Photo: Adrian Wyld The Canadian Press The National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, during her speech this Monday at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the report of the National Inquiry into Indigenous Women and Girls missing and murdered
The Canadian Press in Ottawa
Published at 2:27 p.m.
- Canada
On the fifth anniversary of the report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) castigates all levels of government for what she calls slow progress toward ending the crisis.
Only two of the more than 150 calls to action for First Nations people have been implemented since 2019, says Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak.
This is despite ongoing calls from advocates at all levels of government for increased funding for Indigenous housing, justice and programs for LGBTQ+ people that they believe would keep women and girls safe.
The 2019 survey concluded that Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to be missing or murdered than their non-Indigenous counterparts, and issued a total of 231 calls for action to help curb the epidemic.
Ms. Woodhouse says government inaction is a failure that is “not acceptable to our people,” and she hopes it won't be acceptable to Canadians.
The head of the AFN calls on governments and their agencies to make significant changes based on justice and respect for human rights, thinking to survivors and their families.