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 4th, 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