“On Red Dress Day, I would like to honour all those who continue to work tirelessly to end the ongoing genocide of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and gender diverse people (MMIWG2S+), including families, survivors, advocates and Indigenous women.
“For far too long this crisis has been neglected, and it requires immediate, substantive action. All levels of government must take responsibility and implement the 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
“This is not only about acknowledgment, but about justice, safety, and accountability. Indigenous women, girls, and gender diverse people deserve to live free from violence, and their families deserve answers, support, and meaningful change. We must listen to those most affected, and ensure their voices guide the path forward.”
“During the campaign, the NL NDP ensured support for Indigenous communities in our platform, starting with legislation to adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) – demonstrating real commitment to Indigenous peoples. This would mean:
- Increasing the number of Indigenous professionals working in health care, justice, and education; and
- Collaborating with Indigenous governments, communities, and organizations to support every child’s success and promote equal access to quality education for Indigenous and non-Indigenous students.
“We know that the world we live in is seeing an unfortunate increase in racism, and in our country specifically, a lot of anti-Indigenous hate. This is unacceptable, and unfair to all Indigenous peoples across the country. This is why the NDP also included in our platform a plan to work with equity-seeking groups to develop a provincial plan to combat hate – including the creation of a dedicated Hate Crimes Investigation Unit.
“Safety from violence is a fundamental human right, and it’s critical we do everything we can to end the ongoing genocide against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people. While we celebrate our progress this Red Dress Day, we will continue working alongside families, survivors, advocates and Indigenous women until everyone in our communities is safe.”