December 6: Take Action to End Violence Against Aboriginal Women and Girls

On December 6, Canadians will once again pause to remember the importance of taking action against violence against women and girls.

The date was declared by Canadas Parliament in 1991, in commemoration of the December 6, 1989 Montreal Massacre.

Violence against women continues to be a serious issue in Canada. And most alarmingly is the violence against Aboriginal women and girls. Aboriginal women represent only three per cent of Canadian women but account for 10 per cent of Canadas murdered women. If non-Aboriginal women were murdered and missing at the same rate, the number of victims and missing would total more than 18,000.

This epidemic of violence against Aboriginal women has led to the United Nations calling on the Canadian government numerous times to take effective action to end the violence.

The Native Womens Association of Canada (NWAC) has documented evidence that more than 582 Aboriginal women and girls have gone missing or have been murdered in Canada in the past few decades. NWAC is sure that there are more cases that have not been documented.

NWAC is calling upon the federal government to hold a national inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in Canada. A national inquiry would be a crucial step in implementing a comprehensive and coordinated national action plan. And it is vital that those most affected ... Aboriginal women ... be involved in the design, decision-making, process and implementation of this inquiry.

Since 2006, the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) and its Advisory Committee on Womens Issues have supported NWAC and worked to raise awareness of this issue. This year the National Union has produced a poster and encourages everyone to print and post it in their workplaces to promote a NWAC petition calling on the government to conduct a National Inquiry.

-I am asking our members and all Canadians to join us in supporting a national inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women. Please sign the petition and help us put an end to this national tragedy," states NUPGE National President James Clancy.

More Information:

December 6 Poster

Petition

Native Women's Association of Canada

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. Anne Davis, Chair of HSAs Womens Committee, serves on NUPGEs Advisory Committee on Womens Issues.

Click here for December 6 Day of Action materials and info from the Canadian Labour Congress