NAN Statement on MMIWG final report
Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Deputy Grand Chief Walter Naveau has issued the following statement following the release of the Nation Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Final Report Reclaiming Power and Place in Ottawa this morning:
“On behalf of Nishnawbe Aski Nation I acknowledge all women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people who have gone missing or have been murdered, and our hearts are with the families, survivors and communities. This report validates the tragic experiences our community members have endured for years. The National Inquiry has exposed root causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls. We accept its conclusion that colonial structures, polices and inequities are persistent in Canada and amounts to genocide. I acknowledge the Prime Minister’s commitment to develop a National Action Plan to address this violence and we look forward to developing a plan of action with the full inclusion of our communities.”
NAN and Grand Council Treaty #3 made a joint submission to the Inquiry highlighting 122 considerations. While important, the “All Governments” Calls for Justice to be implemented by federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous governments do not follow the NAN/Grand Council Treaty #3 recommendation for a “meaningful approach to implementation”, which should include:
- clear identification of the institution or department responsible for implementing the recommendation;
- measurable benchmarks for progress;
- reasonable timeframes for reporting progress; and
- an independent monitoring with real consequences for failure to implement.
NAN has initiated work on many of the issues reflected in the report, including: implementing Jordan’s Principle, legislating the Nishnawbe Aski Police Service, developing a NAN Housing Strategy, designing a process to transform health and educational systems by asserting inherent jurisdiction, participating in the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal case against Canada on Indigenous child welfare, and the reclamation of culture through language and education.
NAN looks forward to the governments commitment to implement the recommendations through sustained funding.
The 1,200-page report is available at: https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/
For more information please contact:
Michael Heintzman,
Director of Communications
Cell: (807) 621-2790
mheintzman@nan.ca