Ministers Anandasangaree, Hajdu, Vandal, and Ien issue statement on Red Dress Day 2024

OTTAWA, TRADITIONAL UNCEDED ALGONQUIN TERRITORY, ON, May 5, 2024 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations; the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for FedNor; the Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs; and the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth; issued the following statement:

"Since Métis artist Jaime Black began the REDress Project in 2010, red dresses hanging in public spaces have become a stark visual reminder of every Indigenous woman, girl, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse person in Canada who has gone missing or been murdered.

"Today, on Red Dress Day, we honour every First Nation, Inuit, and Métis life lost to this crisis, and we reaffirm our efforts to bring the missing home. Ahead of Red Dress Day, the governments of Canada and Manitoba announced a partnership to co-develop a pilot Red Dress Alert system together with Indigenous partners. This was made possible by the $1.3 million investment included in Budget 2024. Alert systems can help ensure that when an Indigenous woman, girl, Two-Spirit or gender-diverse person goes missing, they are found. 

"We stand united in affirming our unwavering commitment to addressing this national crisis and collectively working toward a secure, violence-free future for all Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people. We also recognize that means supporting grassroots, Indigenous-led and community-driven change through housing, shelters, policing, and infrastructure initiatives, such as the Inuvialuit Family Wellness Centre that provides shelter for Indigenous women and families in Inuvik, the Indigenous Victim and Family Liaison Program that helps individuals and family members navigate culturally-appropriate health and wellbeing supports, and new rural public transit studies to better connect communities undertaken by the Nahanni Butte First Nation, Yellowknives Dene First Nation, and the Hay River Métis Government.

"The work to end the national crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender diverse people is ongoing, and a lot more remains to be done. The federal government is committed to learning from Indigenous partners in a way that respects our shared priorities. We will continue to use the Federal Pathway, the National Action Plan, the National Inquiry's Calls for Justice, and the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence to lay the path forward for our work. Today, as we honour these lives, we continue our efforts to dismantle the systems that put Indigenous people in danger, and to create transformative change that will ensure every Indigenous woman, girl, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse person in Canada has a future free from fear and violence, where their rights are protected, and respected."

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Crisis Line is a national, toll-free, 24/7 crisis call line that provides support for anyone who requires emotional assistance related to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people. For assistance, call 1-844-413-6649.

Trauma-informed support is also available to all those impacted by the ongoing crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit and gender-diverse people through the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Health and Cultural Support Program. The program funds access to cultural support (e.g., Elders, Knowledge Holders, and Traditional Healers), emotional support (e.g., community-based health workers, peer supports), and registered mental health counsellors (e.g., psychologists, and social workers).

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada