Pass A Federal Act to End Violence Against Aboriginal Women in Canada

The Issue

Three and a half years ago my life changed forever when a friend told me about the Highway Of Tears. I learned that on this stretch of highway in northern British Columbia, at least 40 women and girls had gone missing, the majority of them from aboriginal communities -- and the Canadian government hadn't done anything about it.

As I began to investigate the stories of these women and girls, my outrage grew. I wanted all of Canada to hear these stories for themselves and to know the anguish felt by families. I wanted to help advocate for a solution. So I started making a documentary called "Highway Of Tears."

Once the documentary was finished, I thought my journey was over -- but it was really just beginning. At screenings across Canada, I heard thousands of stories of violence against aboriginal women and girls - not just along the Highway of Tears. What's more - I learned that very few families have had any closure or justice for their lost loved ones.

That’s why I’m asking you to sign this petition telling Canada’s government to implement A FEDERAL ACT TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of aboriginal leaders, most Canadians know about the need for a national inquiry into this issue. We’ve seen the government ignore their voices, even as the world has begun to take notice, and the United Nations has condemned Canada for inaction

I've started this petition with the support of communities and families of missing women, including Mary Teegee, Carrier Sekani Family Services and The Highway of Tears Initiative.

By signing this petition, you're telling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to make a Federal Act to End Violence Against Aboriginal Women a priority, in addition to a national inquiry.

I’ve been fortunate to travel country over the last year to meet with community leaders, activists, MPs and Senators.  I can tell you firmly from the bottom of my heart that this FEDERAL ACT is 100% necessary to protecting women and girls by improving the criminal justice response to violence. And it’s something many of our political leaders already support. 

While I’m not asking all of you to join us in searching for lost family members or solving crimes, I am asking for you to join us in spirit. I am committed to pushing the Government of Canada to not only conduct a national inquiry, but to also implement a FEDERAL ACT TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA. Thank you for joining us. 

 

avatar of the starter
Matt SmileyPetition Starter
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This petition had 43,266 supporters

The Issue

Three and a half years ago my life changed forever when a friend told me about the Highway Of Tears. I learned that on this stretch of highway in northern British Columbia, at least 40 women and girls had gone missing, the majority of them from aboriginal communities -- and the Canadian government hadn't done anything about it.

As I began to investigate the stories of these women and girls, my outrage grew. I wanted all of Canada to hear these stories for themselves and to know the anguish felt by families. I wanted to help advocate for a solution. So I started making a documentary called "Highway Of Tears."

Once the documentary was finished, I thought my journey was over -- but it was really just beginning. At screenings across Canada, I heard thousands of stories of violence against aboriginal women and girls - not just along the Highway of Tears. What's more - I learned that very few families have had any closure or justice for their lost loved ones.

That’s why I’m asking you to sign this petition telling Canada’s government to implement A FEDERAL ACT TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of aboriginal leaders, most Canadians know about the need for a national inquiry into this issue. We’ve seen the government ignore their voices, even as the world has begun to take notice, and the United Nations has condemned Canada for inaction

I've started this petition with the support of communities and families of missing women, including Mary Teegee, Carrier Sekani Family Services and The Highway of Tears Initiative.

By signing this petition, you're telling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to make a Federal Act to End Violence Against Aboriginal Women a priority, in addition to a national inquiry.

I’ve been fortunate to travel country over the last year to meet with community leaders, activists, MPs and Senators.  I can tell you firmly from the bottom of my heart that this FEDERAL ACT is 100% necessary to protecting women and girls by improving the criminal justice response to violence. And it’s something many of our political leaders already support. 

While I’m not asking all of you to join us in searching for lost family members or solving crimes, I am asking for you to join us in spirit. I am committed to pushing the Government of Canada to not only conduct a national inquiry, but to also implement a FEDERAL ACT TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST ABORIGINAL WOMEN IN CANADA. Thank you for joining us. 

 

avatar of the starter
Matt SmileyPetition Starter
Media inquiries

The Decision Makers

Justin Trudeau
Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada/Premier ministre du Canada
Responded
“The disappearance and death of nearly 1,200 Indigenous women and girls, including those from the Highway of Tears, is an ongoing national tragedy that must come to an end. Despite repeated appeals from the families of victims, provincial governments, Indigenous communities, and international organizations, the Prime Minister has repeatedly refused to call a public inquiry. Mr. Harper is on the wrong side of history. This issue requires national leadership and action to put an end to this violence. A Liberal government will immediately launch a national public inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Canada, to seek recommendations on concrete actions that governments, law enforcement, and others can take to solve these crimes and prevent future ones. Working together with experts and advocates, we will develop and implement a comprehensive federal gender violence strategy and action plan. We will give more support to survivors of sexual assault and ensure that more perpetrators are brought to justice.  We will also review current gender and culturally sensitive training policies for federal front-line law enforcement officers to ensure that they are strong, effective, and able to encourage more survivors to report incidents to police. ”
Tom Mulcair
Tom Mulcair
Leader, New Democratic Party of Canada / Chef, Nouveau Parti démocratique du Canada
Responded
“Thank you for your letter regarding violence against women. I believe one of the most urgent priorities of any government should be to put an end to the violence experienced by women, and disproportionately by too many Indigenous women and girls. An NDP government will initiate an inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women within the first 100 days of taking office. We will also work with women’s groups and Indigenous families, communities and organizations to establish a comprehensive National Action Plan to end violence against women and girls, with dedicated funding and benchmarks. The plan would encompass a number of factors, including: education and training on human rights and gender-based violence, prevention initiatives, and intensive work with perpetrators. It would provide support for research, tools to address new and emerging forms of violence such as cyberbullying, specific programming for communities with particular needs and national public education campaigns on violence against women and girls. We also recognize that there are barriers to women who seek to flee domestic violence. With nowhere to go, and little alternative, many women and their children are forced to stay in a violent situation or face homelessness. We have pledged to support women and their children fleeing violence by restoring the Shelter Enhancement Program with $40 million in funding over four years. We hope to ensure that no woman in need is turned away from a shelter. Based on the previous performance of this program, this funding could create or renovate more than 2,100 spaces in first-stage shelters and nearly 350 spaces in transition houses across Canada. When we form government, we will remove the punitive 2% cap, imposed by the Liberals and maintained by the Conservatives, on funds for First Nations social services. We’ll work to close the funding gap that sees First Nations receive less funding than other Canadians for vital services. An NDP government will pass An Act to Ensure Secure, Adequate, Accessible and Affordable Housing for Canadians. This Act would legally require the Minister responsible for housing to sit down with the provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous governments, housing providers, and civil society organizations to create a multi-year strategy to address housing and homelessness. The strategy would address both the needs of local communities and of particular populations, including Indigenous peoples, persons living with disabilities and women fleeing violence. In support of this strategy, we will invest over $2.7 billion over 4 years for affordable housing and homelessness programs in Canada. This is a complex problem, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t find solutions. Rather than continuing to ignore the disproportionate violence faced by women, as previous governments have done, I am committed to ensuring that as your Prime Minister I will make ending violence against women a personal priority. Sincerely, Tom Mulcair Leader, New Democratic Party of Canada ”
Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May
Leader, Green Party of Canada / Chef, Parti Vert du Canada
Responded
“The violence faced by Aboriginal women and girls in this country is our shared national disgrace. We must confront the racism, poverty and legacies of colonialism that underpin these acts of violence. The Green Party supports the call for an inquiry into the loss of Indigenous women. We believe the federal government has an obligation to move ahead with an inquiry immediately. ”
Carolyn Bennett
Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe
Leader, Bloc Québécois

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Petition created on May 12, 2015