No Clear Pathway

Press Release

INTRODUCTION

Seven years after the National Inquiry’s Final Report into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people was released, efforts to address the gender- and orientation-based violence faced by Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people continues to see insufficient focused commitments. For Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, the measure of progress extends beyond programs, policies and funding announcements.  Creating a violence-free future requires action across all Calls to Justice and interconnected threads as expressed in the Métis-specific action plan, Weaving Miskotahâ.  These include gathering and evaluating data, relationship building, service planning and delivery, child and family services, healing and wellness, and justice and policing.

Despite slight to moderate progress in specific sectors, a significant portion of the priorities identified by Métis women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people within Weaving Miskotahâ and the Inquiry’s Calls to Justice persist as unaddressed. Survivors and families still navigate a landscape devoid of justice and transparent accountability, while communities struggle with a scarcity of culturally-safe service models. Systemic barriers within housing, healthcare, child welfare, and the legal system remain daily realities for Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ kin. Most distressing is the lack of measurable evidence suggesting any meaningful decline in the gender-based violence that necessitated the National Inquiry.

Les Femmes Michif Otipemiswak (LFMO) seeks to advance self-determined, Métis-led strategies that speak to the distinct experiences and voices of Métis women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people across the Metis Motherland. We reaffirm a deep commitment to research, policy, advocacy, and collaboration to end the crisis of missing and murdered Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

While funding is an important part of the way forward, the amount announced is only one part of the solution. Of primary importance is if these investments are reducing the number of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people who go missing or murdered. It is important to understand if the funding is reaching communities, supporting Indigenous-led solutions, and creating lasting systemic change.

The ultimate benchmark of success is not how much funding was allocated. It is measured by whether or not Métis women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people are safer, healthier, and better supported than before and that there are measurable reductions in the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.  Further, demonstrated outcomes must show that Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people are experiencing greater safety and that the rates of gender- and orientation-based violence have declined.

This report card examines federal actions through the lens of Weaving Miskotahâ’s calls for change and the Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and 2SGBTQQIA+ people. It considers whether those actions are making meaningful differences in the lives of Métis women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people.

EVALUATION

In the majority of LFMO’s priority areas, significant improvements are still needed. As noted above, critical gaps persist in relation to data collection/evaluation, child and family wellbeing, and access to culturally-safe healing/wellness support, economic security, and safety, justice, and accountability.

One (1) area where some progress has been made involves the creation of nine (9) Métis-specific shelter/transitional housing projects in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. For example, Miakoda is a transitional home built in partnership with LFMO and the Prince Albert Community Housing Society Inc. that opened in December 2025. Miakoda can house up to eight (8) Métis women and their children in a two (2) bedroom unit for up to eighteen (18) months. Métis housing security projects have potential to be life-changing, however resources allocated are insufficient to meet the magnitude of need in Métis communities.

While emergency and transitional shelters play a critical role in responding to crisis needs, they are not long-term solutions to address housing insecurity.  A significant gap remains in housing sustainability and suitability including access, affordability, and long-term housing.  Housing security is integral to supporting safety and contributing to self-determination.

Shifting federal priorities give LFMO serious reservations about the government’s interest in carrying this work forward. The future is uncertain. Momentum has stalled and there’s a real risk of rolling back the progress that’s been made.

Lack of capacity is a major challenge for organizations dedicated to MMIWG2S+. Staff in grassroots, Indigenous-led, and survivor organizations, are already stretched thin and expected to tackle tragic and traumatic events “off the sides of our desks”. Competition for a limited pocket of resources can make groups feel pitted against one another, leading to tension, lateral violence, and burnout.

Unfortunately, our data show that the disappearances, murders, and suspicious deaths of Métis women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse kin have increased since the National Inquiry’s Final Report was released. This seems to indicate that government responses have not resulted in less violence for vulnerable Métis people. This significant finding factored heavily into the final evaluation.

Despite moderate progress, the federal government has ultimately failed in meeting its commitments in relation to Weaving Miskotahâ and the 231 Calls for Justice. Inadequate support persists at local, regional, provincial, and federal levels and is the norm for organizations providing direct services and care and organizations focused on policy, research, and advocacy. The inability to address the underlying, intersecting root causes driving the MMIWG2S+ crisis amplifies this failure.

Regrettably, without a clear pathway forward, the outlook is bleak. That said, LFMO welcomes and encourages partnerships and opportunities for collaboration with governments, civil society, and impacted communities. We remain committed to research, policy, and advocacy that increases safety and equity for Métis women, girls, Two-Spirit, and gender-diverse kin across and beyond the Motherland.

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