Web Developments

This spring the Communications Department launched a new website featuring a policy page that outlines NWAC’s different units and houses easy-to-understand accessible content. Another key addition is the Knowledge Centre page, which serves as a hub for resources to promote the social, economic, cultural, and political well-being of Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people. This page includes toolkits, press releases, factsheets, and more. Be sure to check this section out if you haven’t already!

We also launched our Art Gallery page, displaying some of the world’s finest collections of Indigenous art from across the Americas. Art pieces are now also available for viewing and purchase.

During this launch, we also activated two microsites: NWAC STBBI (sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections) and NWAC Cannabis. Both sites include trauma-informed, Indigenous-focused resources.

The STBBI microsite provides toolkits for parents and caregivers, factsheets, conversation starters with children, toolkits for workplaces, handouts, definitions of consent and gender-inclusive terminology, and more.

The Cannabis microsite now serves as an educational tool for, and by, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people. We engaged with urban, rural, and remote Indigenous communities to identify priorities and gaps for Indigenous women and gender-diverse people regarding cannabis public health education.

NWAC press engagements

In early June, we announced that Canadians believe government’s efforts to protect Indigenous women have been poor, according to a recent Nanos Research poll. It was made public on June 3—the third anniversary of the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirits+ (MMIWG2S+), which determined the violence to be part of an ongoing genocide. The announcement date also marked a year after the government released a national action plan to address the tragedy.

We also released our annual report card for the Government of Canada’s efforts in addressing the national action plan to address MMIWG2S+ and violence. The results, conducted by another Nanos survey, showed there has been little progress.

In mid-June, we held our grand opening for our new building, the Social, Cultural, and Economic Innovation Centre. We also officially launched our uniquely Indigenous Cafè Bouleau and a national artisan gallery and boutique, Artisanelle. Media members were invited before the public event, both of which were hugely successful.

This month, we announced the election of our new NWAC president, Carol McBride, following our annual general assembly on July 16. Ms. McBride is a former Algonquin leader from Timiskaming First Nation, in northwestern Quebec. Her focus for her three-year term as a president is to ensure the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into MMIWG2S+ are enacted by decision-makers at all levels.