Manitoba fund to help loved ones of missing or murdered Indigenous women

Indigenous people gathered at the historic Forks site in Winnipeg on Sunday to mark Red Dress Day, during which Manitoba announced an endowment fund to support the families of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

May 5 is annually associated with National Awareness Day for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People

.There are a disproportionate number of missing women in our communities, and many families are affected. We are always looking for our loved ones, so an event like this is very important to usdeclared the great leader of the community Island Lake Anishininew Okimawin, David Harper.

A round dance was held at La Fourche before a march to the Legislative Building at the end of the day.

Posters depicting missing and murdered Indigenous people were carried by several people during the march.

The speeches continued for a good part of the afternoon, with testimonies from people affected by the disappearances of indigenous women.

Wherever I go, I will always be a target, simply because I am an indigenous womantestifies for example Louise Minow.

Present at the La Fourche rally, Manitoba Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine announced Sunday the creation of the $15 million fund which will be managed by the Winnipeg Foundation.

It should be launched in 2025, according to the minister.

The initial investment is expected to generate up to $750,000 per year, the province said in a news release.

The province plans to cooperate with families, the MatriarchCircle, a circle that focuses on the protection and well-being of Indigenous women, girls and gender diverse people, and community partners to determine eligibility for grants.

Myrna Abraham, from the Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba, whose older sister went missing in January 2004, hopes to benefit from this endowment fund which will also help families who encounter financial difficulties when looking for a member of their family. family gone.

This really helps with expenses, which is the most stressful when you have to leave your community to look for family members, and it’s a reliefrecalls Ms. Abraham.

Red dress alert

Before this day, the federal and provincial governments had announced, on May 3, the creation of an alert Red dress. Like Amber Alerts, it would be used to report the disappearance of an Indigenous woman by alerting the public.

Sounds good, we’ll see how it works comments Melissa Robinson, cousin of Morgan Harris, potential victim of an alleged serial killer.

Former Long Plain First Nation Chief Kyra Wilson said the alert system has been needed for a long time and is a continuation of the Robinson Treaties of 1850, which included several clauses regarding relations with indigenous peoples.

We need to talk about prevention and look for actions to take to be proactive instead of reactiveshe recommends.

I think it’s wonderful, it’s timebelieves Julie Dean, who attended the Winnipeg rally.

With information from Ilrick Duhamel, Arturo Chang and Gavin Axelrod