Marches across Canada bringing awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous

ABBOTSFORD (NEWS 1130) — “Take Back Canada” rallies are happening across the country to bring awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and one of the local organizers speaking out made headlines last Fall for speaking out against residential schools. 

In November, Krista MacInnis spoke out after her daughter received a homework assignment that asked to find positive experiences with residential schools.

Now, the Indigenous mother of two is organizing a solidarity event in Abbotsford Saturday and says the march is meant to sound the alarm on the violence that is disproportionately affecting Indigenous people.

“I definitely don’t think that any parent should ever have to wonder where their child is and if their child’s ever coming home and if their child’s a priority to the police force and to our government,” she says.

MacInnis says a major issue within the country is that many Canadians are unaware of the issues Indigenous people face.

“It’s the silence around it, it’s the blindness around it, it’s the desensitization too … that’s really fueling ongoing huge relief that we as an Indigenous community have with our governments because we don’t feel like our governments use us as a priority like really don’t deserve to feel safe. And that’s not right and it’s not okay so today is all about bringing awareness to this.”

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A march will also be held on Vancouver Island in Courtenay.

Logan Clifford, co-organizer of the Vancouver Island march, says their aim is to educate attendees on the rate of violence against Indigenous people.

“This is definitely a situation that affects everybody. A lot of families across Canada just really wanted to be a voice and say, ‘Hear us, see us, we’re not invisible. We are here and we just want equal treatment like everybody else.'”

This is a socially distanced event, Canada-wide to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2-Spirit individuals, who continue to be at higher risk for violence.

Posted by Noelle Beaulieu on Wednesday, March 10, 2021

In recent months, posts on social media started to spread circulate on social media about women missing across the province.

While the RCMP has dispelled the viral posts, Clifford says there are concerns about whether the number of Indigenous people missing is being properly inputted into systems.

The march in Abbotsford and on the Island are two of 22 marches taking place in Canada. But Clifford says there are many ways to show solidary this year.

“Put your profile picture on any social media as completely red or anything supporting of MMIW, you can hang a red dress, you can put signs out in your driveway, you can stand in your driveway so that way you’re absolutely distancing in your own bubble. Or if you want you can definitely come down and join one of our 22 locations.”

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