A gathering was held in Prince Albert Sunday to honour and bring awareness for missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, men, boys, and two-spirit people in the province.
Prince Albert Grand Council hosted the event, which had many people in attendance, including family members of missing and murdered Indigenous People. The Chiefs of PAGC were unable to attend the event, so executive director of PAGC, Al Ducharme, shared a message for them.
“It’s good that we gather, remember, and think about those who are missing. Happy Charles, we’re still searching, where are these women, we want to find them. In a dump in Winnipeg, in a dump in Regina? How terrible is that, unacceptable, this is unacceptable,” explained Ducharme.
Throughout the gathering, speakers highlighted the importance of spreading awareness for MMIWG+ and called for more support for victims families.
“As we reflect on today, it is so important that we reflect and work towards solutions to help make this a much safer place, especially for our Indigenous women, girls, and two spirit people,” said Prince Albert Northcote MLA, Alana Ross.
Indigenous people make up 4.3 percent of Canada’s population, yet Indigenous women make up 16 percent of female homicide victims and 11 percent of missing women in Canada. During the gathering, speakers were calling for change, including Prince Albert’s Deputy Police Chief, Farica Prince.
“Indigenous women are 12 times more likely to go missing or be murdered than anyone else in this country, the hardest person to be right now in our country is an Indigenous woman, and that’s not okay. It’s time for us to hold each other accountable, we need to hold each other accountable and stop hurting each other,” said Prince.
In attendance was the family of Danielle Dobersheck who was murdered in Melfort on March 10 at only 30 years old. Dobershecks family described her as a loving mother, and requested prayers for their family on May 27 at 11 a.m.
The gathering didn’t only highlight missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two spirit+ but also shined a spotlight on men and boys. Drew Ballantyne went missing on June 28, 2022, at the age of 34. Ballantyne remains missing, and his family spoke at the gathering, calling for support and for people to come forward with information.
The gathering wrapped up with a prayer and drum performance, followed by a feast.
(Photo by Jenna Smith.)