rabble is expanding our Parliamentary Bureau and we need your help! Support us on Patreon today!
*** If you wear red Friday (today), post a photo on Twitter under #RedSolidarity
So….we have a new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and a whole new chance to change Indigenous political, social and economic relations to work with with this new government.
He has several Indigenous MPs on his team, including Jody Wilson-Raybould, Robert Falcon-Ouellette, Dan Vandal and Hunter Tootoo.
Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Chief Perry Bellegarde said Prime Minister Trudeau’s appointment of two Indigenous MPs to cabinet is a “new era of reconciliation.”
Jody Wilson-Raybould was appointed justice minister, while Hunter Tootoo becomes the minister of fisheries and the Canadian Coast Guard. The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) President Dawn Lavell Harvard congratulated the newly elected leader of Canada, Justin Trudeau.
Don’t get this twisted, I think these appointments are great. I really do.
This said, I was a little taken aback that Trudeau really had the great opportunity to choose an Indigenous community and political leader as the next Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.
By the way, we got a record number of Indigenous politicians and political leaders: eight Liberals and two NDPers.
Well this didn’t happen. We got Carolyn Bennett — but from what I’m hearing, she has great promise. Her position was also welcomed by AFN Chief Bellegarde.
Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party has promised significant improvements to First Nations education, including $2.6 billion in new funding over four years, as well as a vow to call an inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Trudeau also promised to end boil-water advisories on First Nations reserves within five years.
So let’s remind him on his promises.
On Friday, November 27, 2015, wear the colour red to demand justice for murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls, and to remind Parliament to keep their promises.
There are 1,750 missing females reported on the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC), according to the police that need to come home.
But it should be noted that there is no actual national data sources regarding missing persons in Canada. This makes it difficult to look at the issue of missing Aboriginal women and girls in comparison to other missing women. Data was being collected by Sisters in Spirit by that program was discontinued in 2010, mostly for political reasons thanks to the ideology of our former Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. Their database in 2010 has built on 582 missing and murdered Indigenous women
Amesty International also has a great resource page which can be found here.
NWAC states that, “while the majority of cases occurred in urban areas, this violence often has a direct impact on rural or reserve communities. Most Aboriginal peoples living in urban areas maintain close ties to their home communities. The shock and grief of a missing or murdered community member impacts the entire community, no matter where the violence takes place. Nearly half of murder cases in NWAC’s database remain unsolved.”
So please remember to wear red on Friday. Thank you. Miigwetch.
rabble is expanding our Parliamentary Bureau and we need your help! Support us on Patreon today!
Support rabble today!
We’re so glad you stopped by! Thanks for consuming rabble content this year.
rabble.ca is 100% reader and donor funded, so as an avid reader of our content, we hope you will consider gifting rabble with a donation during our summer fundraiser today.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Whether it be a one-time donation or a small monthly contribution, your support is critical to keep rabble writers producing the work you’ve come to rely on as a part of a healthy media diet.
Become a rabble rouser — donate to rabble.ca today.
Nick Seebruch, editor
