News Releases

News Release - Manitoba

June 3, 2021

Manitoba Acknowledges Second Anniversary of the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls



June 3 marks the second anniversary of the Final Report: National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Honouring this day, Manitoba remains committed to taking concrete steps to respond to the Calls for Justice of the national inquiry and to combating gender-based violence in Manitoba, Indigenous and Northern Relations Minister Eileen Clarke announced today, on behalf of Manitoba’s Gender-Based Violence Committee of Cabinet (GBVCC).

“With the devastating discovery of the remains of 215 children found on the grounds of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, B.C., we recognize that our past is still very much connected to our present and the legacy of residential schools continues to carry on through missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The tragedies in Kamloops and of MMIWG is deeply felt in Manitoba,” said Clarke.

“We acknowledge and honour the Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people who have been taken from us, and the families and communities who have lost loved ones to this unspeakable national tragedy. We further acknowledge and honour survivors who have experienced trauma and violence and for whom this recent tragedy in B.C. reopens and compounds old wounds. It is imperative that we continue to honour the memories of those who have been taken and that we support those who have been impacted by responding to the Calls for Justice.”

Manitoba’s current efforts include ongoing engagement with community-based organizations, Indigenous leadership, families and survivors, and a detailed cross-department review of current and planned activities related to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Manitoba recognizes and acknowledges the perspectives of Indigenous peoples, organizations, families and communities and the important role they must play in the future of  the province, the minister noted.

Launched in 2018, the GBVCC was developed to integrate services and take a whole-of-government approach to organizing projects, policies and legislation on gender-based issues. The committee is addressing the Calls to Action – Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada related to culturally relevant and Indigenous-specific programs and services.

The GBVCC is chaired by the Manitoba Status of Women and includes Manitoba Indigenous and Northern Relations, Manitoba Justice, Manitoba Families, Manitoba Health and Senior Care and Manitoba Mental Health, Wellness and Recovery and Janice Morley-LaComte, MLA for Seine River. The departments of education, municipal relations, and economic development and jobs are participating in the cross department review.

“Our government is committed to listening to the people on the front lines and will continue to work collaboratively with Indigenous and community-led organizations to advance the work of the Gender-Based Violence Framework to provide supports and programing for those in need,” said Sport, Culture and Heritage Minister Cathy Cox, minister responsible for the status of women, and chair of the GBVCC. “Though this framework is focused on gender-based violence, we acknowledge the unique nature of the experiences of Indigenous peoples and the need to address the Calls for Justice of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. We will prioritize activities that link to the recommended priorities as identified by our engagements with families, survivors, community organizations, the broader community and Indigenous leadership.”

Manitoba is pursuing a wide variety of activities that align with the Calls for Justice and support efforts to end violence against Indigenous women and girls, recognizing that more work is to be done.

Clarke added that a new section of Manitoba Indigenous and Northern Relations’ website has been launched to provide further information on the work that Manitoba has been doing, and will continue to do to, to address the issue of MMIWG and gender-based violence more broadly. To learn more, visit www.manitoba.ca/mmiwg.

At sunset tonight, the Legislative Building will be lit up in red to honour the Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people who are no longer with us.

Members of the GBVCC spoke about their department’s work in relation to MMIWG in a recently released video that can be found at https://youtu.be/zssXl_zgciU.


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