Introduction of Bill 4: Indigenous Women once again Overlooked in Legislative Processes that Directly Affect Them
Press Release
Kahnawà:ke, May 14th, 2026 – Quebec Native Women (QNW) deplores the lack of consultation with Indigenous women’s groups in the drafting of Bill 4, Loi permettant au Parlement du Québec de préserver le principe de la souveraineté parlementaire à l’égard de la Charte de la langue française et de la Loi sur la langue officielle et commune du Québec, le français, introduced yesterday by the Fréchette government. While the organization welcomes with openness such an initiative, it emphasizes that the reality faced by Indigenous women represents a significant blind spot in the bill.
“Indigenous women have once again been excluded from the drafting of a bill addressing issues that we are, in fact, experiencing firsthand,” said Marjolaine Étienne, president of Quebec Native Women.
QNW reiterates that Indigenous women are disproportionately represented in cases of violence in Quebec. The unprecedented overview unveiled by the organization on March 31, notably through the mapping of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit individuals (MMIWG2S+), clearly attests to this. In this context, their exclusion from the legislative process constitutes a major oversight, likely to limit the bill’s scope and effectiveness.
QNW issues a clear call to policymakers
The organization emphasizes, however, that it is still possible to correct the course by fully incorporating and recognizing the perspective of Indigenous women in the review of the bill: “Despite our disappointment regarding the lack of prior consultation, we are reaching out to policymakers. It is essential that we be involved in the review of the bill, particularly with regard to its applicability. This is crucial to ensure that the legislation can truly protect Indigenous women in its implementation”, adds Ms. Étienne.
QNW emphasizes that the bill’s effectiveness will largely depend on its ability to take into account the specific realities of Indigenous women. While the proposed mechanism may serve as a relevant preventive tool, its cultural and safety accessibility remains a central issue. For many Indigenous women, police services are not perceived as providers of safety, due to a relationship historically marked by mistrust, systemic racism, and the consequences of colonialism, particularly residential schools and increased surveillance of Indigenous families.
Overrepresentation of Indigenous women in cases of violence in Quebec
From 1950 to 2026, 124 cases of MMIWG2S+ were recorded in Quebec, in addition to numerous suspicious deaths or deaths occurring under aggravating circumstances, for a total of 221 lives. Furthermore, in 2024 alone, more than 2,500 cases of violence against Indigenous women were opened across the 22 police services of the Quebec Association of
First Nations and Inuit Police Directors (QAFNIPD), and this figure represents only the cases that enter the system.
About QNW
Quebec Native Women is a nonprofit organization that has been representing and advocating for the rights and interests of First Nations women and girls in Quebec for over 50 years. View the MMIWG2S+ map: MMIWG2S MAPPING
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Source : Quebec Native Women \ https://faq-qnw.org/
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