National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women: UBCIC Calls on NDP Government to Declare Gender-Based Violence Epidemic
Press Release
December 6, 2024
(xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh)/ Vancouver, B.C. – December 6, 2024) Today is the 35th anniversary of the tragic 1989 murders of 14 young women students at l’École Polytechnique de Montréal who were targeted and killed because of their gender.
The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) marks the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women by remembering victims of gender-based violence (GBV) from across the country and joins calls for the recently formed B.C. NDP government to declare GBV an epidemic. According to the Canadian Feminicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, GBV-related deaths in B.C. have shown no signs of slowing over recent years.
“UBCIC remembers the 14 victims of the 1989 l’École Polytechnique de Montréal massacre and victims everywhere who have been taken by perpetrators of GBV,” stated Melissa Moses, UBCIC Women’s Representative. “Too many families and communities have been forced to grieve, advocate and seek justice in the wake of their loved one’s death or disappearance without ever seeing progress or transformation. In the 35 years since this horrendous act of misogyny, instances of GBV and disappearances have continued, particularly against Indigenous women and gender-diverse people, women of colour, those with disabilities and in rural and remote communities. UBCIC offers our sincere condolences to all those affected by the unrelenting violence against women, girls and gender-diverse people and shares our commitment to advocating for GBV prevention and a culture of health, safety and justice.”
“Violence and disappearances of women today are deeply rooted in this country’s foundation,” stated Chief Marilyn Slett, UBCIC Secretary-Treasurer. “GBV has been allowed to proliferate under a colonial culture of patriarchy, misogyny, and control, giving rise to violence against women, children and land protectors, forced and coerced sterilization, intimate partner violence, GBV surrounding resource extraction industries, and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit+ (MMIWG2S+) crisis. Systemic problems require system solutions. As the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence come to a close, we invite leadership, civil society, the public and men and boys everywhere to continue the momentum – to access healing supports, education like the National Inquiry’s Final Report, to have uncomfortable conversations with peers, and challenge prevailing sexist attitudes, so that as a wider community we may do better for women and girls.”
Chief Don Tom, UBCIC Vice President continued, “The truth is that decades of violence against women has been witnessed, but willfully ignored. If we are going to make meaningful progress to prevent systemic GBV, it will require bold government action and every effort to promote education to shift deeply entrenched racist and sexist belief systems that devalue and discard First Nations women. We call on the Government of B.C. to be unwavering in its political will, to elevate GBV prevention on the agenda and to declare ongoing GBV as an epidemic alongside the MMIWG2S+ crisis. The fundamental human rights of First Nations women are in a state of crisis and can no longer be a side issue in this province.”
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, UBCIC President concluded, “We welcome the new NDP women-majority government and cabinet and renew our expectations for this government to make ending this preventable crisis a top priority. We encourage the Province to continue to strengthen it’s GBV-related initiatives, to work with survivors, families, and First Nations and to maintain pressure on the federal government. We hope to see increased resourcing and momentum on policy work underway within the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to address GBV and to implement the Calls for Justice. This epidemic is too urgent to wait for Ottawa and must begin here and now. We urge the new Government to collaborate across jurisdictions and between Ministries in areas like housing, health, and justice to tackle the deeply systemic challenges that underpin the staggering rates of GBV here and across turtle island.”
Mental and emotional supports listed below.
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Media inquiries:
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, 250-490-5314
Chief Don Tom, Vice-President, 604-290-6083
Chief Marilyn Slett, Secretary-Treasurer, 250-957-7721
UBCIC is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
For more information, please visit www.ubcic.bc.ca
- First Nations and Inuit Hope for Wellness Helpline. If you’re experiencing emotional distress and want to talk, contact the toll-free number at 1-855-242-3310, or the online chat at hopeforwellness.ca, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hope for Wellness Help Line offers immediate mental health counselling and crisis intervention to all Indigenous peoples across Canada. Call the toll-free Help Line at 1-855-242-3310, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or use the chat box on their website.
- KUU Crisis Line Society is a First Nations and Indigenous specific crisis line available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, toll-free from anywhere in British Columbia. KUU-US Crisis Line can be reached toll-free at 1-800-588-8717. Alternatively, individuals can call direct into the Youth Line at 250-723-2040 or the Adult Line at 250-723-4050.
- National 24/7 MMIWG2S+ Support Line 1-844-413-6649 An independent, national, toll-free support call line is available to provide support for anyone who requires assistance. This line is available free of charge, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Battered Women’s Support Services: BWSS offers immediate, short-term help to survivors of violence in intimate relationships, childhood sexual abuse and adult sexual assault. CRISIS LINE 604-687-1867 Toll Free 855.687.1868
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