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OTTAWA – Lorraine Whitman, President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), wrote today to members of the Liberal cabinet to urge them to make the safety and economic security of Indigenous women a priority as they set a new legislative agenda for the coming session of Parliament.
The letter to Ministers, which was sent two weeks before the scheduled reading of a Throne Speech, says Indigenous women have lost some of the optimism they felt when the Liberal government was first elected in 2015.
Primarily, wrote Ms. Whitman, they are disappointed that the government has been slow to act in addressing the calls for Justice of the National Inquiry Into Missing and Murdered indigenous Women and tabling a National Action Plan to end the violence.
The killing did not end when the national Inquiry was called. Every week, new names are being added to that horrific list of Indigenous women and girls who vanish or are found dead at the hands of a killer.
“When the Throne Speech is read, NWAC will be listening for indications that you appreciate the magnitude of the economic and security problems faced by First Nations, Inuit and Metis women and girls, and that you understand the urgent need to tackle them,” Ms. Whitman wrote in her letter to Ministers.
Ms. Whitman detailed a series of urgent initiatives that could be quickly implemented by the government to address the safety and economic needs of Indigenous women. They include:
Indigenous women of Canada are looking for a sign that their well-being matters and that safety and economic concerns remain a top priority for this government, wrote Ms. Whitman. “I don’t need to tell you that Indigenous people, in general, and Indigenous women, in particular, are among the poorest and most vulnerable members of our society, and that they endure living conditions which fall far below those enjoyed by most other Canadians,” she wrote to the Ministers. “We are eager to work with you in the days and months ahead as partners in this vital cause.”
For information, or to arrange an interview, contact:
Roselie LeBlanc at roselie@sparkadvocacy.ca or 604-928-3233.
Pour obtenir plus d’information ou prendre des dispositions pour une interview, contacter:
Roselie LeBlanc, par courriel : roselie@sparkadvocacy.ca ou par téléphone: 604-928-3233
About The Native Women’s Association of Canada
The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) is a National Indigenous Organization representing the political voice of Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse people in Canada, inclusive of First Nations on and off reserve, status and non-status, disenfranchised, Métis and Inuit. An aggregate of Indigenous women’s organizations from across the country, NWAC was founded on the collective goal to enhance, promote and foster the social, economic, cultural and political well-being of Indigenous women within their respective communities and Canada societies.