05) SUPPORT SISTERS IN SPIRIT
Resolution adopted by the Central Committee, Communist Party of Canada, August 27-28, 2011
The Native Women's Association of Canada has made public the issues of violence confronting Aboriginal women and girls through the research findings of the Sisters in Spirit Research Initiative, which showed concrete evidence that Aboriginal women and girls continue to be the highest risk group in Canada relating to violence. These research findings point directly to the impacts of government policies and colonization historically, but also to the state violence perpetrated upon the groups of Aboriginal women, men and their families The violent impacts of colonization plus a controlling Canadian state have brought about the results we have seen from the residential schools, discriminatory laws and the Indian Act, which lead to low education and few employment opportunities. The NWAC contends that "ending violence against Aboriginal women and girls lies with both men and women, with both Aboriginal and non‑Aboriginal communities. It ends with recognition, responsibility and cooperation."
The Canadian government had promised to begin a ten million dollar programme to help locate the missing Aboriginal women and solve the murder cases of so many, by funding the Sisters In Spirit initiative, encouraging the involvement of the families and friends of the missing and murdered women, and financing intense investigations aimed at ending the death and destruction. This financing would assist in providing services which are not always available to those who need help; it would allow investigation of the complexity of factors related to the missing women and girls; the services would be long‑term, culturally appropriate, supportive and accessible. The Aboriginal women and girls' families need practical guidance and information plus the ability to connect with other families, which gives comfort and support when needed.
While the financing was announced by Rona Ambrose, Minister for the Status of Women, it was made clear by the state that the vast amount of monies would be handed over to the RCMP to specifically deal with "missing persons". No reference was made to Aboriginal missing persons at all. Further, the federal government has attempted to eradicate the Sisters in Spirit campaign altogether, and there will be no more federal funding to continue research for the Sisters in Spirit initiative. The families and friends of the Aboriginal women and girls disappeared or murdered are devastated that they will not have the financial means or support to complete the investigations so necessary to solving these crimes.
The impact of lack of funding also extends to provincial levels. In Vancouver on July 28, 2011, Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, President of the Native Women's Association of Canada, called for a National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Aboriginal women and girls.
"The Government of British Columbia has shut us out of the BC Missing Women Commission of Inquiry," President Lavell said, "and now we have no confidence that it will be able to produce a fair and balanced report. The decision of the BC government to restrict funding for counsel primarily to police and government agencies demonstrates how flawed and one sided this process has become." It is vital that NWAC's expertise and knowledge be recognized as a key piece of expertise which should be used cooperatively with the federal and provincial governments.
Communities across Canada are currently organizing for the 6th annual Vigil for the Sisters in Spirit movement to honour the lost sisters and their families and to show a united front. Over eighty cities hosted events in 2010, and NWAC is aiming to substantially increase this number on October 4th, 2011.
NWAC has asked that all Canadians value and support their Aboriginal communities and join the struggle to bring equality to the social status of Aboriginal women. NWAC asks that all Canadians become effective allies who listen to the stories regarding these women, and take seriously the violence being perpetrated against Aboriginal women and girls daily. Due to historic discrimination by the state, Aboriginal women do not have voice or status to advance in workplaces. There are no employment advocates for Aboriginal women, who are unable to access desperately‑needed unionized jobs.
The Communist Party of Canada supports Aboriginal women and girls in Canada, and calls upon our members and the working class movement to organize and support the October 4th Sisters in Spirit events and campaigns. We support stronger, united pressure on the federal and provincial governments to directly fund and involve the families, friends and other Aboriginal organizations to end the violence once and for all, and to bring about full equality and human dignity for all indigenous peoples.
(The above article is from the September 16-31, 2011, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)