(May 5, 2025 – Unceded Algonquin Territory, Ottawa) – Today, Assembly of First Nations (AFN) National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak and Prince Edward Island (PEI) Regional Chief Wendell LaBobe issued the following statement in recognition of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples, also known as Red Dress Day.
“On the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ Peoples, we take the time to honour those who have been stolen and to stand with the families and Survivors who carry the weight of this crisis,” said National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak. “Today, our hearts are with every family still searching for answers, and we call on all levels of government and all Canadians to join us in remembrance and in action to ensure that First Nations women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people are protected and can live with safety and dignity.”
“In the AFN’s 2024 MMIWG Progress Report, we found that only two of the Calls for Justice impacting First Nations have been fully implemented, with the majority showing minimal or no progress,” said National Chief Woodhouse Nepinak. “With a new federal government in place, Canada has an opportunity to reset and move forward using coordinated, whole-of-government approach that responds to the full scope of the Final Report. Prime Minister Carney and his Cabinet should immediately establish a ministerial-level First Nations-Federal-Provincial-Territorial table to assess progress, identify performance measures, and define next steps, guided by First Nations, Survivors, and families, and supported by the resources needed to ensure real progress.”
“First Nations families and Survivors have told us what they need,” added PEI Regional Chief Wendell LaBobe, AFN Portfolio Holder for MMIWG. “They require wrap-around supports, prevention programs, safe spaces for healing, and coordinated responses that reflect their experiences, as articulated in Breathing Life into the Calls for Justice and the Connecting Hearts and Making Change report. We look forward to working with the new federal government, alongside First Nations Survivors and families, to advance this critical work.”
“Red Dress Day is a time to honour those who have been taken and to reflect on the work that still lies ahead,” concluded Regional Chief LaBobe. “Today, we lift up the families who continue their search for justice and we encourage all Canadians to read Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and the 231 Calls for Justice.”
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The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is a national advocacy organization that works to advance the collective aspirations of First Nations individuals and communities across Canada on matters of national or international nature and concern.
For more information, please contact:
Cherish Francis
Press Secretary
National Chief’s Office
(343) 630-1372 (mobile)
[email protected]
Kelly Reid
Senior Communications Officer
Assembly of First Nations
(613) 292-0857 (mobile)
[email protected]