Building Canada Strong Means Investing in Indigenous Women’s Safety and Leadership

Building Canada Strong Means Investing in Indigenous Women’s Safety and Leadership

Thunder Bay, ON – “Building a Canada that is fair, prosperous, and strong – not just for some, but for all.” These are the words we are hearing from the Prime Minister and his Cabinet as they celebrate the government’s Spring Economic Update. But for Indigenous women, these are just words.

A country where 5% of the population experiences 30% of the violence is not a fair country.

A country that fails to protect the safety of all, where some women are 6 times more likely to be murdered because of their Indigenous identity, is not a strong country.

A country where Indigenous women must negotiate their safety to meet their basic needs is not a prosperous country.

An economic development strategy that excludes Indigenous women from decision-making on nation building projects and fails to invest in programs to protect them from the targeted sexual violence and exploitation known to come with these projects, is not building a Canada for all, but for some.

We have an opportunity, collectively, to change this. As Canada continues to navigate economic and global uncertainty, Indigenous women’s leadership is needed now more than ever. We carry the knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors who effectively managed complex economies and geopolitics for thousands of years.

ONWA is calling on all levels of government to sustainably invest in Indigenous women’s organizations who are leading violence prevention and healing work in their communities; to ensure Indigenous women are included in economic opportunities; and to directly involve Indigenous women in all decision-making processes that impact our lives.

ONWA is calling on our allies to demand that Indigenous women’s safety be prioritized within resource development projects, and to continue to hold Canada accountable for its human rights obligations.

Canada and its economy will only ever be as strong as the people it supports. There is no “Canada strong” without strong, and safe, Indigenous women.

For more information and media inquiries, contact:

Andre Morriseau, Communications Manager,

Ontario Native Women’s Association (ONWA)

Email: amorriseau@onwa.ca

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