Elizabeth May

“Mr. Speaker, the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people continues to affect survivors, families and communities across this country. Of the 231 calls for justice in the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, 215 of them call on the federal government in some capacity or other. On June 3, we released the 2025-2026 federal pathway annual progress report, marking the fifth anniversary of “Federal Pathway To Address Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls And 2SLGBTQQIA+ People”, which is the Government of Canada’s contribution to the national action plan. As it stands now, the Government of Canada has made efforts to advance roughly three-quarters of the federal work outlined in the national inquiry’s final report. This year, our government reported progress on 163 of the calls for justice. As I have mentioned, advancing the calls for justice is not a one-time effort or a checklist for one party to fulfill. Many calls for justice require sustained action and an ongoing commitment to collaborate with other governments, organizations and civil society, while continuing to follow the lead of survivors and their families. On Red Dress Day this year, the Prime Minister was presented with a sacred bundle by the National Family and Survivors Circle. That sacred bundle carries teachings, responsibilities and spirit, reflecting the lived experiences of victims, survivors and their communities from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Receiving that sacred bundle reaffirmed the Government of Canada’s commitment to end the national crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls and 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Also, on Red Dress Day we announced an investment of $2.6 million over three years for the National Family and Survivors Circle Inc. to continue its vital work in centring survivors and families in the implementation of the calls for justice. We also announced an additional $300,000 investment to help support the next steps on a red dress alert pilot in Manitoba. We continue to invest in indigenous-led approaches that advance the calls for justice through Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada’s supporting indigenous women’s and 2SLGBTQI+ organizations program. Twenty-two projects have recently been approved to support indigenous-led solutions and advance indigenous-led priorities. We also continue to support healing, wellness and community-led responses through the support of the contribution program for the well-being of families and survivors of missing and murdered indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQI+ people. At the same time, Indigenous Services Canada has been expanding access to safe, culturally appropriate spaces through the indigenous shelter and transitional housing initiative, which is part of the $724.1-million comprehensive violence prevention strategy. This investment will have supported the creation of 38 new shelters and 42 transitional homes across Canada, including in northern and urban communities. There is no doubt that there is lots more work to do on this important call to action and the calls for justice. We look forward to collaborating and to continuing to treat this national crisis with the urgency it deserves.”