Student leaders from the University of Saskatchewan held a rally on Wednesday to support the call for an inquiry for missing and murdered indigenous women.
The president of the Indigenous Student Council, Feather Pewapisconias-McKee says the organizers talked about the new federal government’s support for the inquiry, but the students still wanted to hold the rally.
“We are also hoping that this is a big push for our province and our schools,” says Pewapisconias-McKee. “And everywhere in Canada, to recognize that this is such a big deal and that we want this to be noticed and recognized.”
At the rally, U of S student president Jack Saddleback introduced the Moose Hide Campaign. He says the campaign encourages aboriginal and non-aboriginal men to stand up against violence towards women and children.
“And men need to be putting their voices forward because this is first and foremost a women’s issue but you know it’s also a masculinity issue that we need to be able to discuss as indigenous men,” says Saddleback. “Our masculinity has always talked about standing up with our sisters, our mothers and our grandmothers, we draw strength from one another and that’s what we should be doing.”
The Moose Hide Campaign involves pinning a piece of moose hide to your clothing showing support for the end of violence towards women and children.