A Manitoba MP is attempting to establish a system of alerts for the consumer when Aboriginal women disappear, a move she hopes will result in fewer fatalities and safer reunions with loved ones.
“This is a critical initiative”, New Democrat MP Leah Gazan, who represents the using of Winnipeg Centre, said last month as a House of Commons committee began studying her” Red Dress Alert” request.
“This is an action that will save lifestyles.”
Last year, Gazan’s fellow MPs overwhelmingly supported her movements declaring the murders and disappearances of aboriginal women and girls a national emergency. Additionally, the activity demanded funding for a brand-new alert system similar to those used for seniors and missing children.
Lawmakers are currently negotiating with industry representatives about how to put such a system into place nationwide.
In a federal investigation into the disappearance and murder of Indigenous women and girls, a 2019 report found purposeful rights violations at the root of violence against gender- diverse people.
With the last report came 231 calls to justice directed toward governments, societal service providers, industry and Canadians, but comparatively little progress has been made to date— especially on the national side.
In a statement released next year, Statistics Canada estimated that between 2009 and 2021, the homicide rate among Indigenous women and girls was six times higher than that of their non-indigenous counterparts.
In addition, according to that statement, homicides committed by Aboriginal women and girls are less likely to result in the most significant death claims than those committed by non-Indigenous people.
Sheila North, a former royal chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak and an ex-journalist, claimed she often encountered instances of police silence when reporting on missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls.
“There was always a termination, or even disregard and disrespect, toward the families and friends that we’re trying to get recognition out and get some action on an inspection done”, North said in an exam.
“There was always this popular theme of an officer saying,’ Only wait a while, they’re definitely on a crazy bender, perhaps partying,'” she recounted.
” Or,’ They have a right to leave, they can go on vacation,’ knowing full well that a lot of these families can’t afford to go on a vacation”.
The House of Commons Status of Women committee is reviewing Gazan’s Red Dress Alert plan, which has already heard evidence from a number of professionals who want the program to get Indigenous-led.
For a model, they say, may lessen the difficulty of police silence, as well as bureaucratic red tape, to better maintain members of the public are notified of a disappearance quickly and effectively.
Jennifer Jesty, who manages the Union of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq’s resiliency program, spoke to MPs about her own efforts to implement an emergency alert system in her communities and her efforts to reduce police interference.
Jesty told the committee that she has since sent out 183 alerts and reunited 67 people with their families, 96% of whom were reunited with their families within an hour of the alert going out.
In one instance, Jesty claimed to have issued an alert after a man approached a young Indigenous woman and attempted to entice her into sex work. As a result, all 3, 000 subscribers promptly learned of the potential threat.
The alert was then shared by community members online via their own social media accounts, expanding its reach even further and preventing further recruitment efforts in nearby areas, she testified.
“Because this system was designed by us, for us, we were able to create our own protocols around when, how and why an alert should or shouldn’t be sent”, Jesty said.
Every alert that has been sent out within minutes of receiving the information has not been denied in a single instance.
Jesty’s alert system, delivered by Everbridge, allows messages to be sent via text, calls, emails, and can even alert people via landline— an especially important form of communication for older community members, or those with unreliable cell service in remote communities.
While Jesty said her alert system reduces red tape, she still makes sure loved ones contact the police to ensure there’s a record, and to make sure they’re not just “over at Auntie’s place”.
Getting police buy- in took time, she said, “and some of the things they said to me were not the most pleasant”. However, once police began to call Jesty, they realized the value of using the alerts to aid in their own investigations.
Jesty told MPs, “In my ideal world, I would love to implement this alert system in this entire country….”
“Would it save lives? I think it has already got that.”
Other North American jurisdictions already have similar alert systems, including Washington state’s “Missing Indigenous Person” system, which coexists with the existing Amber Alert and Silver Alert programs.
While experts claim that the alerts are necessary to protect Indigenous women and girls, North envisions a time when they are no longer necessary.
But substantive changes need to happen first, she said, including the removal of barriers faced by Indigenous women and girls in employment, social services and law enforcement. Then Indigenous women, girls, transgender and two- spirit people could better protect themselves and their livelihoods.
” o that predators have less power over us”, she said.
However, according to North, Red Dress alerts will be able to inform the public about how widespread the issue is by presenting the faces behind the statistics in a way that is challenging to ignore until that time arrives.
“I hope it’s a reminder that this problem still exists”, she said. “It’s a stark reminder of the reality of what’s happening to Canada’s first people”.