The Trudeau government has unveiled its action plan to end violence against Indigenous women, girls, and the 2SLGBTQQIA+ community.
The plan comes two years after the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.
It features seven goals, and short-term priorities to help end violence against marginalized communities and improve human rights in Canada.
The action plan cites $2.2 billion in the 2021 federal budget to “respond to the national tragedy” of violence against Indigenous women and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Canadians, in addition to funds earmarked for Indigenous communities.
“We proposed a historic investment: over $18 billion over the next five years to improve the quality of life and create new opportunities for people living in Indigenous communities,” said Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.
Bennett and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared on a livestream announcement of the action plan, hosted by co-chairs Gina Wilson and Valerie Roy.
Trudeau said the report follows years of activism and calls for federal assistance.
“To truly heal these wounds, we must first acknowledge the truth,” he said. “Not only about residential schools, but about so many injustices both past and present that Indigenous peoples faced.”
The prime minister said they accepted the findings of the MMIWG inquiry, including that the treatment of Indigenous peoples in Canada amounted to genocide.
Bennett says with the discovery of 215 children in a mass grave at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., the entire country is grieving with First Nation communities this week.
“Once you know the truth, you can’t unknow the truth,” she said. “It compels all of us to be part of the essential work of decolonization, healing, and reconciliation.”
A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former residential school students. The toll-free line can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling 1-866-925-4419.
