Vancouver, Oct. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today on Musqueam Lands (Vancouver, BC), on the National Day of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Gender Diverse People (MMIWG2S+), the co-developed Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee for the Trans Mountain Expansion and Existing Pipeline (IAMC-TMX) announced the establishment of a new Circle on MMIWG2S+ and Resource Development.

Indigenous members of the Circle are calling upon Deputy Heads and other federal leaders to join them to participate in ceremony, deepen an understanding of the ongoing crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Gender Diverse People, and to affirm a commitment to accelerating progress on MMIWG2S+ Calls for Justice 13.1-13.5. 

The ceremony is taking place on Friday, October 4^th, 2024, at the Musqueam Cultural Centre in Vancouver, from 9:00am-12:30pm, with media interviews at 12:00pm.

It is critical that we fully understand the connection between resource development, violence, poverty, policing, displacement and forced relocation, marine shipping, transportation, human trafficking, and how they contribute to MMIWG2S+. This cycle, enabled by systemic barriers and gaps, is disproportionately harming Indigenous women, girls, and two spirit people. This is why it is so important that we have collaboration and commitment from all parties to act on these issues with the urgency, intersectionality and respect that they deserve.

In 2018, Indigenous members of the IAMC-TMX identified impacts associated with temporary work camps and influx of workers as a top priority during construction, and in response to these concerns moved to establish the Socioeconomic Subcommittee (SESC). Since its inception, the SESC has been the only initiative listed in Annual Progress Reporting for the Federal Pathway to Address Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ People as responding to all five MMIWG2S+ Calls for Justice (13.1-13.5) on Resource Development.

In June 2024, the SESC and Marine Shipping Subcommittee (MSSC) struck a new Circle on MMIWG2S+ and Resource Development, inviting Indigenous women and MMIWG2S+ advocates to the table to enable collaborative work and progress on advancing the Calls for Justice. This group has been supported by Natural Resources Canada to develop work that will be grounded in an Indigenous worldview with an emphasis on relationships, holistic and intergenerational knowledge, and principles of stewardship and responsibility.

 

Members of the new Circle include:

 

• Dr. Tracy Friedel (President of Lac Ste. Anne Métis), Committee member and SESC Chair (Circle co-chair)
• Trina Sxwithul’txw, (Penelakut Tribe Member), Committee member and Marine Shipping Subcommittee (MSSC) Chair (Circle co-chair)
• Violet Meguinis (Tsuu’tina First Nation Member), SESC Member, Chair, T’suut’ina Police Commission
• Cathy Arcega (Stoney Nakoda First Nation Member), SESC Member, Advisor to the RCMP "K" Division Commanding Officers Indigenous Advisory Committee
• Laura Sparrow (Musqueam Indian Band Member), SESC Member
• Zoe Craig-Sparrow, (Musqueam Indian Band Member), SESC Member, Justice for Girls
• Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, Chair, National Family and Survivors Circle Inc.
• Sharon McIvor, Feminist Alliance for International Action
• Melissa Moses, Founder, Owner and Chief Instructor, Nicola Valley Muay Thai
• George Lampreau (Chief of Simpcw First Nation), Committee member and SESC member
• Marcel Shackelly (Chief of Nooaitch Indian Band), Committee member, SESC member and Indigenous Monitoring Subcommittee (IMSC) Co-Chair
• Sandia Wu, SESC Member, Deputy Director, MMIWG2S+ Policy Team, Natural Resources Canada 

“Our work on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project over the past several years has taught us that efforts to address race and gender-based discrimination and violence associated with resource development requires systemic change. Now is a time for action. The Circle on MMIWG2S+ and Resource Development has been established to zero in on the five Calls to Justice associated with resource development, as identified in the 2019 MMIWG National Inquiry Final Report. As Indigenous women leading this Circle, including prominent grassroots MMIWG2S+ advocates, we call upon government and regulators to be committed collaborators in the effort needed to create system change. We must do this work together for current and future generations.”

• Dr. Tracy Friedel (President of Lac Ste. Anne Métis), Committee member and SESC Chair (Circle co-chair)

 

"We may not bring closure to the families of the missing and murdered but it is our intent within our work to provide a symbolic "home fire" so these "spirits" can start their journey to justice and healing ... we are committed to doing our best".

• Violet Meguinis, SESC Member, Chair, T’suut’ina Police Commission

 

“Addressing the Calls for Justice related to the resource extractive industry requires genuine collaboration among all stakeholders. The establishment of the Circle on MMIWG2S+ and Resource Development is a pivotal opportunity to create clear pathways for implementation, prevention, and accountability. Together, we must ensure that the voices of Indigenous women, girls, and gender diverse people are not only heard but actively shape the policies and practices that impact their lives. By fostering relationships built on trust and respect, we can create sustainable solutions that prevent violence and promote the safety and well-being of our communities."  

• Hilda Anderson-Pyrz, Chair, National Family and Survivors Circle Inc.

 

“Indigenous women and girls have been subjected to violence and displacement in the interest of natural resource development since colonization. The National Inquiry into MMIWG2S+ could not be more clear: urgent action must be taken to address the connections between MMIWG2S+ and the resource extraction and development industry. As a member of the new Circle, I will honour and build on the work of the generations of Indigenous matriarchs, advocates, and land protectors who came before me to continue the fight for the meaningful justice our people and our stolen sisters deserve. But to be successful, this work requires the funding, commitment, and political will from federal leaders.” 

•      Zoe Craig-Sparrow, SESC Member, Justice for Girls 

"Our Indigenous women and girls have been calling for action on MMIWG2S+ for decades, long before the National Inquiry. And since the National Inquiry, we have continued to call for action. The cycle of violence between resource extraction, work camps, displacement, and human trafficking must be stopped. I am deeply committed to this work alongside my sisters on the Circle on MMIWGS2+ and Resource Development and hopeful that federal, industry, and regulatory bodies will finally commit to taking urgent, meaningful action on the Calls for Justice."

•  Melissa Moses, Founder, Owner and Chief Instructor, Nicola Valley Muay Thai

 

“As Chief of Musqueam, I stand with our Indigenous women, girls, and two spirit people on this National Day of Action for MMIWG2S+. The establishment of this Circle on MMIWG2S+ and Resource Development is an essential step toward addressing the systemic issues that continue to harm our communities. We call on all leaders to join us in this work, to honour the Calls for Justice, and to act with the urgency and commitment that this crisis demands."

• Chief Wayne Sparrow, Musqueam Indian Band

 

"I am honored to be a member of the Circle on MMIWG2S+ and Resource Development, and am hopeful that, through this group, we are finally able to see meaningful prevention, mitigation, and responses to the impact of resource extraction on our women and girls. As Chief of the Simpcw First Nation and a member of the Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee for the TMX, I have first-hand experience with the industry’s systemic barriers, challenges, and gaps that directly contribute to increased violence, crime, and trafficking. We know the issues are there, and we have the Calls for Justice 13.1-13.5 that outline them, now we need federal leaders to commit to meaningful action and funding to finally begin to prevent them."

• Chief George Lampreau, Simpcw First Nation

 

“I am honored to stand alongside the incredible Indigenous women and matriarchs guiding the work of this Circle on MMIWG2S+ and Resource Development. As an Indigenous man, Chief of Nooaitch, and member of the Circle, I will stand beside our Indigenous women and help create a safe space for their leadership on this work. Their voices and wisdom must be followed, respected, and acted upon by all leaders if we are to meaningfully and expeditiously address the MMIWG2S+ Calls for Justice."

• Chief Marcel Shackelly, Nooaitch Indian Band

 

"The establishment of the Circle on MMIWG2S+ and Resource Development represents a vital step in addressing the profound impacts of resource development on Indigenous women, girls, and gender diverse people, and putting violence against them to an end. This initiative directly works to respond to and honour the Calls for Justice, while focusing greater attention on the urgent need for systemic change. It is a call for collaborative action that requires the full commitment of federal leaders to confront the interconnected issues of violence, racism, poverty, and displacement, which continue to disproportionately affect Indigenous communities.”

• The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

 

“Together, with Indigenous partners and communities, we are committed to doing the work needed to stop the violence and make spaces safer. The establishment of the new Circle on MMIWG2S+ and Resource Development is one of many important steps needed to see real improvements. It’s only when we centre and are guided by Indigenous women and their voices that we will be able to make genuine progress.” 

• The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Canada’s Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

Annette Goerner
Director of Public Relations, spark*advocacy
(613) 818-6941
annette@sparkadvocacy.ca

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