Some Indigenous Activists Call for Less Reports and More Action

A growing number of Indigenous women, girls, 2 spirit and trans people (IWG2ST) have gone missing or been murdered in the last few decades. Since the early 2000's, many reports addressing the matter have been published, but little tangible action has been done, as the rate of murders and missing IWG2ST continue in Canada. 

Local 514 spoke with Beverly Jacobs, the Senior Advisor to the President on Indigenous Relations and Outreach, Office of the President for the University of Windsor. Jacobs is from the Mohawk Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, Bear Clan. 

Jacobs said that often Indigenous people are the ones to address the issue within their own communities, as systemic racism plays a role in lack of assistance from law enforcement and trust from communities towards police. 

"The families do the work on their own," said Jacobs. She said there's so much thats needed for families going through the loss of a loved one who has been murdered or not been found.

Jacobs said that trillions of dollars are needed to rebuild communities.

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommended that Canada implement 94 calls to action – only 13 of these 94 calls have been completed. The final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls was released in 2019, including 231 calls to justice. Since this report was released, Indigenous women continue to experience the same rate of violence.

The Calls to Action address education, prisons, access to healthcare, upholding culture, justice, and more. Activists and families say many of those calls have gone unanswered.

"There's been enough inquiries – there's even been provincial inquiries, all they need to do is implement them," said Jacobs. "To me the actions that follow [is what's] meaningful to me."