A Genocide of First Nations Women

Responding to repeated calls of Indigenous groups, other activists, and NGOs, Canada'sPrime Minister Justin Trudeau established the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls in September 2016 to examine the disproportionate number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada and how such cases are handled. Now published, the report consists of more than 1,200 pages and includes more than 230 recommendations. It urges the federal, provincial and territorial governments to develop an action plan to counter violence against Indigenous women and girls. The thousands of Indigenous women and girls who were murdered or disappeared across the country in recent decades are victims of a "Canadian genocide," says the final report of the national inquiry created to probe the ongoing tragedy. The report states that "due to the gravity of this issue," the inquiry is preparing a "supplementary report on the Canadian genocide of Indigenous peoples according to the legal definition of genocide," which will be posted at a later date

Sen. Lillian Dyck, Saskatchewan senator, explained, "In this case we are actually looking at the murder of Indigenous women and girls. So that to me is genocide," she said. "And sometimes you need to name things really strongly before people wake up and start to pay attention to it...in our laws, we protect dogs. We protect taxi drivers. We protect police officers and prison guards. Why can't we protect indigenous women and girls?"

The Assembly of First Nations issued a statement saying National Chief Perry Bellegarde "has said many times that the treatment of First Nations in Canada is consistent with the definition of genocide based on the many assaults on First Nations people and culture."

The statement cited residential schools, the Sixties Scoop, forced sterilization and the "massive apprehensions" of Indigenous children by the child welfare system as examples of this "assault."

"The violence and homicide against Indigenous women and girls is part of this pattern and governments need to work urgently with Indigenous people to stop it," said the statement.

Shirley Wilson's daughter, Wannitta Wolfe, also known as Eagle Flies over Smudge, was shot and killed in Regina in 1999, explained, "People have a view, I believe, that we are disposable. And we are not. We matter — just like everybody else in society, right? But for many years, that hasn't been the case," she said.

Carol Wolfe of Saskatoon, whose daughter, Karina, was murdered in 2010, said"I'm hoping that it will bring change, change to make the people understand we all matter," Wolfe said. "It makes me mad and angry that I had to lose my daughter to bring change. It still breaks my heart daily and I feel sad...” When her daughter went missing, Wolfe said she was initially rebuffed by the Saskatoon police service. And then she had a tough time getting answers to her questions.