WAGE established a Commemoration Fund to honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, including Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex and Asexual Plus (2SLGBTQQIA+) people. Over 100 projects totalling more than $13 million over two years were announced on June 24, 2019.
• On June 3, 2019, the National Inquiry released its Final Report which included 231 Calls for Justice to be taken by federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments, institutions, social service providers, industry, and all Canadians – calling for transformative legal and social changes.

National Action Plan and Federal Pathway
• The Minister for Women and Gender Equality was mandated to support the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations to continue to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the MMIWG Calls for Justice in partnership with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
• On June 3, 2021, to mark the second anniversary of the National Inquiry’s Final Report, the co-developed and Indigenous-led 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan: Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People (2021 National Action Plan) and the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People (Federal Pathway) were launched.
• A plan to implement the Federal Pathway will be co-developed with Indigenous partners, with the goal of ending violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. The work will address four interconnected thematic areas: culture, health and wellness, human safety and security, and justice.
• Budget 2021 announced $55M over five years, starting in 2021-22, for WAGE to bolster the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ organizations to provide GBV prevention programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. This is a key initiative of the Federal Pathway’s human safety and security theme.

Alignment with the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence
• In addition, the Government of Canada, building on the achievements of the federal Gender-Based Violence Strategy and, in collaboration with provinces and territories, is currently developing a National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence to address the root causes of gender-based violence and the systemic barriers faced by survivors when accessing supports, services, and protections.
• Both national action plans will require coordinated and collaborative actions from federal, provincial, and territorial governments, in line with respective jurisdictional responsibilities, and in close partnership with families and survivors, Indigenous partners, civil society, frontline service providers, municipalities, the private sector, and researchers. WAGE is working with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) to ensure the two national action plans are aligned and complementary.

Other Budget 2021 Investments
• Budget 2021 proposes an investment of $2.2 billion over five years and $160.9 million ongoing to help build a safer, stronger, and more inclusive society for Indigenous women and girls. This includes:
o $275 million over five years and $2 million ongoing through Canadian Heritage to support the efforts of Indigenous peoples in the reclamation, revitalization, and strengthening of Indigenous languages;
o $126.7 million over three years to take action to foster health systems free from racism and discrimination where Indigenous peoples are respected and safe; and
o $861 million over five years and $145 million ongoing to support responsive policing and community safety services in Indigenous communities.

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