Canada is a country that prides itself on its multicultural population. However, it is often forgotten that European settlers founded Canada as a colony. The indigenous people who lived there before their arrival were forced off their lands and into reserves, where they still live today (Atleo, 2022). The Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) Inquiry was a national public inquiry into the systemic causes of violence against Indigenous people. It looked at the underlying factors contributing to this violence, including historical and current social and economic conditions and racism, sexism, misogyny, and colonialism. The Inquiry also examined the legal, institutional, and community responses to MMIW cases. The paper will discuss the matter of missing and murdered indigenous Canadian people, the government and police’s role, as well as its importance.
In recent years, indigenous women being murdered and missing has been brought to light by activists and the media. In 2015, the Native Women’s Association of Canada released a report on their findings that since 1980 over 1,200 indigenous women had gone missing or been murdered (Lethabo, 2020). The report also found that most cases were never solved and that most victims were young women aged 18-35. The report also revealed that indigenous women were more likely than non-indigenous women to be murdered by a close member, over. Furthermore, 94% of cases involved a perpetrator known to the victim. These statistics show that missing and murdered indigenous women are disproportionately affected by violent crime compared to other demographic groups within Canada (Government of Canada, 2018).
Additionally, in Canada, the rates of murdered indigenous women were approximately 4.82 per every 100 000. This rate includes 7.16, 6.9, and 6.01 per 100,000 in Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. However, care should be taken while comparing since such regions involve small populations.
The Canadian government and police play a significant role in missing and murdering indigenous people. The Canadian government has been known to abuse and neglect indigenous people. This could lead to the creation of gangs known for killing, raping, or abusing indigenous people (Marsden, 2021). These gangs are then often arrested by the police and put in jail without proper punishment for their crimes. Such creates an environment where there is no justice for these crimes against indigenous peoples, leading to more violence against them than would otherwise occur.
Therefore, the Canadian government should do more for the indigenous people. They must protect them and provide a safe environment where they can live without fear of discrimination. The government needs to take action against those who commit acts of violence against them, such as murders and kidnappings. They also need to ensure that there are programs in place that will help prevent these types of crimes from happening again in the future by educating both children and adults about how important it is for everyone to treat each other with respect regardless of their race or background.
In conclusion, the missing and murdered indigenous people of Canada have been a significant and under-addressed issue for decades. While many factors contribute to the problem, one of the most important is that these crimes occur on lands held by First Nations communities. Suppose Canada wants to address the issue of missing and murdered indigenous people indeed. In that case, it must first recognize its sovereignty and address the systemic racism that has plagued these communities since it arrived in North America.
References
Atleo, C., & Boron, J. (2022). Land Is Life: Indigenous Relationships to Territory and Navigating Settler Colonial Property Regimes in Canada. Land, 11(5), 609. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/11/5/609
Government of Canada, D. (2018, February 15). Just facts. Retrieved December 8, 2022, from https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/jr/jf-pf/2017/july04.html
Lethabo King, T. (2021). Some Black feminist notes on Native feminisms and the flesh. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 39(1), 9–15.
Marsden, B. (2021). Burying the Hatchet: Addressing Disproportionate Media Representations of Indigenous Missing and Murdered Peoples. Undergraduate Review, 16(2), 75–89. https://vc.bridgew.edu/undergrad_rev/vol16/iss2/10/
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