WINNIPEG, MB - TREATY 1 TERRITORY, HOMELAND OF THE RED RIVER MÉTIS, May 3, 2024 /CNW/ - Ahead of Red Dress Day on May 5, we acknowledge the ongoing national crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people, and commit to the next steps in better protecting them.

The hours immediately after someone goes missing are the most critical period to finding them. That is why today, after calls from Indigenous grassroots service providers and organizers on the front lines of the crisis, the governments of Canada and Manitoba announced that they will partner to launch a Red Dress Alert pilot, to be developed together with Indigenous partners. The alert system, supported by funding in Canada's Budget 2024 and Manitoba's Budget 2024, will provide notification when an Indigenous woman, girl, Two-Spirit, or gender-diverse person goes missing so they can be brought home safely. 

Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people are at a much higher risk of experiencing violence than non-Indigenous women –12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered in comparison to non-Indigenous women in Canada.

In the past year, we heard from Indigenous partners that a Red Dress Alert system is needed and in order for it to be safe and effective, it must be informed by inclusive consultation and grounded in understanding and respect of Indigenous cultures, lived realities, and diverse regional contexts. After 16 engagement sessions, the federal government brought together Indigenous communities and leadership, provinces and territories, and other partners to work together on what a community-based Red Dress Alert could look like.

The Province of Manitoba is partnering with Canada in recognition of the need to develop a regional alerting system and our governments' shared priority and commitment to putting an end to this crisis. This pilot, which will continue to be designed with and led by Indigenous voices and knowledge, will help inform a national alerting system. We continue to work closely with Indigenous partners at the national, regional and grass-roots levels, families and Survivors, and provincial and territorial counterparts, to make sure an alert system reflects the needs of Indigenous Peoples from coast to coast to coast.

Together, we must do all we can to save lives, as we continue to work to end this national crisis.

"In the lead up to Red Dress Day, we keep those who have been stolen from their communities and this world in our thoughts, and we centre them in our action. Today, as we announce this partnership to co-develop a Red Dress Alert system with Indigenous partners, we take the next steps towards bringing more Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people home, and we redouble our efforts to addressing the root causes of this crisis of violence – as we work to put it to an end."

The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

"Our government is committed to a future with less missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit Peoples—a future where Indigenous women are protected, Indigenous girls are supported, and Two-Spirit relatives are safe. We have heard clearly from community that a Red Dress Alert system can be a part of that future. We look forward to working inclusively with Indigenous partners in Manitoba to find the best path forward as we build this pilot project."

The Honourable Nahanni Fontaine
Minister responsible for Women and Gender Equity Manitoba

"Should we go missing we must be found. This is not just because we're sisters, aunties, daughters. It is because we are human beings, deserving  dignity, safety, and human rights. I lift up all the family members, survivors,  and the many advocates who made this possible including, Sandra Delaronde and Hilda Anderson-Pyrz. This is a small step, but a significant one, to make sure that our relatives are brought home. I thank the Province of Manitoba for becoming the first provincial champion of the Red Dress Alert System as well as Minister Anandasangaree and MP Pam Damoff for their personal commitment in ensuring the Red Dress Alert became a reality. This will save lives."

Leah Gazan
Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre

• Canadian statistics report that more than six in ten Indigenous women have experienced physical or sexual assault in their lifetime. In addition, Indigenous women and girls are greatly overrepresented among long-term, unresolved missing persons cases.
• The federal Budget 2024 proposes to provide $1.3 million over three years, starting in 2024–2025, to co-develop with Indigenous and other partners such as provinces and territories, a regional Red Dress Alert system.
• The second National Indigenous-Federal-Provincial-Territorial roundtable on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two-Spirit and, Gender-Diverse People was held in February 2024. Participants worked together towards the development of an alerting system.
• In December 2023 and January 2024, 16 Red Dress Alert pre-engagement sessions took place with National Indigenous organizations, regional and urban organizations, technical experts, family members and survivors, and grassroots service providers. These sessions were led by Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, Chair of the National Family and Survivors Circle; Sandra Delaronde, Co-chair of the Manitoba MMIWG2S+ Coalition team; Leah Gazan, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre; and Pam Damoff, Member of Parliament for Oakville North.
• On May 2, 2023, the House of Commons unanimously passed a motion presented by the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg Centre, which called on the federal government to declare the continued loss of Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and, gender-diverse people a Canada-wide emergency and to provide immediate and substantial investments, including a Red Dress Alert system, to help alert the public when an Indigenous woman, girl, Two-Spirit, or gender-diverse person goes missing.
• Red Dress Day (also known as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls), is held annually on May 5. It was inspired by Métis artist Jaime Black's The Red Dress Project, which is an art installation that includes hanging red dresses in public spaces as a visual reminder of the number of Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse people who are missing or have been murdered in Canada.
• The Federal Pathway is Canada's contribution to the broader 2021 Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan developed in partnership with provincial and territorial governments, Indigenous Peoples, survivors, families, and Indigenous women's organizations in response to the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

• Missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people
• Red Dress Day
• The Red Dress Project
• The 2021 MMIWG and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People National Action Plan
• The Federal pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People
• United Nations Declaration on The Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• Violent victimization and perceptions of safety: Experiences of First Nations, Métis and Inuit women in Canada
• Understanding Indigenous Women and Girls' Experiences with Victimization and Violence
• Canada 2024 Budget

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis Line is a national, toll-free, 24/7 crisis call line that provides support for anyone who requires emotional assistance related to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people. For assistance, call 1-844-413-6649.

Trauma-informed support is also available to all those impacted by the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Health and Cultural Support Program. The program funds access to cultural support (e.g., Elders, Knowledge Holders, and Traditional Healers), emotional support (e.g., community-based health workers, peer supports), and registered mental health counsellors (e.g., psychologists, and social workers).

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada