Robert Pickton’s death brings mixed emotions| Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC)

Gatineau, Quebec – President of the Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC), Carol McBride, has issued a statement on the death of Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton.

“Now is a difficult time for many who will be having mixed feelings of relief and lingering pain. I am too. I want foremost to honour our Stolen Sisters and to offer comfort to their families, upon the news of Robert Pickton's death.

To the families of the women whose lives were cut short by the unforgivable and heinous crimes of that serial murderer - please know that my heart remains with you all. Every one of your daughters, sisters, mothers and aunties will be honoured through prayer and collective sorrow. They will be remembered as the beautiful people who touched your lives, and not as faceless statistics. Hold strong. May our fresh tears begin the healing that is needed. This will take time.

We do not have time, however, in speaking out to prohibit the destruction of any remaining evidence related to Pickton's crimes. The key to answers for some families may lie within that evidence. We must speak out to preserve any and all evidence that exists. Those Sisters whose stories remain untold must not be dismissed. They are equally deserving of truth and justice. I call upon those who have the means to keep answers within our reach to be fair to those women and families. Our calls for justice include answers for those who remain unnamed, because their lives and memories matter. Only then can we truly begin the healing that’s needed with the devastation wrought by the many evils of that man.

In honour of our Sisters, let us raise our voices together so we may be heard on this issue.”

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For media inquiries, contact communications@nwac.ca

About The Native Women’s Association of Canada

The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) is a national Indigenous organization representing political voices of Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse people in Canada. NWAC is inclusive of First Nations—on- and off-reserve, status, non-status, and disenfranchised—Inuit, and Métis. An aggregate of Indigenous women’s organizations from across the country, NWAC was founded on a collective goal to enhance, promote, and foster social, economic, cultural, and political well-being of Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, transgender, and gender-diverse people within their respective communities and Canadian societies.

À propos de l'Association des femmes autochtones du Canada

L'Association des femmes autochtones du Canada (AFAC) est une organisation autochtone nationale qui représente la voix politique des femmes, des filles, des transgenres, des bispirituels et des personnes de sexe différent au Canada, y compris les membres des Premières nations vivant dans les réserves et hors réserve, les Indiens inscrits et non inscrits, les personnes privées de leurs droits, les Métis et les Inuits. Regroupant des organisations de femmes autochtones de tout le pays, l'AFAC a été fondée dans le but collectif d'améliorer, de promouvoir et de favoriser le bien-être social, économique, culturel et politique des femmes autochtones au sein de leurs communautés respectives et des sociétés canadiennes.

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Robert Pickton’s death brings mixed emotions

Amidst relief for some, existing DNA evidence must be preserved for families still waiting for answers.