FEWO Committee Report

Complementary opinion of the Bloc Québécois

"I feel we have a duty to remember the women and girls who have disappeared, who have been murdered. We must do this work rigorously, seriously, to honor their memory, so that they did not die in vain. That's what I'm hoping for as I listen to the witnesses today.” Andréanne Larouche, MP for Shefford, March 21, 2024.

RED DRESS ALERT REPORT

Over the past few months, we have conducted this study with determination and humility, in collaboration with several fellow MPs from all parties. Although our mandate has been described as a daunting challenge, both inside and outside Indigenous communities, we believe we have achieved our goal thanks to the extraordinary efforts of everyone involved. One of the reasons this was possible was that parliamentarians were able to use their voice to summon and compel the transmission of information.

This study is first and foremost about ensuring the safety of Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited people. The committee has enabled communities to be listened to, to express themselves freely and to be understood, thus fostering profound change in our society.

A variety of expert witnesses, including survivors and loved ones of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (2ELGBTQQIA+) people, representatives of organizations working in communities affected by the FFADA and 2ELGBTQQIA+ crisis, police officers and representatives of federal government departments, have contributed their expertise and many years of experience to set up a Red Dress Alert system in Canada. We would like to express our deep gratitude to the witnesses for sharing their stories, inspiring our approach. Their courage and determination to make their voices heard were essential in ensuring that the emergency was recognized and treated seriously. Thank you for your invaluable contribution to this vital cause.

The staff who supported us did an outstanding job, ensuring an exhaustive and comprehensive study despite time and resource constraints. We are grateful for their tireless efforts, to which this report bears witness.

The Bloc Québécois reaffirms its support for the 231 Calls for Justice to address the root causes of violence against First Nations, Inuit and Métis women, girls, two-spirited people, and people of diverse gender identities. The Bloc Québécois reiterates the importance of these Calls for Justice, as well as regular follow-up on them.

The Bloc Québécois concludes from the many testimonies that parallel studies on the specific issues of violence against Indigenous people, on the state of their mental health and on the response of police services to these communities must be undertaken. Many witnesses raised fundamental issues in Indigenous communities that need to be addressed through studies that complement the Red Dress Alert study.

Recommendation:

That, given the importance and complexity of the Red Dress Alert study, the Bloc Québécois calls on the federal government to conduct complementary studies on the profound systemic inequalities and disparities in Indigenous communities; the specific issues of violence against Indigenous people; the state of Indigenous people’s mental health; and the police response to Indigenous people.