Question Period Note: MMIWG and 2SLGBTQI+ People

Addressing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people.

• Violence against Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex people (2SLGBTQI+) is an ongoing national tragedy.
• The National Action Plan to End Genderbased Violence and the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, both led by Women and Gender Equality Canada are complementary to the
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women,
Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ National Action
Plan and the corresponding Federal
Pathway. Both Women and Gender Equality Canada-led Action Plans have a specific priority on Indigenous considerations.
o The fourth ‘pillar’ in the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence is focused on implementing Indigenous-led approaches.
o The third priority in the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan is focused on supporting Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ resilience and resurgence.
• Women and Gender Equality Canada has also supported over 100 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis organizations in all provinces and territories since 2021 to increase their capacity to address gender-based violence. The funding aims to strengthen the capacity of these organizations to deliver genderbased violence prevention programs that address the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ community members.

• For example, with funding from Women and Gender Equality Canada, Tahiuqtiit (tah-HEEuk-teet) Women’s Society has been able to strengthen its capacity to prevent and respond to gender-based violence against Inuit women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people, with the establishment of an emergency shelter in their community of Ulukhaktok (ooloo-KHAK-took) in the Northwest Territories.

• Indigenous peoples were victims of homicide at a rate over eight times higher than that of non-Indigenous Canadians in 2024. Among Indigenous homicide victims, increases were more pronounced for Indigenous women, with the number of homicides rising from 50 in 2023 to 71 in 2024.

• In June 2021, the 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women,
Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan (MMIWG2S+
National Action Plan) and the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People (Federal Pathway) were released. o These plans were developed in close partnership with families and survivors, Indigenous partners, civil society, frontline service providers, municipalities, the private sector, and researchers.

• WAGE and Public Safety Canada are co-leads for the human safety and security theme of the Federal Pathway.

• The experiences and knowledge shared through the Federal Pathway development also informed the development of the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence, notably Pillar 4 – Implementing Indigenous-led approaches.

• In 2021, WAGE received $55M over 5 years to increase the capacity of Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations to provide genderbased violence prevention programming aimed at addressing the root causes of violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people. o Over 100 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit organizations in all provinces and territories have received funding through this initiative.
o This investment is a key deliverable under the Federal Pathway and Pillar 4 of the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence.

• In total, since 2018, WAGE has funded 134 Indigenous organizations, providing approximately $89M to initiatives supporting Indigenous (including 2SLGBTQI+) communities. This includes the $55M capacitybuilding initiative.

• WAGE has also provided $13M to more than 100 commemoration projects to help honour the lives and legacies of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQI+ people between 2019 and 2024.
• WAGE engages with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis organizations through the Forum of Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women. WAGE also works closely with Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, including through participation in the National Indigenous-FPT roundtables on MMIWG2S+. Three roundtables have been held since January 2023.

• The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA) and the UNDA National Action Plan 2023-2028 were released in 2023, and WAGE supports these Justice Canada-led initiatives.

IMPACT:
• Throughout its WAGE-funded 25-month project, Tahiuqtiit Women’s Society enhanced its capacity to address gender-based violence (GBV) against Inuit women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. The organization focused on the impacts of violence in the community of Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories. Prior to building a shelter, they worked with project partners to create the organizational infrastructure needed to run it. This was made possible by facilitating culturally appropriate interviews
with community members during Family Nights hosted by the organization, enabling conversations among people with lived experience and those invested in the community. By the end of the project, Tahiuqtiit Women’s Society strengthened its organizational capacity to prevent and respond to GBV and to operate the new shelter.

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