On Red Dress Day, Indigenous voices urge timely introduction of proposed public alert system | CBC News

Indigenous women, families and advocates are calling for swift action in introducing a Red Dress Alert system, an initiative to shed light on and take action against the ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people.

A morning rally outside Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino’s office in Toronto was among a host of events held Friday, marking the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit People (also known as Red Dress Day).

The proposed alert system, often compared to Amber Alerts for missing children, would send emergency notifications to the public when an Indigenous woman, girl or two-spirit person goes missing.

Earlier this week, the House of Commons adopted a motion calling on the federal government to declare ongoing violence against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people a national emergency.

Presented by Winnipeg Centre New Democrat MP Leah Gazan, the motion also called for “immediate and substantial investment” for creating a Red Dress Alert system — which many advocates and grassroots organizations have long suggested.

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In the last federal budget, the government pledged $2.5 million over five years to convene and support the work of a roundtable of federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous representatives in exploring a Red Dress Alert and other options.

Proponents want the system to be established this year, with some taking the opportunity on Friday to urge action.

Introducing the measure “would help de-normalize when an Indigenous woman or child goes missing,” said Corrina Gavan, a First Nations, Métis and Inuit committee member of the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU), who attended the rally outside Mendicino’s office in support of Gazan’s motion.

She pointed to the success of the Amber Alert system in finding children and underlined that while Indigenous women comprise about four per cent of the country’s female population, they face violence at a disproportionately higher rate than non-Indigenous women.

“Our message to [Mendicino] is to take this crisis seriously and to enact the Red Dress Alert in a timely manner — not two to three years from now,” Gavan said. “We want action now.”

For Adam Murphy, a fellow CEIU member and FNMI committee representative, it was important to participate in the rally on Red Dress Day given what he describes as a lacklustre response from the federal government in responding to the violence against Indigenous women thus far.

“It’s a sombre day, one filled with sadness and grief. But it’s important that we continue to stand our ground and ensure that action is taken,” he said. “Promises are promises, and action is where we need to go.” 

Indigenous women are written off by many people and not considered in the same light as non-Indigenous women, said Bianca Jacobs, a parent who brought her children to join in the Toronto rally.

“As native people, we’re here. We live, love and laugh just like everyone else. And just like everyone else, we should each be afforded safety,” said Jacobs.

“Having a system like the Red Dress Alert will help [missing Indigenous women] be noticed quicker. And it shows that we’re not just someone to be thrown away. We don’t belong in trash heaps. We don’t belong in ditches. We belong with our people and our families.”